The Most Holy Trinity (A) 7 June 2020
For Catholics on the Tendring Peninsula….
SPECIAL NEWSLETTER XI – keeping in touch.
THE MOST HOLY TRINITY (A) 6/7 June 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 (8th): (Frinton) 9.00am Antoinette Moran Southern RIP
Tuesday (9th): (Frinton) 11.00am The Sisters (Fr Frank)
Thursday (11th): (Frinton) 11.00am Francisco Villar & Teodora Nazareno Villar RIP (Dolores Neal)
Friday (12th): (Frinton) 9.00am David Richards RIP
CORPUS CHRISTI
Saturday (13th): (Frinton) 6.00pm Sr Agatha (Jo & Jonathan Geldard)
Sunday (14th) (Dovercourt) 10.45am Rev John Turner RIP
In addition to these Masses, Fr Bill will continue to celebrate Mass in The Presbytery. His intentions this week are:
Fr Arthur Barrow
The Recently Bereaved
Staff & Students of St Joseph’s and St Philomena’s
All Parishioners
All NHS Staff, Carers, Key Workers & Volunteers
My dear friends,
This is our 11th Sunday in ‘Lockdown’ and many are wondering how long it will all go on. I can tell you that we have been preparing for re-opening. This involves buying in tape, masks, sanitiser, cleaning sprays etc etc. As things stand, we may be able to open sometime early next month. But, be warned, we must observe ‘social distancing’. If this is maintained at 2 metres I calculate that no more than ten individuals (or up to 10 couples from the same household) can meet at any time in Frinton and twelve in Dovercourt. This will be a long way from the full ‘Sunday experience’.
Next weekend (Corpus Christi) our First Holy Communion children should have been celebrating receiving the Blessed Sacrament of Holy Communion for the first time, either on Saturday morning (Dovercourt) or Saturday evening (Frinton). This will now be put back until things return to normal and they can complete their preparation course. We pray for all the children and families affected and we also pray for our catechists in both parishes – Philippa in Frinton and Libby in Dovercourt.
May the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit bless you today and always,
Fr Frank
A hymn for the Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity:
Holy God, we praise thy name; Holy Father, holy Son,
Lord of all, we bow before thee! Holy Spirit, three we name thee,
All on earth thy sceptre own, while in essence only one
all in heaven above adore thee. undivided God we claim thee;
Infinite thy vast domain, and, adoring, bend the knee
everlasting is thy reign. while we own the mystery.
If only we could sing this hymn together! In our Laudate hymn book, it is set to a wonderful C18th tune that complements the phrasing of the poetry perfectly. ‘The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.’ (Words of St Paul taken from this Sunday’s second reading.) (AJ)
Apologies: my apologies for getting my Confirmation Candidates’ Files mixed up last week. Sorry for missing out your name and for including some from last year! Our current list of candidates is: Eleanor, Jake, Julia, and Madeline – we continue to pray for them.
Offertory: A simple way of continuing to donate to church funds, go to:
For Harwich & Dovercourt parishioners: https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/donations?parish=harwich-and-dovercourt
for Frinton & Walton parishioners: https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/donations?parish=frinton-on-sea
Sunday Smile: It was reported that…………. at a Scout camp, where the service was to be taken by a bishop on a very hot humid summer day, that the moderator of the Free Church Federal Council had turned up in his full robes. Standing around sweating buckets and getting hotter and hotter under the dog collar, he turned to the local minister and bellowed, “When is that flipping bishop going to turn up?” A man standing by in Scout uniform said, “I’m already here.”
Seventh Sunday of Easter 24 may 2020
For Catholics on the Tendring Peninsula….
SPECIAL NEWSLETTER IX – keeping in touch.
SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (A) 23/24 May 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
‘Private’ Masses to be celebrated in our churches this week:
Monday (25th): (Frinton) 9.00am Ronald Byrne RIP (Therese Mohan)
Wednesday (27th): (Frinton) 11.00am Daniel (Owen) Murphy RIP (Murphy family)
Thursday (28th): (Frinton) 11.00am Margaret Hume RIP (Andy and Nuala)
Friday (29th): (Frinton) 9.00am Irene Margaret (Peggy) Foskett RIP
Saturday (30th) Pentecost: (Frinton) 6.00pm Francis & Eileen Woodhouse RIP (Anne Jackson)
Sunday (31st): (Dovercourt) 10.45am All Parishioners
In addition to these Masses, Fr Bill will continue to celebrate Mass in The Presbytery. His intentions this week are:
Betty Mc Mahon (Kathleen Farry)
Gretta Collins (Kathleen Farry)
Sheila and Peter Davis
Fr Frank (Anne Jackson)
NHS Staff, Carers, Key workers and Volunteers
My dear friends,
As I write this we are still waiting to see if there will be any announcements soon about re-opening our churches for private prayer. As soon as I hear anything I will email both parish contact groups with details of times of opening and what we need to do to stay safe and protect the lives of others when using our church buildings. We have recently been made aware of the impact that the ‘lockdown’ is having on the mental health of so many. Pray for them.
Some words from Pope Francis may be of help:
There are no difficulties, trials, or misunderstandings to fear, provided we remain united to God as branches to the vine, provided we do not lose our friendship with him, provided we make ever more room for him in our lives. This is especially so whenever we feel poor, weak, and sinful, because God grants strength to our weakness, riches to our poverty, conversion and forgiveness to our sinfulness.
The Lord is so rich in mercy: every time, if we go to him, he forgives us. Let us trust in God’s work!
May the God of love and mercy bless you always.
Fr Frank
A hymn for Easter:
Triumphant in His glory now
His sceptre ruleth all:
Earth, heaven, and hell before him bow
And at his footstool fall.
This is a verse from one of the most supremely beautiful of all the Eastertide hymns, i.e. ‘Ye choirs of new Jerusalem’. It seems particularly appropriate for this week since we celebrated the Feast of the Ascension on Thursday. In Sunday’s Gospel, St John challenges us with these words of Christ: ‘I am not in the world any longer, but they are in the world.’(AJ).
Harwich Care Group: there are a number of people experiencing severe financial difficulty at the moment. It has become necessary for the Care Group to help out a number of parishioners financially. You can help them to continue this important work by donating money for their use. Money can be posted or dropped into the Dovercourt Presbytery. Please mark envelopes “The Care Group” – any cheques to be made payable to ‘Harwich & Dovercourt Catholic Church’. Thank you. Fr Frank
Harwich parishioners will be sorry to hear of the death of Michael Burgess, husband of Jamaica and father to Emily-Rose who made her First Holy Communion last summer. His Funeral will take place in Witham on 29th. May he rest in peace.
Offertory: A simple way of continuing to donate to church funds is to click on the appropriate link below and follow the very simple instructions.
For Harwich & Dovercourt parishioners: https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/donations?parish=harwich-and-dovercourt
for Frinton & Walton parishioners: https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/donations?parish=frinton-on-sea
Sunday Smile: At the end of his sermon the minister told his congregation that Jesus had called him to another church. The congregation then sang “What a friend we have in Jesus”.
Sixth Sunday of Easter 17 May 2020
For Catholics on the Tendring Peninsula….
SPECIAL NEWSLETTER VIII – keeping in touch.
SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (A) 16/17 May 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
‘Private’ Masses to be celebrated in our churches this week:
Monday (18th): (Frinton) 9.00am Francis & Eileen Woodhouse RIP
Wednesday (20th): (Frinton) 11.00am H.E. Judge Kenneth Machin QC RIP (Amaryllis)
Thursday (21st) Ascension: (Frinton) 11.00am Jeremy Jones (Margaret)
Friday (22nd): (Frinton) 9.00am Helena White (The Sisters)
Saturday (23rd): (Frinton) 6.00pm Bernadette McManamon RIP (Peter)
Sunday (24th) (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:
The Recently Bereaved
The McLindon family
Sheila Marks
NHS Staff, Carers, Key Workers and Volunteers
All Parishioners
My dear friends,
May is a beautiful month – Our Lady’s month. Last Sunday it was wonderful driving to Harwich to celebrate Mass and seeing the roadsides flanked with ‘Our Lady’s Lace’ and the hedges resplendent with ‘The May’ – although it got much colder later on so I didn’t ‘shed a clout’.
