Dates for your Diary

Monthly Cake Stall: Our next 'Bring & Buy' cake sale will be Saturday
11th and Sunday 12th April. See Maureen Reed if you can offer your
baking skills.
Dementia -Week of Prayer: 12th - 19th March see poster at back of
church for more information.

ST. BENEDICTS R C CHURCH

OWEN STREET, ATHERSTONE,
WARWICKSHIRE, CV9 1DG
Tel: 01827 713177,
Website: st-benedicts-atherstone.org
Parish Priest: Mgr. Paul Watson

Tuesday 24th March: Church Council Meeting after 7:30 Mass, all
welcome
Thursday 26th & Friday 27th March: SPECIAL CHURCH CLEANING.
Please come along from 09:30 onwards if you can help, for a short time or
longer, however long you can spare, will be greatly appreciated. If we
have enough helping hands we would like to freshen up the hall too in
preparation for Palm Sunday. "Many hands make light work", the more
help we have, the quicker the job gets done. Our recent 'Special Cleans'
haven't taken long at all.

Mother's Day
This Sunday we traditionally celebrate Mother's Day and have the opportunity
of expressing our love and gratitude to our mothers for the love, life and nurture
that they have given us. Every one of us has a natural mother, some of us also
have adopted or foster mothers, so all of us join in this day in thanking our
mothers, and thanking God for giving us life through them.
We also pray today for all mothers - that it will be a day of rejoicing in their
special vocation, and that God would renew in them the wisdom, courage and
sacrificial love that their vocation entails. A week on Wednesday we celebrate
the Solemnity of the Annunciation to Our Lady, when she also accepted the call
to motherhood and received God's Son, so that He could enter our world as our
Saviour. Mary's acceptance of God's plan of salvation is also a model for us all
and a reminder that God's desire is for us all to receive and welcome His Son
Jesus into our lives and to do all we can to nurture faith in Jesus in the lives of
our children. We call upon the intercession of Our Lady and St Joseph, whose
feast we celebrate on Thursday, that God would bless all parents with His grace
and give them all that they need to fulfil their calling.

We extend a warm welcome to everyone worshipping here this

weekend, refreshments are served in the Church Hall after 9.30am
Mass, please come and join us, ALL ARE WELCOME.

Finance Secretary: Jo Howe 01827 750214

Newsletter: Brian Ingram 01827 704858
email: brianingramocds@gmail.com
Items for inclusion in the Newsletter by Thursday Noon

4th SUNDAY OF LENT (B)

Saturday 14th March

4:00pm

Vigil

Sunday 15th March

9:30am

Laetare Sunday

Monday 16th March

Tuesday 17th March

7:30pm

Feast of St Patrick (Jane Power)

Wednesday 18th March

10:00am

Cyril of Jerusalem

Thursday 19th March

7:30pm

Solemnity of St Joseph

Friday 20th March

10:00am

Lent Feria (Paddy Ryan)

Saturday 21st March

4:00pm

Vigil (For the Parishioners)

Sunday 22nd March

9:30am

George Henney & Family

No Mass

The Liturgy & the Care of the Church

Readers this week:

M. Bourne

Readers Next week:

C. Chetwynd D. Furlong

Offertory Procession this week:

O. Fortune

J. Taylor & Co

Eucharistic Ministers
T. Wright
T. Willmott
Church Cleaning - Mrs. R. Hatton & Mrs. T. Skirving
Altar Society No flowers during Lent

The Sick and their Carers

Please pray for Father Andrew, Pat & Maureen Burke, Bridie
Symmons, Ada Russell, Winifred Jones, Charlotte Smith, Kath Ford,
Ursula Cope, Patricia Carter, Christina Chetwynd and Father Paul.
Please remember our housebound parishioners in your prayers:
Marion Burrows and Marie Aherne .
We must sadly announce the passing of Katherine Mary
Makielski who died this week, may she rest in peace. Funeral
details to be announced

Anniversaries
We pray for all our deceased relatives and friends especially those
anniversaries fall at this time, Arthur James Holland, Gerard Conolly,
Ray Symonds, Jim Grubb, Liam McCann, Barry Scaife, Bernard

Money Matters
Last week 1st Collection - 284.89
2nd Collection - 124.41

Thank you!

Since Fr Raphael is returning to Nigeria soon to carry out some

research work for his Doctorate, we would like to offer him our 2nd
Collection this weekend to assist him in his work.

"That in all things God may be glorified St. Benedict

News
LOURDES PILGRIMAGE
The Joy of Mission
23rd - 29th May 2015
Would you like to join Mgr. Paul on this
years Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes?
More information on the Notice Board.
There is a sheet in the Porch if you would like
to place your name to express your interest.

More News
A big thank you to Fr Raphael on his final weekend at St Benedict's!
Today is known as the Laetare Sunday (Joy Sunday). This is because Gods
merciful love is closer than we first anticipated it at the beginning of lent.
And of course, Jesus bears the fullness of the mercy of God by becoming
the scapegoat for the sins of the world. In this era where it is common to
find people with heart diseases, think of a generous donor willing to give up
his/her heart for you. I guess the recipient will be exhilarated. This is what
Jesus has done and He continues to do for us. Thus, Laetare Sunday is a
cause for joy as we advance into the season of lent. St. John tells us that
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that
everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
life (John 3:16). The narrative in the first reading recalls the rebellious
attitudes of sinful people who have defected from God. The ripple effects of
sin is obvious, for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). As a result,
Jesus death on the cross is aimed at saving men and women at all cost.
This explains why Jesus told Nicodemus that He must be lifted up for the
salvation of the world. And John describes Jesus as the Lamb of God who
takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). We rejoice because Jesus
offers to take away the shame of the cross and translate it into the victory of
the resurrection.
Unused Rosaries: Do you have unused rosaries tucked away in the
cupboard or drawer, we are collecting rosaries to send out to various
missions around the world, this appeal is being made by The Catenians
who have so far sent out 135,000 rosaries. It would be good if we could
give this initiative our support, spare rosaries can be given to Brian Ingram.