NEWS

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
25th July 2010

"...He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test."
And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,' ..."

[Luke 11:1-13] ... read more

North West Hampshire Pastoral Area

Pastoral Area Gathering

Thank you very much to all those who came to the 2010 Pastoral Area Gathering at Farleigh School on Sunday 11th July and who made it an enjoyable day, especially to those who contributed to the liturgy, helped in he tea room or organised an activity.

Many thanks also for your generous support of the Pastoral Area's WYD Pilgrimage Fund. We raised a grand total on the day of £955.14 (Offertory collection: £434.84; World Cup Raffle: £120; Egg sales: £115; Teddy Tombola: £80; Refreshment donations: £205.30). The Gathering’s retiring collection for the Apostleship of the Sea of £458.41 will be submitted to the diocese with Andover parish's.

See also NWHANTS Pastoral Area website.

Bishop Crispian has written a letter to us about his fundraising campaign which we are getting started in our parish. Copies available from the back of church. See also feature article in Portsmouth People.

Fr Dominic writes: ‘All around the diocese parishes have been participating in a major diocesan fundraising initiative called ‘Living our Faith.’ It has so far raised £12m towards those elements which are key for the future of our diocese – vocations, seminarians, lay formation and core parish needs.

Our parish involvement began quietly a few weeks ago. A team of parishioners and I began visiting a selection of parishioners to invite them to make a pledge towards the campaign. So far over £80,000 has been pledged. Thank you so much to those of you who have welcomed us into your homes and considered making a pledge. The Bishop has though set our parish the goal of raising £210,000 – a figure based on our average mass count and weekly collection. This may seem an impossible target but as other parishes have raised similar and indeed larger amounts I remain hopeful we can do the same.

Contributing parishes receive back 25% of all funds they collect up to their campaign goal—if we reach our goal that gives us back £52,000 for particular future parish projects. Identifying what they might be does not need to be finalised now. The Parish’s Pastoral Council and Finance Committee and I have had a few ideas such as using the money to pay for the Stations of the Cross at St Bede’s or provide funding for a local catechetical coordinator. These are only ideas and I can assure you that we would not seek to use the money without providing all interested parishioners with an opportunity to say how it should be spent.

Commitment Sundays will be both next Sunday (18th) and the Sunday after (25th). On these two Sundays you will have an opportunity to hear about it, put questions about the campaign to me and the team, and from this we hope you will wish to join us in making a pledge towards 'Living our Faith.'

Living our Faith Q & A

Q. How much has been raised so far across the Diocese?
A. £12 million given in 5000+ pledges.

Q. Why does the Diocese of Portsmouth need this money?
A. To ensure our future financial viability

Q. Does a pledge to this cancel my weekly gift to the parish?
A. No!

Q. Why did the Diocesan Trustees pay a company for advice?
A. Professional advice was given by an American based company called CCS. In our case they received an agreed fee which equates to 7p per every £1 given.

Q. Why emphasis on pledges rather than one-time gifts?
A. Experience shows that donors who pledged gave gifts 4-5 times larger than those who made one-time gifts.

Lourdes Sponsored Walk

Fr. Dominic and 13 parishioners completed the 10mile sponsored walk last Saturday. Fr D said he felt he now knew Basingstoke a whole lot better. We thank David Xavier and his family for graciously serving us at the midway point cold drinks, nibbles and most needed of all: bathroom facilities. Now it is time to ‘pay up’ if you have sponsored us, all monies please as soon as possible to the Parish Office.

Petitions for Lourdes
If you wish any petitions to be taken to Lourdes and
left at the Grotto, please let the Parish Office have them.
Please do not put money in the envelope.

Clergy Moves

This is the time of year when Bishop Crispian publishes which of his clergy have received new appointments. All the following are of local interest and most are effective from 1st September:

• Fr Showri Gali (from Basingstoke to Wisconsin, USA)
• Fr Peter Codd (from Andover to retirement at Hook)
• Fr Danny Burns SDS (from Hook to retirement outside the diocese)
• Fr Austen Gurr OSB (to Andover)
• Fr Pat Madden (from Fareham to Christ the King Church, Whitley, Reading)
• Fr James McAuley (to be ordained 24 July and appointed to Jersey)

In addition to this, Fr Dominic has been appointed parish priest of Hook but will continue to be our parish priest as well. Fr Codd who retires to live in Hook will celebrate most of their parish masses but not be responsible for parish administration.

