CATHOLIC CHURCH IN OXFORD (NORTH) DEANERY
Burford: SS John Fisher and Thomas More
Carterton: St Joseph
Eynsham: St Peter
Kidlington: St Thomas More; Woodstock: St Hugh of Lincoln
Oxford : Corpus Christi
Oxford: Our Lady Help of Christians
Oxford: St Aloysius
Oxford: St Anthony of Padua
Oxford: Blessed Dominic Barberi
Oxford: Sacred Heart, Blackbird Leys
Oxford: St Edmund of Abingdon and St Frideswide (Greyfriars)
Oxford: SS Gregory and Augustine
Witney: Our Lady & St Hugh
Oxford: Hospital Chaplaincy
Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy
Oxford : Campion Hall (Jesuits)
Oxford: St Benet’s Hall (Benedictines)
Oxford: Priory of the Holy Spirit (Blackfriars) (Dominicans)
Oxford: Plater College
Oxford Brookes University Chaplaincy
Oxford: Travelling Mission to the Travelling People
Oxford: Polish Chaplain
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN OXFORD AREA
Hinksey Catholic Parish
Abingdon: St Edmunds
The Society of the Work
Churches Together in Oxfordshire OXCHURCH-INFO
SAINT JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA AND OPUS DEI
Families through Adoption.
DEANERY DIARY
PASTORAL LETTER : + VINCENT NICHOLS ARCHBISHOP OF BIRMINGHAM
Oxford's Youth for Lourdes
Listen (via the net) about the Catholic Church...
Parish Visitation in Oxford (North) Deanery
Corpus Chriti Procession 2003
PASTORAL LETTER: + VINCENT NICHOLS ARCHBISHOP OF BIRMINGHAM
Prayer for the Family
Listening 2004 My Family My Church
Redemptionis Sacramentum
JOHN PAUL II - 38th WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
Cherishing Life
CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION 2004
MANE NOBISCUM DOMINE
First Holy Communion...a word from Archbishop Vincent Nichols
Filipino Community of Oxford
Pope Benedict XVI
Birmingham Catholic Youth Service
Child Protection issues
DEUS CARITAS EST (Benedict XVI)[Christian Love]
DA VINCI CODE
Archbishop of Birmingham: Hospital Chaplaincy
FEEDBACK
Legion of Mary, Praesidium of Our Lady of the Rosary
Catholic Nurses
Fertlity Care - the Healthy Choice
Treatment for Infertility and Miscarriage
Guild of St Stephen
Women Living Simply
SANDS Awareness
Foyer de Charite of Tressaint
WORLD DAY OF PEACE 2008
Useful resources and contacts
The Raphael Pilgrimage to Lourdes
Message Board
Guestbook
Mail Form
Please would you say where you are enquiring from and your age group?
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Welcome to St Peter’s, Eynsham
 | Our church is situated at the far end of Abbey Street in Eynsham and serves the surrounding villages including the Hanborough's, Freeland, Cassington and Stanton Harcourt.
The address is St Peter's, Abbey St, Eynsham, Witney, OX29 4HR Tel: (01865) 881613
Directions: (from the A40) Turn onto the B4449 signed Standlake at the roundabout and then turn immediately first right signed Eynsham Village only. Follow this road right into the village, and in the centre of the village go straight across the junction into Lombard Street and then straight across the next junction into Abbey Street. Proceed along until you turn left into the church car park. For a map that locates the church click below.
Anyone is welcome to pray in our Church or come to Mass. You do not have to be a Catholic. Come and see what a Mass is like.
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Our Priest in Charge is Fr Martin Flatman
 | Fr Martin is also the Catholic Chaplain at Oxford Brookes University. He became our Priest in this Parish on Thursday 20th October 2005.
His email address is : meflatman@brookes.ac.uk
He is always willing to respond to any questions or requests for prayer by email or to arrange a meeting.
