The first Parish Forum will be held on Thursday 2nd December at 7:00 pm in the Garden Room. This will be an open meeting, which any parishioner can attend and it will follow an agenda published in advance - to see the agenda click here.
This meeting will give Fr Paul a chance to meet people outside of Mass and for all of us to discuss things as a parish, and represents an opportunity for our community to come together as we begin a new chapter of service of one another and the Kingdom of God.
Can you spare a couple of hours to help get the church clean and ready for Christmas? There will be a Big Church Clean on Saturday 11th December starting at 10:30 am. A lunch of soup and quiche will be provided in the Garden Room afterwards. If you can help, please speak to Linis Dolby.
The Diocese of East Anglia is seeking to recruit a Safeguarding Officer to join the diocesan team on a part-time basis, between 12 and 21 hours per week.
The post will principally be based at home but will also require travel across the diocese and to the Diocesan Offices just outside Norwich. As part of the Safeguarding Team you will be line-managed by the Director of Safeguarding and tasked by them to assist with managing offenders who wish to attend Church, completing risk assessments, case reviews and data input. You will also be responsible for providing safeguarding support to the Director of Safeguarding and may be called upon to assist in a number of other key areas including responding effectively to concerns or complaints affecting the safety and welfare of children and young people, and Adults at Risk.
You can read more about the role, and download an application form, here. Closing date for applications is 10th December, 2021
The Annual Report and Accounts of the Diocese of East Anglia have just been published online and show that the Covid-19 pandemic meant that the year 2020 was a unique one in the life of the Diocese. Unsurprisingly, the effect of the lockdowns and subsequent Government implemented coronavirus restrictions had adverse impact in all areas - Mass attendance, baptisms, weddings, confirmations and financial. You can read the full annual report and accounts for 2020 here.
FIND has launched this year’s Christmas Gift Appeal to bring much needed joy to, literally, hundreds of people (especially children) around Ipswich. In a change from previous years, this year there will not be a FIND giving tree. Instead, FIND is this year appealing for gift donations of store gift cards or vouchers, with a face value of £10 and upwards. Maureen Reynel, founder and chair of trustees, has suggested the following as suitable outlets for voucher gifts: Smyth Toys, Entertainer Toy Shop, Aldi, Co-OP, Sainsbury, Tesco Marks & Spencer, Argos, Primark.
Also seasonal gifts of tins, tubs, boxes of biscuits, sweets and chocolates will be very gratefully received. FIND needs these vouchers and gifts early - as presents need to be bought and distributed - so parishioners are being asked to bring them to Church on November 28th - the First Sunday of Advent.
It’s already November, which means Christmas is just around the corner, and CAFOD would like to introduce you to CAFOD’s World Gifts, the perfect ethical gift giving solution.
Each World Gift represents very real work that CAFOD is doing and for every gift you buy, you’re helping someone living in poverty. Starting at just £4, and covering all areas of CAFOD's work from farming, to education, emergency response work to water provisions, there is something for every budget and personality.
For each gift you buy, you receive a beautifully illustrated card containing a real-life example of your gift in action. You can chose to send a personalised card direct to a loved one's address, send an e-card or download a copy to print yourself at home. There are new gifts in the range this year focussed on CAFOD's climate response. Click here to visit the CAFOD web site and browse the range of ethical gifts.
During the pandemic, public worship was suspended for a time and there have been restrictions on parish life. As a result, people have been exploring other ways to practice their faith including Spiritual Communion via live streaming.
As people begin returning to more regular patterns of parish life and following the first face to face meeting of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, at the Plenary Assembly of Bishops in Leeds, Thursday 18th November 2021, the bishops have issued a statement about the importance of honouring Sunday.
The statement stresses the importance of the Eucharist as central to our spiritual and pastoral lives, and states that when the Church speaks of the Sunday obligation, it reminds us that attending Mass is a personal response to the selfless offering of Christ’s love. However, the CBCEW also recognises that at this time, for some people there may be certain factors which hinder attendance at Sunday Mass. The pandemic is clearly not over. The risk of infection is still present. For some, there is legitimate fear in gathering together. The bishops recognise that these prevailing circumstances suggest that not everyone is yet in the position to fulfil the absolute duty to attend freely Sunday Mass, and as such the Sunday Obligation is not being re-introduced yet.
You can read this statement on the CBCEW web site by clicking here.
CAFOD invites you to join its Human Rights Day on-line event 2021 to celebrate the work of human rights defenders who face growing threats for protecting our common home. At this event, human rights defenders from Colombia, Peru and Brazil will share their stories about the challenges they face and their inspiring work in defending human rights and our common home. You will hear their inspiring life stories and struggles first-hand and find out what concrete actions we can take from here in the UK to stand in solidarity with them.
The event will take place on Friday 10th December at 6:30 pm. The event is free, but you will have to register in advance to obtain the access details.
Pope Francis urges everyone to place human rights at the heart of all policies. Why not go along on 10th December, get inspired and explore what small actions you can take to support the work of human rights defenders.
The November prize draw of the parish 150 Club will be made in the Garden Room after 10:00 Mass on Sunday 28th November. All are welcome to witness the draw - please do pop in after Mass, join us for a cup of coffee and a chat and then be on hand to collect your prize!
The 150 Club generates a significant contribution to the annual parish income and its continued success is dependent upon maintaining the membership level. If you are not a member of the 150 Club, please do consider joining – it’s never too late and there is room for you! Membership application forms are available in the church porch, or can be downloaded here.
This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
There are a number of lists in the narthex asking for names of volunteers for various things – to help with church and hall cleaning, to help with food for the proposed parish Christmas party next week, readers and Eucharistic minsters for the Christmas services, vacancy for the position of parish treasurer etc. At the last check these were all woefully blank! Don’t be a Nobody.
