Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We give thanks that the Church in this land is once again allowed to be open for the public celebration of Holy Mass and the Sacraments. It was a sorrowful thing not to be able to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion and worship alongside our brothers and sisters in the faith. And so difficult to always know how to respond. But that is behind us as we are free again to prepare together for the great and joyful Solemnity of The Holy Nativity.
I look forward to seeing you all once again at Mass on Sunday and in the weeks ahead.
And so we continue our journey through this season of Advent waiting for the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: not just remembering his birth in a stable in Bethlehem, but more properly his second coming at the end of time when he will judge the living and the departed.
The liturgy for this Second Sunday of Advent reminds us that the Good News of salvation and eternal life that is ours through faith in Christ is to be everywhere proclaimed by all. The Glory of the Lord is about to be revealed - it is truly coming. And if we respond, not with apathy, but with loving service, we prepare the way for Him to enter into our hearts and lives. Welcome Him through participating in private prayer and public worship. Welcome Him into your souls through receiving Holy Communion. Welcome Him through making a good Confession. Welcome him through seeing Him in the needy, the poor and the homeless. Welcome Him in your care of the sick and of your neighbour. Make time to Love Him in your praise and in loving your neighbour as yourself.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Now that Lockdown and its intolerable ban on public worship has ended please note that Weekday Masses are once again being celebrated in the Parish at the usual times. There is no better way of preparing for the coming of the Lord than by attending Mass devoutly. Please see below for the Mass schedule.
SECONDLY please note that as Mass can be attended in person as God intended, only the Parish Mass on Sundays and the Wednesday lunchtime Mass will continue to be broadcast.
SERVICES THIS SUNDAY
Low Mass at 8 am
Parish Mass at 10 am
AND MASSES DURING THE WEEK AT THESE TIMES:
Tuesday at 7 pm
Wednesday at 12.15 pm
(with Adoration from 11.45 am)
Thursday at 10 am
Friday at 10 am
Saturday at 10 am
SERVICES NEXT SUNDAY
Low Mass at 8 am
Parish Mass at 10 am (Third Sunday of Advent)
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE BEGIN OUR PREPARATION FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S HOLY NATIVITY TOGETHER AS A PARISH FAMILY. Our Church is open once more and we owe it to our loving Lord, and to each other, to restore and support his worship in our Parish Church. As I’ve said again and again, we are a family and we need each other. Now more so than ever.
Yes we will need to continue to be careful and look out for each other. We will need to continue with all our hygiene requirements, but we now are able to come together as a Parish family and worship. Thanks be to God.
A CALL FOR HELP
We really need your help in making this time of preparation for Christmas a truly blessed one. We really need help to prepare the Church building for the Nativity. The Christmas Tree and Crib are assembled as you will see, but we still need plenty of Holly to decorate the window sills and the tops of the pillars in the nave.
All of us have experienced such a dreary year; let us try to make sure our Church building and our worship is full of cheer.
Please lend a hand!!! Let Father Victor know if you can help.
TO TUNE IN VIA FACEBOOK TO JOIN IN OUR WORSHIP PLEASE OPEN THE FACEBOOK APP ON YOUR PHONE OR DEVICE AND SEARCH FOR:
“St Martin’s Parish Church, Fenny Stratford “
PLEASE don’t forget to contact me if you have any prayer requests or Mass intentions you would like me to offer at Mass or if would like someone added to our parish prayer list of the Sick or Departed.
My contact details are as follows:
Telephone: 01908 372825
Email: victorbullock@talktalk.net
I am also available in person during Surgery Hour on Saturday’s in Church between 10.30am - 12 noon. The Sacrament of Confession and Reconciliation is also available at this time.
We will also continue to maintain a presence on the Saint Martin’s Parish Church Facebook Page and our Church What’s App group so that we can remain in touch with as many members of our Saint Martin’s parish family as we can.
Please continue to remember the following in your prayers:
Firstly:
For a good keeping of this Advent season that we may be continually ready to meet the Lord.
For our country, now free from lockdown, that the infection rate may continue to decline.
For the rapid dissemination of the Vaccines for Covid 19 and for all working for this end.
Those who have found themselves out of work, particularly those who have families or other dependents to support.
Those who are despairing at the future of their businesses and those that work for them.
Those who still live in fear of this global pandemic and those who live in fear and are living with anxiety and depression.
For the Government in their seeking solutions for the common good at this time.
For peace to reign within our homes and amongst one another.
For the elderly, housebound and those living in residential and nursing homes.
For our Ambulance Service and for our other Emergency Service Staff and for Milton Keynes Hospital and all who work there.
For Bishop Jonathan and all our parish clergy as they seek to continue to make present in our midst the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass, the Sacraments of Christ and offer continuing Pastoral care.
For the Mother House of the Monastic Community of the House of Initia Nova of the Order of Saint Benedict. For it’s Abbot Michael-John, the community and for those new to its life.
For the Sick:
For Jonathan Kemp, Jean Holden, Mary Cowan, Peter White, Fr. John Aelred, Fr. Gerry Livingstone, Roger D’Elia, Shirley Milburn, Paul Ward, Norman Kent, Peter Woodward, Gay Lavery, David Gregg, Denis & Yvonne Simpson, Mary Collier, Benjamin Duarri, David Lingham, Sandra Walduck, Eugenius Yung, Doris Weatherley and Joy Howlett.
For the Departed:
For all who have died recently, among them Keith Robinson, Ian, and for all those who have died of Covid 19.
We pray too for all whose years mind falls at this time, among them Edith Curtois, Nelson Payne, Daniel Collier, Edgar Hill, Pat Proudlock, Adam Eldridge. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let Light Perpetual shine upon them.
With best wishes and every blessing on you and your families in this new Advent season.
Father Victor
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