Parish Bulletin - Church of St Mary of the Angels
Transcription
Parish Bulletin - Church of St Mary of the Angels
Friar’s Musings: Friar Clifford Augustine, OFM CHURCH OF ST MARY OF THE ANGELS 5 Bukit Batok East Ave 2, Singapore 659918 | [email protected] | www.stmary.sg Lent Begins in the Middle of Celebrations In an article in the Sunday Times (11 January 2015), many people were quoted as saying how much they were looking forward to the long weekend of festivities come Chinese New Year. People are even including Valentine’s Day (14 February) as the beginning of the celebrations and ending with the long weekend. And in the middle of these celebrations, we Catholics mark Ash Wednesday. It is almost like the Church is always out of sync with the world and culture. When shopping malls start playing Christmas carols, the Church does not sing carols but focuses instead on Advent. When the Christmas decorations come down, the Church continues to sing carols till the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. And now, when we are sending greetings for the Lunar New Year, the Church sings about Ashes and returning to the Lord. Well, we Catholics can almost develop schizoid personalities! We manage often to be out of kilter with the rest of the world. Yet this is an incredible opportunity for us to reflect more deeply about our lives. As we make merry and enjoy ourselves, the reality of the Cross remains in our lives. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust – for all that we do, this is the one surety of our lives – our physical lives will come to an end. But Lent is not about gloomy looks and sad faces (the Gospel reading of the Ash Wednesday liturgy reminds us of that). It is all about God breathing his life into us when we return to ashes. It is all about us opening our hearts to the life of God so that we can rise from our sins, our fears, our anxieties and death. If Valentine’s Day and the Lunar New Year are occasions for us to celebrate, surely Lent is a time to celebrate even more because salvation is ours; given to us by a God who did not allow death to have the last word. Let us bless this God always, in all the celebrations of our lives. Mass Timings Novena Intercessory Tue, 10am-11.30am Sat: 6.55am, 5.45pm (Sunset Mass) To Our Lady: Sat, 5pm Sun: 7.30am (Mandarin), 9am, 11am, To St Anthony: Tue, 7pm Thu, 7.45pm-9.15pm (except Feast Days & PH) 12.45pm, 5.30pm, 7.15pm Rosary Devotion 3rd Mon, 7.45pm-9.15pm 3rd Sun: 3.30pm (Indonesian) Mondays Saturdays: 4th Sat: 7.30pm (Tamil) Pastoral Services Weekday: 6.55am (with Morning Prayer) after Morning Masses Family Rosary: For Baptisms, Weddings and & 6.30pm (Adoration at 6pm) Every Sat, 4.30pm Anointing of the Sick, please Reconciliation call the Parish Office. 20 mins before Sunday Masses Infant Baptisms: 1st and 2nd Sunday Parish Office Tel: 6567 3866 | Fax: 6562 1824 Columbarium Office Tel: 6560 6361 Parish Priest Asst Parish Priest Asst Parish Priest Asst Parish Priest Friar Clifford Augustine, OFM Friar Joseph Lee, OFM Friar Justin Lim, OFM Friar Derrick Yap, OFM [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 17 / 18 January 2015 REPENT Repent and believe the good news! Come, follow me! Andrew, first to respond, brought along his brother Simon whom Jesus nicknamed Cephas, which means Peter, which means rock. Then came the fisher brothers, James and John.These four are the great witnesses to Jesus’ public work. We hear the same call: “Come, follow me” into new life. The Baptism God raises us up, too, if we follow Jesus. Time is short. The world we of the Lord, know is passing away. Are we ready to give witness? Year A. Next Sunday’s Readings: Jon 3:1-5, 10 1 Cor 7:29-31 Text, Philip J. Sandstrom, STD © 2000, OCP. All rights reserved. Mk 1:14-20 Evangelising With Joy The liturgy begins with the Church’s most basic blessing, most fundamental prayer: the Sign of the Cross. It is both a gesture and a vocal prayer. In doing so, each time we say a prayer or enter Church, we acknowledge the paschal mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection. In fact, it encompasses the basic message of the kerygma. That we, whom the Father created, are His beloved and are redeemed through the gift of His son’s sacrifice and victory over death. Through the Spirit that continues to live with us today, we proclaim that Good News. For as St Paul says, “It is no longer I that live, but Christ who lives in me.” How beautiful then are those of us who are Baptised; those of us who share in this identity, those of us who take up the call to spread the Gospel. Even the gesture marks the cross that we all carry as Christ’s chosen people. That with such an affiliation to a supreme God, no cross is too heavy for us. So this week, in the moments we sign ourselves, let us remember the power of this gesture and prayer. That in all our temptations, struggles, intercessions and prayers we remember the extent of Jesus’s love to overcome all. That through this sign, we have been claimed by Christ. | Download the bulletin: NCC MEETINGS 19 Jan to 25 Jan 2015 Bukit