SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT (YEAR B)
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Bishop’s letter for the Second Sunday of Advent 2023
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Parish Priest: Fr Anthony Dampson
Assistant Priest: Fr Marek Balawender
LIGHT THE ADVENT CANDLE Each weekend of Advent we will be singing one verse and refrain from a Hymn at the beginning of Mass as the Advent Candle is lit. Each week the verse and lyrics are dedicated to the candle being lit and will be advised in the Bulletin.
Second Sunday of Advent
Light the Advent candle, two:
think of humble shepherds, who
Filled with wonder at the sight
of the child of Christmas night.
Refrain
Candle, candle, burning bright,
shining in the cold winter night;
candle, candle, burning bright,
fill our hearts with Christmas light.
Parish Notices
DECEASED Fr. Richard Moroney, formerly Parish Priest of Saint Anthony’s, Farnham Common. These are the funeral arrangements as we are aware of them at present: Reception – Monday 18th at 5.00pm, Requiem – Tuesday 19th at 11.00am at Holy Family Catholic Church, 24 Freshwater Close, Marsh Farm, Luton, LU3 3TA; Committal at Luton Crematorium at 12:30.
ADVENT RECONCILIATION SERVICE opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation with visiting Priests in Our Lady of Peace Church on Tuesday, 19th December at 7.00pm. Other opportunity for confession: St Andrew’s Thursday, 21st December between 8.30am – 9.30am.
ADVENT PARISH RETREAT ‘The Word Became One of Us: But what does it mean for ME?’ This is the theme for our Parish Advent Retreat taking place on Friday 15th December (7.30pm) at St Andrew’s Church, Cippenham Led by Dr Helen Costigane, a renowned theologian and author. We will be exploring the meaning of the Word on a personal level in the context of our time. This promises to be a stimulating and engaging event you won’t want to miss. All are welcome – no registration or booking required.
PARISH CHRISTMAS CONCERT – Tuesday 12th December, 7.30pm at Our Lady of Peace Church. The organisers would like to remind everyone that this is the final weekend before our Christmas concert on Tuesday night. Please remember to bring cash so that you can get your tickets which are selling out fast for a wonderful evening of musical entertainment. Tickets include a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie. Hope to see you there! The extraordinary Sing4You Community Choir will be performing at Our Lady of Peace Church on the 12th December. For a truly wonderful Christmas experience with delicious mulled wine and home-made mince pies and a lively sing-along, tickets can be purchased by calling this number: 07532 338874.
SMA FOUNDERS DAY APPEAL We welcome the SMA Superior, Fr. Tom Ryan and members of the Society of African Missions who will be celebrating the Masses of this weekend with us. The SMA fathers are with us this weekend for their annual mission appeals. Our retiring collection this weekend will be in support of their missionary initiatives including:
- The training of SMA missionaries (there are over 300 young men in training presently).
- Provision of portable drinking water through well digging projects in Nigeria & Liberia.
- School scholarships for children in need.
- Support for a number of dioceses in Africa, as well as parishes staffed by British Province personnel
- Interreligious dialogue initiatives in Egypt and Northern Nigeria.
- Peace initiatives in Kenya & Tanzania.
CHRISTMAS SERVICE TIMES leaflets are available in the Church porches, please take home a copy which gives details of all the Christmas Service times.
BAPTISM ZOOM MEETING will be held on Monday, 18th December at 7.00pm.This is for first time parents who wish their child to receive the Sacrament of Baptism over the next few months. To register please email Venecia on office.ourladyofpeace[AT]northamptondiocese.org
BAMBINELLI: BLESSING OF THE CHRIST CHILD In keeping to a church tradition initiated by Saint Pope John Paul II on Gaudate Sunday, 3rd Sunday of Advent, all children and families are invited to bring the Baby Jesus figure from the nativity set in their homes to be blessed next Sunday the 3rd Sunday of Advent during our parish Masses.
