Upcoming Activities & Offerings

PARISH DIARY – Year B, 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Psalter Week 3

Sun. Jan 24th  --  3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

                               SUNDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD

                               Mildenhall - 9:00 am Mass

                               Brandon - 11:00 am Mass & streamed

Tues. Jan 26th  --  Mildenhall - 10:00 am Mass & streamed

                                 End of OCTAVE OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

Wed. Jan 27th  --   Brandon - 10:00 am Mass & streamed

Thurs. Jan 28th  --  ST THOMAS AQUINAS -  Mildenhall - 10:00 am Mass & streamed

Fri. Jan 29th  --  Brandon - 10:00 am Mass & streamed

Sun. Jan 31st  --  4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                                Mildenhall - 9:00 am Mass

                                Brandon - 11:00 am Mass & streamed

BEAUTIFUL SOUP, SO RICH AND GREEN 

WAITING IN A HOT TUREEN!

WHO FOR SUCH DAINTIES WOULD NOT STOOP? 

SOUP OF THE EVENING, BEAUTIFUL SOUP!

                                                                                     Lewis Carroll Alice in Wonderland

Soup is simple. That’s what makes its appeal timeless. When young, the remembered fragrance of a warming soup on my way home from school made winter days that much more tolerable. the journey home that much more urgent, and anticipation of hunger sated that much more relishing. It was usually a soup rich in the flavour of winter vegetables, herbs and spices, or, on rarer occasions, a single vegetable, such as tomato or pea; rarer still was a meat soup.

It’s no wonder that soup is an ever popular dish. Easy to make (yes, I know you can have really complicated concoctions, but let’s leave that to the Sunday Supplements), it has a virtue not present in every food – it is classless. Soup is welcomed by the richest and poorest of our communities, from castle dwellers to the homeless. Soup is the one dish which you rely on to unite a people and bring a community together.

We now approach a season of the Church where soup comes into its own. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 17th . What better way of following the stages of Lent than a regular Soup meal on Fridays. It can fulfil obligations to fast, its promise can bring the family together (Covid restrictions allowing) and help with your response to CAFOD’s Family Fast Day on February 26th .

Even if you can’t get the family (or friends) together at the moment, it would still be possible to share a virtual soup meal either digitally, via FaceTime, WhatsApp, Zoom or similar, or by simply agreeing that on a particular Friday you will have the same soup recipe at the same time. Soup unites and supports community, a worthy companion to real or spiritual communion.

                                                                                    TC

PEA & MINT SOUP 

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4) 

50 g/2 oz/4 tbsp Butter 

4 spring onions, chopped 

450 g/1 lb peas 

600 ml/1 pint vegetable stock 

Salt and black pepper 

Small sprigs of fresh mint 

1 pint milk

PREPARATION

1. Heat the butter, add the spring onions and cook on a low heat until softened – not browned.
2. Stir the peas into the pan; add the stock and mint. Bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently until the peas are tender. Remove 3 tbsp of peas and set aside for garnishing.
3. Pour the soup into a blender, add the milk and puree until smooth, seasoning to taste.
4. Leave to cool, then chill lightly in the fridge.
5. When serving, garnish with mint and reserved peas.

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SPICY CARROT SOUP 

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 6) 

1 tbsp Olive Oil 

1 large onion chopped

1.5 lb Carrots, sliced Spices:

1 tsp each coriander, cumin and chili powder

1.5 pints vegetable stock

Salt and black pepper to taste 

Sprig of coriander to garnish

PREPARATION

1. Heat the oil, add the onion and carrots and cook gently, stirring occasionally. Add the spices, and cook gently for 1 minute, continuing to stir.
2. Stir in the stock, bring to the boil, then cover and cook gently for 45 minutes until the carrots are tender.
3. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Season to taste.
4. Return to the rinsed-out pan and reheat gently.
5. When serving garnish with the coriander sprig.

We have been advised that road resurfacing will take place on Brandon Road and Fengate Drove next Sunday. Although the Road will be closed, we have been ensured that access to the Church and carpark will be unaffected.

Lord Jesus, give us. the grace to hear your voice.

And the strength to continue working for your kingdom in this time of pandemic.

Do not allow us to be indifferent to those who today suffer the loss of a loved one, or who suffer because of the absence of work.

But give us the courage to accompany and side with those who suffer violence or injustice.

Amen.

                                                                                             CAFOD: Javier Edwardo Martinez Rueda

Lent this year begins with Ash Wednesday on February 17th . During Lent one in three people around the world will not have access to safe drinking water. This adds to the stresses and dangers they face because of the Covid 19 virus and other afflictions.

                                      YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THIS 

Sponsor Tom and Gill Caple who aim to meet CAFOD’s Walk for Water challenge, by taking 10,000 steps a day, every day for 40 days. They will

• start on February 1st 
• walk on local paths around Mildenhall
• observe the government’s regulations and advice regarding protection from Covid 19 Pneumonia
• walk, whatever the weather!
• aim to meet the goal of 40,000 steps, weather permitting, on Friday March 12th  

Sponsorship can be for each day completed, or a lump sum for the whole challenge. Please contact Tom or Gill to make your sponsorship offer:

Tom – facaple@gmail.com or 0748 476 1889 

Gill – gillcaple@gmail.com or 07770 768942 

Or write to 34 Rowan Walk. Mildenhall IP28 7PP

All proceeds go to CAFOD's Walk for Water campaign.

If you wish to remain part of the Parish 50-50 fundraising club 2021 renewals are now due. Most renewals are due in January. £13 per number. If you are unsure how much or your renewal date please contact me by phone, text, email or after Mass at Mildenhall, or David Thomas after Mass at Brandon. Please pay by bank transfer (reference 50-50) or cheque. Parish account details are below in the finance section. Many thanks for your continuing support.
Philip Kemp, Parish Treasurer, Tel: 07514430468 email: pjkemp1@gmail.com.

... reached retirement age some time ago, but Pope Francis asked him to stay on as our Bishop until such a time as his successor would be appointed. Bishop Alan would now like the diocese to join together in actively praying for his successor and our future Bishop. He suggests the prayer below:

O God, Eternal Shepherd, who govern your flock with unfailing care, grant in your boundless fatherly love a pastor for your church who will please you by his holiness and show to us watchful care. Through our Lord Jesus Christ your son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.

Our Lady of Walsingham, Pray for us.

St Felix, Pray for us.

All Holy Martyrs and Saints of East Anglia, Pray for us.

With the current January Lockdown, the commencement of this Year’s First Holy Communion Class has been delayed. It is, however, definitely going ahead and we will be in contact in the next few weeks with details about how the class will take place at this current time.

To offer support during the pandemic while many are unable to get to Mass and communal Mass books and missalettes are not permitted, CTS are offering The CTS New Sunday Missal 2021 for just £1.99 while stocks last.

This liturgical companion for Catholics is beautifully designed for every churchgoer and runs from the First Sunday of Advent 2020 to Christ the King 2021.

To order go to https://www.ctsbooks.org/product/cts-sunday-missal-2021/ or call 020 7640 0042

You can get the Universe delivered direct to your home every week, POST FREE. Please go to www.thecatholicuniverse.com or call them on 0161 820 5722 and they will arrange for you.

SPECIAL OFFER:  3 MONTHS :- £25.00.   --    SPECIAL OFFER:  12 Months:- £99.00

or    DIGITAL COPY:- 12 Months:- £55.00

PARISH ADMINISTRATOR

Considering Lockdown and the difficulty of communication we are re-advertising this post, to give candidates more time. 2021 

PARISH ADMINISTRATOR For the Roman Catholic Parish of Newmarket with Kirtling.

Details and an application form may be obtained from: Father Christopher Smith, stetheldreda@btinternet.com

Our Lady Immaculate and St. Etheldreda, 14, Exeter Road, Newmarket, CB8 8LT. . Applications must be received by Friday 29th January 2021.

