THE FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS DAY 2007
THE FAMILY OF HOLY CROSS AND THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
3 CARRINGTON AVE, COTTINGHAM, E YORKS HU16 4DU
Tel: 01482 847763 Fax: 01482 845225
Email: Website: holycrosscottingham.org.uk
Parish Priest: Father Pat Day BA, BD
Vigil Mass at Holy Cross – Saturday – 6.30 p.m. Sunday Morning at Holy Cross – 10.00 a.m. Holy Name – 11.00 a.m.
Weekday Masses: Holy Name – Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9.15 a.m.
Holy Cross – Tuesday – 7.00 p.m. Thursday – 9.00 a.m. Saturday – 9.00 a.m.
Holy Cross: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament all day Saturday from after morning Mass and ending with Benediction at 6.00
Holy Name: There is Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 10.00 – 11.00 a.m. on Fridays.
Holy Name Choir rehearses on Tuesdays from 6.45 – 7.30 p.m. (Use the sacristy entrance at the rear.)
Holy Cross Church is open all day from dawn to dusk. Tea and coffee are served after both Sunday Masses.
“In those days, ten people of nations of every language will take a Jew by the sleeve and say: ‘We want to go with you since we have learned that God is with you.’”
THE FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS DAY 2007
Today’s Readings: We are drawing very close to the feast of Christmas. So the refrain of ‘Emmanuel, God-is-with-us’ in the first reading from Isaiah, in the Gospel acclamation, and in the Gospel itself is particularly appropriate. What better way to grasp the meaning of the Incarnation than to repeat God-is-with-us! Matthew’s focus is on Joseph, a neglected figure really. There are many thousands of images of the Mother and Child, but few of Joseph. There is one from the medieval period showing Joseph minding the child while Mary reads a book! I recently saw a picture of a contemporary sculpture of Joseph enfolding the child in his arms, known as the Caerphilly Nativity by Caroline Mackenzie 2004. This is an important image of a strong, nurturing and loving father. In our times fathers can be sidelined and seen as unimportant. Here it appears that Mary will be a single mother and shamed by her untimely pregnancy, but Joseph listens to the voice of the angel and takes Mary to his home and protects her and the child. It is time to celebrate fathers and particularly their important role in parenting.
Christmas Mass Times:
Christmas Eve: Holy Cross – 10.00 a.m. Requiem Mass for Beth Harper. Midnight Mass preceded by carols at 11.30 p.m.
Christmas Eve: Holy Name – Vigil Mass of the Nativity at 7.00 p.m.
Christmas Day: Holy Cross at 10 and Holy Name at 11.
St. Stephen’s Day: Mass at 10.00 a.m. at Holy Cross.
Thursday – 9.00 – Holy Cross: Friday – 9.15 – Holy Name.
Bernard Proctor passed away quietly at 10.20 on Friday evening at home surrounded by Carmel and his children Chris, Cathy and Gerard. Bernard and Carmel had been married 51 years and had lived in Cottingham for the past 35 years. They had ten grandchildren, Daniel, Sarah, Martin, Jenny, Richard, Rachel, Heather, Tom, John Gerard and Grace and a great-grandchild on the way in February. He would have been 75 on Christmas Eve and had hoped to celebrate it with the family, but now he’s celebrating it in heaven. Just a few weeks ago, when he got out of Castle Hill Hospital, he wrote the following. “I was born into a loving family on December 24th. 1932, the first and only son of Catherine and Richard. My close family consisted of my mother’s sisters Queenie and Grace, my Uncle Jo and my cousins Veronica and Bert. Bert was the closest thing to a brother. By the time I was eleven I was in college training to be a priest although later I realised that this was not for me. I joined the RAF where I flew in England, Germany and Korea. After being injured in Korea I was given an early release. Shortly afterwards I met my wife Carmel with whom I have spent 51 very happy years. While all couples have their ups and downs, we have worked together to fast resolve anything that upset either of us. We were blessed with a family of five children. Each one grew and developed in their own unique way giving us every reason to be proud of each and every one of them. Unfortunately, our eldest daughter Theresa died in the year 2000. This was a huge loss for the entire family. She had enormous talents and a loving personality. Carmel and I stepped in to help Gerard with his vibrant family. We have ten grandchildren, each one a joy. I want to thank them for all the love that they have bestowed on me, for giving me so many reasons to be proud of them and for being such a complete and utter support to me and Carmel. I have battled with cancer for forty years, so a special thanks must go to the medical staff who have worked so hard to give me the opportunity to have such a successful and happy time with my friends, family and especially my wife Carmel. Thank you to all those other people that I have met and who are too numerous to number. All that needs to be said is thanks for everything.” Bernard’s funeral arrangements haven’t been made yet but I’ll try and let you know. Can I also thank parishioner Anne-Marie Holgate, Bernard’s district nurse, who has looked after him so lovingly these past number of weeks, and also parishioner Dr. Dermot Kieran, his doctor, who has also been a great support.
