Fr Brian and the whole Salesian community would like to wish all our Parishioners a very Happy Christmas.
May the Christ-child bless you all with peace and love at this festive time.
Make it a time for the Family and a time of great generosity.
Joseph and Mary set out for Bethlehem. When they arrived there, the time came for Mary to have her baby and she gave birth to a son. All of us are journeying to Bethlehem where we hope to be born. I know we were born once, nevertheless we are unborn in the sense that our true and full self hasn’t yet seen the light of day. When our second birth occurs, then all the gifts of grace and nature which God gives us as seeds, will blossom and bear fruit. Our ultimate goal is the heavenly Bethlehem where we shall see God face to face.
Tuesday, 24th December –
First Mass of Christmas, 8pm
Wednesday, 25th December –
Christmas Day Mass, 10:30am
For the full list of Masses over the Christmas season click here.
Please visit our Christmas crib and say a prayer for your own family and for families all over the world, many of whom will be suffering this Christmas.
Donations in the box near the crib will go to Nugent Care to help needy children and families.
The St James’ Brownies are having a Christmas stall and raffle to raise funds for the annual census of £50 for each child and adult.
This has to be paid in February.
Fr Brian will be away for a break from 27th December until 6th January.
You will be in the capable hands of Fr Hugh and our Deacons!
Fr Brian and the whole Salesian community would like to wish all our Parishioners a very Happy Christmas.
May the Christ-child bless you all with peace and love at this festive time.
Make it a time for the Family and a time of great generosity.
Tuesday, 24th December –
Christmas Eve Mass, 10am
First Mass of Christmas, 8pm
Wednesday, 25th December –
Christmas Day Mass, 10:30am
Thursday, 26th December –
Feast of St Stephen, Mass 10am
Friday, 27th December –
Feast of St John, Mass 10am
Saturday, 28th December –
Feast of the Holy Innocents: no morning Mass
Vigil Mass for Feast of Holy Family, 6:30pm
Sunday, 29th December –
Feast of the Holy Family, Mass 10:30am
Monday, 30th December –
Christmas Octave, Mass 10am
Tuesday, 31st December –
Christmas Octave, Mass 10am
Wednesday, 1st January –
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, Mass 10am
Thursday, 2nd January –
Memorial of Ss. Basil and Gregory, Mass 10am
Friday, 3rd January –
Weekday of Christmas, Mass 10am
Saturday, 4th January –
Weekday of Christmas, no morning Mass
Vigil Mass of the Epiphany, Mass 6:30pm
Sunday, 5th January –
Solemnity of the Epiphany, Mass 10:30am
Monday, 6th January –
Christmas Weekday after Epiphany, Mass 10am
Masses as usual for weekdays
There is a clear note of joy in today’s liturgy. Joy is a blend of laughter and tears. It consists in having a heart aglow with warmth for all one’s companions on the road of life. It is looking for the happiness that comes in small packages, knowing that big packages are few and far between. It is making the most of the present, enjoying what is at hand right now. Joy is love bubbling over into life and it can coexist with pain, Joy is the flag we fly when Christ, the Prince of peace, has taken up residence in our hearts.
Tuesday, 24th December –
Christmas Eve Mass, 10am
First Mass of Christmas, 8pm
Wednesday, 25th December –
Christmas Day Mass, 10:30am
Thursday, 26th December –
Feast of St Stephen, Mass 10am
Friday, 27th December –
Feast of St John, Mass 10am
Saturday, 28th December –
Feast of the Holy Innocents: no morning Mass
Vigil Mass for Feast of Holy Family, 6:30pm
Sunday, 29th December –
Feast of the Holy Family, Mass 10:30am
Monday, 30th December –
Christmas Octave, Mass 10am
Tuesday, 31st December –
Christmas Octave, Mass 10am
Wednesday, 1st January –
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, Mass 10am
Thursday, 2nd January –
Memorial of Ss. Basil and Gregory, Mass 10am
Friday, 3rd January –
Weekday of Christmas, Mass 10am
Saturday, 4th January –
Weekday of Christmas, no morning Mass
Vigil Mass of the Epiphany, Mass 6:30pm
Sunday, 5th January –
Solemnity of the Epiphany, Mass 10:30am
Monday, 6th January –
Christmas Weekday after Epiphany, Mass 10am
Masses as usual for weekdays
A warm welcome to Fr Hugh Preston who is officially joining our community on 17th December.