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Headteacher Vacancy

All Saints Academy, March, (Primary), please see diocesan website for more details: https://www.rcdea.org.uk/schools/school-vacancies/

They returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favour of God was upon him. LUKE 2:39-40

Jesus’ mission became public when he was thirty. We know little about his life during this earlier period, but Charles de Foucauld has described vividly his idea of what it must have been like:

“Yours was the life of a model Son with your humble working parents. … This was the visible half. The other invisible half was your life in God which was perpetual contemplation. You worked and helped your parents and had holy tender exchange with them and prayed with them during the day, but in the solitude and shadow of night your soul poured itself out in silence.

Always, continually, you prayed, for praying is to be with God and you are God. But your human soul continued this contemplation through the night, as, all through the day, it was united to your divinity. Your life was a constant outpouring before God, your soul looked always upon God, always contemplating him. What then was this prayer that was the half of your life in Nazareth? Before and above all things, it was adoration, contemplation, silent adoration which is the most eloquent of all praise – a silence that expresses the most passionate declaration of love.”
                                                                                  Charles de Foucauld • Meditations of a Hermit • 1930

As children of God we can, each day, follow Christ in our way of life. Being “a little less than gods” we cannot hope to replicate his life in detail, but we can imitate it in leading a prayerful life. This means more than following a cycle of formal prayers, spiritually nourishing though that can be. ‘Silent adoration’, especially, can be a practice throughout the day, as we silently devote each of our actions to God’s glory, deliberately seeking God’s help and love in all we do.                                      TC

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Following Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord is the first week in Ordinary Time -- the period between the Church’s great festivals, Christmastide and Eastertide. In our everyday lives, of course, current circumstances make our time far from ordinary. Indeed, there’s much speculation about what the ‘new normal’ would or should involve.

Ordinary Time in the daily life of the Church should come as something of a relief, in that it doesn’t change. True, we live with restrictions in important areas of our lives, but at least we can still enjoy Mass in our churches, on Sundays and through the week. Otherwise our routines of prayer, christian acts of care, helping others, friendship and love for others, especially within our families, can continue.

To understand more about ordinary life in Ordinary Time, consider Christ’s life in Nazareth. He spent the first 30 years as infant, youth and young man mostly in Nazareth, living with Mary, Joseph and other relatives and neighbours.

“The Gospels record little about this time in Nazareth, but it is extremely important to Jesus’ subsequent ministry. Those quiet years in the company of his parents and friends who so deeply loved him were the best preparation for his announcement of the Kingdom of God and the redemptive sacrifice that followed. Jesus even chose to begin his ministry in Nazareth (Lk 16-21). Jesus’ life in Nazareth was one of silence, study, prayer, friendship, work and obedience to his parents …. forever growing “in wisdom and stature and in grace with God and men.”
                                                  Blessings of the Daily • Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette

Here then is a clear recipe for fighting off the negatives of living with the threat of Covid Pneumonia through following Jesus and enriching our Ordinary Time and, for everyone, making it the new normal.
                                                                              TC

“Silence is something sacred. It ought to be greatly respected and avidly cultivated, for God abides in eternal silence. It is in that eternal silence that the Father uttered a Word. And the Word became flesh to communicate to us the meaning, the mystery of that divine silence. It is our duty, therefore, to keep a silent space within our hearts, so that we may be able to hear the Word.

In spiritual life, the practice of exterior silence and that of interior silence have always been intimately connected. One does not exist without the other. When the heart, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, … [is[ …truly silent and pacified , the divine life hidden within is revealed. …… an ancient monk used to encourage in his disciples the practice and necessity of silence by telling them ‘The love of silence ultimately leads to the silence of love.’ “
                                                            Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette • Blessings of the Daily

Whatever trials and tribulations the Covid 19 Pneumonia and government regulations and advice may bring us, one gift is the opportunity to be silent. This is important. Many lead isolated lives at present: all of us may fear those times when we have no-one to talk too, or when others are too absorbed in their own fears and worries to listen to us or to express their anxieties. Yet for us, it is a golden opportunity to ask for the support of the Holy Spirit in adopting the silence that leads to peace of heart and the recognition of God’s love.

You might start with reading the Gospel of the day in your missal, or silently praying the Lord’s Prayer or saying a Hail Mary to seek her intercession. Think about the words of these prayers. Don’t try to analyse them but allow them to float around in your head, until they fade into silence. You are now on your way to the spiritual silence that, by leading to peace of soul, brings with it peace of mind and body.                                                                                                           TC

There are some circumstances where people may not be able to wear a face covering. Please be mindful and respectful of such circumstances, noting that some people are less able to wear face coverings, and that the reasons for this may not be visible to others. This includes (but is not limited to):

• Children under the age of 11 (Public Health England does not recommend face coverings for children under the age of 3 for health and safety reasons)
• people who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability

Now is the time when we are encouraged to make New Year Resolutions. We are expected to plan improvements and reforms in the way we live. Unfortunately, these avowals come with two common risks:that we will focus on irrelevant, too easy or trivial things; and that we will give up on them sooner rather than later. In short New Year Resolutions are short-lived and not to be taken seriously. So, if you are thinking about them, don’t bother, you have better uses for your breath! This not to say that we have no hope of improvement. But the hope we should have and use to set and achieve worthwhile resolutions should spring from the reality of our faith and the urgent needs of others. Pope Francis has pointed out why it is important to think this way: “What the Lord asks of you today is a culture of service, not a throwaway culture……. You have to open your eyes and let the suffering around you touch you, so that you hear the Spirit of God speaking to you …” (Pope Francis “Let us Dream” Simon and Shuster 2020)

The Pope here calls each of us resolve to improve our lives by focusing completely on helping others to improve their lives, whether that means selfless love for neighbours, acts of charity, support for agencies that bring relief and hope to people in this country and in others, taking care of those in need, and so on. This may not be as big a challenge as it appears:

“In this past year of change and crisis, my mind and heart have overflowed with people. People I think of and pray for, and sometimes cry with; people with names and faces, people who have died without saying goodbye to those they loved, families in difficulty, even going hungry, because there’s no work.

“… I find it helps to focus on concrete situations: you see faces looking for life and love in the reality of each person, each people. You see hope written in the story of every nation … So rather than overwhelm you, it invites you to ponder, and to respond with hope.” (Pope Francis ibid)
                                                                           TC

The Epiphany is one of the oldest feasts of the Church, celebrating the revelation that Jesus was and is the Son of God. As a Feast Day it predates the celebration of Christmas as December 25th .

Before then, January 6th commemorated the Nativity, Visitation of the Magi, Baptism of Christ and the Wedding of Cana all in one feast of the Epiphany. At the Council of Tours in 567, the Church set both Christmas day and Epiphany as feast days on the Dec. 25th and Jan. 6th, respectively, and named the twelve days between the feasts the Christmas season. Over time, the Western Church separated the remaining feasts into their own celebrations, leaving the celebration of the Epiphany to commemorate primarily the Visitation of the Magi.

In the modern Calendar Epiphany is celebrated on different dates as its often transferred to the second Sunday after Christmas. This year, however, the bishops of England and Wales have moved the Epiphany back to its original day of the 6th January. (where it will remain for the foreseeable future) This important feast would typically be a Holy Day of Obligation, but given the current Covid-19 restrictions, Holy days of obligation have temporarily been suspended. Therefore, there will only be the usual 10:00 am Mass on Wednesday 6th Jan at Brandon, which will be streamed and recorded (allowing people to follow online later, should they wish)

The Christmas season culminates in the feast of the Baptism of the Lord next weekend. Following ancient tradition, however, the nativity scenes in both our Churches shall remain in place until the feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemass) on 2nd February.

Waiting

In the darkness, a sleeping lion cub stirs,
familiar smell of sheep a new kind
of dream, not of eating but couching lamb.
Startled, the cub wakes, crawls to its mother,
lick and growl assure, life’s back to normal.

Above Bethlehem, three sleep-robbed shepherds
wait for dawn to unlock their watch. The psalms
they sing thank God for starlight that lays bare
feared predators’ lairs and plots. They know well
their future’s in their flock. Could they know it,
the flock they’re in is in God’s waiting hand.
The eastern sky brightens, their relief grows,
not yet knowing, more than day approaches.

