Sunday July 29th 2012 – Seventeenth Week of the Year
THE FAMILY OF HOLY CROSS
3 CARRINGTON AVENUE, COTTINGHAM, EAST YORKSHIRE HU16 4DU
Twinned with Star of the Sea Parish: Juba, Freetown, Sierra Leone
Tel: 01482 847763 Fax: 01482 845225 email: fatherpat@holycrosscottingham.org.uk Website: holycrosscottingham.org.uk
Parish Priest: Father Pat Day BA BD
Masses: Vigil Mass: Sat 6.30 pm Sun: 10 am; Mon to Sat: 9 am, except Tues: 7 pm
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: Saturday after the 9 am Mass until Benediction at 6
Holy Cross is open all day from dawn till dusk. Tea and coffee are served in the Garden Room after the 10 am Mass on Sunday
Sunday July 29th 2012 Seventeenth Week of the Year
Sometimes when we read something we’re caught not so much by the words but by the movement of the piece. That’s what strikes me about today’s Gospel. Jesus, in last week’s Gospel, ‘set himself to teach [the people] at some length’. Today the story continues with him moving away, crossing the Sea of Galilee and climbing a hill where he can be alone with his disciples. It’s interesting that he goes there first and then the people follow in great numbers. It’s as if he leads them there; he leads them through the different terrains and obstacles to the hillside where he is now sitting. So often for each of us in our different situations and circumstances we find that we are at times hobbling along over rough territory or stormy seas, and to be honest we don’t always know where we’re going or what it’s all about. Today in Mayo in the west of Ireland, thousands of people are climbing Croagh Patrick, Ireland’s Holy Mountain, and I’m sure that many of them couldn’t tell you what brought them there or why they are there. But did you ever think that when it feels as if we are climbing a mountain – the mountain of worry or anxiety, the mountain of illness or bereavement or unemployment, or the mountain of broken relationships or betrayal – did you ever imagine that Jesus has gone ahead of us and now from his seated position up ahead he sees us coming and he already knows what he wants to do and what he will in fact do for us? In other words, did you ever imagine that although it’s not easy, Jesus has invited you to walk through this path so that when you reach the place where he is you will be ready to receive what he wishes to give you? It seems clear from the movement of the remainder of the Gospel that everything Jesus wishes to give us is to be found in one way or another in and through our celebration and living out of the Eucharist.
Mass Intentions for the coming week:
Sat 6.30 pm Elena (Argentina) Thurs 9 am Regina Ofoegbu In thanksgiving
Sun 10 am Cornelia (Special Intention) Fri 9 am George and Mabel Saul
Mon 9 am Ethel Land (A) Sat 9 am The Parishioners
Tues 7 pm Mary Devlin (A) 6.30 pm Keith Brown
Wed 9 am Harold Ward (A) Sun 10 am Mrs Middleton
Anniversaries: Sun: Charles Hamilton, Mary Alice O’Brien, Mary Devlin; Mon: Ethel Land, Richard English,
Frances Dawson; Tues: Winifred Kaye; Wed: Jack Ellis, Keith Brown, Thomas Mooney, James Wilson, Harold Ward;
Thurs: Wilfred Clery, Catherine Hirst, Jean Jackson; Fri: Wilhelmina Cuppens de Vries, Alfred Richal;
Sat: Elly Flanagan; Sun: Edna Fowlston, Michael F McKeown.
