THIS SUNDAY: And so we arrive at the start of Holy Week. We will be invited to make Jesus’ journey our own and enter more deeply into the story of God’s tremendous love for each one of us. This Sunday’s celebration is, of course, dominated by the reading of St Mark’s account of the Passion. What Mark seeks to offer us is the story of God reaching out to us with the gift of salvation; a free gift that comes through the sacrifice and the brokenness of Jesus, his beloved Son. There is plenty this week to deepen our prayer, whether that be through the great Liturgies of the Triduum, or through the celebration of the Office, through Confessions, or simply reflecting upon the journey of Holy Week in the stillness of God’s presence. Holy Week is a most beautiful ‘event’ in our Christian calendar. If you have yet to discover the beauty of the Triduum Liturgies, then maybe this year is for you.

EASTER FLOWERS: The flower ladies will be asking for your help and support through this weekend’s retiring collection for the flowers at Easter. Do, please, give them what support you can next weekend.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: Morning Prayer in the Church this Palm Sunday beginning at 9.45am.

PALM SUNDAY SOUP LUNCH: The second of our parish soup lunches takes place this Sunday – 1 April – from 12 noon onwards. Just sign up on the list in the Narthex to ensure you are well catered for.  What is raised goes to support our charitable, outreach projects.

MASS IN ITALIAN: For the celebration of Palm Sunday, Fr Gerardo Fabrizio who will be with us once again to celebrate Mass at 5.00pm in Italian this Sunday afternoon (1 April). Do come along if you can. There will be refreshments in the Hall afterwards.

TAIZE MUSIC AND PRAYER: At the start of our journey of Holy Week this year, there will be an evening of Taizé prayer in the Church. This beautiful and simple evening of reflection will draw our attention towards the cross. Monday 2 April at 7.30pm. Do come along; we deepen our relationship with the Lord through prayer, through the scriptures, and through beautiful, simple, chant.

CHURCH CLEANING FOR EASTER: If you can spare a little time on Thursday morning at around 10.00am, then all willing hands would be most welcome to help get the Church ready for the great Three Days of the Triduum. If you bring a mop, a brush, or some polish, then everything else (including the tea) will be provided for you.

HOLY WEEK CONFESSIONS: There will opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as we journey through Holy Week. There is an opportunity as part of Taizé evening or prayer on 2 April (7.30pm); also on the Tuesday of Holy Week (3 April) from 6.00pm until 7.30pm, and Spy Wednesday (4 April) from 7.30pm until 8.15pm, as well as on Good Friday afternoon after the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion from 4.30pm _ 5.15pm.

HOLY THURSDAY COLLECTION: During the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the collection taken just before the Offertory will be our Lenten gifts to the poor. Your CAFOD boxes can be placed in this collection and what is raised (outside of the CAFOD boxes) will be used to support the poor in our own city of Bristol.

GOOD FRIDAY WITNESS: This year, the customary walk of witness is not taking place. Instead there is an ecumenical witness of faith outside of Asda at 10.00am on Good Friday. Do go along for the reflection upon the Passion story – a wonderful, simple way to remind people of the importance of this day.

ŚWIĘCONKA: This Polish Blessing of Easter food and baskets, which has become a regular feature in our Holy Week timetable, is taking place on Holy Saturday at 11.00am. All are most welcome!

TABLE TOP SALE: To raise some much needed funds for CLIC (Cancer and leukaemia in Children) and SANDS (Stillborn and neonatal death), Barbara Coles is hosting a table top sale in the Hall on Saturday 21 April from 12 – 200pm.  If you can help out by making baked goods, jams and preserves, or you have something for the gift table or some unused, unwanted toiletries, you can hand them into at the presbytery or contact Barbara on (01275) 837754 as soon as possible. Do come along on the day, though, and support these charities, please.

WEDNESDAY CAFÉ: Beginning late May we will begin a very simple, uncomplicated parish series where, on each of the Wednesdays mornings, there will be opportunity to deepen your understanding of what it means to be a Catholic over a cuppa and begin to explore what lies at the heart of what we believe. Watch this space!