Under that same sky, three foreigners,
travellers from the far east, though whether
kings, rogues or refugees could not be told,
plod on, forgoing sleep, Jerusalem
bound, planning what tale would gain admittance,
waiting for dawn to announce their entrance.


Into an Untrusting world

Into an untrusting world
Faith is born,
Into a world of cynicism
Hope is born,
In the midst of hate
Charity is born.

This three-times gifted child
Is come to die that we may live,
Stewards of God’s world of love
Lived through Christ’s beatitudes.

The 6th December, had it not been on a Sunday, would have been the memorial of St Nicholas. We know very little about him. He was born (c. 270) into an affluent Greek family in Myra (now Demre, in Turkey) and, after becoming a priest at an early age, became Bishop of that area, where he served his flock until his death c.343. Over the centuries, many tales have been told about his life and miracles, although there is little evidence that support the claims made for him in most of them.

St Nicholas’ descendant is, of course, Santa Claus, who “secretly” visits families at Christmas to give them gifts. The commercial world has kidnapped Santa, and Saint Nicholas’ purpose in helping the poor has disappeared under an avalanche of goods.

This misses the point. St Nicholas was motivated by two things: first, following Christ in aiding the poor; second, following Christ in respecting the poor. So, as you go about giving presents this year, think like St Nicholas, not ‘Santa’, and seek out someone who needs your gift. This doesn’t have to be money. A CAFOD World Gift can change the life of a poor person elsewhere. Or again, ten minutes talking to a lonely person may be a bigger, better gift than a box of chocolates. Time spent with others can be more blessed than an iWatch! This is not about doing something ‘nice’ because it is Christmas. Advent begins the Church’s year. Although we are halfway through it, it is not too late to make a New Year’s Resolution to follow Jesus across the coming year by using St Nicholas as a guide. Advent and Christmas could be the time when we begin St Nicholas’ journey. He didn’t restrict generosity to this season!

It is not unknown for parents to have to take on the Santa role, given the world-wide jobs commercialisation demands of him. If you are one such parent, why not be St Nicholas as well? You can the children about him and his quiet generosity, seeking God’s blessing on what he did, and not the applause of the crowd. You can tell them what you and the family have done to aid and respect the vulnerable, through prayer, companionship and other gifts.
                                                                                                           TC

Advent is a time of hope when we should be completely intent upon the joy to come. It invites us to look towards the fulfilment of God’s promise, as envisioned by the Prophets especially Isaiah.

“Hope is an ‘insignificant little girl’ besides her two big sisters, faith and charity … nevertheless, it is she ‘who moves the others’. If we did not expect a great good, if we did not believe it possible, we would not be capable of any effort.” [From Advent to Pentecost: Carthusian Novice Conferences (CNC) 1999}

The confidence and joy hope gives us are crucial. As St Francis de Sales said, it is not enough to do good; one must do it cheerfully. God loves the one who gives with joy. This joy springs from our confidence that what we hope for will be granted - that is, God giving himself to us with all that he is and all that he has. “God gives himself as God… God is simple … [and] each of us receives this infinite gift …” (CNC)

Advent begins on November 29th , 3 days before the end of the current lockdown period. Let us prepare for Advent and the relaxing of coronavirus restrictions with intense hope, as we await the Christmas Miracle by reflecting on God’s goodness and our own fragility. Let us review the hope we have and rejoice that Christ’s coming will soon overwhelm our weaknesses with divine love. Let us hope that this year’s Nativity will renew our joy of, and commitment to, spreading the Good News in our community.                                                               TC

News of success in testing a new vaccine with which to fight the Covid-19 disease comes at the right time, when many are confused, frustrated or downcast as the coronavirus continues to spread and restrictions aimed at halting it seem more and more to turn houses into prisons and homes into cells of isolation.

We should therefore rejoice in the optimism that the New Year will hopefully bring the beginning of a nationwide vaccination programme and that we will see the threat posed by Covid-19 reduced to the same manageable level of Flu and other viruses. But the battle is not over yet! In the meantime, we must continue to observe government regulations and guidance, wear masks, keep our distance and cautiously safeguard and respect the safety and dignity of others and ourselves.

A daily prayer for this might help:

Lord: Help us to control our impulses and maintain discipline safeguarding the health and wellbeing of those around us and others we encounter today. Amen

We are currently unable to hold any second collections at Mass and we are not obliged to do so for the remainder of this year. If, however, you would like to donate to one of these collections, please make a bank transfer to the parish with the relevant charity as the ‘payee reference’, alternatively you can send a cheque to the parish with the name of the second collection written on the back of the cheque.  The  collections that are listed are mandatory collections for the first half of this year; the  parish, therefore, will make a donation to these.  If you would like to give to these causes (even retrospectively) then please donate either via bank transfer or cheque as outlined above. 

HOLY LAND SHRINES - Good Friday April 2nd – Holy Places of Palestine

VOCATIONS - Sunday April 25th – Vocations Sunday

CATHOLIC COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK - Sunday May 16th – World Communications Sunday

BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE LIFE CHARITIES - Sunday June 20th – Day for Life

PETER’S PENCE - Sunday June 27th – Peter’s Pence

John Wyclif, in Of Prelates in 1382, wrote “Charite schuld bigyne at hem-self” and others, such as John Marston (1610) and Sir Thomas Browne (1642) have proved authors of its use as “Charity begins at home.” It is, in my view, used too frequently to discourage charitable giving to others, especially foreigners: that is, “charity should begin at home and end there.” That’s a pity, because it shows ignorance of the origin of the saying. The notion that family should be one’s foremost concern is in 1 Timothy 5:8:    “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

This is not a recommendation to have compassion only for one’s nearest and dearest. It and the proverb itself are much deeper in meaning than an exhortation to meanness. For me, an Australian Baptist Minister, Melinda Cousins, summed it up in a blog, six years ago:
“… my understanding is that the saying as it was originally taken up …. was meant to refer to the fact that virtues are cultivated in the everyday – that is, we learn to be compassionate and charitable people at home; [and] that capacity within us as human beings begins to develop there, and then grows as we exercise it outside the home.” 

‘Can we please stop saying ‘Charity begins at home?’ Thinking Aloud 2014

The word ‘charity’ entered the English language to mean ‘Christian love for others’, especially the poor. It has often been linked to agapé, or unconditional love, the most Christ-like love there can be. That’s a far cry from restricting compassion to just your aunty.

As we learn to love God through experience of His love for us, so we learn how that kind of loving can be the route to helping those in need, wherever in the world they are, and thus demonstrating, with the humility and tenderness agapé requires, God’s love and His Son’s offer of salvation.                                                                                            

                                                                         TC

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CHARITY AND THE POOR
Last week we saw that charity does begin at home, when “home” is your heart stirred by God’s love into having compassion for others, that is, the poor, whether poor in spirit or in material things. Let us look at the latter. 

Pope Francis has summed up the issue succinctly, as usual:  “Jesus tells us what the ‘protocol’ is, on which we will be judged. It is the one we read in chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel: I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was in prison, I was sick, I was naked and you helped me, clothed me, visited me, took care of me. Whenever we do this to one of our brothers, we do this to Jesus. Caring for our neighbour; for those who are poor, who suffer in body and in soul, for those who are in need. This is the touchstone.”  From Papa Francesco: Questa economia uccide (Pope Francis: This economy kills) by Andrea Tornielli &. Giacomo Galeazzivia  

This will be news to few of us. There are an estimated 1.2 billion Catholics in the world, every one of whom will have heard this extract from Matthew’s Gospel. One in twelve people in the UK are Catholic – that’s 5 million people in our country who have heard this bit of Good News.  There are 736 million in the world in extreme poverty, who have little or no access to fresh water or adequate health care and, if they are employed at all, earn less than £1.42 per day. What could you do with only £1.42 a day or the equivalent of £9.94 for a seven day working week?  

