The Holy Family.
27th December 2020 – 2nd January 2021.
Today we celebrate the mystery of the child Jesus living with his parents. The feast is centred wholly on Christ as the Messiah. The account of the presentation in the Temple underlines the growth ‘in wisdom’ of a child dedicated to his mission from his earliest years. In this way Luke foresees his mission which will include the cross but also lead to his glory. Jesus will be a sign of contradiction, but he will also be a light for the Gentiles (all nations) and the glory of his own people. The greatness of Mary and Joseph lies in their acceptance of the mysterious calling of their child when offering him to the Lord.
The restrictions imposed by Covid limited our numbers at the Christmas liturgies and prevented us from singing carols, but they did not dampen our Christmas spirit. On a personal note, I want to thank those who prepared our churches for the feast, the stewards who made it possible for us to celebrate safely and to all who braved the cold and damp weather to take part in the Masses over Christmas. A special word of thanks for the cards and gifts I received as well as your generous Christmas offerings.
Although we are now in Tier 4 we can still keep our churches open for the celebration of Mass. If you wish to attend a Sunday Mass you need to book a place with the co-ordinator for each church:
John Bolger at Sacred Heart – 01692 581516 (bolger@waitrose.com);
Fran Ludden at Aylsham – 07849 602227 (fran.ludden@btinternet.com);
Richard McGreevy, Hoveton –07730 817580 (richardmcgreevy@supanet.com)
Weekday Masses this week:
Wednesday: 9.30 am at St Helen’s, Thursday: 9.30 am at Sacred Heart and Friday: 9.30 am at St John of the Cross.
Please pray for our sick parishioners: Matt Butler, John Gowing, Derek and Frances Palman, Kevin Fitzmaurice and Mary Carr.
We pray for Lesley Shenton who died last Sunday and we remember her husband Cyril, her family and friends at this time. We pray for those whose anniversaries occur this week: George Mousley, William Pursey, Raymond Miller, Cecilia Booth-Skinner, John Egan, Ernest Brown and Doreen Burton.
Father James Walsh
Collection Total: £ 357.80 Standing orders: £533.00