Catholic Parish of the Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart North Walsham, St John of the Cross Aylsham, St Helen Hoveton

Sacred Heart North Walsham, St John of the Cross Aylsham, St Helen Hoveton

NEWSLETTER 09.08.26

by

                                                            FROM THE PARISH PRIEST  
Hearing the Mass:  Being able to hear the Mass is vital for people and very frustrating if a person can only partially hear or if the sound does not travel throughout the church.  We are in a happy position at Sacred Heart where people often have to stand in the narthex of the church as the church is getting to be too crowded to comfortably seat everyone for some of the Masses.  Also, with the glass balcony in the choir loft, the choir cannot hear the Mass properly as the glass barrier shuts out the sound.     I have asked our regular sound engineer to look at our system – he is familiar with our system as he installed it over 30 years ago (we have had our money’s worth)   -and it has served us very well indeed.  The good news is that the speakers are all fine and still fit for purpose, but the mixer/amplifier we have is way past its ‘sell-by’ date and does need replacing…it is also an analogue system and we need to go digital.  Our current system does not allow us to add additional speakers (for the narthex and choir-loft) as it just does not have the capacity to cope with the extra workload.  I would also like to upgrade two of our microphones – especially the one on the ambo.   The finance committee and I agreed at the last meeting that it is important that we keep the bulk of our funds for building projects and, especially, the work that will soon need to be done on the roof at Sacred Heart which will be expensive.  We are tightening the purse strings wherever we can and making savings in many areas.  However, we decided that for, ‘mini-projects’, like the sound-system and other one-off expenditures in the future, we would ask for financial help and assistance from the parish community.  If you are able to help by paying a small amount toward the new sound system it would be greatly appreciated – either through cash envelopes marked ‘sound system’, bank transfer or the SumUp machine that is now available at all three churches.     Thank you, as always, for your generosity, kindness and love for the parish.  
A Requiem Mass for Chris White will be held on Thursday 13th August at 11.00 am, at Sacred Heart.  It was Chris’s wish that the congregation should wear light, summery colours.  Refreshments will be served after the service in the parish hall.  All are welcome.  
Philip Pitt: A Requiem Mass for Philip will be held on Wednesday 26th August, at St John of the Cross at 11.30 am  		The Aylsham Catholic community will be enjoying the annual Picnic & Boules event at Ivy Cottage, 22/23 Regent Street, Wickmere, NR11 7ND from 1pm on Saturday 8th August. We’d be delighted to welcome anyone from Sacred Heart or St Helens who’d like to join us. Please contact Katie Maidment on 07759 982011 for further information.
SVP Pop-Up Supper: 5 September, 07483 875643. More details to follow.
We pray for our sick parishioners: Matt Butler, Frances Palman, Mary Bell, Celia Cooper, Margaret Larkins, Maria Halsey, Joan Macnamara, Richard Skelton, Teresa Fitzmaurice, Bernadette Saunders, Doreen Rockey & daughter Sandra, Pam Thornton, Mary Long, Malcolm Akers, Frances Mack, Amy Heywood & Peter, Cathie Dickson, Carolyn Rayner and her mother Mary Rayner, Alan Ganney, Roma BrooderWe pray for those whose anniversaries occur this week: Betty Beardshaw, Stanley Duddridge, Winifred Foran, Elspeth Forrest, Brian De Soissons, Abel Almand-Chinn, Deacon Ron O’Toole, Dudley Hardingham.   May they rest in peace