THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR (C)
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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.
Third Sunday of Advent:
Light the Advent candle, three:
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: Zep 3:14-18a ‘The Lord will exult over you with loud singing.’
Psalm R/ Shout aloud and sing praise, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
2nd Reading: Phil 4:4-7, ‘The Lord is at hand.’
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia 2x The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, he has sent me to proclaim good news to the poor. Alleluia.
Gospel: Lk 3:10-18 ‘And we, what shall we do?’
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
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: £713.83, DONA Plate: £63.91, Sunday Tea & Coffee: £36.20, Wednesday Tea & Coffee: £40.45.
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.
CHRISTMAS OFFERING Christmas and Easter are two times in the year when your offerings go directly to the Priests as a significant part of their upkeep. Should you wish to give a Christmas Offering to our priests, through the offertory envelopes, there is a blue/white one with inscription ‘Christmas Offering’ for this purpose. You can also make your Christmas gifts by using the various online giving platforms detailed in the FINANCE/DONATE section of the printed newsletter and on our website. Please use the reference: Christmas Gift or Christmas Offering.
OLOP RECONSECRATION MASS What a lovely Wednesday evening with Bishop David and all the priests present as we celebrated the Mass of Rededication of our parish church of Our Lady of Peace. Thank you to everyone who helped make the evening so memorable. Thanks to our sacristan, Alma; the flower arrangements team; the church cleaning crew; all our altar servers, welcomers, and choir members; Yvonne Cafferty and Mishka; and finally, all the parishioners who participated in the Rededication Mass. Fr. Anthony and Fr. Marek would like to appreciate all parishioners for the amazing communal effort and hard work that led to the successful completion of the refurbishment project and a wonderful rededication ceremony. May God bless each one for all your sacrifices that keep this church going.
A THANK YOU MESSAGE We would like to extend a huge thank you to Mrs Yvonne Cafferty and family, who have donated funds to purchase 400 copies of parish Mass books for both churches. We are very grateful for their kindness, generosity, and support. Yvonne’s generous contributions will help our parish purchase Mass books for one out of the four liturgical seasons. We are still in need of sponsorship for Mass books to cover the three remaining seasons. We would greatly appreciate any voluntary sponsorship of Mass books.
NEW LECTIONARIES We thank God for the blessings bestowed on our new lectionaries through the ministry of Bishop David. We are now able to commence listening to the Word of God using these new lectionaries. This means that all our liturgical readings will be taken from these new books. We will now withdraw our Mass books until we receive our new supplies, kindly paid for by our former parish secretary, Mrs Yvonne Cafferty.
OUR LADY OF PEACE – PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL (PPC) We would like to thank all the Parish Pastoral Council members for their valuable service, time, and dedication to this parish these last two years. After two years of selfless service to our church, it is now time for us to say a big thank you to them while inviting new members of our parish to step up and give back to this parish. We extend our deepest gratitude to these outgoing leaders of our church for all the support that has facilitated the growth of this wonderful parish. We will be appointing a new parish pastoral council for our parish in the next few weeks. Please keep the members of our outgoing council in your prayers.
SAINT STEPHEN’S DAY Saint Stephen is the patron saint of Altar Servers. There will be a special Mass on Thursday December 26th at 12 noon at Our Lady of Peace Church dedicated to thanking God for the selfless volunteering of each altar server, for their generous service and the important role they play in the life of the parish. We invite all Altar Servers to attend this Mass.
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.
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.
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 Until the new Mass books arrive, 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
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)
Masses & Intentions
14th December – 22nd 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
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.
14th December – 22nd December
| 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) |
| Monday 16th 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) |
| Tuesday 17th December 8.15am Our Lady of Peace – Adoration 9.15am Our Lady of Peace – Morning Prayer 9.30am Our Lady of Peace – Tina Koenig RIP (Shelagh) 7.00pm Our Lady of Peace – Advent Reconciliation Service |
| Wednesday 18th December 8.15am Our Lady of Peace – Adoration 9.15am Our Lady of Peace – Morning Prayer 9.30am Our Lady of Peace – Family Intention (Christina), Fr. Nathaniel INT (Val Warner) |
| Thursday 19th December 8.30am St Andrew’s – Confessions 9.30am St Andrew’s – Vanessa & Thankachan Madappallil Wedding, Anniversary (Borges Family) |
| Friday 20th December 8.15am Our Lady of Peace – Adoration 9.15am Our Lady of Peace – Morning Prayer 9.30am Our Lady of Peace – Aleksander Pepaj RIP (Alma & Family), Lyse Pegado Birthday (Borges Family) 11.00am St Andrew’s – Requiem Mass for Joaquim Floriano Telles RIP |
| Saturday 21st December 8.45am Our Lady of Peace – Adoration 9.45am Our Lady of Peace – Morning Prayer 10.00am Our Lady of Peace – Armando & Stella Borges Wedding Anniversary (Borges), Campbell, Gordon (Foundation) |
| Saturday 21st December | Vigil Mass | FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 6.00pm Our Lady of Peace – Jerzy Benedict Anton RIP (Anton Family), Connie & Anne Sugrue INT (Sugrue Family), Alina & Irena RIP (Tkaczyk) |
| Sunday 22nd December | FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 9.30am Our Lady of Peace LS – Denis Sugrue RIP Remembrance (Sugrue Family), Nuala Allis & Family INT (Sugrue Family), Special Intention for Luiza Pepaj, Anne Maasch RIP Anniversary (Denise) 11.30am St Andrew’s – Fortino & Gurro Family INT |
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
Our Lady of Peace 