He sends his weekly Homily all over the world. Email him if you would like to receive it. It can also be read below. |
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Times of Mass and other Liturgies
 | SUNDAY MASS is at 10.00am also Saturday (for Sunday) at 7.30pm
MASS on Holy days is at 9.30am and 7.30pm
Confessions are on Saturdays from 6.45pm to 7.15pm during Holy Hour or by arrangement with the priest
Weekday Mass:
Monday 5.30pm, Tuesday 7.30pm,
Wednesday 9.30am, Friday 6am
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Saturdays with Holy Hour from 6.30pm (join in as you arrive) and Benediction at 7.15pm.
Bible study and prayer : Thursday evening at 8pm in the House
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Fund raising for St Peter's Church
The roof of our house and sacristies has been completely replaced at a cost of £80,000. We have raised just over £50,205 already and have £27,500 in Interest Free loans. We are asking anyone who can to help us pay off these Loans by giving more to the Church regularly and by Gift Aid if they are tax payers.
The house and sacristies are now watertight, and far better insulated, as well as having a loft for storage. The new roof matches the church and looks extremely good.
Another way to raise money for us is available as you shop. The following site has been set up and allows people to log in and shop online. By doing this a percentage of the sale will be donated to St Peters (how easy is that)!
Click below and have a go! |
Our Catholic Primary School
 | Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Witney. |
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This Week's Newsletter
 | The Ascension Sunday 4th May 2008
SUNDAY MASS 10.00 am
Children between 3 and 8 have their own Liturgy during the first half of the Mass but next Sunday they will stay in Church and the older children will have their own event.
Refreshments after Mass in the Tolkien Room.
MASS & EVENTS :
THE CHURCH IS OPEN for prayer every day.
Morning/Evening Prayer 15 minutes before Mass on Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays
MONDAY : BANK HOLIDAY MASS 10.00am
TUESDAY: MASS 7.30pm
WEDNESDAY Exposition from 8.50am
MASS 9.30am
THURSDAY.COURSE on OLD TESTAMENT 7.30 for 8pm in the Tolkien Room
FRIDAY MASS 6.00am
SATURDAY Holy Hour from 6.30pm with Benediction at 7.15pm
MASS (for SUNDAY) 7.30pm
NEXT SUNDAY: MASS 10.00am
HOMILY Email Fr. Martin if you want it sent
CONFESSIONS on Saturdays 6.45-7.15pm and Wednesdays after Mass or make an appointment
OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER can be sent to you by email. Hard copies for MAY are available today, as are copies of Eynsham Roundabout
THE FUNERAL MASS for little Harvey Beesley who died on Monday 5th May will be on Monday 12th May at 11.00am
MESSAGE from our Bible Readings
Acts 1:1-11 The Ascension Story
Ephesians1:17-23 Christ has been given all authority
Matt 28:16-28 With his authority go and make new disciples for Jesus who will be with us for ever
HOW TO READ THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Course continues at 8pm on Thursdays in the Tolkien Room led by Frances Flatman with Fr Martin’s power point help!! This week : Prophets
QUIZ NIGHT – WEDNESDAY 14th MAY
Buy your ticket now. £5 per person £10 for 2 adults & children. For CHRISTIAN AID.
Christian Aid Week - 11 to 17 May Volunteers are needed to help with the Christian Aid house-to-house collection in Eynsham. If you can help please contact Catherine Baker (01865 881787)or Gerry Shaw (01865 881411). Thank you!SERVICE at Eynsham Baptist Church next Sunday 11th May at 3.00pm.
You are invited.MASS LOBBY of PARLIAMENT on Human Fertilization & Embryo Bill : May 14th. See Fr. Martin of you would like to go.
ROTA for this Sunday (next in brackets)
Welcome: Syd & Sue Patterson
(Jenny & Wilf Murray)
Readers: Jane & Gerry Shaw
(Allen Stevens & Jenny Murray)
Offertory: Baker family
(Beesley family)
Ministers: N Green, R Elliot, J Moody, P Pineo
(C Baker, M Blackman, R Edwards, S Day)
Coffee: Sara Wotherspoon & Margaret Edwards
(Lynn Doughton & family)
Cleaning: Janet & Robin Moody
(Catherine Baker & Anne Goodstadt)
Flowers: Alexis Bell (Janet Moody)
Grass : Gerry Shaw (Allen Stevens)
Last Sunday’s collection = £ 475.79 Thankyou!