On this May day I give you a prayer to Our Lady:
Hail, holy Lady, Most holy Queen, Mary, Mother of God, Ever Virgin;
Chosen by the most holy Father in heaven, Consecrated by him, with his most holy beloved Son and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
On you descended and in you still remains all the fullness of grace and every good.
Composed by St Francis of Assisi.
May God bless you, and may our blessed Lady pray for you.
Fr Frank
A hymn for Easter:
I will never forget you, my people,
I have carved you on the palm of my hand.
I will never forget you;
I will not leave you orphaned.
I will never forget my own.
In this Sunday’s Gospel St John records some beautiful words of Jesus: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come back to you. In a short time the world will no longer see me; but you will see me, because I live and you will live.” What a powerful reminder for us that Christ is in and with his people (AJ).
Harwich Care Group: there are a number of people experiencing severe financial difficulty at the moment. It has become necessary for the Care Group to help out a number of parishioners financially. You can help them to continue this important work by donating money for their use. Money can be posted or dropped into the Dovercourt Presbytery. Please mark envelopes “The Care Group” – any cheques to be made payable to ‘Harwich & Dovercourt Catholic Church’. Thank you. Fr Frank
Offertory: A simple way of continuing to donate to church funds is to click on the appropriate link below and follow the very simple instructions.
For Harwich & Dovercourt parishioners: https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/donations?parish=harwich-and-dovercourt
for Frinton & Walton parishioners: https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/donations?parish=frinton-on-sea
Sunday Smile: The bishop had come to bless a new sophisticated public address system. He tapped the microphone to test it – with seemingly no result he leaned towards the parish priest and said “This microphone doesn’t seem to be working”. The well trained congregation responded: “And with your Spirit”.
Fifth Sunday of Easter 10 May 2020
For Catholics on the Tendring Peninsula….
SPECIAL NEWSLETTER VII – keeping in touch.
FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (A) 9/10 May 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
‘Private’ Masses to be celebrated in our churches this week:
Monday (11th): (Frinton) 9.00am James and Joyce McLarney RIP
Wednesday (13th): (Frinton) 11.00am David Richards RIP
Thursday (14th): (Frinton) 11.00am Cheralyn Denise Clulow
Friday (15th): (Frinton) 9.00am Fr Jim RIP (Nancy and Geoff)
Saturday (16th): (Frinton) 6.00pm Sisters Teresa and Bernadette (Sr Agatha)
Sunday (17th) (Dovercourt) 10.45am Sheila Wright RIP
(I have changed this pattern to comply as best I can with Government restrictions on travelling)
In addition to these Masses, Fr Bill will continue to celebrate Mass in The Presbytery. His intentions this week are:
Fr Niall Harrington
Fr Arthur Barrow
Fr Michael Stokes
NHS Staff, Carers, Key Workers and Volunteers
All Parishioners
My dear friends,
As I write this, we are still waiting to hear to what extent the current restrictions can be relaxed, and when any changes may be introduced. We hear little of how the ‘Lockdown’ impacts the Church, but we know that it costs us dear. Each day I celebrate Mass remembering you all, people from both parishes. If you do not do so already, I urge you to make a spiritual communion at the time Mass is celebrated. In this way we can be more fully united. I pray that this absence will deepen our appreciation of the Mass and bring about a deepening of our Faith. If it does this, it will not have been in vain.
Anne writes about the Gospel in connection with the Easter Hymn ‘Jesus you are Lord’ (see below). The is a well-known Gospel reading (often used at Funerals) and points to the essential nature of our Faith. That is, that it is about a relationship – our relationship with Jesus. Jesus says, ‘No one can come to the Father except through me’. If we have a prayerful relationship with Jesus it is He who presents us to the Father.
We remember in our prayers: all NHS and Care Staff, Key Workers and Volunteers; Teachers and Pupils; those finding life difficult, the lonely, families in crowded accommodation and all victims of abuse, both children and adults.
May our Risen and glorified Lord bless you all your days.
Fr Frank
A hymn for Easter:
Jesus, you are Lord. I am the Way.
You are risen from the dead No one knows the Father but it be through me.
