Sunday Bulletin 17 Dec 2023

Served by the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter by appointment from the RC Diocese of Northampton

Residence: St Alban House, 18 Brett Drive, Bromham, Bedford MK43 8RF

Worship: Christ the King Church, Harrowden Road, Bedford MK42 0SP; and on Sundays and major feasts at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Church, Chesham Bois, 30 Amersham Road, HP6 5PE

fssp.org.uk/bedford or fssp.org.uk/chesham     

facebook.com/bedfordlatinmass

facebook.com/fssp.england

Chaplain: Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP:

malleray@fssp.org

Visiting Priest: Fr Miguel Coelho:

pe.miguelcoelho@protonmail.com

Secretary: Mrs Rita Carroll: bedford@fssp.org

Receive this newsletter by email https://fssp.org.uk/manageprofile/index.php

Watch daily Mass by the FSSP on www.livemass.net/locations/warrington.html

Daily Holy Mass readings: www.divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/missa/missa.pl

Vespers: https://www.divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/horas/officium.pl

HOLY MASS TIMES

BEDFORD: Sunday: 8:30am; Mon 10:00am; Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri: 8:00am; Sat 10:00am

CHESHAM BOIS: Sunday: 12noon

Holy Days: 11:30am (check website before travelling)

Bedford CONFESSIONS TIMES

Sat 11:00am-12noon. And during or around Holy Mass when possible, including in Chesham Bois.

Safeguarding: If you have concerns about children or vulnerable adults, please contact the FSSP England Safeguarding Lead, Fr Matthew Goddard: goddard@fssp.org.

Join us for coffee after Sunday Mass, both in Bedford and Chesham Bois. Follow the crowd into nearby parish halls.

VOLUNTEERS URGENTLY NEEDED in Bedford TO (WO)MAN THE HALL KITCHEN FOR SUNDAY COMMUNITY COFFEE. Unless we get more people serving we cannot use the kitchen, which will impact on our Sunday gatherings in the hall. Can you commit to one Sunday a month? Senior or teenage volunteers welcome. Thank you in advance.

Please contact Jo Paul for details: joanna.m.paul@outlook.com.

Choir practice for midnight Mass on Friday 22 December from 7.30pm. Contact Catherine for info.

The initial Ladies’ group was well attended last Monday by 11 ladies. Feedback welcome for such a monthly event. Saturday may be easier for more ladies to attend, it was suggested. Then perhaps with 10am Confessions, 11am holy Mass and 12noon picnic and talk ending around 2pm. Please email Rita Carroll this week so as to allow us to plan for January: bedford@fssp.org.

MEN’s group at Christ the King Church (Patrick Donegan Room) on Thursday 21 December: 7:00pm Biscuits & Tea; 7:30pm Conference by Fr de Malleray, FSSP on “How God prepared his coming into our flesh according to the 7 Greater O Antiphons.”

Special treat for ladies who attended last week’s conference, and for gentlemen who may be prevented from attending this Thursday’s conference.

PREPARATION to the SACRAMENTS:

Please kindly email Chaplaincy Secretary Mrs Rita Carroll (bedford@fssp.org) the full details of candidates for First Holy Communion and/or Confirmation (includes date of birth). Also for Holy Matrimony (if any), and Baptism. Schedules for preparation will be communicated in January.

Altar servers training: Fr de Malleray is keen to meet with any boys and men interested. Serving is an honour and brings many graces. One can start with just a Low Mass with one server. As a start, anyone who would like to serve at Midnight Mass is requested to attend a practice led by the Chaplain on Sat 23 Dec, 11:00am to 12noon at Christ the King Church.

Everyone under 18 must have a signed parental consent form (ask Rita Carroll).

For practice purposes, the Latin Mass Society have put together a good series of tutorial videos here

youtu.be/GDfuzBdinUM; and provide printed resources here: lms.org.uk/catalog/altar-servers

Quicker Holy Communion process in Bedford and Chesham Bois: when waiting to kneel at the Communion rail, please do not wait until the entire rail is vacated, but instead go and kneel at the nearest available space.

