NEWSLETTER

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Sunday 18th June, 2023

Please contact the parish to receive the newsletter by email each week.

Message from Canon Kristian

Dear sisters and brothers

We are continuing to celebrate our First Holy Communions this Sunday. Another 13 of our children and young people will be making the First Holy Communion at the 10.00am Mass at St James! Please do keep them in your prayers and join us in rejoicing that our parish community is blessed with some many young members.

ay is the annual Day for Life, the day in the Church’s year dedicated to raising awareness about the meaning and value of human life at every stage and in every condition. This year the theme is “Listen to her” and the attached leaflet with the special message for this year written by a woman about post-abortion trauma. Further information can be found at Day for Life – Catholic Bishops’ Conference (cbcew.org.uk).

If you haven’t yet done so, please consider sponsoring Ewelina and her daughter, Zofia, on their sponsored walk to raise much needed funds for CHAT, which is a fantastic resource in our area giving support to the homeless, those struggling to make ends meet and to those who have got themselves into debt. You can make a donation online at Ewelina Żych is fundraising for Churches Housing Action Team (Mid Devon) Ltd (justgiving.com), by giving your donation to them directly or by putting it in a clearly marked envelope and handing to me or to one of the deacons.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Kathleen Hatherley, Ann and Paul McKinney’s sister, whose Requiem Mass will take place this Wednesday, 10.00am, at St James (NB there will not be a Mass in Cullompton on Wednesday this week) and for the repose of the soul of Ann Hughes, whose Requiem Mass will be celebrated on Friday 30 June at 11.30am at St James. May they both rest in peace and rise in glory.

A new bishop was appointed this week for the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle which is hopefully a sign that the process for the appointment of a new Bishop for our diocese is also going forward. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will guide those who have the responsibility of selecting and proposing potential candidates to Pope Francis, that we will be given a bishop with a pastoral heart who can help us and lead us in facing the challenges, and making the most of the opportunities, of the times in which we live.

Along with the Newsletter, I attach:

the weekly guide to prayerful meditation on the Sunday Gospel, offered by Monika Manser
no. 76 of Inspire from Deacon Peter
the leaflet for this year’s Day for Life
this week’s Newsletter from our parish school, St John’s
the advert for the Diocesan Vacancy

Although you might be enjoying the glorious weather lately, I do hope that you are all ensuring that you are protected from the more harmful effects of the sun and the heat. As well as being aware of the impact the hot, dry weather can have on the elderly and vulnerable, also spare a thought for our pets and the wildlife around us. Crops and gardens also need some water, so let’s pray that the Lord will send us rain – maybe during the night!

May God bless you all abundantly

Canon Kristian

Canon Kristian Paver

Parish Priest

Parish of St James & St Boniface

40 Old Road

Tiverton EX16 4HJ

First Holy Communion Celebration Masses

T he second of our First Holy Communion Masses will take place this Sunday at 10.00am at St James. Our congratulations and prayers go to the children who will receive Holy Communion for the first time this weekend. A special thank you goes to the catechists who have enabled our children to develop their understanding of this most sacred Sacrament and to the children’s families who have supported them along the way. Please note the change of Mass time at St Boniface to 12noon this Sunday.

Next Sunday, at the 11.30am Mass at St Boniface, the First Communion children who usually attend this Mass are invited to come to Mass in the First Communion clothes so that the congregation there can celebrate this special occasion with them as well.

Day for Life

The Church teaches that life is to be nurtured from conception to natural death. In England and Wales, Day for Life is celebrated this Sunday, the third Sunday of June each year. For the first time, it will be celebrated in Scotland and Ireland on the same day. The theme is ‘Listen to Her’ and focuses on post-abortion trauma and the impact of abortion primarily on women, but also on others.

Each year a message is released, usually by the Church’s Lead Bishop for Life Issues, offering a reflection on the year’s theme. The 2023 Message is unique in that the Bishops have given it over to a Catholic woman who has had an abortion to share her experiences. Often the voices of women who have had an abortion are silent in Church and in society. The hope is that this will help break this silence and offer further opportunities for healing and reconciliation. The 2023 Message and some prayers for the Day for Life are attached to this Newsletter.

There is a retiring collection to support the Church’s proclamation of the Gospel of Life at the national level. Please be as generous as you can to support this important mission.