And you are Lord. I am in my Father, and my Father is in me,
Every knee shall bow, and we come in love to live within your hearts.
And every tongue confess
That Jeusu, you are Lord.
You are the Way.
In this Sunday’s Gospel Thomas is longing for understanding. The response from Jesus is unequivocal – ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. (AJ)
CAFOD launched its coronavirus emergency appeal on 30 April. The effects on developing countries are likely to be devastating. Prayers and gifts are needed. We can donate at: www.cafod.org.uk/coronavirusappeal
Offertory: A simple way of continuing to donate to church funds is to click on the appropriate link below and follow the very simple instructions. Good luck!
For Harwich & Dovercourt parishioners: https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/donations?parish=harwich-and-dovercourt
for Frinton & Walton parishioners: https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/donations?parish=frinton-on-sea
Sunday Smile: At the end of the Mass the parish priest announced, “After the blessing the bishop will leave and we shall sing ‘Now thank we all our God’.”
Fourth Sunday of Easter 3 May 2020
For Catholics on the Tendring Peninsula….
SPECIAL NEWSLETTER VI – keeping in touch.
FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER 2/3 May 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
‘Private’ Masses to be celebrated in our churches this week:
Monday (4th): (Frinton) 9.00am Marjorie Hosegood RIP
Wednesday (6th): (Frinton) 9.00am David Wright (The Sisters)
Thursday (7th): (Frinton) 11.00am Sr Agatha
Friday (8th): (Frinton) 9.00am Jane Robinson and Howard
Saturday (9th): (Frinton) 6.00pm John and Eileen Turner
Sunday (10th) (Dovercourt) 10.45am Father Hugh Thwartes RIP
(I have changed this pattern to comply as best I can with Government restrictions on travelling)
In addition to these Masses, Fr Bill will continue to celebrate Mass in The Presbytery. His intentions this week are:
Florence McCarthy RIP
Private Intention
Private Intention
NHS Staff, Carers, Key Workers and Volunteers
All Parishioners
My dear friends,
We cannot fail to notice how committed the earliest Christians were to the Mass. Last week’s Gospel makes clear that from the very day of the Resurrection the apostles “recognised him in the breaking of the bread” (cf: Luke 24:35). The Resurrection does not simply mean that the Risen Christ appeared to the apostles for 40 days and then disappeared. He is still with us, with us, pre-eminently in the Eucharist. We read in the earliest accounts of the life of the church that “each day they met together in the Temple; and to break the bread in their homes..” (Acts 2:46) We look forward and pray for the day when we can once again meet to break the bread: can celebrate Mass together.
Today is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. We are reminded of the need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus – to walk by the narrow way, the way that leads to the “gate of the sheepfold” (John 10:7)
We could see these two Gospel readings as pointing to the structure of the Mass. First of all, we listen to His voice in the part of the Mass called The Liturgy of the Word. As we listen our “hearts burn within us” (Luke 24:32) preparing us to encounter him in the Blessed Sacrament of Holy Communion (The Liturgy of the Eucharist). Our walk up the aisle to meet Christ is a real journey of faith – it mirrors the walk along the narrow road undertaken in response to Jesus’s calling – a walk that leads to the only true and lasting happiness, that is life with Him.
It was good to hold a minute silence before Mass on Tuesday. As we pray for our front-line workers and volunteers don’t forget to remember all the chaplains who are doing heroic work alongside medical staff.
We are now in the month of May – Our Lady’s month. It is a good idea to add extra devotions to Our Blessed Lady as part of our daily prayer life during the Lockdown.
May Christ the Good Shepherd guide you all your days.
Fr Frank
A hymn for Good Shepherd Sunday:
Loving Shepherd of thy sheep, Loving Shepherd, thou didst give
keep me, Lord, in safety keep; thine own life that I might live;
nothing can thy power withstand, may I love thee day by day,
none can pluck me from thy hand. gladly thy sweet will obey.
In this Sunday’s gospel we have the beautiful and ancient image of Jesus the good shepherd. We turn to Him for protection; we pray for our priests, shepherds with us today (AJ).
Offertory:
I know that many of you will be suffering economically as a result of the pandemic, but you may like to continue to contribute to the Church as best you can. Our parish income has gone down by many £100s each week. A simple way of doing this is to click on the appropriate link below and follow the very simple instructions. Good luck!