Next Sunday counters: Diana Ormiston and Chris Clarke; Next Sunday tea/coffee: Anne Marie and Tessa
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _From Father Pat_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
“Birthdays: Swimmer Alex and footballer Oliver had birthdays recently and Oliver was ‘Man of the Match’ last weekend and brought along the trophy to prove it! Peter Rawson who keeps the church grounds so neat and tidy and Geoff Little, celebrate birthdays this Tuesday. Jan Mounce also had a birthday a week or so ago. She celebrated it in Sheffield with some of her family. Congratulations to you all. Geoff also ‘starred’ in the Hull Mail last Wednesday in the ‘Up Your Street’ section from Cottingham. “Churchgoer Geoff Little works with the charity, Apostleship of the Sea, and shared his experiences with fellow Catholics at a service last weekend, when parishioners raised £532.50.” WeddingBells: Robert Wright, son of Margaret and Peter, will be marrying Heidi Malton here this coming Friday at 1 pm; we wish them all the best for a long and happy future together. Farewells: The Rev Andy, as he is popularly known, the Minister at our local Methodist Church in the village, had a farewell service at Bricknell Ave Methodist Church last Sunday afternoon, before he sets off for new pastures in York in a few weeks time. Andy has been a tremendous blessing to all our churches in Cottingham with his enthusiasm for the Gospel, IT ability and general pushing the rest of us towards new horizons. He has always challenged us and will be sorely missed. A replacement minister will not arrive until at least another 12 months have passed. New Arrival: Ben and Emma Longbone have added Baby Tobias Benjamin to their family, a brother to Sidney Florence. He was born on July 10th and weighed in at 7lb 13oz. We are looking forward to the christening on Sunday September 16th. Diamond Wedding Anniversary: Congratulations to Moira and Harry Thomson who celebrated their 60th Anniversary on Thursday. They were married in Oldham and the reception cost 3/6p per person! Anne and Geoff Land also celebrated their 43rd Wedding Anniversary last week. Rest in Peace: Ben Mellon, whom we prayed for last weekend, died on Sunday with his Mum and Dad and new wife of two weeks beside him. Ben was a past pupil of St Mary’s College and was aged 32. Please keep his sister and brothers, parents and wife in your prayers.
Bits ‘n Bobs: Congratulations to Annie Turpin (Sat evening Mass). She moves to St. Mary’s College in September from St. Charles’s. All the Year 6 pupils from all over the city had a letter writing competition about their time in Primary School and with the winning letter, Annie won a bicycle! Well done, Annie, from all of us! Congratulations also go to Angela (Stokoe) who has just been appointed as Head of St. John of Beverley RC School. For the past few years Angela has been Deputy, along with parishioner Pat Graham (Campbell), at Queen of Martyrs School. Eddie and Annie, our Saturday evening servers, are her nephew and niece! Cornelia has been sponsoring the education of young men for the priesthood in India and recently saw her 5th ordained! She’s calling it a day, but well done, Cornelia. (It may make up for the attempted murder!). It was great to see Eddie Simmonds and Joe Buckley with us at Mass last Sunday. Neither is too well but they both enjoyed their visit. Also Barry returned with his ‘new’ knee! A word of thanks to Dermot Brennan and John Gallagher for spending Wednesday afternoon polishing the brass plaques in the Memorial Garden.
Today’s miracle – when the people were hungry, they met God. It is often when we are most fragile that we meet God. The singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen reflects a lot on life and religion. He is almost seventy-eight now. Forty years ago he had songs like ‘Sisters of Mercy’, ‘Suzanne’, ‘Bird on the Wire’. Five years ago he wrote ‘Anthem’ with those hauntingly true words: ‘There is a crack in everything; that’s how the light gets in’. We all have our breaking point and any of us can ‘crack’ under pressure. But sometimes, when we are at our most vulnerable and ready to throw in the towel, a little bit of ‘light’ might creep in. That is the miracle. It could simply be a text or a phone call or a visit. Maybe someone to ask ‘Are you OK?’ A gentle word can soothe a sleepless night. The charity, gentleness and patience mentioned in the second reading, can create small miracles every day. Bringing a bit of light into other people’s lives should not be put off. “It would be a pity to leave everything until the eleventh hour and then to die at half ten!”
Brother Roger of Taizé on prayer: “When the time for silence comes, I ask you to take up your position for prayer (and sitting is usually best for most of us) and then, having asked the help of the Holy Spirit, to be content to wait patiently, expectantly, lovingly, longingly. Try to realise that this is all you can do for yourself. God must do the rest. See yourself as the parched ground looking upwards patiently for the rain to fall. You can only wait.”