Here in England it has recently been revealed that some workers in the garment industry are working for less than £3 per hour. Again, how would you manage on £150 (gross) for a 50 hour week?  It is mystifying why these inequalities continue, when there are so many of us charged by Jesus to aid the poor. What to do? We’ll look at that next week.  [Statistics about global poverty are attached to this Newsletter.]                   TC
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CHARITY & THE POOR – HOW TO CREATE A TSUNAMI
In 2015, more than 700 million people, or 10 per cent of the world population, lived in extreme poverty, struggling to fulfil the most basic needs like health, education, and access to water and sanitation. Until 2019, That figure dropped dramatically to less than 5 per cent. 

However, the COVID-19 pandemic is reversing the trend of poverty reduction, with tens of millions of people in risk of being pushed back into extreme poverty - people living on less than $1.90/day - causing the first increase in global poverty in more than 20 years. Given the scale of the problem, it seems that ordinary people, like you and me, can do little to stop this trend. That is not true. There is much that we can do locally, and for the world 

There is much we can do:  

• Supporting the Food Bank each month. This is crucial for the Food Bank’s survival and the sustenance of the poor among us;
• Supporting missionaries who help the poor around the world by saving money through the Red Box campaign;
• Buying fairly traded [Fairtrade] goods, which mean poor producers can get fair profits and trade their way out of poverty;
• Living simply so that climate change can be slowed and the poor better protected from climate disasters;
• Donating to CAFOD to support its campaigns for the poor;
• Supporting the annual Shoebox campaign;
• And many more initiatives that each of us get involved in.

These may be small acts of generosity, but small gestures build up to create tsunamis of love for our neighbours here and across the world.                                    TC

FOOD BANK

Although  we still cannot use our churches as a collection centre for the Food  Bank, people’s needs remain. You don’t have to be unemployed to get help  from a Food Bank. Those in low paid jobs, including those still  furloughed, struggle to provide themselves and their families with the  basic essentials of daily living, from food to hygiene and health  products.

CAFOD

CORONAVIRUS INITIATIVE:  CAFOD  has joined with the UK Disasters Emergencies Committee to help millions  of people whose lives are at risk, as coronavirus spreads across  refugee camps and countries suffering conflict. 

COVID -19 has swept cross the world. Over 1,450,000 people have died and more than 43 million have survived it. Western nations have the highest  survival rates. Poor countries have the worst. 

Please remember and join  in CAFOD’S Coronavirus Campaign. Go to www.cafod.org.uk/coronavirus

You can donate at www.cafod.org.uk/coronavirus to help CAFOD scale up its coronavirus response through our Global  Church family. Or use CAFOD’s Summer of Hope fundraising ideas with your  family and friends to transform lockdown and raise money for the  appeal: for more information go to www.cafod.org.uk/summerofhope .

CAFOD Beirut Emergency Appeal

The explosions In Beirut have left hundreds of families with NOTHING.

Local organisations and volunteers are already on the frontlines, assisting hospitals and attending to the injured.

YOU CAN HELP: go to https://cafod.org.uk/donations/one-off?_Amounts=25&_Appeal=121949

CAFOD’S REACH.  Here’s a short list of their campaigns. Click on each to  get an up-to-date report.

• Syria crisis: Millions of refugees face new threat from coronavirus

• Rohingya Crisis: Reaching vulnerable families

• Yemen crisis explained

• Cyclone Amphan brings double crisis to Bangladesh and India

• Cyclone Idai: how your donations are helping people rebuild their lives

• The humanitarian challenges that lie ahead in 2020

• CAFOD launches urgent appeal for millions of families facing hunger in Zimbabwe and Zambia

• Over 200,000 evacuated as Typhoon Kammuri makes landfall in the Philippines

Started on Sunday 4th October: I BELIEVE - a study of the articles of the Creed. During the course of 15 weekly episodes, Fr Luke Goymour explores the Creed and how it guides Catholics through what they believe and how it forms the Church's teachings and traditions. Episode 1 looks at the first phrase of our declaration of Faith: "I believe in God..."
It will first broadcast on Sunday at 11.15am and 10.30pm and be repeated later in the week on Monday at 1am, and Saturday at 5.45am and 3.15pm.

Listen online via the radio Maria website or through the Radio Maria World Family app
https://radiomariaengland.uk/how-to-listen-to-us/ 

If you have an APF Red Box, you can now leave or have it delivered at one of our churches. Sue Dean will arrange its collection and processing

TO BE A CHRISTIAN IS TO BE A MISSIONARY - YOU CAN HELP BY PRAYING FOR THE MILL HILL MISSIONARIES AND DONATING THROUGH USING A RED BOX.  

Our Red Box (Missio) collection for 2019 amounted to £1318.56 and the parish was 15th out of 56 parishes - a very good result. Well done!

Thank you for helping their Missionary work. Please keep up this good work for 2020.  

Not got a Red Box? Some spare boxes are at the back of the church. Take one and tell Sue Dean or Fr Luke. 

The first series of talks have finished for the time being, but the full catalogue is available below.

Missed a talk? The full series is available to ‘watch again’ both here on our Faith Talks page and on Facebook. 

Topics covered thus far: 

• Faith for our Times: God's call on our lives - Fr Luke's Vocation Story
• Faith and Reason (Science and Faith) 
• Genesis, Evolution and the Big Bang!
• The Resurrection in scripture and Tradition 
• The Eucharist: Real Presence 
• The Eucharist: Source and Summit
• The Eucharist: Meal and Sacrifice
• The Church
• The Problem of Evil
• Spiritual Warfare
• There is something about Mary

If you or someone you know has a child in year 8 or above at school who would like to be confirmed this academic year, please contact Fr Luke, speak to him after Mass or email bmrcparishpriest@outlook.com .

(Please see the Church Services page for updates.)

Mass is now celebrated with a congregation in both of our churches and is also available to view and follow online live on this website and on Facebook.

With the return of public Masses, both churches need to be cleaned after every Mass. Stewards are also needed for both churches to help with seating and moving around the church for Holy Communion. Please do volunteer (we cannot do this without you) to help by cleaning or stewarding. Special disinfectant spray has been ordered so cleaning between Masses will only really entail spraying seats and surfaces and wiping door handles. (PPE can be provided.)

Altar Servers: whilst restrictions are in place no Altar servers are allowed at this time.

A reminder that at this current time Holy Communion can only be received on the hand. Please place your hands flat (do not try and take the host from the priest) so that the host can be placed on your hands without the priest touching your hand. Holy communion should be received in silence, understandably many of us go into ‘auto pilot’ and say “Amen” without thinking. However, where possible please try and remember to refrain from saying “Amen”. Please also, where possible, stretch out your hands over the barrier as to keep maximum physical distance from the priest at the moment of Communion.

... with Fr Luke and Rev David Everett, 15th - 24th March 2021.  

Fr Luke is co-leading this pilgrimage next year.

My newspaper informs me that we are now a divided nation, between those who comply with the government’s requirement to wear masks and those who don’t. I have never trusted implicitly what the papers or other news media say. They each have their own agendas and I have learned to step carefully between fact and fiction, propositions and prejudices, truth and lies.  

Even so, it is worth thinking about what a mask does that is acceptable to some people and intolerable for others.  

A mask, of the type we have to wear in close contact, hides the mouth and jaw and the more prominent part of the nose. As such, Masks make it difficult to recognise people and just as difficult for us to project the kind of person we are.  

One way of justifying not wearing a mask was summed up in something I overheard. “Well, Jesus never wore a mask, did he?!” True, as far as we know. However, Christ the Man was not facing an epidemic of the sort we face today.  

The Son of God was dealing with a much more virulent and deadly disease – sin, the loss of faith in salvation, hope of rescue, and love of our neighbour. His mission to restore and deepen faith, strengthen hope and keep love’s flames burning was rooted in the truth of the psalms that remind us we are “a little less than god” (Ps.8.6) and “sons of the most high” (Ps.81.6). As such we are servants of God (Ps.133 and servants to others.  

To be children of God, His servants and of service to one another, it seems to me at least, to justify a small act – wearing a face mask to protect those whom we meet and to avoid the plague so that we can continue to do His work.                                  TC

Please note that at this time, our buildings will only be used for public Mass; no other groups will meet in the Churches. Anyone accessing the building other than for Mass or to clean must clear this with Fr Luke first.  