Congratulations to Jacek and Catherine Witkowski on the happy birth of their first child Alice, to be baptised on 6^th Jan, 1:30pm, at Chesham Bois.

Congratulations to Vincent and Alix Grimer whose firstborn child Lily was baptised last Saturday in Bedford.

Three holy Masses this Christmas: In Bedford our traditional Christmas Holy Mass will start at midnight this year again (Mass of the Night), followed by the Mass of Dawn at 8:30am. The Mass of the Day will be offered at Chesham Bois at 11:30am.

Epiphany: Attending holy Mass on Sat 6^th January for the solemnity of the Epiphany is not an obligation this year. But we invite all to our holy Mass that will take place on the traditional date (twelfth night after the Nativity) on Sat 6^th Jan in Bedford at 10:00am (exceptionally, no confessions from 11am to 12noon, but from 9:00am to 9:55am), and at 12:30pm at Chesham Bois, followed by infant baptisms.

On the Eve of the Epiphany, Friday 5^th Jan, bring containers filled with water clearly labelled to your name, with the cap off, to have them blessed as Epiphany Water from 8:50am, after our usual 8:00am Mass. Please note that this performing this blessing lasts at least 45minutes.

PICK UP AN HYMN BOOK as you enter the church. Can you sing Christmas carols and/or play of an instrument? Contact us. Also, as mentioned from the pulpit, we have started singing hymns right before and after Sunday Mass, plus a simple Latin one during Holy Communion. After a few weeks we should all become familiar with tune and words.

FINANCES: two priests full time implies ongoing expenses, which are not covered by Reading or by the diocese. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Sort code: 30-80-27   Account number: 44025960

Christmas collections go to the apostolate, not to individual priests. Thank you in advance.

GIFT AID: Increase your donation to the FSSP Chaplaincy by 25% at no further expense to you. Ask Rita for a Gift Aid form, fill it in and hand it back to her. That will help us a lot.

MAILING LIST: Please subscribe for free to the newly created Mailchimp list, now the official medium of information for the Northampton FSSP Chaplaincy. Click on this link: https://facebook.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c6ff52282548a1c81708fb5ef&id=adabc6323e

On Mon 11 Dec Fr de Malleray attended a lovely Advent Play at the Regina Caeli Academy. About 120 persons were present, including the 75 pupils (many of them performing on stage), staff and parents. What joy to see this educational activity grow so happily!  

This past week Frs de Malleray and Coelho spent a few hours in Cambridge and admired the wonderful architecture built by our Catholic forefathers to the glory of God and the edification of men.

The two priests also met with Bishop David Oakley of Northampton who was pleased to hear how they were settling in, and recalled his recent visits to the two communities served by the FSSP chaplaincy in Bedford and Chesham Bois.

Please pray for our bishop and clergy.

Looking forward to the Christmas Dinner at Chesham Bois on Sat 16 Dec., with quiz!

Good books to buy as Christmas presents. For children: https://www.isaiahbooks.co.uk/product-page/when-the-stars-shone-bright-a-christmas-tale: £7.99, plus shipping. Discounts available on bulk orders.

For adults: Fr de Malleray’s latest novel: https://aroucapress.com/vermeers-angel. Also, Fr de Malleray’s book on the Holy Eucharist, heavily discounted to £10.00 after Sunday Mass.

Watch The Surprise, a wonderful play by Catholic author GK Chesterton this Christmas. Sunday 24th December 3.30pm online www.ewtn.co.uk or on sky 586. For GK Chesterton Prayers see; www.CatholicGKChestertonSociety.co.uk

Pray  for  the sick in our congregations. Email their names for insertions in next bulletins.

HOLY MASS INTENTIONS  this WEEK

by Fr AM