Batok Area Blk 203, Bt Batok Road St 21 | Wed 21 Jan 8.00pm West Mall NCC | Raymond 9060 6050 Regent Height, Tower A, | Wed 21 Jan 10am Regent Height NCC | Idawidjaja 9863 3697 Blk 383, Bukit Batok West Ave 5 | Wed 21 Jan 8.00pm IMmanuel NCC | Irene 6515 0508 Bukit Timah Area Toh Tuck Place | Wed 21 Jan 10.30am Mystical Rose NCC | Monica 9870 0668 15, Jalan Bangket | Wed 21 Jan 8.00pm Mayfair NCC | Timothy 9835 9798 Choa Chu Kang Area Blk 681, Choa Chu Kang Crescent | Fri 23 Jan 8:30pm Yew Tee Branch NCC | Elmer 9724 4531 http://stmary.sg/latest-bulletin/ | Facebook: COMMUNITY NEWS Ash Wednesday – 18 February 2015 Mass Times: (with imposition of Ashes) 6.55 AM, 1.15 PM, 4.00 PM and 6.30 PM. (All in English) The Catholic Bishops Conference of MalaysiaSingapore-Brunei has advised that fasting and abstinence can take place on Ash Wednesday itself OR on any other day(s) to be decided by the individual. Chinese New Year – 19 February 2015 Mass times: (with blessings of oranges) 6.55 AM (English) 9.00 AM (Mandarin) 11.00 AM (English) 6.30 PM (English) Palms for Ash Wednesday Please bring your palms from last year to be used for this year’s Ash Wednesday. Leave them near the Piety Shop. Chinese New Year Dinner for Parish Date: 28 February 2015 (Saturday) Time: 7.30pm Blossom Garden Restaurant CHURCH EVENTS Venue:HOME TEAM BUKIT BATOK CLUB HOUSE 2 Bukit Batok West Ave 7 Upcoming Talk Singapore 659003 This coming Wednesday there will be a (Near to Bukit Gombak MRT Station) talk by Derrick Chee (CTIS) Ticket: $60/pax or $600/table Topic: “Faithfulness in this Community” Date/Time: 21 Jan, Wed at 8pm All parishioners are invited to celebrate CNY Venue: Room 6&7 together as a community. Please contact Angela 23 Jan 2015 (Fri), 8pm. Tickets at $20. Call 63384080 or email [email protected] (96521903), Teresa (96287896) (92734183) for further details. Twitter: http://twitter.com/stmarysg | LITURGICAL UPDATE Ordinary Time The colour green in the church tells us that we are back in Ordinary Time.Actually the word “ordinary” does not mean routine but “counted” or “ordinal” time. We enter into these 2nd, 3rd, 4th Sundays ... all counted one after another. Winter Ordinary Time is just a few short weeks until we enter into the season of Lent. Summer and Fall Ordinary Time comprises the longest portion of the Liturgical Year, covering as much as six months of the Calendar. Ordinary Time challenges us with the demands of building the Kingdom. We listen to the Word of God which keeps reminding us of our call as Christians to internalize the teachings of the Lord and to live out what we proclaim. The miracles and the parables of Jesus are, for the most part, the subject of the Gospel readings. The task that we are given is the same task Jesus had—to proclaim the reign of God in our midst—so this is hardly an ordinary mission. The prayers of the Mass ask for the gifts necessary to accomplish this task and they carry the same message: “Bring forth the Kingdom!” Copyright © 2010 Resource Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Please contact the respective NCC coordinators for more details. Spirit and Grace Ricky Manalo Concert, composer of “Beyond the days” & “By the waking of our hearts” will be here at St Mary’s for a fund-raising concert for Cenacle Sisters & Daughters of St Paul. www.facebook.com/stmary.sg | or Jasmine Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2015 All services begin at 8pm. 19/1 (Mon) - Church of St Ignatius. 21/1 (Wed) - Covenant Community Methodist Church. 11 Blackmore Drive. 22/1 (Thu) - Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea. 23/1 (Fri) - St Thomas Orthodox Syrian Cathedral. 650 Yio Chu Kang Road. SPIRITUALITY RCIA Introduce your friends and family to the Catholic faith. Please contact [email protected] for the RCIA details. Teh-o-logy: Are Protestants Christians? “Ever wondered whether Catholics regard other denominations as true followers of Christ? Encountered a friend who has challenged your understanding of who Christians are? Join us at this month’s Teh-o-logy session on 23rd Jan, 8pm at Gubbio! Bring a friend and an open mind. Teh-O will be served. Altar Servers Recruitment Is your son is above 9? Received Holy Communion? Does he have an interest in serving? Then sign him up! Just get a registration form from the parish office and fill in your particulars to join our large family! Do take note of the high level of commitment required. ANNOUNCEMENTS CANA invites you BEING CHRIST TO ONE ANOTHER: CELEBRATING THE EUCHARIST TODAY Fr Ricky will help us renew our understanding and appreciation of the Eucharist. Date: Sunday 25 Jan 2015@Cana, 2.30 pm. Reservation of seat - email [email protected] or call 63384080 god’s EXTRAVAGANCE. Who is it for? Am I included? Fr John Quigley ofm offers insights to Franciscan Spirituality. TALKS: 27 Jan: Introduction to Franciscan Thought; 28 Jan: Stories of St Francis of Assisi; 29 Jan: The Franciscan Presence VENUE: Cana, The Catholic Centre; 55 Waterloo St, #02-00 Singapore 187954. TIME: 730pm. Please register online: http://goo.gl/forms/eylCNZM6ze