Sacristy: Sacristies are strictly out of bounds to all people, without exception (Fr Luke will act as his own sacristan for the time being) (Mildenhall parishioners must not use back door to enter church.)  

Toilets: If necessary one toilet will be available for everyone to use in each of our churches.  

Time in buildings: Please arrive just before Mass and leave shortly after (unless you are cleaning).

Thetford has a new Rosary group and with that an email address has been set up for intentions. Please feel free to email Thetfordrosary@gmail.com and your intention will be offered on a specific date. You will receive an acknowledgement, and this can be for your own personal intention or for someone you know. The intention will be prayed by someone from the rosary group and all details will be confidential.

Fr Luke writes: My rest-day (day off) is usually on a Monday. Lockdown means that I cannot leave my home (and place of work) on my rest-day. Although I am currently streaming Mass on a Monday, I try not to do any other parish work or public ministry on this day. This means that (except of course for emergencies) I will not usually respond to phone calls, messages, or emails from Sunday late-afternoon/evening until Tuesday morning at the earliest. For non-urgent matters and general parish admin I would most grateful if you can contact the presbytery between Tuesday and Saturday. Thank you for help and understanding with this. God bless you.

Fr Luke writes:            

Would you like a personal visit from the Risen Lord? Although restrictions prevent people receiving Holy Communion and gathering in Church. As a ‘religious worker’ I am key worker and so can come to you and assist you. I can bring the Blessed Sacrament to your home, expose the Host in small monstrance at your door, window or back garden if there is a side entrance (keeping 6ft away) lead prayers with you and then give you Benediction.   

So how about it? Are you missing Jesus? Want to pray together in person? Contact me now and we’ll book in time for a visit from the Risen Lord! I will remain at your door/garden/front window with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I will not come in, social distancing will be observed at all times.

“This course is dedicated to helping you get the facts you want with regard to Catholic teaching and history, so you can have your questions answered in your search for truth. As you study the Church’s teachings, practices and history, you may find—as many others have—that there’s a lot you never knew about the Catholic faith! Like training for a race or sporting event, it requires time, commitment, discipline and friends but we know that the fruits of the labour will better equip us on our journey.”  

Please consider joining a group of people via ZOOM for about 30 mins each morning to pray and explore our glorious Catholic faith. TASTE and SEE START: THURSDAY 3 rd of SEPTEMBER via ZOOM at 7am Email for more details: MOSJ@olise.co.uk or Declan on 07853140355

Don’t worry you can now just visit our website!

The Facebook live steam in now integrated with our parish website, this means you can simply go to the parish website and see the live stream. The video will appear in a screen below the main logo (active while services are being streamed live). If it doesn’t appear after a few minutes refresh the page.  If still having problems, click on the link in the box below the live stream place holder.

For those of you who are using Facebook and commenting, please continue to do so as you can only interact with the page through Facebook.

The Irish station Radio RTE, which is based in Dublin, is broadcasting to the UK on long wave 252kHz. Every other Sunday they broadcast Mass at 11am.

Radio Maria England, which is based in Cambridge, broadcasts on DAB+ in Greater London and on DAB (Band 11C 220.352 MHz) in Cambridgeshire and the surrounding areas.  You can also listen to it from across East Anglia online at https://radiomariaengland.uk  Broadcasts include Masses, the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, and morning and evening prayer.

EWTN, which has a base in Walsingham, Norfolk, produces a wide range of radio programmes and can be reached on https://www.ewtn.com/radio

Premier Christian Radio is on DAB, Internet and can be also accessed via TV Freeview 725.

At this time, it will not be possible for people to receive Holy Communion. Everyone is invited, however, to join in the ancient practice of making regular spiritual communions, this can be particularly fruitful when following the daily Mass in your Missals on online via the live feed.

Prayer of St Alphonsus:  My Jesus, I believe that you are present in this Holy Sacrament of the altar. I love you above all things and I passionately desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come spiritually into my soul so that I may unite myself wholly to you now and forever. Amen.

Struggling with the coronavirus and social distancing measures? Scared? Need to talk? Struggling to get shopping or basic groceries?

Pick up the phone!  Your parish is your family and we are here for you, in the first instance feel free to call Fr Luke on 01842 812200 and he will do his best to help you, support you and put you in contact with others who may be able to help. If you don’t get an answer.  Leave a message and your number (Clearly) and he will get back to you. We may be socially isolating -but we are not on our own!

(especially if you are having trouble live-streaming Online)

Radio Stations: DAB (Digital) Radio: Radio Maria England, Premier Christian Radio (available on TV Radio as well and has Sunday Morning Worship) Radio 4 Has Sunday Worship on Sunday Morning at 8:10 am on FM and a Daily Service at 9:45 am on Long Wave (not FM).

TV: Sky TV 588 is ETWN (Catholic Channel) and has Daily Mass broadcast as well as other prayers and devotions.

Websites: https://pray-as-you-go.org/ https://shalem.org/programs/online/holy-interruptions/
https://stpaulcenter.com/hub/

Coloring prayer resources: If you would like adult-coloring sheets, to help with
prayer/mindfulness/meditation please contact Fr Luke and he will try and source them for you.

Having a Mass offered for someone’s intention is a good and holy thing to do. It is important to remember, however, that Mass is always offered in the first instance for all people. (For For God’s Glory and our sanctification) No one buys or owns a Mass. A Mass is always ‘our Mass’ - even if offered for a particular individual. Please also remember that in our parish only one Sunday Mass can be offered for an intention that someone has asked for. 

There can be a bit of a back log with Mass intentions:

• If you would like Mass offered for a particular intention on or near a specific day, (and at a specific location) please give as much notice as possible – some people book days a year in advance. 
• If the date that you would like is unavailable. Mass will be offered at the requested location, on the next available free-day. However, this means that it could be as long as six weeks after the proposed date. 
• If you are not too-concerned about where Mass will be offered (Brandon or Mildenhall) then it is often possible to fit a Mass in sooner than this. 

Want to know more about the Church?  Perhaps you are a Catholic but missed out on making your confirmation as a youngster.

If this is you, please consider joining our RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) programme. Please write to Fr Luke expressing your interest.

This icon was written (painted) and given by an anonymous benefactor. The Icon shows St John, the beloved disciple (and Evangelist) leaning on the breast of Jesus at the last supper. Jesus offers the host with his right hand and holds a scroll in his left. The scroll is the word of God and is a symbol that Christ is the Incarnate Word of God. Christ’s outer robes are in blue, a symbol of divinity. His inner robes are red a symbol of his humanity – Christ is both human and divine. St. John’s outer robe is of the same red colour and seems to flow from Christ’s inner garment – reminding us, perhaps, that Christ’s humanity is the source of life. Human beings are made in the image of God and Christ is the perfect image of the unseen God, hence true humanity flows from and is modeled on the person of Jesus Christ. We encounter this humanity and divinity in every celebration of the Eucharist. This Eucharistic Icon placed centrally behind the altar can leads us into a deeper appreciation of the central mystery of our faith.

Free e-book (with church imprimatur) for your computer/tablet/phone:

The new Liturgical Year begins on the First Sunday of Advent. This e-book may be downloaded free of charge to any computer/tablet/phone. It offers the Gospel for every day of the coming Liturgical Year A-2 (Sundays Year A, weekdays Year 2), together with a reflection of some 750 words on each daily Gospel. 

The e-book may be passed on for downloading to friends or acquaintances as desired, and may be accessed at the following URL address:  www.catholic-thoughts.info/ebook/

As a parish, we are dedicated to working for fair treatment of growers and suppliers in the Third World. 

Because of lack of support, we no longer have a Traidcraft stall at Mildenhall, but we are still obliged to use Fairly Traded tea and coffee. If these cannot be purchased from shops and supermarkets locally, Gillian Caple can order it from Traidcraft. Please ask her. 