OFFERTORY The collection for 3rd December amounted to £612.14. The DONA plate offerings amounted to £112.75 for this weekend. The Tea & Coffee collection for 3rd December amounted to £55.16. We are very grateful for your continued support.
OUR CHRISTMAS CARDS This year we have designed and printed our very own Christmas cards which will be on sale after all weekend masses for a donation of £1.00 per card. Proceeds from the sale of all cards will go towards the church refurbishment project.
LOVE CHRISTMAS WITH OUR GIVING TREES Our Giving Trees will soon make their annual appearance at Our Lady of Peace and St Andrew’s churches. This year, we are supporting two charities – Burnham Care & Share and Caritas. If you would like to participate in this lovely Christmas activity, simply select a label from the tree, purchase a suitable gift (as per label information), wrap, attach the label and put it under the tree. Deadline for presents is no later than 13th December as the charities will collect the gifts the following day. Your contribution to the Giving Tree was so warmly received in the last two years and we hope to make just as good an impact once again.
VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED – LITURGY OF THE WORD FOR CHILDREN
There will be a liturgy of the word for children every other Sunday for all children attending school years Reception to Year 3. Our aim is to return to our weekly sessions, but we desperately need more leaders/helpers (role is subject to a DBS Check) to enable us to achieve this! If you are interested and would like a Chat to find out more information, come and see Lisa or Evka after Mass or alternatively you can email Lisa Mennone frankiematt3[AT]hotmail.co.uk. Next Childrens liturgy is on 17th December, Third Sunday of Advent.
CAKE SALE Two young parishioners will be selling cakes on Sunday 24th December after the 9.30am Mass at OLOP. The cake sale is in support of a fundraising in aid of their desire to participate in a youth pilgrimage to Rome as they seek to grow in faith and be more effective witnesses to our generation. Please remember to bring cash to help these children. Thank you for your support.
SAINT STEPHEN’S DAY Saint Stephen is the patron saint of Altar Servers. There will be a special Mass on Tuesday December 26th at 12 noon to thank all altar servers for their generous service and the important role they play in the life of the parish.
CAFOD has partners working in Gaza and is making an appeal for financial support. If you feel able to donate please find CAFOD online at cafod.org.uk Thank you.
SHOP ONLINE AND AUTOMATICALLY RAISE FUNDS FOR OUR LADY OF PEACE Give as you Live Online is a free and easy way to raise money for Our Lady of Peace Church when you shop online with 6,000+ stores. Boost donations by simply registering first and then clicking on the ‘share’ link and sharing with your friends and family – an extra £5 is donated to our church when the first £5 is spent! Link: Shop Online & Raise Money – Give as you Live Online
ADVENT Walk with Me, a Journey of Prayer for Advent books, are available in the Church porches, priced £1.
USE OF MOBILE PHONES IN CONFESSIONALS Following discussion at the Bishops’ Conference, we have been advised that, due to the sacred nature of the confessional, clergy be requested not to have active mobile phones with them in the confessional. They should not just be put to silent mode but should be turned off before entering the confessional. Penitents should be requested to do the same. This is because, even if in silent mode, phones can still listen-in to conversations and artificial intelligence algorithms identify items of interest to potential advertisers. This technology does not affect every network but must be presumed to be operative because it cannot be proven otherwise. Clergy should be aware of this when in any situation where confidential matters may be discussed.
MOTHER’S PRAYERS Will be taking a break until the Spring.
TEA AND COFFEE The money raised from the teas and coffees will be for the Church Refurbishment Fund. Refreshments are available each Sunday after the 9.30am Mass.
COFFEE SHOP is held at St Andrew’s every Saturday morning from 10.00am – 12.00noon. It is open to everyone, please pop in and enjoy tea/coffee and cake!
OLOP REFURBISHMENT We are all reminded that donations to the refurbishment of our Parish Church of Our Lady of Peace are now very welcome. Please find the blue envelopes supplied at the entrance exclusively for monies donated towards church refurbishments. The Dona Plate is also currently set up to accept kind donations for this project, and those who donate via bank transfer or standing order are advised to specify that the payment is specifically for the refurbishment of Our Lady of Peace Church (OLOP Refurbishment). May God, whose house you are helping to build, bless your lives with his Divine blessings.
ORGANISING ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS ACROSS THE PARISH For anyone organising activities and events in OLP or St Andrew’s, please contact the Parish Office and advise Venecia so she can ensure that the diary is always current and check for clashes of venue or dates.
FAMILIES NEEDING HELP If anyone is aware of people who require assistance/help, please provide names and contact information to the parish office.
WIDOWS & WIDOWERS There is a support group in the parish for widows and widowers. Please email the parish office if you would like help with bereavement. office.ourladyofpeace[AT]northamptondiocese.org
RED BOXES We have reached the time for the second swapping of your Red Box. As usual, our Head Office ask for our co-operation in getting all our banking input completed before Christmas so that year-end results for publication in the new year may be compiled. We therefore have a good four weeks for boxes to be collected. Boxes may be brought in on any day at mass but please be sure to hand them to a known person on a weekday so that they may be securely held in the safe. Alma will assist. Thank you for your continued support.
SAFEGUARDING Please remember that Bishop David is available to meet with anyone affected by abuse in our Church. To make an appointment (at short or long notice) please contact our diocesan safeguarding office.
SAFEGUARDING DBS CHECKS If you have any DBS forms that need to be checked and validated, please contact Máirín Comfort. She can be reached via email at safeguarding.olop[AT]northamptondiocese.org, or at OLOP church after the 9.30am Mass. Kindly get in touch with her to arrange a suitable time for form validation. Thank you for your cooperation.
WYCOMBE HOMELESS PROJECT Please see poster on parish noticeboard of this local charity supported by the Knights of St Columba who are raising funds to help homeless people in South Bucks who need emergency accommodation and specialist support to avoid illegal and unfair eviction, also access to health services and much more. You can help directly by sending monies to Bank Account 07517319, Sort Code 60-11-01 “Knights of St Columba” with reference to the WHC Project. Any queries or more information can be obtained from Paul Hogwood on 07740-812414 or email: pjhogwood[AT]btinternet.com
SLOUGH FOODBANK For details on how to donate see https://slough.foodbank.org.uk/give-help-2/donate-food/ or please view the poster on the parish noticeboard.
ST GILBERT’S MISSION PROJECT There are little bottles in the Church porches for any spare change! Please take one home and return when filled up.
OUR PARISH LIST OF THE SICK There is a book where you can enter the name of the person to be prayed for. In line with Data Protection legislation please obtain the consent of the person before entering their name in the book. This book will be placed on the altar during each Mass in Our Lady of Peace Church.
GOING INTO HOSPITAL? If you wish to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion and Anointing of the Sick before going into Hospital please let us know. A visit can be arranged from Fr Anthony or Fr Marek.
CONFIRMING OUR PARISH NAME In discussion with Bishop David recently, it has been decided to firm up the name of our combined Parish by combining the two names together in a new logo. Going forward we are ‘Our Lady of Peace and St Andrew’s’. The Bishop is happy with this slight amendment as it helps in some way for people to understand that we are truly one Parish and not two separate entities. You will see the new logo appearing across the Parish in future.
BULLETIN If you require any notices to be included in the next Bulletin, please email Venecia on office.ourladyofpeace[AT]northamptondiocese.org or drop in the Presbytery door. Deadline for notices is Thursday by 11.00am.
PARISH OFFICE Email office.ourladyofpeace[AT]northamptondiocese.org or you can telephone the Parish office on 01628 605764 and leave a message, or contact Fr Anthony on 07853 106000, email franthony.dampson[AT]northamptondiocese.org.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Our Lady of Peace Parish Council Chair: ppcc.olop[AT]northamptondiocese.org
Our Lady of Peace Safeguarding Representative: safeguarding.olop[AT]northamptondiocese.org
Our Lady of Peace Head of Finance: financechair.olop[AT]northamptondiocese.org
Appointments
ST THOMAS CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST are recruiting several school-based roles across Catholic schools in the Slough area. More details and to apply for any of our vacancies can be found here. Please visit the website www.mynewterm.com/trust/St-Thomas-Catholic-Academies-Trust/320797
Upcoming Events
MOTHER’S PRAYERS Will be taking a break until the Spring.
ROSARY GROUP The Rosary Group recite the Rosary after 9.30am Mass each morning in Our Lady of Peace Church. Please join them if you can.
CATHOLIC CONVERSATIONS GROUP We meet every week, very informally, with a view to exploring the many different aspects of our faith. If you have questions about your Catholic faith and would like to join our group to faith share, you would be most welcome. Please email on bobryant144[AT]gmail.com to receive a Zoom invitation to our next meeting.
CHRISTMAS CONCERT A fantastic night of music at Our Lady of Peace Church Christmas Concert will be taking place at the church on Tuesday 12th December at 7.30pm. Tickets, for what should be a very memorable evening with wonderful performers will be going on sale after each Mass from November. Tickets will be £15. If you have any questions, please call Anna Goldberg on 07532 338874.
SHEKHINAH PRAYER GROUP Meets weekly on Wednesdays from 7.00pm to 8.30pm via Zoom. They hold Catholic teachings on different topics. Lectio Divina (Praying the Scriptures), takes place on alternative weeks. The talk for this Wednesday 13th December will be Evening Prayer, Worship & Testimony. The Speaker will be Dcn Michael. If you are interested in joining the group please contact Deacon Michael on 07886923622 / osseiwilliams[AT]btopenworld.com : or email the parish office office.ourladyofpeace[AT]northamptondiocese.org and a link will be sent to you.
MARK YOUR DIARIES! ANNUAL PARISH RETREAT We are thrilled to welcome Dr Helen Costigane, SHCJ to join us for our annual Parish Retreat which will take place on the 15th and 16th December. Dr Costigane is the Programme Director for St Mary’s University in Theology. A member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, she has studied at the Universities of Glasgow, London, and Leuven (Belgium). After 22 years at Heythrop College, University of London, she joined St Mary’s in February 2017. Dr Costigane’s research and teaching interests are wide-ranging and include Christian Ethics, Canon Law, Pastoral Theology, History, and Ecclesiology and she is also a published author. This will be a truly magnificent one-off opportunity and we invite everyone to attend this event which begins on Friday 15th at 7.30pm in Our Lady of Peace Church, followed by a session specifically for Eucharistic Ministers on the morning of the 16th December from 10.00 – 13.00 again at OLP.
SENIOR CITIZEN CHRISTMAS TEA PARTY The CWL and SVP are organising a Christmas Tea Party for the elderly on 16th December 2023 at St Andrew’s Shared Church, Washington Drive, Cippenham, SL1 5RE. It will start with Mass at 2.00pm and anointing followed by the tea party and carols. Collect your invitation from the welcomers after the weekend Masses. For transport, please contact Cedrica Lobo on 07767477402.
Events in 2024
TRINITY CONFERENCE: REAWAKENING THE CATHOLIC VISION On Saturday 17 February 2024, 9am to 5pm, you are invited to explore all of this and more at the Trinity Conference: Reawakening the Catholic Vision. How can the Catholic Church respond to an increasingly disaffiliated and disengaged generation? What is the future of our Catholic parishes, schools, and homes? TC24 will explore the context of ‘post-Christendom’ society, and the implications this has for the Church’s mission today. For the full timetable and booking info see: https://www.leedstrinity.ac.uk/events/events/trinity-conference-2024-reawakening-the-catholic-vision.php
SUBMISSIONS FOR THE PARISH WEBSITE OR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER can be sent to the Parish Office. Items on paper and print are also accepted and can be given to Fr Anthony, or delivered to the Presbytery.
A PARISHIONER HAS VERY KINDLY OFFERED TO PRINT AND DELIVER COPIES OF OUR WEEKLY BULLETIN to those unable to attend Mass each week, this would only be posted through the letterbox. If you know of anyone who would like a copy delivered, please contact the Parish office on 01628 605764. Please obtain the permission of the Parishioner to provide their address.
MASS BOOKINGS Kindly drop off your intentions at the Presbytery, place it in the donation box in the Church or give it to Fr Anthony. You can still make a request for Masses by email and telephone.
PARISH ONLINE PRAYER SERVICE A dedicated email has been set up for you to send prayer requests. The email address is: prayerministry.ourladyofpeace[AT]northamptondiocese.org Meanwhile, let us continue to support and pray for one another in the parish.
Parish Donations
FINANCES We are extremely grateful, not only for your financial support, but also to the volunteers who help in so many ways for the Church to remain open for Masses.
Your valued ongoing support to the Parish can be made through the following options:
- Donating by phone: ‘Giving Tuesday’ – Telephone Donation In addition to the online donation facilities currently available, the Diocese has begun a ‘Giving Tuesday’. Each Tuesday between 10:00am and 4:00pm, you can call this number, 01604 712065, and donate to your parish.
- Online Donation We are now using a new provider ‘Invest My Community’ who work with other Catholic Diocese, schools and charities. You can access our online giving page via the donate button on our Diocesan Website or by using the following link https://northamptondiocese.org/donate/ If you would like to use this facility to make your regular, one off donations please ensure you indicate this along with the name of your parish, and any other message detail in the ‘Public Message’ box. Please note this information is not made visible to the public.
- Standing Order via donor’s own bank: You can set up a standing order for donations to your parish using either your online bank account or in branch. You can also make a one-off payment to the parish. The information required to make the donation is as follows:
Bank: NatWest.
Sort Code; 60-06-11.
Account Name; 46716203. Account Name; RCDN Our Lady of Peace.
Payment Ref: Our Lady of Peace, Slough. - Standing Order using the form: https://northamptondiocese.org/wp-content/uploads/GAD-general-June-18-v2-revision.pdf You can complete the standing order form for donations to your parish with the option to Gift Aid. Please indicate on this form if you are not a tax payer but would like to set up a standing order only. There are two sides/sheets to this form, it should be printed, completed, signed and returned to our Parish office, we will then forward to central offices at Bishop’s House for processing at a later date. Please remember to state which parish this standing is for i.e. ‘For the benefit of Our Lady of Peace, Slough Parish’ section at the top of the form. Banks will require 7 working days from receipt of these forms to activate the request so please ensure the start date reflects this 7 day period to ensure the S.O. can take effect.
- There is also a donation box in Our Lady of Peace for Mass intentions, offertory, donations, etc.
- Contactless Donations 💳 We have installed ‘Digital Collection Plate’ contactless terminals in the Churches, allowing you to donate using a contactless debit/credit card, NFC smartphone or watch. Simply enter the amount you wish to donate and hold your card (or NFC device) to the reader. You can also opt-in for Gift Aid to increase your donation by 25%. If you are a UK taxpayer then donating with Gift Aid means that we can claim an extra 25p for every £1 received.
- Parish Donations Portal 💳 After a successful trial of the physical digital collection plate in our Churches, we are pleased to announce that a web portal is now available as a queue-free alternative. Either use the link (Gift Aid giving is available using one-time registration): https://portal.mydona.com/assets/webPay/index.php?cid=419 or with your QR code reader mobile app, scan the code in the printed newsletter, click on the link to mydona.com, and it will give you the same options available on the Digital Plate in Church. Also look out for the DONATE HERE sign with QR Code in the Church. Thank you.
N.B. To access this service, select links titled: Parish Donations Portal.
Thank you for any help you are able to give and God bless.
News Links
- Diocese News
- Diocese ‘X’ page (includes the Bishop’s weekly engagements)
- The Vine (Journal of the Diocese of Northampton)
- Diocese of Northampton Youtube
- Diocese of Northampton Flickr photo albums
- News from the Catholic Church in England & Wales
- Videos on Vimeo from the Catholic Church in England & Wales
- Catholic Church in England & Wales Flickr photo albums
- News from the Vatican (in English)
Masses & Intentions
9th December – 17th December
Sunday Readings: Year B.
Weekday Readings: Cycle I.
Universalis – Daily Mass Readings (updates automatically).
Live streaming of Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Peace can be found on
Facebook: ourladyofpeacecatholicchurchburnham and YouTube: youtube.com/@ourladyofpeacecatholicchur3404/streams
9th December – 17th December
| Saturday 9th December | SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT Mass Readings (Year B) 6.00pm Our Lady of Peace – Zoltan Torok RIP (R. Group), Anthony O’Donnell INT (Lisa, Destiny & Patrick) |
| Sunday 10th December | SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT Mass Readings (Year B) 9.30am Our Lady of Peace LS – Cyril Maasch RIP Birthday Remembrance (Denise), Jim Deignan RIP Anniversary (Deignan), Italia Clementoni RIP 5th Anniversary (Lucia) 11.30am St. Andrews – Adriana Pena-Torok Family INT (R. Group), Millie Fernandes INT (R. Group) |
| Monday 11th December 8.15am Our Lady of Peace – Adoration 9.15am Our Lady of Peace – Morning Prayer 9.30am Our Lady of Peace – Kathleen Galea RIP (Tony Galea), Martin Thomas Corp RIP (R. Group) |
| Tuesday 12th December 8.15am Our Lady of Peace – Adoration 9.15am Our Lady of Peace – Morning Prayer 9.30am Our Lady of Peace – Manuel Kanagasuntherie RIP (R.Group), Anne Morrissey INT (Vera McLoughlin and Family) |
| Wednesday 13th December | ST LUCY, Virgin, Martyr 8.15am Our Lady of Peace – Adoration 9.15am Our Lady of Peace – Morning Prayer 9.30am Our Lady of Peace – Aleksander Pepaj RIP (R. Group), Alma Pepaj Family INT (R. Group) |
| Thursday 14th December | ST JOHN OF THE CROSS, Priest, Doctor of the Church 8.30am St Andrew’s – Adoration 9.15am St Andrew’s – Morning Prayer 9.30am St Andrew’s – Young Families INT (R. Group), Danny Shaw and family |
| Friday 15th December 8.15am Our Lady of Peace – Adoration 9.15am Our Lady of Peace – Morning Prayer 9.30am Our Lady of Peace – Venecia Godinho INT (R. Group), Bridget Britton RIP (Mary Roberts) |
| Saturday 16th December 8.45am Our Lady of Peace – Adoration 9.45am Our Lady of Peace – Morning Prayer 10.00am Our Lady of Peace – Kitty Flood INT (Kay), Modesta Fortino RIP (R. Group) 2.00pm St. Andrews – Senior Citizens’ Mass |
| Saturday 16th December | THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year B) Mass Readings (Year B) 6.00pm Our Lady of Peace – Nuala Allis & Family INT (Sugrue Family) |
| Sunday 17th December| THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year B) Mass Readings (Year B) 9.30am Our Lady of Peace LS – 11.30am St. Andrews – |
Notes:
LS = Mass livestreamed on Facebook and Youtube. R. Group = Rosary Group
Liturgy Office resources:
Calendar notes for 2024 (PDF)
Our Lady of Peace Church – Lower Britwell Road, Burnham | SL2 2NL
St Andrew’s – Elmshott La/Washington Drive, Cippenham, Berks | SL1 5RE
Our Lady of Peace 