Fr Showri will leave us at the end of August. The Parish Pastoral Council ihas agreed to be responsible for organising his farewell reception which will take place after the 6.30pm Mass on Sunday 22 August - more information see diary date below.

Diary Dates: 2010 Interfaith Youth Group: We’ll be hosting a picnic and sports day at Hatch Warren Community Centre on Saturday 31st July between 12noon and 4pm. Everyone is welcome to come along to eat, drink, socialise, have fun and learn more about the religious faiths we each hold so dear. Don Bosco Camp: 1-7 August: Many of you may have seen Fr Mark Hogan wandering around with one of his tops marked ‘Bosco Boys.’ These are worn by all the leaders of the annual diocesan Don Bosco summer camp for secondary school aged boys (with the possibility of those at the end of year 6 joining if there are spaces). Fr Mark likes them so much that he’s been going along since he was a boy. For more information: 01256 323595. Portsmouth Lourdes Pilgrimage 2010 - leaves on Friday 20th August 2010 - click logo above for more details or see Portsmouth Diocese Website. The annual diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes with Bishop Crispian takes place from the 20-27 August this year. Travel by Euro-Star (via Paris), coach or plane (Stansted) direct to Lourdes. Brochures, application forms and medical forms available from Mgr Vincent Harvey (St Edmund’s Presbytery, 14 Rockstone Place, Southampton, SO15 2EQ; or from Vincent.harvey@gsy.org.uk or the diocesan website. The overall leader of this year’s pilgrimage will be Rt Rev. Peter Doyle, Bishop of Northampton. Sunday, 22 August: Fr Showri’s farewell Mass and reception: As you know Fr Showri will be leaving us at the end of August (25th). He moves to begin a new ministry in Wisconsin, USA. On his last Sunday with us he will celebrate the 6.30pm Mass and afterwards there will be a farewell reception for him in the Hall. The parish pastoral council are organising this and invite you to bring a plate of food to share – drinks will be provided. At this Mass we’ll make a few presentations to him. 30 August (Bank Holiday Monday): Fr Dominic and the Parish Pastoral Council invite you to a hog roast (and other food) at St Bede’s on the Monday evening of the August Bank Holiday weekend. The hog roast will be provided by outside caterers; you can bring your own alcohol if you want but soft drinks will be as it were on the house. There’ll be games and activities for children and the adults can enjoy just sitting around enjoying each other’s company. Tickets go on sale from this Sunday at a cost of £5 for those aged over 12 – under 12s go free. Please come along for what we hope will be an enjoyable evening. Catechists training: This is for anyone involved with children in the Parish. Topics covered will include: • Child protection - what you need to know and do. • What makes a good catechist? • Working with children Whether you are a new catechist, thinking about getting involved or have been doing it for years you are welcome to come along to St Bede’s on 11th September between 2pm-5pm. Contact Jacky on 07961 666113 or the Parish Office for more information

Stewardship A number of people have given a talk at Mass about different aspects of Stewardship: The experience of Stewardship; Gift; Treasure; Prayer; Talents and Time... read more More on Stewardship in the parish... Parish Stewardship Group “We have gifts that differ according to the favour bestowed on each of us.” Romans 12:6-8 We meet about twice a month for two hours on Friday evenings and our meetings are in two parts; during the first half we explore the spiritual aspect of Stewardship, pondering and discussing the following Sunday’s readings and how, and in the second half we discuss the practical aspects of Stewardship. You are more than welcome to join us for either or both parts. Due to the fact some people find it difficult to attend the evening sessions it has been agreed to try and accommodate everyone by holding both meetings daytime and evening. Exploring Stewardship Available from the parish repository are a new selection of books to buy about stewardship. When Bishop Crispian encouraged us all to embrace stewardship in our parishes he described it as ‘a spirituality of discipleship in which we rejoice in the giftedness of our faith. In response to that gift from God we pledge to God our time, talent and treasure.’ The books now available to buy draw out the meaning of this. If you are interested in buying them please also consider coming along to one of our two monthly parish stewardship groups. One meets on a Monday morning and the other on a Friday evening. In both groups we seek to explore further the disciple’s response to stewardship. Stewardship Prayer for the week Loving Lord, help us to respond generously to your call and challenge to become ever better stewards of your precious gifts. Never let any one of us grow cold in our living faith response. May our faith be warm-hearted, generous and life-giving. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

It was with a certain trepidation that last Sunday I stood up at all masses to preach specifically about our diocesan fundraising campaign called ‘Living our Faith.’ No priest likes to ask his parishioners for money – especially when he knows himself a newcomer. I agonised about what to say but your willingness to listen was a great encouragement.