For Harwich & Dovercourt parishioners: https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/donations?parish=harwich-and-dovercourt
for Frinton & Walton parishioners: https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/donations?parish=frinton-on-sea
Sunday Smile: members of an Anglican church discovered that the roof was leaking. The following Sunday the church secretary started his notices by apologizing for the drip in the pulpit.
Third Sunday of Easter 26 April 2020
For Catholics on the Tendring Peninsula….
SPECIAL NEWSLETTER V – keeping in touch.
THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER 25/26 April 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
‘Private’ Masses to be celebrated in our churches this week:
Monday (27th): (Frinton) 9.00am The Filipino Community
Wednesday (29th): (Frinton) 11.00am Marie Hinds and Anne Latimer RIP
Thursday (30th): (Frinton) 11.00am Michael & Mary Haughton RIP
Friday (1st): (Frinton) 9.00am Brigid Fallon RIP
Saturday (2nd): (Frinton) 6.00pm Noah Koncewicz
Sunday (3rd) (Dovercourt) 10.45am Susan Clarke RIP (Alice & David)
(I have changed this pattern to comply as best I can with Government restrictions on travelling)
In addition to these Masses, Fr Bill will continue to celebrate Mass in The Presbytery. His intentions this week are:
The Repman Family
NHS Staff, Carers, Key Workers & Volunteers
Private Intentions
Alice McCarthy RIP
All Parishioners
My dear friends,
People have been regretting that our churches are closed and asking why it should be so. There are three reasons why we have been instructed by the bishop to keep them locked: (1) to discourage people from leaving home when they should be staying there, (2) to ensure that people do not unintentionally meet others in a confined space, and (3) to avoid leaving harmful Coronavirus on hard surfaces. Remember: Stay at home. Protect the NHS. And save lives.
Last Sunday the gospel reading featured ‘doubting’ Thomas. Before the Dovercourt Mass I had the joy of being able to meditate on the St Thomas window in the chapel. It’s a masterclass of Victorian iconography from the original Edward Pugin church – there are four figures: the risen Christ, with St Peter looking over his left shoulder (grey beard and red halo), St John the Evangelist looking over his right shoulder (no beard and blue halo – he was not martyred) with St Thomas (red halo) kneeling at the feet of the Risen Lord. Christ is on a raised wooden platform, fronted by encaustic tiles (very Pugin). Through the window we see Jerusalem (The New Jerusalem?) and the tree of life. Above the head of Christ is a sanctuary lamp (I Am the Light of the World). The legend at the foot of the window: My Lord and my God.
Today the Gospel reading is the Risen Lord’s encounter with the two disciples on the Emmaus road. This will remind Frinton parishioners of the triptych on the east wall – this shows the Risen Lord breaking the bread. Those early Christians knew right from the beginning that Christ was present in the Eucharist. After the wonderful experience at supper, they walked the 7 miles back to Jerusalem and told the others assembled in the upper room – “We recognised him in the breaking of the bread!”
May Christ, our Risen Lord, bless you now and always.
Fr Frank
A hymn for Easter:
Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son, Lo, Jesus meets us risen from the tomb;
Endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won; lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away, let the Church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
Kept the folded grave-clothes, where thy body lay. For her Lord is living, death has lost its sting.
Jesus travelled to Emmaus with two disciples; may He be our companion on the way also. May the time soon come when we are once again able to break bread together (AJ).
Offertory:
I know that many of you will be suffering economically as a result of the pandemic, but you may like to continue to contribute to the Church as best you can. Our parish income has gone down by many £100s each week. A simple way of doing this is to click on the appropriate link below and follow the very simple instructions. Good luck!
For Harwich & Dovercourt parishioners: https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/donations?parish=harwich-and-dovercourt
for Frinton & Walton parishioners: https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/donations?parish=frinton-on-sea
Sunday Smile: A priest, driving far too fast, had to scream to a standstill to avoid an accident. When the angry driver of the other car stormed over to exchange words, the priest handed him his calling card: Fr Paul is sorry to have missed you. He hopes to make contact with you next time.