The 1936 Berlin Olympics: Jesse Owens was watching his dream slip away. He had fouled his first two attempts at the long jump. His blond German opponent Ludwig ‘Lutz’ Long explained to him how he could avoid a final foul by using a simple strategy. Owens took his advice and went on to win the gold medal with a final leap of 9.06 metres. And Hitler stormed out of the stadium. Moved by the spontaneous graciousness of his closest opponent, Jesse Owens later said: ‘It took a lot of courage for him to befriend me in front of Hitler. You can melt down all the medals and cups I have and they wouldn’t be a plating on the twenty-four carat friendship that I felt for Lutz Long at that moment.’ Why are some people capable of those astonishing gestures of pure compassion, these sudden epiphanies of love that never cross the minds of others? One afternoon in May 1988 on a hillside in Oakland, California, a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi attempted to give an answer. He pointed out that both as individuals and as a planet we are genetically coded for compassion, for karuna. ‘Competition becomes combat,’ he called out, ‘when compassion is absent.’
More Olympic News: Quite a few parishioners have managed to get tickets to some of the events, tennis, archery and football among them. Some have managed to get to events inside the Olympic Stadium itself. Someone has managed to get tickets for Horse Guards Parade! And what is the event? Why, that very Olympic sport of Ladies’ Beach Volleyball! Malcolm Brown, I hope you enjoy it! We pray especially for Lizzie Simmonds, granddaughter of Chris and Mike Goss who often come to weekday Mass here. Lizzie is swimming in the backstroke event. PS Found out later that Malcolm will be joined by Anthony, Martin and Fr John Wood, Chris and Dr Alex among others at the Beach Volleyball. But don’t be concerned; they will be joined by Prince Harry, and if it’s good enough for him…….. ! Another parishioner has a son who has managed to get tickets for the 100 Metre Final!
Sandra Beach from the West Hull Parishes has booked a coach for the Assumption Pilgrimage at Mount Grace on Sunday August 19th leaving St Charles’s at 12 noon, picking up at St Joseph’s at 12.15pm The cost will be between £10 and £15 each depending on filling the coach. If you would like to go, you can contact Sandra on 653522 or 07900673780.”
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Please pray for those who are not well: Cassie Griffith, Eileen Watts, Paul Larney, Agnes Pidd, Eileen Stout, Peter Bilton,
Mary Davidson, Barbara’s friend Elena, Pat Whincop, Pauline’s friend Joe Buckley, David Langley, Edward Peacock, Helen Malone, Peter Dyas, Regina Ofoegbu, Jean Campbell, Joe Rawcliffe, Dorothy Hought, Anthony Stokoe, Joan Williams, Tony Tordoff,
Win Murphy, Nick Norton, Kathleen & Arthur Burgan, Joan & Peter Watts, Margaret Price, Shirley and Tony Woods-McConville, Mrs Scrivener, Peter Fowlston and Jean Longhorn.
The Parish Lunch will be on this coming Wednesday, August 1st, in the Garden Room at 12. All are welcome.
The Hull and East Riding Newman Circle Annual General Meeting will be on Thurs, Sept 6th at 7.30 pm at the Endsleigh Centre.
Finally, which of the following are true?: 1. When you sneeze, all bodily functions stop, even your heart. 2. Your feet are bigger in the afternoon than any other time of day. 3. Babies are born without kneecaps. 4. The toothbrush was invented in 1498. 5. Humphrey Bogart was related to Princess Diana. 6. Most of us have eaten a spider in our sleep. 7. If colouring weren’t added to Coca Cola, it would be green. 8. The only animals that can see behind themselves are the rabbit and the parrot. 9. The average person over 50 will have spent five years waiting in queues. 10. The average housefly lives for one month.
Answer: All true. Now think about number 6!
Items for next weekend to me by Thursday, please john@mcnicholas.karoo.co.uk 876812