St Teresa & St John Southworth Churches, Cleveleys
Fr Chris Cousens—Phone: 853340
Rev Bernard Ward (Deacon) (Tel: 858346)
Enquiries for St John Southworth: Phone: 853340
4 December 2022
http://www.st-teresas-church.co.uk
Email: st.teresas.cleveleys@gmail.com
Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trustees Registered Charity Number 23433
Sunday : 2nd Sunday of Advent
Contents: Gospel
Notices
Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12
In due course John the Baptist appeared, he preached in the wilderness of Judea and this was his message: ‘repent for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ This was the man the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said:
A voice cries in the wilderness:
Prepare a way for the Lord,
Make his paths straight.
This nab wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming? But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruit and do not presume to tell yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father,” because I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe is laid to the roots of the trees, so that any tree which fails to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire. I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who follows me is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out’
Gospel Reflection : Believing In A Change For The Good
John the Baptist preached repentance. “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is close at hand.” Today, “to repent” generally means “to be sorry for our failings/sins.” Most of us can identify with that, and examine our lives to see what adjustments (usually minor!) that we need to make. But “to repent” as attributed to John in the Gospel, and Jesus himself, was far more radical than that. It meant to turn your life completely around, to do a U-turn, to turn away from where you are going and turn back to God.
Today, as we accelerate towards climate catastrophe, that radical message is more apt than ever, particularly to those of us who live in the economically developed world. Our pursuit of continuous – but ultimately unsustainable – economic growth, as we seek to maintain or even expand our comfort zones, through our attachment to ever increasing consumer goods, and our need to obtain money to pay for them, is destroying God’s creation.
We are called today to “turn around”, to turn away from seeking more and more, to live much simpler lives, and to find rest, not in possessions, but in God.
We Remember In Our Prayers : Ray Nelson whose Funeral was last week, Gerry Diamond whose Funeral Service is at St. Teresa’s this Monday, 5th December, at 11.30 am, and Mavis McQillen whose Funeral Service is at St. Teresa’s on Wednesday, 14th December, at 11.30 am. We remember them and their families, and those whose anniversaries are at this time. May they all be in God’s peace.
We Welcome Into The Family Of The Church Annabelle and Elsie May Watson whose Baptisms take place at St. Teresa’s this Sunday.
St. Georges Avenue Food Pantry @ St.Teresa’s Are you, or someone you know, struggling to meet the cost of living? Members of our Community are committed to helping anyone who finds themselves at this point of need. We, at St. Teresa’s, have created a small ‘Food Pantry’ in the church kitchen, which is capable of providing basic foods, for individuals, couples or families. Please do contact us in advance on this dedicated mobile number 07841 610655 to talk about how best we might be able to help you, OR visit us at the back of church between 10.30 am and 12 noon Monday. Tuesday, Thursday or Friday, or Wednesday, 2.30 pm – 4 pm. A volunteer will be able to put together a bag(bags) of food to help see you through the week. Alternatively, we would be happy to deliver a free food parcel to peoples’ doorstep on a weekly basis. The types of food we give out depend partly on what our church members donate. We have plenty of pasta and pasta sauces, cereals, rice, biscuits, tinned goods, i.e. soup, veg, fruit, long-life milk, and a small selection of toiletries, and even pet food.
This weekend we will be open after each Mass for you to take a look at the variety of goods available. We are here to help the people of our community. Thank you.
‘Warm Space’ In St. Teresa’s Hall on Wednesdays 2. pm – 4 pm. All are very welcome to call in, and spend some time with others in a safe, warm environment, where you can enjoy a hot drink and a snack.
Next Weekend, 10/11 December, the SVP have their special collection ‘for those in need’ at each Mass at St. Teresa’s.
100 Club Winners for November : Charlotte Benson £15, Helen Furness £10, Stan and Yvonne Rawcliffe £5
Christmas Mass Times
St. Teresa’s : Saturday, 24th December, 6.30 pm
Sunday, 25th December, 9.00 am and 10.30 am
St. John Southworth : Sunday, 25th December, 10.00 am
(There is no 5 pm Mass that Sunday)
Advent Service : On Tuesday, 6th December, St. Teresa’s are hosting the annual Blackpool Catholic Schools Advent Service, in church at 6 pm. All are very welcome.
St. Teresa’s School Christmas Events :
Key-stage 2 Carol Concert in church: Monday 12th December, at 2 pm, and Tuesday 13th December, at 10.30 am and 6 pm.
Key-stage 1 Christmas Nativity in the school hall : Thursday, 15th December at 6 pm, and Friday, 16th December at 9.15 am
Nursery and Reception Christmas Nativity in the school hall : Thursday 8th December, at 2.15 pm.
Churches Together In Cleveleys have organised our annual Carol Singing together in town, outside the TSB bank on Victoria Road, on Saturday, 10th December, at 11 am.
The Dream Team Singers, & Harmony and Health Singers are kindly giving us a Christmas Concert, with carols and traditional songs, in St. Teresa’s church on Sunday, 18th December at 2 pm. Everyone is welcome.
The Christmas Fayre which is in St. Teresa’s Parish Hall this Sunday, 4th December, 2 – 5 pm, has been organised by the North Fylde Rotary Club, for their own charitable work, which on this occasion is to support local food parcels. For further information, including being interested in a stall, please contact 07718 767255
Please Join Us To ‘Sing Christmas’ With Churches Together In Lancashire. As always this is in The Golden Eagle Pub on North Drive, Anchorsholme – 7-8 pm on Thursday, 15th December.
Stamps : With the increased amount of mail at this time of year, please remember we collect used stamps for the Missions. There is a box for them in the church porch.