Rest in Peace: Parishioner Beth Harper, aged 86, a resident in The Arches for the past five years, died peacefully there on Tuesday. Christine Pike used to bring her Holy Communion every Sunday, and latterly Peter O’Reilly did the same, bringing her Communion just the Sunday before she died. A very faithful Catholic, Beth had been a prominent member of the Union of Catholic Mothers at Marist Parish for a long time. Her Requiem Mass will be here at Holy Cross at 10.00 a.m. on Christmas Eve (Monday). She leaves three daughters, Pamela, Anita and Paula. Her husband Ron died in 1995. May she rest in peace. Amen.
Lunch Club Christmas Dinner: On Wednesday last, around forty seven of us sat down for a most delicious Christmas dinner cooked and served up by Pat and John McNicholas, Gwen and Michelle Percival, Sandra and John Stephenson, Peter and Gwen O’Reilly and Elaine Coggin. The meal was free but there was a collection for the Orphanage at Bo, Sierra Leone.
New Birth: Congratulations to Ruth (Ulyatt) and Rob on the birth of their second child Phoebe Louise on Saturday December 15th. a sister to Leo now aged two. Someone asked why they didn’t call her Delilah. Maybe it’s because her surname is Sampson!
Diamond Wedding Celebrations: Congratulations to Patrick and Mary Falvey who celebrate their Diamond Wedding on December 30th. Thank you for the great example you both are to all of us. What do you call the 70th.?
Birthday Girl: Catherine Leach will be celebrating her 18th Birthday on Thursday of this week. Congratulations from us all and thanks for playing in ‘The Band’ every other Sunday.
Does Prayer Work? Maybe! Last weekend we all prayed for Clare Britton recovering from her recent kidney transplant over in St. James’ in Leeds. Well, on Tuesday she came home! A bit fragile, needing to visit HRI three times a week for blood tests, but otherwise up and running! She’s staying with Pat for the moment and getting well spoiled! Please remember also in your prayers Pat’s mother aged 87, who fell on Tuesday and broke her hip. She is quite unwell in hospital.
Prayers for the sick and housebound: Please keep on praying for Clare and also for Bernard Proctor, Fred Knapp, Margaret Price, Ursula Stainton, Betty Swallow, Rolf Kennedy, Andrea Gardham, Fred Higginson, Dick and Aggie Hainsworth, Betty Eagan, Geoff Land, Peter Watts, Peter Heath, Paddy Falvey, Sheena Pike, Ivy Behan, Margaret Norton, Roy and Brenda Caley, Joan Bottery, Pat Bickerstaffe, Kath Stead, Lilian Fowlston and Irene Pluntree and Ron Smith.
Counters this week: Les and Teresa Ulyatt.
Next week: Anne Tordoff and Sheila Levett
Bishop Terry’s Episcopal Ordination: I still have two tickets for Holy Cross and one for Holy Name available for Friday January 25th. (transport included).
Greetings from across the seas: Chris, Van and Isabelle write from Australia: “Dear Father and everyone in Holy Cross Church, Christmas is coming, we wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. PS We are looking forward to coming back for a holiday sometime and hope to see all when we are back.” Bob and Pattie Trachimowicz write: “Now two grandchildren! Pattie is pursuing her quilting and for her birthday she travelled to Paducah, Kentucky, the heart of America’s quilting scene. For a large local quilt show, Pattie will be entering 5 of her pieces, ranging from a queen-size bed quilt to wall hangings. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe, prosperous and healthy New Year.”
Gwendoline’s regular book sales continue to bring in funds for the building project at Freetown. Last week she gave me another £34.21. Thank you for supporting her and for leaving books for her to sell. She also runs an on-line Book Store and can help you find almost any book you want.
Bishop Terry says: “Gardening is not only a hobby, it is at the base of my spirituality and the root of my pastoral methodology!!”