Locally, Sainsbury’s have opted out of using the Fair Trade logo and, therefore, there is uncertainty about the status of their products. Non-fair trade brands such as Nescafe, Lavazza, etc. should not be used in St John’s. Please inspect purchases carefully for the Fairtrade logo. 

We have a number of ways of recording people for whom prayers are said, including, books at each church and this section of our weekly Newsletter. 

In the Newsletter we record the names of those whose anniversaries occur each month and sometimes those for whom special requests have been made. These names will, of course, re-appear the same time next year. Because of limited space, the anniversaries are for those who have died since 2010. 

Do you want to share our faith in everyday life here in the parish?

This autumn we have started a Proclaim! Group focusing on evangelisation. We are reading Sherry Weddell’s Forming Intentional Disciples together over six weeks and then we support each other to proclaim God’s Good News.  

Following the first presentation on Wednesday 25th September at St Thomas’ Brandon, it was thought that it would be good to share our prayers with the whole parish.  So a prayer pamphlet was enclosed in your newsletter on 29th Sep.

Please add these prayers to your own prayers at home. 

Pray for yourself; and for the group who are estabilishing the programme on Wednesdays; and for the whole parish: that we will have the desire and confidence to share the beauty of God’s love with others.  

Fr Luke writes:  Many thanks for all who have contributed to keeping a respectful silence before mass. This is a joyful practice and creates the appropriate atmosphere for the celebration. 

Please also respect others, who may be trying to pray before and after Mass, by keeping talking to a minimum in and around the main body of the Church. (This does not apply so much to Mildenhall after Mass as we have a Blessed Sacrament chapel for people to pray in whilst teas and coffee continue at the back of the Church.) Silent and prayerful preparation is something that Pope Francis asks us to take seriously.

The Pope says: “Mass is the highest form of prayer and not an appropriate moment for small talk. At church, Catholics should spend their time in silence before Mass, preparing to meet with Jesus instead of engaging in "chitchat,”. Silence is so important…we are not going to a show. Silence prepares us and accompanies us." –           

                                                General audience Nov 15th 2017 

       IF SILENCE IS GOLDEN, PLEASE GIVE JESUS A LITTLE OF YOUR GOLD 

We are a small parish, as everybody knows and, unusually, we have to maintain three buildings. Fortunately, we have a congregation which, time after time, provides funds, through offertory payments, stole fees and donations. So we are very grateful. One way in which you can help the parish in the long term is to consider a bequest in your will. Talk to Fr Luke or Philip Kemp for further information about this.

Thank you all for helping to keep the parish going, your generosity means we are surviving as a parish. Although we have returned to public Masses, we are still not able to take a collection at Mass, so we still rely on your giving:

Please consider how you can donate at least equal to your normal giving.

Here’s how you can do this:

1. By Standing Order or Direct Debit. A form is included in the next section which you can use. Details of the parish’s bank account are

• Bank Name: Lloyds Bank plc
• Bank Address: Thetford (309858) Branch
• Sort Code: 30-98-58
• Account Number: 00489176
• These details are already printed on the Standing Order form below. You can set this up online or post this to your bank, if you are unable to go there in person.

2. By making a transfer from your bank account to the parish’s, using the details above.

3. By sending a cheque to the parish made out to Brandon & Mildenhall RC Parish.

                      ***  Please do not send cash  ***

We suggest that you arrange these payments on a monthly basis, starting on the first Monday of each month.

Thank you to all those who have been making bank transfers or forwarded cheques as offertory donations to the Parish since the lockdown commenced. Bank transfers are preferred but if you do make cheque payments please note that the payee details for the Parish are "Brandon and Mildenhall Catholic Parish".

THANK YOU for helping in keeping the parish going.

                   Fr. Luke Goymour, Parish Priest 

                   Philip Kemp, Parish Treasurer

New Gift Aid envelopes have arrived but are not being distributed until Sunday Mass collections resume. Parishioners who are in the Gift Aid scheme are encouraged to make their offertory contributions preferably by bank transfer, or by cheque, as indeed many are doing so already. Your contributions are still being collated for Gift Aid claim purposes. Many thanks.

Thank you to those who have signed up to GA. If you missed this and would like to discuss your GA, please let me know. If you pay UK tax the Parish can claim back 25% of your Sunday offering from the tax office. The only details required are your name, address and signature confirming you pay UK tax. Philip Kemp Tel 07514430468 Email pjkemp1@gmail.com

I am obliged to inform existing members of the Gift Aid Scheme that I will be claiming tax rebates for 2019-20 tax year on your behalf unless informed of the contrary. You are also requested to advise me of any changes in address, post code or name in the last 12 months.

Thank you

Philip Kemp, Parish Treasurer & Gift Aid Organiser

Tel 07514430468; Email pjkemp1@gmail.com

The 50:50 Club is a major source of income to help keep this parish running.   ---  FACT 

The proceeds go half to winners and half to the parish   --- FACT 

You can join now!  ---  FACT 

Speak to David Thomas (St Thomas’); Janet Murphy (St John’s)  ---  SIMPLE! 

50:50 Club Winnings

I will hold on to the monthly winnings until after the lockdown. Alternatively winners can email me their bank details to facilitate a bank transfer.

PhilipKemp: pjkemp1@gmail.com

Winners for July and August 2020 were published in the Parish Newsletter for the week of September 6th, 2020.

A new book by a local Catholic author Derek Williams is available at the back of the Church priced £7.99.

“Tithing for Catholics is an innovative piece of writing that cuts to the heart of Scripture and Church Teaching…. the author takes us on a journey of first-hand experiences that demonstrate how tithing is a real service of faith that won’t let you down because God cannot be outdone in generosity”

                                                                        - From the cover of ‘Tithing for Catholics’

Please place money in CTS box or give to Fr Luke directly.

The Parish - whole Church – depends on its members for finance to achieve its mission. That is why we have first and second collections at Mass and welcome people’s generosity in making donations. 

Have you considered continuing your contributions after you have departed? 

You can do this by making a gift in your will. You can specify what it is to be spent on and the charity that will benefit.  Talk to our treasurer for more information: 

Philip Kemp: Tel 07514430468; Email pjkemp1@gmail.com 

Whether you want to support a local cause such as your parish or diocese, provide for vulnerable families in the UK or help overseas communities and parishes, a legacy could be the most far-reaching gift you ever make.

Go to https://www.yourcatholiclegacy.org for more information.

The Easter Mass Offering is normally an important contribution to annual income of the Parish Priest. If you are considering making a BACs (online transfer) for this purpose please reference it 'Fr Luke'.  

Fr Luke writes: Thank you so much for all your kind offerings, gifts and cards all appreciated, I hope that despite everything you are still able to enter into the joy of season and celebrate our faith in the Risen Lord.

Needs our help!

One of the casualties of the recent panic buying of foodstuffs is that Food Banks across the country are experiencing a severe drop in contributions from the public. This leaves those in most need with healththreatening problems for themselves and their children. We can show the UK that Mildenhall is not and will not follow this trend!  

Next time you shop – or have someone shopping for you – use two bags, one for you and one for those who cannot afford to find good food for themselves. 

We can’t collect your donations as usual at this time, but you can • Take your bag with you the next time you go shopping and drop it off at the Food Bank, or  • Ask a neighbour who is going shopping to deliver your contribution, or • Have your contribution put into the Coop’s or Sainsbury’s special basket for Food Bank donations.  

The Food Bank is open from 10am - 12 noon each Monday and Friday. It is located on the ground floor of the King’s Project on the corner of Market Street and King Street, Mildenhall.  

Useful items include:  Milk (UHT or powdered), Sugar, Long life Fruit Juice, Cereals, Tinned sponge pudding, Tinned Tomatoes, Tinned vegetables, Soup, Tinned rice pudding, Tea bags/instant coffee, Instant Mash, Rice, Tinned meat/fish, Tinned Fruit, Jam, Biscuits/snack bars 

... who contributes to the Food Bank.  We thank God for this opportunity to comfort our brothers and sisters.

Fr Luke writes: I am gradually revamping the resources and CTS racks in our churches. New ‘CTS Essentials’ leaflets have been purchased dealing with a variety of subjects including: Contemplative Prayer, the Blessed Sacrament and Sunday Mass please feel free to take any of these leaflets. (These leaflets are free - even if they are priced at 20p!)