‘Living our Faith’ is a historic initiative which can significantly influence the scope of what we can do as members of the Body of Christ. It aims to provide sufficient funding for the training of our future priests and the ongoing formation of our laity, assistance to those parishes that need to improve their facilities and it provides all participating parishes with a fund for the things they want to do in the future. The campaign is, as I said, about planting seeds for the Church of tomorrow. Your response to last Sunday’s appeal was amazing. The pledges given then and in the days since total: £51,104. If we add these to the pledges already given, which total £99,800, our parish’s current contribution to the campaign is a whopping £151,504. Thank you so much to all of you who have been able to make a pledge.

As I said last Sunday the Bishop has set our parish a target of £210,000, based on our weekly income and mass count. The amount we’ve raised so far takes us much closer to meeting this. This Sunday one of the team of parishioners helping to keep the campaign going among us will invite new pledges to be made; they will also be available afterwards if you have questions. Please, if you can, help us to reach our target. This diocesan campaign lest we forget has one primary aim: to help ensure we and future generations can more easily live our faith.

Fr Dominic.

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
25th July 2010

Read Fr Dominic's latest HOMILY here;
also available for the previous week

View each week's readings on line:

Gospel Readings - made available on-line by an international team of lay Catholics and volunteers who are eager to spread the Gospel;

Translations of Sunday readings - in 12 European languages,
hosted by the Vienna International Religious Centre

The Universalis Site - with readings from the Jerusalem Bible (UK-based).

Click here to access a virtual scripture study desk (USA-based) resource!

YOUNG ADULTS GROUP

'YAG'

Meet every other Thurs evening at
8.00pm in the Foyer
at St Joseph’s, South Ham

Anyone aged between 18 to mid thirties is welcome to come along for prayer and conversation on topics which are of interest to young Catholics. This is great opportunity to grow in faith and meet and socialise with other young adults. For further details please call Jamie or Angie Carroll via St Joseph's Parish Office on 01256 323595, or just turn up on the evening.

Check out the YOUTH NEWS. & YOUTH website

World Youth Day - Madrid 2011

• Pastoral Area WYD Project
• 
  See also Pastoral Area Web Site
  or for more details: 07825665878

Camrose Centre
Volunteer Opportunities

The Camrose Centre Is run by Trinity Winchester, a charitable organization which has been established for 21 years as a drop-in centre in Winchester together with a Women’s Centre and floating support service.

Presently funded for one year starting from January 2008, the Camrose Centre is open in Basingstoke each Tuesday and Thursday, with the intention of opening for a further day on a Saturday.

The centre provides a drop in between 10 – 2.00pm where clients can get shelter, food, bathing / laundry facilities, info advice and referrals to specialist agencies. Additionally there is Ear Acupuncture, gardening and cooking groups together with opportunities for one to one works with individuals.

The project has 3 allocated and paid staff but relies on volunteers to ensure smooth running and development of the project.

Opportunities are open for those who would like to offer their services voluntarily.See information sheet in the Cloister. If wishing to know more contact Andy Taylor on Basingstoke 812708.

Particular Needs Group

Minutes of Meetings

• July 2007
• November 2007
• January 2009

Lifts to Mass

Any parishioner who finds serious difficulty, eg through physical disablement, to get to Sunday Mass, and would appreciate a lift, should let the Parish Office know their name(s), address, telephone number and preferred Mass time.

Presbytery Conversion

Holy Ghost Car Parking:

Please note that
5 car parking spaces
are available to parishioners using Holy Ghost Church.

No parking EVER on the numbered bays.
These bays are for residents only.

The Parish Team consists of Mr Terence Giblin, Mr Terry O’Brien, Mr Frank McKenna and Fr Dominic Golding.