He is looking forward very much to being with us after a short sabbatical in Ireland. Expect to see plenty of him around the Parish.
For the next two Sundays, the St James’ Brownies are having a Christmas stall and raffle to raise funds for the annual census of £50 for each child and adult.
This has to be paid in February.
If you are in year 8 and would like to receive the sacrament of confirmation, you can register from the link below.
Registration is open from 13th January until 17th March.
Not long ago the trees were loaded with golden leaves. Though pretty to look at, they robbed me of the world beyond but now that the leaves have fallen, I am able to look through the skeletal branches to the deep blue sky beyond. Teach us, Good Lord how to take care of our material needs without neglecting our spiritual needs. How to take care of ourselves without neglecting others and how to live joyfully in this world without losing sight of the world to come.
These will take place here in St James’ on Monday 9th December at 7pm.
Please pray for the children who are making the Sacrament and for their families. Everyone is welcome to attend the service.
This Christmas, give your loved ones something exceptional and life changing. Buying CAFOD’s virtual World Gifts makes a real difference to those facing the injustice of poverty around the world. Choose from a range of beautifully illustrated cards, each representing a gift of hope, inspired by real people and real needs. Cards can be sent by post, as an eCard, or printed at home. Purchase World Gifts and other gifts such as Advent calendars and jute bags from the link below.
The funeral Mass for Patrick Hegarty will take place here in St James’ on Wednesday 11th December at 12 noon.
Please remember Patrick and his family in your prayers.
St James’
Tuesday 24th December: Vigil Mass of Christmas at 8.00pm.
Christmas day: 10.30am
More information for St James’ Mass times over Christmas coming next week.
St Monica’s:
Tuesday, 24th December: Vigil Mass of Christmas at 4pm.
Christmas Day: 9.30am
St Francis de Sales:
Tuesday, 24th December: Vigil Mass of Christmas at 6pm.
Christmas Day: 11am
The hill flowers fade but will bloom again next year but we never get back our youth. Life is a fragile gift which we enjoy only briefly; our life is like the warming of oneself in the sun. We live in a flash of light and before we know it, evening comes and night falls. But the very fleetingness of life makes it all the more precious. Lord, may your gentle and sure light guide us on the unfolding road, so that we may walk with confidence towards the light that never fades and the life that never ends.
These will take place here in St James’ on Monday 9th December at 7pm.
Please pray for the children who are making the Sacrament and for their families. Everyone is welcome to attend the service.
The NSPCC Carols By Candlelight will return once more to the beautiful surroundings of Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral, to celebrate the festive season on Tuesday 3 December. The event is kindly sponsored by Home Bargains and has an array of fantastic performers from across Merseyside, including the talented PopVox, Cantemus At Calday, Wirral Schools' Concert Band and the Merchant Taylors' School Choir. Buy your tickets today using the link below.
The funeral service for Jane Evans will take place here in St James’ on Wednesday 4th December at 11.45am.
Please pray for the repose of Jane’s soul and the comfort of her family.
Preserve me God, I take refuge in you. My happiness lies in you alone, you are my portion and my cup, you yourself are my prize. I keep you ever in my sight, even at night you direct my heart. With you at my right hand, I shall stand firm. And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad. For you will not leave my soul among the dead, nor let your beloved know decay. You will show me the path of life, the fullness of joy in your presence, at you right hand, happiness for ever.
Kim Leadbeater MP is introducing a bill to introduce assisted suicide, which will be voted on by MPs on the 29 November.
We know that assisted suicide laws in other jurisdictions have had devastating consequences for the poor, disabled and marginalised.
This is the biggest threat to the vulnerable in a decade, and we need a huge effort to lobby MPs to vote against it. Please contact your MP by writing to them at House of Commons, London SW1A0AA or visit the link below.
Sunday 24th November is Youth Sunday and there is a second collection for Animate Youth. It is also the feast of Christ the King!
A Deanery retreat will take place at St Edmund of Canterbury church, Waterloo, on Saturday 30th November 2024. It will begin at 10am and finish at 2:30pm.
All are welcome. A light lunch will be required.
Please sign the list at the back of church if you would like to attend.
The funeral service for John Lewis will take place here in St James’ on Tuesday 19th November at 12 noon.
Please remember John and his family in your prayers.