Books and booklets remain as individually priced, but I will be updating the selection shortly – Please use this resource to help nourish your faith.

A superb free App from the British Jesuits. Lots on the App including a daily 10-12 min prayer meditation, as well as Stations of the Cross, Rosary meditations and other prayer resources. If you have a smart phone download the App, it could help develop your prayer life and your friendship with Jesus. Why not try it out for Holy Week? 

Are you leaving school or university soon, in between jobs or would like to do something 'different'? The Diocesan Youth Service is looking for people age 18-30 to join the Ignite Team, sharing the Gospel Message with young people in a way they can relate to. These are full-time positions, with food, accommodation and a monthly allowance provided. Ideal as a ‘gap year’. For more information see www.rcdea.org.uk/youth .

CPW offers a chance to enrich and develop your faith, as well as warmly welcoming people from other faith traditions who are in sympathy with the catholic tradition. Events range from 1-day meetings to 7-day holidays, from retreats to conferences to walking holidays. They vary from activities for whole families (in school holidays) to 18+ events: and they are affordable holidays in comfortable accommodation. A limited number of leaflets are available. For details talk to Gill or Tom Caple. 

Pax Christi (The Peace of Christ) works for:

• Peace – based on justice. A world where human rights are respected, basic needs are met and people feel safe and valued in their communities.
• Reconciliation –a process which begins when people try to mend relationships –between individuals or whole countries after times of violence or dispute.
• Nonviolence –a way of living and making choices that respects others, challenges what is not fair or unjust, and offers alternatives to violence and war.

To do this Pax Christi works to:

• Support teachers, chaplains and youth workers in promoting a culture of peace in schools and amongst young people.
• Develop solidarity between people who are working non-violently for justice and peace. Pax Christi does this through joint actions for peace in Israel-Palestine, through events to encourage international efforts to abolish nuclear weapons and by celebrating the life and witness of peacemakers.
• Promote an understanding of sustainable security where human needs are met and the environment is protected, rather than seeking security through weapons and warfare. Pax Christi campaigns against military spending, the arms trade and nuclear weapons.

                                                                                                    TC

Your local J&P Group brings together Brandon, Mildenhall and Newmarket as our two parishes work together to promote practical action in support Catholic Teaching. We: 

• Arrange exhibitions & displays;
• Organise peace vigils;
• Provide resources to celebrate church festivals (from Easter chicks to Peace Poppies);
• Run campaigns (e.g. “Share the Journey”) to support people in need in the UK and elsewhere round the world;
• Raise funds for specific projects;
• Keep people informed about J&P Matters.

We always welcome new members to the group. You don’t have to come to meetings! You can join by using Skype of Face Time or just receive and respond to our monthly Update. 

The Justice & Peace Group usually meet on the first Monday of each month. All are welcome.

Talk to Tom or Gill Caple for more information: 01638 716474 

Prayer 

O Lord Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, full of compassion and maker of peace, you lived in poverty and suffered persecution for the cause of justice. 

You chose the Cross as the path to glory to show us the way of salvation. May we receive the word of the Gospel joyfully and live by Your example as heirs and citizens of Your kingdom. Amen. 

On Sunday, July 7th, the Justice & Peace Group facilitated a shared lunch and discussion on what a parish might do to counteract or reduce the effects of climate change. Here are some of the ideas that emerged: 

A. Become a Live Simply Parish 

B. Use Solar Panels/Raise money for Solar Panels 

C. Become a plastic-free parish? 

D. Educate the kids in the Children’s Liturgy 

E. Make a commitment as a parish to: 

     • Turn off lights when not in use 

     • Make sure all our lights are LED bulbs 

     • Check the lights 

F. Have a walk/cycle to mass Sunday (for those who can) 

G. Share cars to get to Church using less fuel.

Many other suggestions were made as well, some of which are already in place. There’s no doubting that more and more people are becoming aware of the importance of local action, and not just waiting for world leaders to solve the problem. 

If you have suggestions about practical actions we can take, please contact Gill or Tom Caple 

Ten years ago the UK Government took a global lead and passed the pioneering Climate Change Act committing us to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. Recent research by climate scientists has stressed that this is no longer enough. We need to go further, faster. Unless we make dramatic changes, the damage caused by climate change will be irreversible. We need to reach ‘net zero’ emissions by 2045 at the latest. This is based on the science behind keeping global temperature rise below 1.5C. Several countries have already committed to reach this target. The UK as a global leader on climate change must join them to ‘revive’ our common home. So what can we do? 

For further information about the national campaign go to www.cafod.org.uk/climate 

Working with Adult Faith Formation (AFF) 

AFF is a group that has come together to work together in their spiritual development. They meet monthly on Thursday evenings and Tuesday lunchtimes for prayer, talks by invited speakers and study sessions. 

In February the J&P led an event on Intercessions.  AFF members took part in an interactive session involving discussion, practice in composing intentions and reflection.  The papers supporting the session can be obtained from Tom Caple.  Participants said that the session was helpful.

The session was repeated (with suitable adjustments) for the Tuesday Lunch Club.  It also got a positive response.

Stations of the Cross 

We led a poetry-based Station service at OLISE on Palm Sunday.   Each participant read a relevant poem at each station. Across the echoing church, each reading draped us with insights and reverence for Christ’s gift of sacrifice. It proved a very moving way of remembering Jesus’s journey. 

Nonviolence Works is a network of Christian Peace Organisations, including Pax Christi, committed to furthering peace in communities. The network has evidence that there are ways other than violent intervention to resolve differences and bring an end to wars. It publishes cases that show how nonviolent approaches can and do work. We will publish examples from time to time. Here are three: 

Norway 1942 

Teachers refused to co-operate with the pro-Nazi Quisling regime and, although many endured prison, the obligation to teach Nazi doctrines had to be withdrawn. 

Mozambique 1989-92 

The Rome-based Community of Sant” Egidio brokered an agreement between RENAMO and FRELIMO forces, ending ten years of war. 

1996 -- The movement to oust Serbia dictator Slobodan Milosevic, which began in November 1996 with Serbs conducting daily parades and protests in Belgrade and other cities. At that time, however, Serb democrats lacked a strategy to press on the struggle and failed to launch a campaign to bring down the Milosovic dictatorship. In early October 2000, the Otpor (Resistance) movement and other democrats rose up again against Milosevic in a carefully planned nonviolent struggle.

1999 to Present -- Popular protests of corporate power & globalization begin with Seattle WTO protest in Seattle, 1999. This is what set the trend for the Occupy movement which is still alive.

2001 -- The “People Power Two” campaign, ousts Filipino President Estrada in early 2001.

Guatemala 2007 

Young stilt walkers used circus acts and carnival in the streets to transform the climate of violence spread by brutal youth gangs. 

Fr Luke writes: I have decided to produce regular (or semi-regular depending on commitments!) articles which I shall include with the newsletter from time to time as a supplement entitled ‘what we believe’. I hope to explore with you some aspects of our faith that perhaps, we haven’t always (or at least recently) thought about too deeply. It is not always possible and not really the right forum to explore these themes in depth in homilies so I have decided to explore them in written form with the hope that we can go a bit deeper and, if you wish, read at your own pace and re-read as necessary. I may also in time have these available online as well.   

The third reflection on the Creed: ‘Creator of Heaven and Earth’.  

The fourth reflection: ‘Of all things visible and invisible’. 

The fifth reflection:  ‘I believe in Jesus Christ, the Only Son, Our Lord.’ 

The sixth reflection: "He was conceived by the Holy spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. "

This is a programme of weekly sessions exploring understanding of our faith and spiritual development, held at Our Lady Immaculate & St Etheldreda after 7 pm Mass each Thursday.  All are welcome. Tom & Gill Caple have details. 

For a full programme see the OLiSE website - www.olise.co.uk. 