Mission Animation

Missio and the Mill Hill Missionaries invite Red Box Holders and all parishioners to a Mission Animation to explore and celebrate mission in the Diocese of Plymouth on Saturday 1 July, 1.00-2.30pm, at the St Richard Reynolds Centre, Blessed Sacrament Church, Heavitree, Exeter. Light refreshments will be available.

Caritas Diocese of Plymouth – Refugee Week Event

Refugee Week is approaching and the theme this year is Compassion.  Caritas Diocese of Plymouth would like to invite people to learn more about  ‘Love the Stranger - a new publication by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales which reflects on our Christian response to the challenges facing those who have left their homeland in search of a better life.

Many in our diocese welcome those new to their community, reach out to asylum seekers, welcome families through community sponsorship, host Ukrainian families and much more.  This event will be an opportunity to find out more about what is happening and to learn from each other. All welcome to join Caritas via Zoom this Wednesday 21 June from 6.00-7.00pm. Please email caritas@prcdtr.org.uk  or fill in this short form to receive the Zoom link https://forms.office.com/e/DeWyqB7cL9.

Sponsored Walk for CHAT

Our parishioner, Ewelina Żychlinska, and her daughter, Zofia, are doing a 1000km walk over three months to raise funds to support the work of CHAT. If you would like to support them, you can do so online at Ewelina Żych is fundraising for Churches Housing Action Team (Mid Devon) Ltd (justgiving.com) or by giving your donation to them directly.

Cheese and Wine Evening

After a popular debut last year, we will be holding a Cheese and Wine Evening in the Hall at St James on Friday 7 July at 7.00pm. Donations of cheese would be greatly appreciated. A list can be found at the entrance to church to sign up with a donation.

Skittles Evening

Following a break of a few years, the SVP will be holding a Parish Skittles Evening on Friday 18 August at the Racehorse Pub in Wellbrook Street, Tiverton. Further details to follow at a later date. 

Amen App

One of our parishioners has found the Amen app, a free Catholic prayer app which has been developed by the Augustine Institute based in Colorado in the USA, a useful help in their spiritual and faith life and would like to share it with you just in case anyone is looking for some online resources. The app provides a number of resources including Bible in a Year, Psalms and Stories for Sleep, Daily Mass readings and daily reflections, Opening the Word of the Sunday Readings, Pray the Rosary, Lighthouse Talks, family content and Catholic Prayers and Meditations.

School Transport Funds

The School Transport Fund subsidises the cost of children travelling to Catholic schools in the Diocese. If you think that you may qualify for assistance, speak to Canon Kristian or to Rosie in the Parish Office and they can provide you with an application form. The closing date for applications is 31 July 2023.

Diocesan Vacancy – Payroll and Accounts Administrator

The Diocese is looking to appoint a part-time Payroll and Accounts Administrator based at the Diocesan Offices in Ashburton. Details are attached to the Newsletter and on the noticeboard.

Survey for the New Diocesan Newsletter

The Communications Team would love to get a better idea of what content people would be most interested in receiving by answering the few short questions in this survey https://forms.office.com/e/BnKMkfYQE0.

Masses and Events this week

Sunday 18th June – 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Saturday 17 June – The Immaculate Heart of Mary

    • Vigil Mass of Sunday at 6.00pm Pro Populo

    Sunday 18 June – Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

    • Holy Mass at 10.00am First Holy Communions
    • Holy Mass at 12.00pm (at St Boniface) Joan Harvey RIP

    Monday 19 June – Weekday

    • Singing to Remember today at 2.00pm in the Hall

    Tuesday 20 June – St Alban, Proto-Martyr of England

    • Holy Mass at 10.00am Lucyna Rainczak (birthday ints)
    • Reception of the Body at 4.30pm

    Wednesday 21 June – St Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious

    • Requiem Mass for Kathleen Hatherley RIP at 10.00am at St James

    Thursday 22 June – St John Fisher and St Thomas More, Martyrs

    • Holy Mass in Polish at 6.00pm

    Friday 23 June – St Edward, King and Martyr

    • Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions at 11.30am
    • Holy Mass at 12noon

    Saturday 24 June – The Nativity of St John the Baptist

    • Confirmation Preparation at 11.00am in the Hall
    • Vigil Mass of Sunday at 6.00pm Tulita Cross (birthday ints)

    Sunday 25 June – Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

    • Holy Mass at 10.00am Pro Populo followed by Polish Breakfast
    • Holy Mass at 11.30am (at St Boniface) William George Forman RIP (anniv)