The funeral Mass for Eric Kavanagh will take place here in St James’ on Thursday 21st November at 12 noon.
Please pray for the repose of Eric’s soul and the comfort of his family.
The widow’s mite comes in different ways. This widow’s generosity has become a symbol of true Christian generosity, in giving to the point where it pains; where giving becomes a sacrifice. We give it, wherever we are prepared to give our very best. The very best we give in the love of husband and wife. The very best we give in the priesthood or Religious life. The very best we give in the service of others, wherever that may be: at home, in school, in our place of work, in the service of our community, that is the widow’s mite.
This year marks the 80th anniversaries of momentous battles and turning points of the Second World War. The D-Day landings of 6th June – the largest seaborne invasion in history – marked the beginning of the liberation of western Europe. Elsewhere on the globe exceptionally hard-fought battles were also turning the tide of the war. The Battle of Monte Cassino was the bloodiest of the Italian Campaign and in India Outnumbered British and Indian forces withstood weeks of siege and brutal fighting at the Battles of Kohima and Imphal. The Royal British Legion remembers the service and sacrifice of British and Commonwealth armed forces in these and other battles. The vital contribution of men and women from South Asia is also explored in our pages for South Asian Heritage Month.
Our annual Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday 16th November at 11am. This is when we invite the families of those who have died in the last year to come and remember them and pray for them during this special Mass. Everyone in the Parish is welcome to join us and pray for their own deceased family members.
A Deanery retreat will take place at St Edmund of Canterbury church, Waterloo, on Saturday 30th November 2024. It will begin at 10am and finish at 2:30pm.
All are welcome. A light lunch will be required.
The funeral Service for Bernie Shaw will take place here in St James’ on Wednesday 13th November at 11.45am.
Please remember Bernie and her family in your prayers.
The funeral Mass for Sue Hurley will take place here in St James’ on Friday 15th November at 11.30am.
Please pray for the repose of Sue’s soul and the comfort of her family.
If only the heart was right we could give so much more. Lord, open our hearts when they are closed. Soften them when they are hard. Warm them when they are cold. Brighten them when they are dark. Fill them when they are empty. Calm them when they are troubled. Cleanse them when they are sullied. Heal them when they are wounded. And mend them when they are broken so that we, your disciples, may bear the fruits of love. Amen.
Our annual Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday 16th November at 11am. This is when we invite the families of those who have died in the last year to come and remember them and pray for them during this special Mass. Everyone in the Parish is welcome to join us and pray for their own deceased family members.
A raffle will be held over the next two weekends to raise funds for the Parish.
Available next weekend will be forms for listing your dead family and friends to be remembered during the month of November. Like last year, there are no envelopes because we would ask you not to put money with the lists. We will say one Mass each week in November for the Holy Souls, but we are unable to say any more. We have too many masses already.
The funeral Service for Margie McQueen will take place here in St James’ on Friday 8th November at 11.45am.
Please remember Margie and her family in your prayers.
Helen Keller who went blind and deaf at nineteen months said:
“One day I asked a friend of mine who had just returned from a long walk in the woods what she had seen. She replied, “Nothing in particular.” “How was this possible?” I asked myself, “when I, who cannot hear or see, find hundreds of things to interest me through mere touch. I feel the delicate shape and design of a leaf. I pass my hands lovingly over the rough bark of a pine tree. Occasionally, I place my hand quietly on a small tree and if I’m lucky, feel the happy quiver of a bird in full song. The greatest calamity that can befall people, is not that they should be born blind but that they should have eyes and yet fail to see.”
Our annual Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday 16th November at 11am. This is when we invite the families of those who have died in the last year to come and remember them and pray for them during this special Mass. Everyone in the Parish is welcome to join us and pray for their own deceased family members.
MPs will vote on this law on 29th November. To protect the vulnerable contact your MP and ask them to vote NO using the link below.
Available next weekend will be forms for listing your dead family and friends to be remembered during the month of November. Like last year, there are no envelopes because we would ask you not to put money with the lists. We will say one Mass each week in November for the Holy Souls, but we are unable to say any more. We have too many masses already.
The Funeral Mass for Terry Page will take place here in St James’ on Wednesday 30th October at 12 noon. Please pray for the repose of Terry’s soul and the comfort of his family.
Friday of this week, 1st November, is the Feast of All Saints and is a Holyday of Obligation. Masses that day will be at 10am and 7pm, as usual.