Rosary Prayer Group

meets on Mondays
at 7 pm in Hillary Road

Litany of Our Lady, Reflections, Scripture Readings

Basingstoke
St Vincent de Paul Society

"Turning Concern into Action!"

Meeting dates:

• 26th Jul - St Joseph's

The SVP motto is ‘Turning Concern into Action’ and here at St Bede’s and St Joseph's our SVP group aims to tackle poverty in all its forms, particularly by visiting the sick and the lonely. Volunteers are very welcome to join and all members of the parish are asked to recommend names of people who might like a visit or some help; the confidentiality and dignity of those we serve is always respected. Funds are used for specific purposes such as a small grant to someone in need; helping our twinned SVP Conferences in Southern India; contributions to social, peace and justice projects here in Basingstoke.

Thank you for your time, prayers and support.More about the SVP at www.svp.org.uk.

The Basingstoke SVP is an amalgamation of the St Bede's and St Joseph's parish groups; Breda Buckley is the group's president. It meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month. The venue alternates on a monthly basis between the two parishes.

St Bede's Church

View of main body of the church

'Please respect Our Church Space'

The Parish community welcomes everyone. This is our and your spiritual home so please treat it as such!

Please take pride in our wonderful church.

Noise in church:
Again and again the issue of noise in church is raised. It is impossible for everyone to be totally quiet but sometimes the noise becomes not just a distraction but almost unbearable! This is created not just by children but also by adults!!!!! The latter (adults) should be easy: no talking at any stage during the celebration of Mass!! The former (children) more difficult: try to engage them in what is happening (books are available, bibles, Mass books); point out to them what is happening, what the priest is doing etc. As a last resort, remember that the Cloister has speakers so that disruptive children can be taken out and you can still ‘hear’ the Mass going on.

The Blessed Sacrament is housed in a
sculpture in the form of a burning bush

View article on St Bede's Church from the Church Times
also reproduced in a "Portsmouth People" article (pg 28).

Parish Pastoral Council
News

The new Council met on Thursday last for ‘formation session’ and introductions. Members: The priests, Greg Medalla, Liz Lovegrove, Barbara King, Ellen Hynes, Vic Johnson, Peggy Gould and Geraldine Gallacher. Some other parishioners may be co-opted on.

Full minutes are posted on the notice-board and on the web site a month after the meeting (once they have been accepted as a true record).

To view Minutes of PPC meetings - click here.

Journey in Faith

Searching? Questioning?
Want to know more about the Catholic Faith?
The Catholic Faith: learn more about it!

• Ten people came along on Wednesday; come and join them…
  Are you not committed to any Christian denomination and would like to know about Catholicism?
  Are you a practising Christian but interested in knowing what we Catholics believe and profess?
  Are you a ‘resting’ Catholic who would like to know more about what the Church today is all about?
• Are you practising but would like to know more?

If you are interested in leaning more about the Catholic Faith or becoming a Catholic, the next planned sessions of ‘Journey in Faith’ are in

Held in St Bede’s Church Hall at 7.30 pm;
sessions will resume in September 2010.

.

Sunday Mass Readings
in Polish

If you have any polish friends, do take them the readings which are printed out for every Sunday.

See also:
Translations of Sunday readings - in 12 European languages, hosted by the Vienna International Religious Centre

St Bede’s School

To keep up to date with the School look at the developing web site:

www.st-bedes.hants.sch.uk

Wishing all our pupils and staff a happy, safe and restful holiday.

Children's Places

With St. Bede's School continuing its expansion, a limited number of places will be available for children currently in Year 2, moving to Year 3 in September. Please contact the school in person or by phone or email (details below).

Email:
adminoffice@st-bedes.hants.sch.uk.
Phone:
(01256) 473379.

Adoration

WANTED

People willing to spend time on a Wednesday in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament...

The Lord's Flock Catholic Charismatic Community

Basingstoke Chapter has regular prayer meetings on

Saturdays, 5:00 - 8:30pm

in St Bede's Church,
All are welcome!

See also the web site: www.thelordsflockcommunity.org.

Charismatic Prayer Group

The Chekhina Praise
Charismatic Prayer Group
meets on Wednesdays
8.pm to10 pm.

Contact Steve or Hayley OSullivan
via the Parish Office.

Altar Serving

If anyone would like to serve on the altar (must have made First Holy Communion) please do let us know: