Parish Newsletter 8.12.2024

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR (C)

View/download the printed newsletter (new A4 format)

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.

Sunday Mass Readings

1st Reading: Baruch 5:1-9 God means to show your splendour to every nation.

Psalm 125 R/ What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.

2nd Reading: Phil 1:4-6, 8-11 Be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia 2x Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight, and all mankind shall see the salvation of God. Alleluia.

Gospel: Luke 3:1-4 All mankind shall see the salvation of God.

CREDO: I believe in God, the Father almighty Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

Parish Notices

MASS CHANGES

There will be no morning Mass on Wednesday, 11th December at OLOP. There will be Reconsecration Mass at 7 pm.
No morning Mass on Saturday, 14th December at OLOP to allow training for Church readers.

DECEASED Please pray for Joaquim Floriano Telles RIP who died recently, his Requiem Mass will be celebrated on Friday 20th December at 11.00am in Our Lady of Peace Church, followed at Slough Crematorium. Also please pray for Norman Leslie Grimmette RIP who died recently, his Requiem Mass will be celebrated on Friday 10th January at 12.45pm in Our Lady of Peace Church, followed at Slough Crematorium. Please keep their families in your prayers as they go through this trying time of mourning. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace, Amen.

OFFERTORY COLLECTION Loose Collection: £784.54, DONA Plate: £109.70, Tea & Coffee: £37.80.

RETIRING COLLECTION There will be a retiring collection this weekend for the flowers for Christmas at the end of all Masses.

OLOP RECONSECRATION MASS We are delighted to welcome Bishop David along with former priests who have served this community, including Mgr. Sean Healy, Fr. Andy Richardson, Fr. Joseph Udoh, Canon Kevin O’Driscoll and others to our Parish on Wednesday December 11th at 7.00pm for our Reconsecration Mass. During the Mass the Bishop will bless the new Ambo. We look forward to seeing you at this Mass.

WHAT A NIGHT! We are thrilled to share the incredible success of last week’s concert! A huge thank you to everyone who played a part in making it such a memorable evening. To those who sold and bought tickets, donated prizes for the raffle, and helped out on the night—your support and enthusiasm were truly invaluable. It was a fantastic team effort, and we couldn’t have done it without you. Special thanks to our talented performers who provided such wonderful entertainment. Your performances were inspiring and greatly appreciated by all. Thanks to your generosity and hard work, we raised an impressive £2,872! Thank you once again for being part of this unforgettable event.

SVP APPEAL It is our aim to provide each homeless person in Slough with a bag containing a warm hat, scarf, gloves and a chocolate bar. If you have any of these items going spare please can you bring them to Mass at the weekend by 7th/8th December. We will have a member of our team to collect it.

JOIN US FOR THE GIVING TREE CAMPAIGN! We’re thrilled to announce that our Giving Tree campaign is back at Our Lady of Peace and St Andrew’s churches. Last year, thanks to your incredible generosity, we delivered a bounty of gifts to Caritas and Burnham Care and Share, bringing joy to those in need. Both organizations were overjoyed by your support and are excited to partner with us again this year. Here’s how you can help: (1) Choose a label from the Giving Tree. (2) Purchase a suitable gift and wrap it. (3) Return the gift by 14th December to ensure timely delivery for Christmas. Let’s share the true spirit of the season and make Christmas special for everyone. Your kindness makes all the difference!

A DAY OF TRAINING FOR CHURCH READERS 10.00am to 1.00pm on Saturday 14th December. Representatives from the diocesan Liturgy Commission will visit our parish to provide training for all those who read at the Altar during Mass. It is mandatory training for all readers in our Parish prior to the introduction of a new lectionary translation for Mass, as well as a refresher on best practices in the ministry of lectors and parish readers. We invite all readers to attend and welcome anyone who wants to join our team of readers. Please confirm your attendance by emailing the Parish Secretary at office.ourladyofpeace[AT]northamptondiocese.org or speak with Ms. Denise McClintock.

BAMBINELLI SUNDAY Bring Your Baby Jesus for a Blessing! Join us for a special Bambinelli Sunday on December 15th, the Third Sunday of Advent. Bring your beloved Baby Jesus figurine from your home Nativity scene to Mass for a special blessing. This heartwarming tradition offers a unique opportunity for families to celebrate the upcoming birth of Christ together at the 9.30am and 11.30am Masses on 15th December.

ADVENT RECONCILIATION SERVICE opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation with visiting Priests in Our Lady of Peace Church on Tuesday, 17th December at 7.00pm.

OTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR CONFESSION St Andrew’s Thursday, 19th December between 8.30am – 9.30am.

CHRISTMAS SERVICE TIMES Leaflets are available in the Church porches, please take a copy home. It contains details of all the Christmas Service times.

RED BOXES Would all Red Box holders who have a full box kindly bring them to any Mass as soon as possible. The final count of donations for this year needs to be banked before Christmas so that accurate records may be forwarded to Head Office by the year end. There is a considerable number of Boxes outstanding from last year. Please hunt around for any duplicates. They are always in demand for redistribution. If there are any donors who have not yet received their calendars for 2025, would be you please let me know as I have a few emergency spares.

300 CLUB DRAW The St Andrew’s Day draw was held after the joint service last Saturday, 30th November. This year for the first time there are three prizes and winners are: Marian Poff 1st prize £100, Pina Morris 2nd prize £60 & Riv Rodrigues 3rd prize £40. Anyone wishing to join the 300 Club should contact Shelagh on 07941 432706.

ST GILBERT’S MISSION PROJECT Mary Barker will be selling Christmas goods after the Masses on behalf of Mary McCarthy. Please support this work.

YOUTH ALPHA COURSE Are you teenager or a young adult and curious about life’s big questions? Would you like to develop your understanding of the Christian faith? Are you looking to improve on your relationship with God? Join us for the Youth Alpha Course, starting in January 2025. Over 8 different sessions, we’ll explore topics like faith, creation, and why bad things happen. To register your interest, please contact the Parish Office or your Youth Leaders. Let’s dive into life’s big questions together! To sign up please scan the QR code on the printed/PDF newsletter (link at the top of this page).

OUR LADY OF PEACE CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL OPEN DAYS

Wednesday 17th December 2024 9.15am – 10.45am
Thursday 9th January 2025 9.15am – 10.45am

For more information email: admissions[AT]olopprimary.co.uk or call 01628 661886.

ST THOMAS CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST Has updated the Primary School Admission Policy (for admission in September 2026). Changes proposed affect St Anthony’s and St Ethelbert’s Catholic Primary Schools. The consultation period is now open until 31 December 2024. Details of the policy can be found on the Trust website (https://www.stcat.co.uk/trust-governance/consultation/). If you require a hard copy or have comments to make in regard to the proposed policy, please contact Maxine Gilmartin: consultation[AT]stcat.co.uk, or by post to: Maxine Gilmartin, St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust, c/o St Martin de Porres Catholic Primary School, Pastures Way, Luton, LU4 0PF.

ST THOMAS CATHOLIC ACADEMIES TRUST We are pleased to launch our Train to Teach programme, for September 2025. If you, or someone you know, are interested in training to become a teacher in one of our Catholic school, with the guidance and support of St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust, then visit https://www.stcat.co.uk/become-a-teacher/ for more information and to start your application.

MASS INTENTIONS If you wish to book a Mass Intention please place the intention in an envelope, write the name of the person(s) who the Mass is for, whether Deceased or Intention, also the name of the person who is offering the Mass. This will avoid any disappointment for the Mass intentions not being offered on the requested date(s).

UNIVERSALIS APP Due to the large sums invested in the refurbishment of Our Lady of Peace, it will be some time before the parish is able to generate the much-needed finances to purchase new Mass books for our Sunday Masses. As a result, we recommend the Universalis App to our parishioners who want to access the latest lectionary translations for personal prayers or to actively participate in Mass. Universalis is a software application that includes all liturgical prayers, lection and spiritual readings used during our liturgical celebrations. It requires a one-time subscription of £10 and allows you to access all of the prayers and Scripture readings on your mobile device. Those who require assistance should kindly contact the parish secretary for help. https://universalis.com/

🔖 Alternatively, bookmark this link to read the daily Mass readings for free.

PARISH SUPPORT GROUP We have a parish support group for those who have been bereaved. If you feel this might be for you please ring 01628 666278. You will be warmly welcomed.

MARRIAGE PAPERWORK ADMINISTRATION FEES Please note on the administration fees below which relate to the processing (and postage costs) of marriage paperwork for marriages and convalidations which will take place outside of your parish, and are therefore, subject to approval by the Chancery Office in the diocese.
These fees will take effect from 1st May 2024.
UK & Europe – £30
Rest of the World – £50
The fees should be paid to the parish by the engaged couple. The Parish will then need to forward a cheque, made payable to RCDN, with the completed marriage paperwork to the Chancery Office. Completed marriage paperwork should be submitted to the Chancery Office a minimum of 3 months before the marriage is due to take place.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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
Our Lady of Peace Catholic Primary & Nursery School: 01628 661886.
St Andrew’s, Bookings – Contact the bookings secretary: 07546 710834.

Upcoming Events

SHEKHINAH PRAYER GROUP Meets weekly on Wednesdays from 7.00pm to 8.30pm via Zoom with Catholic teachings on different topics. Lectio Divina (Praying the Scriptures), takes place on alterative weeks. To join email office.ourladyofpeace[AT]northamptondiocese.org

ST ANDREW’S – CHRISTMAS FAIR A Christmas fair will be held at St Andrew’s, Washington Drive, Cippenham, SL15RE on Saturday 14th December from 10.00am to 1.00pm. Refreshments, tombola, gifts, CWL cake stall and carol singing. Do come and support the church.

EVENTS IN 2025

EVANGELISATION & CULTURE CONFERENCE The Bible Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire) will soon be featuring in an Evangelisation & Culture Conference in London on the 21st & 22nd February 2024. Word on Fire have shared the following about the event: “To proclaim Christ in the culture, we must know Christ; and to know Christ, we must know Scripture”. As St. Jerome observed, ‘Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.’ But in order to uncover the spiritual & theological meaning of the Bible, we need to take a genuinely Catholic approach: reading it within the context of the great & beautiful chorus of voices from across the centuries of the Church’s tradition. For more information & to book please see: events.wordonfire.org/the-bible-event

PILGRIMAGE TO ROME AND ASSISI As part of the Jubilee Year 2025, Bishop David Oakley will lead a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi. Whilst in Rome we will have the opportunity to pass through the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica, visit the other major Basilica’s and sights in the city. We will end our pilgrimage in the town of Assisi. This pilgrimage will take place from 27th March – 3rd April 2025. All are welcome and bookings open on 18th March. For more information visit northamptondiocese.org/rome-and-assisi/

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)

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Masses & Intentions

7th December – 15th December

Sunday Readings: Year C
Weekday Readings: Cycle II.

Universalis – Daily Mass readings, updated automatically.

Sunday Mass livestreams and all previous streams from Our Lady of Peace can be found on Facebook: ourladyofpeacecatholicchurchburnham and YouTube: youtube.com/@ourladyofpeacecatholicchur3404/streams

Mass Changes

There will be no morning Mass on Wednesday, 11th December at OLOP. There will be Reconsecration Mass at 7 pm.
No morning Mass on Saturday, 14th December at OLOP to allow training for Church readers.

7th December – 15th December

Saturday 7th December | Vigil Mass | SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
6.00pm Our Lady of Peace – Claire McGettigan RIP (Haire Family)

Sunday 8th December | SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
9.30am Our Lady of Peace ^LS – Italia Clementoni RIP Anniversary (Lucia), Special Intention for Luiza Pepaj, Joan Henebrey RIP (Madeleine Bowron), Mark Robert Ward RIP

11.30am St Andrew’s – Vittorio Fortino RIP 11th Anniversary (Carmelina Farrugia), Joaquim Floriano Telles RIP (Mary McConville)

Monday 9th December
8.15am Our Lady of Peace – Adoration

9.15am Our Lady of Peace – Morning Prayer

9.30am Our Lady of Peace – Barbara Gallagher INT (Christina), Fr. Pius INT (Val Warner)

Tuesday 10th December
8.15am Our Lady of Peace – Adoration

9.15am Our Lady of Peace – Morning Prayer

9.30am Our Lady of Peace – Norman Leslie Grimmette RIP (Christina), Fr. Sean INT (Val Warner), Cyril Maasch RIP Birthday Remembrance (Denise)

Wednesday 11th December
N.B. No 9.30am Mass today.

7.00pm Our Lady of Peace – Reconsecration Mass

Thursday 12th December
8.30am St Andrew’s – Adoration

9.15am St Andrew’s – Morning Prayer

9.30am St Andrew’s – Finbarr & Maylin O’Sullivan Family INT (Sugrue Family)

Saturday 14th December | ST JOHN OF THE CROSS, Priest, Doctor of the Church
N.B. No 10.00am Mass today.

Saturday 14th December | Vigil Mass | THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
6.00pm Our Lady of Peace – Kathleen Rumble INT (Val Warner), Maira INT (Val Warner)

Sunday 15th December | THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
9.30am Our Lady of Peace ^LS – James (Jim) Deignan RIP Anniversary (Ann Deignan), Marie Corcoran RIP (CWL), Mario & Connie Godinho Wedding Anniversary (Borges)

11.30am St Andrew’s – Billy McDonald RIP (John McDonald), Joaquim Floriano Telles RIP (Mary McConville)

Notes:
^LS = Livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube.
R. Group = Rosary Group
INT = Intention

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

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