Morning Prayer: 9.45am
Mass: 10.30am    George Parker’s Intentions
Vespers: 4.00pm
Italian Mass: 5.00pm

Monday of Holy Week ~ 2 April    
Morning Prayer: 8.40am
Mass: 9.00am
Taizé Prayer around the Cross: 7.30pm

Tuesday of Holy Week ~ 3 April    
Morning Prayer: 8.40am
Mass: 9.00am
Confessions: 6.00pm ~ 7.30pm

Spy Wednesday ~ 4 April    
Mass of Chrism at Clifton Cathedral: 11.00am
Evening Prayer: 6.30pm
Mass: 7.00pm   Chandra de Fonseka RIP
Confessions: 7.30pm ~ 8.15pm

HOLY THURSDAY ~ 5 April   
Office of Readings & Morning Prayer: 9.15am
Big Clean for Easter: 10.00am onwards

Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 8.00pm
Watching at the Altar of Repose until midnight
Night Prayer: 11.50pm

GOOD FRIDAY ~ 6 April      
Office of Readings & Morning Prayer: 9.15am
Family Stations of the Cross: 11.00am

Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion: 3.00pm
Confessions: 4.30pm ~ 5.15pm
Prayer around the Cross: 7.00pm

HOLY SATURDAY ~ 7 April      
Office of Readings & Morning Prayer: 9.15am
Święconka Blessing of Easter Food and Baskets: 11.00am

Easter Vigil of the Lord’s Resurrection:  8.00pm

EASTER SUNDAY ~ 8 April   
Mass of Easter Morning:    8.30am
10.30am       Pro Populo
Solemn Vespers of Easter:    4.00pm

THIS SUNDAY: In the weeks of Lent so far we have followed God’s work of salvation: we have seen the Covenants he established with Noah, Abraham, Moses and the people of Israel after the return from Babylon. Now we come to one of the most significant parts of the Old Testament: the promise of a brand new Covenant, which will be different from all those that went before. This Covenant will see God and Man living more closely together. For the ratification of a Covenant, something was always sacrificed as a sign of the new relationship – normally man would offer some animal offering to God. But the New Covenant will be ratified not with the death of sheep or bull, but by the death of Jesus Christ, God and Man. In this perfect sacrifice is the source of our eternal salvation.

PALM SUNDAY SOUP LUNCH: The second of our parish soup lunches takes place on Palm Sunday – 1 April – from 12 noon onwards. Just sign up on the list in the Narthex to ensure you are well catered for.  What is raised goes to support our charitable, outreach projects.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS: There will be the celebration of the Stations of the Cross followed by Benediction this afternoon in the Church at 4.00pm

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: Morning Prayer in the Church each Sunday beginning at 9.45am.

FRIDAY HOLY HOUR: This Friday the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for an hour of prayer after the morning Mass (so from 10.00am until 11.00am). This is the last of our Lenten Holy Hours.

MASS IN ITALIAN: For the beginning of Holy Week and the celebration of Palm Sunday, Fr Gerardo Fabrizio will be with us once again to celebrate Mass at 5.00pm on Palm Sunday in Italian (1 April). Do come along if you can. There will be refreshments in the Hall afterwards.

TAIZE MUSIC AND PRAYER: At the start of our journey of Holy Week this year, there will be an evening of Taize prayer in the Church. This beautiful and simple evening of reflection will draw our attention towards the cross. In song and prayer, reflecting upon the scriptures and drawing upon the spirituality of Taize, we come to the Lord. Monday 2 April at 7.30pm. Do come along – there will also be opportunities for confession that evening, too. The Community of Taize, based near Cluny in France, is an ecumenical community drawing pilgrims into deeper relationship with the Lord through prayer, through the scriptures, and through beautiful, simple, chant.

LENTEN CONFESSIONS: There will opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as we journey through Lent. The two Saturday opportunities are there as well as an opportunity as part of Taize evening or prayer on 2 April (7.30pm); also on the Tuesday of Holy Week (3 April) from 6.00pm until 7.30pm (altered), and Spy Wednesday (4 April) from 7.30pm until 8.15pm, as well as on Good Friday afternoon after the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion.

THE ROAD TO CALVARY – A Passion Play: This reflection as we head towards Holy Week takes place at St Gerard’s, Knowle, on Friday 30 March at 7.00pm. Tickets cost £5. All are welcome.

TABLE TOP SALE: To raise some much needed funds for CLIC (Cancer and leukaemia in Children) and SANDS (Stillborn and neonatal death), Barbara Coles is hosting a table top sale in the Hall on Saturday 21 April from 12 – 200pm.  If you can help out by making baked goods, jams and preserves, or you have something for the gift table or some unused, unwanted toiletries, you can hand them into at the presbytery or contact Barbara on (01275) 837754 as soon as possible. Do come along on the day, though, and support these charities, please.

