St Simon Stock Catholic Church

Brookfield Road, South Ashford, Kent TN23 4EU

1st FEBRUARY 2009
Tel: 01233 622399
Parish Priest: Fr John Boyle FOURTH SUNDAY IN
ORDINARY TIME
Saint Simon of England RC Primary School,
Noakes Meadow, Ashford, TN23 2RB. Tel: 01233 623199 YEAR B
Head teacher: Mrs Elizabeth Willis

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS TODAY’S MASS TEXTS

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Sunday 1 February Entrance Antiphon: Ps 105:47
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) Save us, Lord our God, and gather us together from the
10.00am Mass (David Bonnefin RIP) nations, that we may proclaim your holy name and glory in
6.00pm Mass (For the people of the parish) your praise.
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Monday 2 First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20
The Presentation of Our Lord, Candlemas, feast I will raise up a prophet and I will put my words into his mouth.
6.45pm Mass (Moore Family)
Tuesday 3
rd Responsorial Psalm: Ps 94
St. Blaise, bishop and martyr (Blessing of throats) R: O that today you would listen to his voice!
Harden not your hearts.
9.00am Mass (Antoinette & Angelo Vella RIP) followed by
Divine Mercy Chaplet & Exposition of the Blessed Come, ring out our joy to the Lord;
Sacrament until 10.00am, then blessing of throats. hail the rock who saves us.
th Let us come before him, giving thanks,
Wednesday 4
9.00am Mass (Holy Souls) with songs le us hail the Lord. (R)
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Thursday 5 Come in; let us kneel and bend low;
St Agatha, virgin and martyr let us kneel before the God who made us
9.00am Mass (Vivienne Smailes RIP) for he is our God and we
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Friday 6 the people who belong to his pasture,
First Friday the flock that is led by his hand. (R)
6.45pm Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart (Galloghy family) O that today you would listen to his voice!
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Saturday 7 ”Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
Our Lady as on that day as Massah in the desert
9.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament when your fathers put me to the test;
10.00am Mass (Patrick Tracey RIP) when they tried me, though they saw my work”. (R)
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Sunday 8
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35
10.00am Mass (Danny Kelly RIP) An unmarried woman can devote herself to the Lord’s affairs; all
12.00 noon Mass (Extraordinary form, Latin, 1962 Missal) she need worry about is being holy.
6.00pm Mass (For the people of the parish) Gospel Acclamation: Matthew 11:25
Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven
CONFESSIONS/CONSULTATIONS and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to
Saturday: 10.30am, Sunday 9.30am, 5.30pm. mere children. Alleluia!
Weekdays: before or after Mass upon request.
Gospel: Mark 1:21-28
CHURCH CLEANING He taught them with authority.
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6 Bridie; 13 Sheila; 20 Sue; 27 Sue; March 6 Tara Preface of Sunday 2, Eucharistic Prayer 2
COLLECTIONS LAST SUNDAY Communion Antiphon: Ps 30:17-18
Offertory: £376.14, (Gift Aid: £166.50, loose plate: £209.64) + Let your face shine on your servant, and save me by your
£99 approx by standing order. To contribute by regular standing love. Lord, keep me from shame, for I have called to you.
order please ask for a form. If you are a tax payer and are not
already using the Gift Aid scheme, please ask for a Gift Aid form.
PRAYERS FOR THE SICK
Second collection: Parish Maintenance & Development Fund:
Please pray for Jean Borucki and all our sick parishioners. If you
£122.34. Thank you. Second collection today: Parish
know of anyone who needs our prayers at the present time,
Maintenance & Development Fund. Next Sunday: Catholic
please place their names in the box in the Church foyer.
Education.
CRIB OFFERINGS ALTAR SERVERS DAY
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The Crib will remain on display up to 2 February, the feast of Can you help with welcoming, refreshments, supervision, etc. at
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the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas). Your offerings will go our altar servers afternoon on Sunday 15 Feb from 2.00pm until
to the Good Counsel Network who help women to keep their Mass at 6.00pm? If so please let Fr John know. Thank you.
children rather than opting for abortion. See the notice board for
the Good Counsel News and their appeal for funds. Total MARGARET PENNY RIP
collected so far since Christmas Day: £144.51. Please pray for the repose of the soul of Margaret Penny, late of
Hamstreet, who died on Tuesday, and for her husband Paul and
READERS &
young family. May she rest in the peace of Christ.
EXTRA-ORDINARY MINISTERS OF COMMUNION
Please pick up your rota for February and March. POSSIBLE PARISH PILGRIMAGE TO KRAKOW, POLAND
TH RD
COUNTERS 19 – 23 OCTOBER
Please pick up your counters rota for February - May A number of people have signed up, which encourages me to try
to put some time aside to investigate further! Do sign up if
interested and I’ll let you know how my research progresses. Fr
John

Email: parish@stsimon.org.uk; Web: www.stsimon.org.uk;