SECOND COLLECTION
THIS WEEK for Catholic Communications
Please put your money in the envelope provided
PRAY for the sick and housebound
Harvey Beesley, Mary McCarthy, Elsie Matthews, Helene Plumb, Pat Wymer, Paul Smith, Edmund Zeally, Izabella Rodzynkiewicz, Carmella Smith, Liam Neeson, Nuala O’Donnell, Ned Heaney, Bill Roche, Peter Nicholas, Jeanne Smale, Eileen Morley, Joan Lacey and Dot Walker.
PRAY for the dead especially Thomas Herring and Terence Robinson whose anniversaries occur this week.
ADVANCE NOTICE of SUMMER FETE on Saturday 14th June. Would you help run a stall? Gardens will be open as well. Proceeds to pay off Church Debt!
St Peters’ Club : April draw result
£15 60 Paula Forster
£10 86 Shirley Wong
£5 49 Jo Baker
On sale at the back of Church:
Places to Visit – A Guide throughout the UK & Ireland offering short breaks. Price £3.50
The Vatican –Treasures Price £3.50
ON THE NOTICEBOARD
Birmingham Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference 11th15th August
Diocesan Pilgrimage to
The Holy Land – Tues 23rd Sept to Thurs 2nd Oct
HYMN BOOK with SPLIT BACK? Please hand to Fr. Martin. The Publishers have agreed to replace them free of charge. |
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Our Lady's Statue
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Stations of the Cross
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Permanent Deacon
Rev Mr Chris Blackman was appointed to assist in the parish from September 2004. He also shares the RC Chaplaincy at the John Radcliffe and Churchill Hospitals in Oxford with Fr Aldo Tapparo (St Anthony of Padua)
Click below for the hospital web site. |  |
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This Month's News
PENTECOST (WHITSUNDAY) is on Sunday 11th May when we will have a special Sunday Morning Mass for our little children. This is one of the occasions five times a year when they stay in Church and sit up the front on the floor and get a series of little talks from Fr. Martin. Many grown-ups think this is better than a normal Sunday!!
CORPUS CHRISTI is celebrated by Catholics in England on Sunday 25th May when we give special thanks for the way we can receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in and through the bread and wine. Jesus said “This is my Body.. this is my Blood” and we believe he meant it.
ST PETER’S GARDENS will be open again this year on Saturday 14th June. Lots of changes have taken place since last year and the new roof looks good too.
ST PETER’S GARDEN FETE is on the same day SATURDAY 14TH JUNE.
Books, Cakes, Teas, Tombola and pleasant company in a beautiful setting..
Do come and see us between 11am and 3.00pm.
OUR FIRST COMMUNION DAY is also OUR PATRONAL FESTIVAL
Sunday 29th June is the Feast of SS.Peter & Paul. Please pray for all the children who will make their First Communion at our 10am Mass that morning. It is a very special day for them for which they have been preparing since before Christmas.
TINGED WITH SADNESS
But all our events are tinged with sadness this month as we pray for one of our 1st Communion children who died on May 5th after a long illness. We are all praying for Harvey and will never forget him. Because he was so ill, Fr. Martin said Mass for him at home in his last few weeks of life and he made his 1st Communion at this time so that he could be close to Jesus in this special way. We believe with all our hearts in the midst of this tragedy, that he is now in the arms of Jesus. We are praying too for Derren and Stephanie in their grief and for Sophie, Harvey’s big sister.
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Our Catholic Nursery School
 | St Hugh's Catholic Nursery School is in Witney |
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HOMILY FOR THIS WEEK
HOMILY for Ascension Sunday
There’s one group of Christians that I find particularly infuriating, and maybe you do too. It’s those people who are so confident about their faith that they try to shove it down other people’s throats. They’re the kind of people who give all of us Christians a bad name; because they do not appear to have any problems or worries at all, and instead think they can provide simplistic answers to every question.
