Our Lady Queen of Heaven
Catholic Church, Harwich, Essex

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2 August 2020

For Catholics on the Tendring Peninsula….

SPECIAL NEWSLETTER XIX – keeping in touch.

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)                                                    1/2 August 2020

Catholic Parishes of:

Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Dovercourt:             01255 503383

email                       Harwich@dioceseofbrentwood.org

website                   www.harwichcatholics.org.uk

Sacred Heart and St Francis of Assisi, Frinton-on-Sea:         01255 674475

email                       Frinton@dioceseofbrentwood.org

website:                  www.frintoncatholicchurch.wordpress.com

Masses to be celebrated in our churches this week:          

Monday (3rd):                         (Dovercourt)            9.30am   Fr Bill

Wednesday (5th):                   (Frinton)                  11.00am  Jane Robinson (Anne Jackson)

                                                (Dovercourt)           4.00pm   Receive the body of Anne Emerson RIP

Thursday (6th):                        (Dovercourt))          9.15am   Funeral Service (Anne Emerson RIP)

Friday (7th):                             (Dovercourt)           9.30am   Sheila Marriott RIP (Maureen & Pat Sutton)

Saturday (8th):                        (Frinton)                  6.00pm   Sister Agatha (Sr Teresa)

Sunday (9th):                           (Frinton)                  8.30am   Teresa Ingham RIP

(Dovercourt)           10.45am  Private Intention

In addition to these Masses, Fr Bill will continue to celebrate Mass in The Presbytery.  His intentions this week are:

Private Intention

Florence McCarthy RIP

The Recently Bereaved

All Parishioners

Seafarers

 

My dear friends,

Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (taken from today’s Gospel Acclamation).

In today’s Gospel we hear of how Jesus is anxious to feed the crowds that have been following him.  As they were in a lonely place there was no opportunity to buy food – they had to make do with what they had: five loaves and two fish.  It seems so little, but Jesus was able to feed the crowd (of “5,000 men, to say nothing of women and children”  Mt.14:21), with enough scraps left over to fill twelve baskets full!

This is a powerful reminder that God gives us what we need – he is the master of the harvest.

Not only does he provide for our body’s need, but for our soul’s too.  Each day we pray “give us this day our daily bread”.  This could simply be taken to refer to the food we need to sustain our strength and make us grow.  But he provides other food too – food for our souls.  This too is included in the Lord’s Prayer – we thank God for the great gift of the Blessed Sacrament of Holy Communion which we receive at the Mass (our daily bread).

May God richly bless you day by day.

Fr Frank

 

A hymn for this Sunday:

Come to the feast of heaven and earth!                                My bread will ever sustain you

Come to the table of plenty!                                                   through days of sorrow and woe.

God will provide for all that we need,                                    My wine will flow like a sea of gladness

here at the table of plenty!                                                     to flood the depths of your soul.

A hymn that I would rather be writing about than playing on the piano!  It was written by Dan Schutte; perhaps best known for the hymn  ‘Here I am Lord’.  We sing it quite often at Dovercourt where Carolyn, Eilis and I are glad of support from each other.  It goes with a lick (crotchet = 152) but is fun.  I have quoted verse 3 here as for me it ties in with the reflection for this Sunday, from St Paul’s letter to the Romans: ‘For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, …..nothing that exists…nor any created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (AJ)

 

Funerals:  Dovercourt: Anne Emerson RIP will be received into church at 4.00pm on Wednesday 5th August.  Her funeral service will take place the following day at 9.15am, followed by interment at Dovercourt Cemetery.  May they Rest in Peace.

 

Sunday Mass Attendance (both parishes): 1 /2 August, surnames A-D;  8/9 August, surnames E-K; 15/16 August, surnames L-R;  22/23 August, surnames  S-Z.;  29/30 August, surnames A-D.

 

Sunday Smile: Taken from an American church magazine: Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our church and community.