Fr Luke writes: In order to help me run our parish I am looking to appoint a group of advisors from both the Mildenhall and Brandon Community. I am going to spend some time next week praying over the mission and ministry of our parish and planning the way forward. A constitutive part of this team will be a new safeguarding rep as our current rep, Andy Watts has decided to step down. I am grateful to Andy for the work he has done. If I approach you over the next few weeks, please be generous in giving of yourself in service of our parish community. If you have any ideas or suggestions about how things are done in our parish please feel free to email me or to talk to personally, I want to hear your views. 

An anonymous donor has given the parish 10 copies of this Redemptorist booklet, which can be used by children (with or without their parents, depending on age) to follow and learn about the Mass. Users can colour in and wipe off again and again. 

Five of the copies will be available in each church. You may use it, but please clean and return it after Mass. If you want to take it home for study between masses, please do so, but return it the following week. Thank you. 

A new series of day-retreats entitled 'Discipleship Days' aimed at those aged 16 - 35, are now being launched around the Diocese of East Anglia. These days are for those who wish to grow in their faith through a day of fellowship, formation and prayer. The first one took place on the 23rd of February in Brandon. These events are free of charge. If you are under 18, please go to www.rcdea.org.uk/youth for a parental consent form. 

Gracewing has just published a beautiful little book Devotions to St Thomas Becket by Fr John S. Hogan, a priest of the Diocese of Meath in Ireland, with illustrations by a monk of Silverstream Priory. As well as the Christmas Novena to St Thomas, Fr John's book offers an 'armchair' pilgrimage to Canterbury with the Seven Stations of St Thomas of Canterbury. The book retails at £7.99 St Thomas Becket, a popular little life of the saint, at £6.99 - you can find copies of these books at the back of the Church in Brandon. Please put money in the CTS pamphlet box on the wall. 

A new statue of the Virgin Mary under the title Our Lady of Walsingham has been donated to our parish for the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at St Johns. Please have a look at our new statue and take a moment to ask the prayers of Mary, Mother of God of Walsingham. 

Walsingham is our National Shrine and the centre of the New Evangelisation as designated by the Bishops of England and Wales, we are blessed to live so close to this beautiful and important site for Catholicism in our Country. 

There is sometimes confusion about what stole fees are and who receives them. 

They are amounts of money given to priests for various services (Baptisms, Marriages, funerals, etc.). In some countries, the priest keeps the fee. In East Anglia, because priests receive a modest stipend (salary) each month, Bishop Peter Smith decreed that fees should be part of the parish income. This is still the situation. 

Items left behind or lost are now accumulating. If you have lost anything please check what is in the narthex. We will keep abandoned items for one month, but will then have to dispose of them. Items of value may be kept longer, but we cannot take responsibility for these or anything else left behind. 

If you are struggling to get a roast dinner ready after Mass at Brandon, consider taking one home with you from the Orient Express Carvery! For £9:99 they give you a takeaway tin and you fill it with freshly cooked food and locally sourced meats. 

Thank you to Lina Busuttile, a member of the Mildenhall community who kindly created the new altar cloth for St Thomas’. Mass goers at St Thomas’ will also notice the new icons around the Church. These were purchased with the remaining funds that with given to the parish by an anonymous benefactor of the Divine Mercy Pictures 

Having a mass said or paying for flowers in the church are practical ways supporting the work of the parish. Please give your donations to Fr Luke or Philip Kemp. 

Has your house been blessed? Would you like a home visit and a blessing for you home and family? 

If you would like Fr Luke to visit you in your home and invoke God’s blessing upon your home and family, please speak to him after Mass or call the presbytery. 

Even if your home has been blessed in the past we can still pray together and ask for God’s blessing upon our lives. It’s also an excellent way for priest and parish to get to know each other! 

Just Traid, the Fair Trade shop next to St John the Baptist Church, St John’s Street, Bury, has launched an exciting new menu in their café and a wide range of goods in their shop. Well worth a break to rest your legs and your pocket, when Christmas shopping! 

• Just Traid are also looking for volunteers to help in the shop and the kitchen. For more talk to Gill Caple. 

The Fund deals with emergency grant applications from families or individuals in need. It also considers support for young people wishing to explore a third world project in their gap years or long vacations. 

The fund is administered by Caritas East Anglia. All applications come from the parish or endorsements from professionals working with applicants. 

Over the past year, the Fund has supported families and individuals facing homelessness or job losses resulting in rent arrears. Others helped have been dealing with the sudden onset of terminal illness. 

For more details go to:  https://www.rcdea.org.uk/caritas-east-anglia/ 

November is a traditionally the month when we pray for the dead. In both of our Churches you will find a ‘Book of the Dead’. 

Please put the names of your loved ones who have died in the book and they will be prayed for throughout November. I will also offer Mass for the Holy Souls at various points in November and they shall be remembered in those Masses. 

To add a name, simply find the page which corresponds to the month that they died and write the name in. Any name of any deceased person can be added, they do not need to have died in this last year nor do they need to be a Catholic. All people alive and dead can benefit from our prayers! 

were donated to the parish and have come from the shrine at Krakow. To find out more about this devotion please take a leaflet from the rack at the back of Church. 

Time set aside for Lectio Divina enables us to discover in our daily life an underlying spiritual rhythm. We discover an increasing ability to offer more of ourselves and our relationships to the Father, and to accept the embrace that God offers us in the person of his son, Jesus Christ. We can attend "with the ear of our hearts", listening for God's presence in our lives. 

• Choose a text of the Scriptures that you wish to pray. This could be a reading for that day’s mass, or a particular book from the New Testament. The amount of text covered is in God's hands, not yours. 

• Place yourself in a comfortable position and allow yourself to become silent. This could be a few moments focused on your breathing, or a favourite prayer. Use whatever method is best for you and allow yourself to enjoy silence for a few moments. 

• Turn to the text and read it slowly, gently. Savour each portion of the reading, constantly listening for the "still, small voice" of a word or phrase that somehow says, "I am for you today." In Lectio Divina, God is teaching us to listen to him, to seek him in silence. 

• Take the word or phrase into yourself. Slowly repeat it to yourself, allowing it to interact with your inner world of concerns, memories, and ideas. Memories or thoughts are simply parts of yourself that, when they rise up during Lectio Divina, are asking to be given to God along with the rest of your inner self. 

• Speak to God. Whether you use words, ideas, or images--or all three--is not important. Interact with God as you would with one you know loves and accepts you. Give to God what you have found within your heart. Experience God by using the word or phrase he has given you as a means of blessing and of transforming the ideas and memories that your reflection on his word has awakened. 

• Rest in God's embrace. And when he invites you to return to your contemplation of his word or to your inner dialogue with him, do so. Learn to use words when words are helpful, and to let go when they no longer are necessary. Rejoice in the knowledge that God is with you in both words and silence. 

 Many prayer groups find it a useful approach to collective study and prayer. 

This form of Lectio Divina works best in a group of between four and eight people. A group leader coordinates the process and facilitates sharing. The same text from the Scriptures is read out three times, followed each time by a period of silence and an opportunity for each member of the group to share the fruit of her or his Lectio. 

• The first reading is for the purpose of hearing a word or passage that touches the heart. When the word or phrase is found, the group's members take it in, gently recite it, and reflect on it during the silence that follows. After the silence, each person shares which word or phrase has touched his or her heart. 

• The second reading (by a member of the opposite sex from the first reader) is for the purpose of "hearing" or "seeing" Christ in the text. Each ponders the word that has touched the heart and asks where the word or phrase touches his or her life that day. Then, after the silence, each member of the group shares what he or she has "heard" or "seen." 

• The third and final reading is for the purpose of experiencing Christ "calling us forth" into doing or being. Members ask themselves what Christ in the text is calling them to do or to become today or this week. After the silence, each shares for the last time, and the exercise concludes with each person praying for the person on the right of him or her. 

Those who regularly practice this method of praying and sharing the Scriptures find it to be an excellent way of developing trust within a group. It also is an excellent way of consecrating projects and hopes to Christ before more-formal group meetings. 

 Based on “How to Practice Lectio Divina” Rev. Luke Dysinger OSB www.beliefnet.com