We Catholics however, in reaction to this, too often veer in the other direction. We prefer to conform to the modern way, where everyone is free to have their own private religious beliefs provided they don’t impose them on anyone else. Our friends allow us to argue furiously about which football team is best and things like that, but if we try to argue the merits of the Christian faith, then we fear we will be rapidly dismissed as one of those religious weirdos!
Now I don’t want to turn us into those over the top Christians who pretend to know it all and have no problems, but I do think that we Catholics are in danger of forgetting how powerful the true God is, and that this power is promised to us, commanding us to “make disciples of all nations”, as Jesus says in the Gospel today. (Matt 28:16-20) If we are to be true to Jesus therefore, we cannot avoid this command, or think we can leave it to someone else – priests and people like that!
We can get some clues as to how to do this from Jesus himself, who modelled himself and wants us to model ourselves, on the words of the prophet Isaiah (42:1-3) who wrote: - “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations” So that’s the first point. God upholds us, God has chosen us and delights in us. One of our problems is that we’re actually frightened of being made fun of if we say we go to Mass or believe in God. But we need not fear. Our 2nd reading today says the same thing too. “May he enlighten the eyes of your mind… so that you can see.. what rich glories he has promised,… and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers.”
On of the things that people often said about Jesus was that he spoke and acted “with authority”. He did not make a great fuss when he healed and when he spoke. He did not need to. He knew the power of God and that was enough. I heard a Chinese Christian once speaking about how he’d been imprisoned for his faith. They tried to break him of what they thought of as his dangerous delusions, but he knew the importance of finding a place where he could pray and sing of the power and wonder of God, and so strengthen his faith without anyone knowing. He volunteered to clean out the cess pits, and the smell was so bad that none of the guards came anywhere near him.
I must remind you that if we do not practice our faith, then we are in danger of losing it. If we turn our faith into private thoughts in our head, which is what the world wants us to do, then gradually our faith will disappear, and we will be left with almost nothing. In order to share the glory of God, we need to regularly remind ourselves of it - to let the Holy Spirit in.
But we need not fear that this will make us into mindless fanatics, forcing God down other people’s throats. The true God never forces himself on us. The Spirit of God brings us things like love and joy and peace, and most significantly “self-control”. In the end, it is the uncertain who have to shout about their God, Jesus never does. Here is the next bit of that Isaiah passage, “He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.”
It is absolutely true that we can destroy the wavering faith of people by being too fanatical, too sure – we can snuff out the smoldering wick. But, it is equally true that if fail to share our faith at all, we may fail to help someone who desperately wants to know the love and support of God. Failing to share our faith, or pretending that we do not believe, is actually a grave sin, and if we know we’ve done this, then we need to go to Confession.
So the Ascension that we celebrate today, like the Resurrection, is not simply an event in the past. It is an ever present reality. It is the eternal truth that the God who comes close to us in Jesus, is the same God who is the power underlying all things and who puts this power within us as he comes within us as Holy Spirit. This is the faith that we must try to share in whatever way works best for us. Remember that what happened at the Ascension is inevitably mysterious. In the best known description - our 1st Reading today (Acts 1:1-11) – we sometimes miss the significance of the words “a cloud took him from their sight.” This is not about Jesus shooting up into the clouds, but about the belief that the clouds and mist on a mountain symbolize the mystery and the majesty of God into which Jesus is taken.
Telling people about God will always be difficult, because there are no simple answers, there is always mystery. Sharing our faith will therefore sometimes be quietly challenging other people’s certainties, or it may be standing alongside someone who is deep in despair or uncertainty themselves. There are no easy answers as to why there is pain and suffering and death, but without God’s love there is nothing at all. That is why Jesus says today “Know that I am with you always, yes, to the end of time.”
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We are building our own parish website....
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Margaret Stevens is the first photo we have! |
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