Parish blog: http://st-simon-parish.blogspot.com/; diocesan website: www.rcsouthwark.co.uk
 FROM FATHER JOHN’S DESKTOP
Spaghetti Westerns and the Mass! What can they possibly have in common? Well I suppose the good, the bad and
the ugly can all like spaghetti, and we find them all at Mass too.
You might have listened to “The Morricone Affair” on Radio 4 last Thursday morning. Enrico Morricone, aged 80, is
a prolific composer of film music. For those of us of a certain generation, his most famous music appears in the spaghetti
westerns, so-called because of their amusing Italian take on the American westerns, for example “For a Fistful of Dollars”,
“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, “For a Few Dollars More”. A more recent box office hit was “The Mission.”
The programme was immensely interesting of itself, but I was struck by the source of the inspiration for Morricone’s
music. He said: I believe the sound of my western scores, like a lot of my work, comes from my love of Gregorian chant,
Hebrew music and ancient sacred music. I tried to translate the idea of certain ancient rituals into this music as well, such
as the act of killing a person. Killing a person is, after all a kind of sacred act, albeit an evil one, an act of the devil. But
then God is also involved in such an act. [Indeed He is, particularly in the death of His only-begotten Son on the Cross,
made present for us at Mass.] All these factors are part of my music.
When speaking of the human voice, he said: The human voice is the most amazing instrument that exists. We don’t
need an instrument, we are the instrument. It’s us, our body… The voice can do anything, that’s why I love using it as the
principal instruments. We are often used to hearing beautiful, sweet-sounding, voices, but of course there are terrible
voices, sub-human, cruel voices as well. The tone of the voice can represent all the good and all the bad in human
nature. At Mass we naturally try to sing as sweetly as we can, whether the songs be of joy and praise or of sorrow and
repentance.
One of the contributors to the programme said: One of the things that distinguishes the Roman Catholic Church
from other religions is the beauty and depth of the music, for the Latin Mass for example the music is very powerful and
that will be right in the very heart of Morricone’s soul.
Morricone himself went on to say: I would say that Gregorian chant has particularly influenced me, yes, I’m in love
with Gregorian chant and I study it deeply even now, I feel it reflects who I am and so, when I write music there is always
a bit of this ancient mystical music in there.
When talking about “The Mission”, the programme’s presenter Sir Christopher Frayling said that the music in that
film was a means to salvation. In that film, Morricone’s passion for epic stories, his faith and his love for sacred music
converged in a most dramatic way. Morricone himself summed this up by saying: “The Mission” is a film that really
represents me both technically and spiritually.
The Church has never wanted us to abandon its ancient and mystical chant which has a capacity to lift us to God
that is unparalleled by other forms of music. That is why we have it regularly in the parish. If it seems challenging,
perhaps it calls for a disposition of humility, which should never be lacking when we approach the Sacred Liturgy, to allow
the liturgy to be done to/for us, rather than we doing the liturgy. It is also an opportunity to learn: about music, Latin,
culture, liturgy – and films! As the adage has it: “Scientia non habet inimicum nisi ignorantem”. (Knowledge has no enemy
but the ignorant.) Who knows: one of our young parishioners might be a budding Morricone! Fr John
REGULAR EVENTS NEXT SUNDAY – EDUCATION SUNDAY
DIVINE MERCY PRAYER GROUP Mrs Elizabeth Willis, headteacher of our parish primary school,
after the 9.00am Mass on Tuesdays. Prayers of will say a few words about Catholic Education and the vocation
intercession for various needs and silent of school teachers after the Masses next Sunday. Teaching our
adoration of the Blessed Sacrament till 10am. young people is both challenging and a privilege, forming the
MUSIC PRACTICE TUESDAYS 7.30PM next generation of citizens and passing on the Catholic faith, a
Newcomers always welcome. vocation/career worth considering by all young men and women.
BIBLE STUDY THIS WEEK Mr Ferdi McDermott, Principal of Chavagnes International
ON MONDAY AT 7.30PM College in France, has asked if he may mount a display about
Studying St Paul’s letters to the Corinthians and the college in the church hall for parishioners to visit after Mass.
Pope Benedict’s Wednesday audiences on St Please feel free to take a look. Further details about the school
Paul. at www.chavagnes.org.
CONFIRMATION GROUP HOPE FOR A NEW BEGINNING – A BEGINNING
Next meeting this coming Friday. 6.15pm confessions and EXPERIENCE WEEKEND FOR THE WIDOWED, SEPARATED
preparation for Mass, refreshments, session, 8.45pm Finish. AND DIVORCED AT AYLESFORD PRIORY 27-29 MARCH
EVANGELIUM – CATHOLIC FAITH ENQUIRY This is a ministry to the widowed, separated and divorced led by
For all, Catholic or not, who would like to deepen their a trained team of volunteers. Their work is carried out at special
knowledge of the Catholic faith. Next meeting: 7.15pm this weekend gatherings which encourage participants to share their
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Friday 13 February. Topic: The Trinity need and deal with the natural process of grief and loneliness. It
is important to book in advance as the weekends are residential
VOCATIONS RETREAT FOR WOMEN and accommodation is limited. Contact Ruth 0208 8679 7157,
for women aged 18-30 considering the religious life from Friday Sandra 01293 783965, Susan 01227 264961.
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13 to Sunday 15 February at St. Joseph’s Priory, Lymington.
For more information, contact the Diocesan Vocations Office: MASS IN CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENT OF
info@southwarkvocations.com MATRIMONY WITH ARCHBISHOP KEVIN MCDONALD AT
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AYLESFORD PRIORY 3PM SATURDAY 30 MAY
IN YOUR 30’S? Archbishop Kevin is celebrating this Mass and wants to specially
There is a group for Catholics your age from parishes around invite all couples and their families in the Diocese who are
London and the South East that organizes a variety of social, st th th th th th
celebrating their, 1 , 10 , 25 , 40 , 50 and 60 + wedding
spiritual and charitable events as well as weekends away, anniversary this year. Please let Fr. John know if you would like
holidays, pilgrimages and retreats. If you would like to know to attend so that you can receive an invitation.
more see notice board or go along to Penderel’s Oak, High
Holborn, London (side exit from Holborn tube station, turn right
and Penderel’s Oak is 300 yards along on right-hand side) next
Sunday from 1.00pm. If you can’t find us ring 07977 904479.

To catch up on previous newsletters visit http://www.stsimon.org.uk/Newsletters/. Parish blog: http://st-simon-parish.blogspot.com/