Child Sponsorship: We’re getting there! The response was overwhelming, hence the delay in getting the details to you. This weekend we sent off the first instalment of £1,660 to the school covering the 129 children who have been sponsored for the first year. Bear with us as we continue to process all the children and their sponsors!
No Room at The Inn? But there is at St. Charles Drop-in Centre over this Christmas period thanks to your generosity and gifts of clothes etc. Several of our parishioners ‘work’ there during the week and here is a little summary of what goes on. “We open twice a week from 10-12 noon on Tuesdays and Fridays. The number of clients ranges from 18 to 55 per session – mostly young men but there is an increasing number of elderly men. There is a core of ‘rough sleepers’, others sleep on the floors of friends. Many are the victims of addiction and family breakdown. The “Compass” organisation provides advice on substance abuse. We liaise closely with the Vineyard Church on Beverley Road which opens on Mondays and Thursdays. St. Mary’s College Youth SVP come each Tuesday to help. We still need volunteers, even if you can only help now and then.” Speak to Teresa Ulyatt on 845355.
The Innkeeper:
I cannot take those poor, they do not pay.
I had to send that pair away;
For trade is trade and money too, I say.
And yet that girl was strangely fair.
She shivered in the doorway there,
And once she raised her eyes to mine
And smiled. I would have knelt, I swear;
But some lout made a call for wine
And broke the spell.
I turned them from my door;
And I did well.
Two merchants took the great room overhead.
That is my policy; I buy and sell
And keep my pity for the dead.
And yet that girl! That girl!
I turned her from my door,
And she looked back with kindly eyes
And fairer than before and went away,
As if she walked with emperors
And was a queen and all the world was hers.
Holy Name Repository Stall run by Fred Newmarch raised around £70 this year which was divided as usual between Survive Miva and the parish, to have Masses said for the deceased parishioners of Holy Name. We are much indebted to Fred for all the effort he puts into this for us. God bless you Fred!
Anniversaries this coming week:
Saturday – Catherine Proctor (Bernard’s mother), Stefan Skolik, Leonard Park (John Gray’s brother-in-law) and Marjorie Tindle (Joan Horbury’s sister)
Sunday – Billy Fletcher (Barbara Avery’s father), William Thurston (Jan Mounce’s father) and George Stephenson (John’s brother)
Monday – Winefride Elder (Christine Pike’s mother)
Christmas Day – Tess Houghton and Walter Richardson
Wednesday – Tom Durkin (John McNicholas’s grandfather), John Stephenson (John’s father) and Charles Taylor
Thursday – Arthur Burton, Annie Clery (Joan Watts’ mother) and Wilfrid Britton (Pat’s father-in-law)
Saturday – Constance Sowerby
Mass Intentions for the coming week:
Saturday – 6.30 – Harry and Christopher Williams
Sunday – 10.00 – Mary and Fred Gorman
Sunday – Holy Name – 10.00 – Special Intention
Christmas Eve – 10.00 – Requiem Mass for Beth Harper
Christmas Eve – Holy Name – 7.00 – Fred and Lily Newmarch
Christmas Eve – Holy Name – Midnight – Stan Behan
Christmas Day – Holy Cross – 10.00 – Christine Leech
Christmas Day – Holy Name – 11.00 – Deceased Parishioners
St. Stephen’s Day – 10.00 – Daniel Devlin (A)
Thursday – 9.00 – Pamela Gorman
Friday – Holy Name – 9.15 – Mariette Mitchell (RIP)
Saturday – 9.00 – The Parishioners
Saturday – 6.30 – Wheelhouse Family
Sunday – 10.00 – Special Intention (Land Family)
Sunday – Holy Name – 11.00 – Special Intention
An Irish Blessing for Christmas:
May the blessing of Light be upon you,
Light on the outside. Light on the inside.
With God’s sunlight shining on you,
May your heart glow with warmth like a turf fire
That welcomes friends and strangers alike.
May the Light of the Lord shine from your eyes
Like a candle in the window welcoming the weary traveller.
May the blessing of God’s soft rain be on you,
Falling gently on your head,
Refreshing your soul with the sweetness
Of little flowers newly blooming.
May the strength of the winds of heaven bless you,
Carrying the rain to wash your spirit clean,
Sparkling after in the sunlight.
May the blessing of God’s earth be on you,
And as you walk the roads,
May you always have a kind word for those you meet.
May He watch over you and keep you safe from harm.
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