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER: The schedule for Holy Week this year is available for you to take away. Do make sure you pick up an extra one or two copies to pass around to folk who might just need a little encouragement to come and celebrate Easter with us.

FOR YOUR PRAYERS: Kathleen Joyce’s funeral takes place here at St Bernadette’s on Monday 26 March at 10.00am. May she rest in peace.

OUR PRIMARY SCHOOL: Our primary school survived their full-on inspection this last week. They must await, now, the final report.

PRIMARY SCHOOL STATIONS OF THE CROSS: Our Year 5 pupils will be leading their beautiful Stations of the Cross as they approach the end of this term, here in the Church on Thursday at 10.00am. Do come and support them, encourage them, but also join them in prayer as we prepare to enter into Holy Week.

APF NEWS: The total collected in 2011 through your Red Boxes was £2424.00 – that’s a terrific amount for the Missions. Many thanks to all our red box holders, our annual members, and all who contributed in any way.

OFFERTORY ENVELOPES: New boxed sets are available from the Narthex. If you are a tax payer and would like a Gift Aid set of envelopes, have a word with Dave Lavelle.

EASTER FLOWERS: The flower ladies will be asking for your help and support through next weekend’s retiring collection for the flowers at Easter. Do, please, give them what support you can next weekend.

Mass will be celebrated here at St Bernadette’s. All are most welcome! There is plenty of parking. All you need do is pass the word around and bring your friends with you – Italian and non-Italian, alike.

The evening of prayer, gathered around the Cross, take place on Monday 2 April 2012, beginning at 7.30pm. St Bernadette’s is easy to locate on the Wells Road (A37), and has plenty of parking facilities.

All are welcome!

This is a new thing for our parish, but our hope is that drawing on the simple, beautiful, and meditative chant and prayer of the Community of Taize, we will deepen our sense of the presence of the Lord as we seek to accompany him through the pilgrimage of Holy Week.

THIS SUNDAY: There were two remarkable moments in the story of the Old Testament where God saved his people; one was in the escape from Egypt – we’ll keep that for the Easter Vigil. The other was the end of their second exile, this time in Babylon, which we hear of today. Of course there was an even greater moment when God saved his people: the work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God – and we hear Jesus tell Nicodemus about that today. So today’s theme is “salvation”: but to understand “being saved”, we must ask “What from?” Saved from slavery, from exile, from human enemies – these are all clear. But the last and greatest salvation brought by Jesus is harder to understand: saved from sin and death. These threaten us as much as any other enemy, and our salvation in Jesus is as real as any other. We are also at the mid-way point of Lent – Laetare Sunday invites us to to a certain joy as we near the events that celebrate our salvation.
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LENTEN SOUP LUNCHES: The second of our parish soup lunches takes place on Palm Sunday – 1 April – from 12 noon onwards. A great way to tap into that Lenten fasting as well as reaching our in love to those less fortunate than ourselves.   Just sing up on the list in the Narthex to ensure you are well catered for.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS: Each Sunday of Lent at 4.00pm, there will be the celebration of the Stations of the Cross followed by Benediction.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: Just for the Season of Lent, we will continue to celebrate Morning Prayer in the Church each Sunday beginning at 9.45am.

FRIDAY HOLY HOUR: This Friday and for the remaining Fridays of Lent, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for an hour of prayer after the morning Mass (so from 10.00am until 11.00am).

VATICAN II COURSE: Keep 20 March (that’s this coming Tuesday) free in your diaries – Clifton Cathedral, 7.30pm. Professor Paul Murray from Durham University will be with us to talk about the Decree on Ecumenism and the Council’s ecumenical outreach and, of course, its impact on what we are called to be, as Church, today. Prof Murray is well able to deepen our understanding of the Council’s ecumenical initiatives, and it’ll be great to reflect upon how we continue to live the fruit of that invitation today. All are welcome – a fantastic series so far!

MASS IN ITALIAN: For the start of Holy Week and the celebration of Palm Sunday, Fr Gerardo Fabrizio will be with us to celebrate Mass at 5.00pm on Palm Sunday in Italian (1 April). Do come along if you can. There will be refreshments in the Hall afterwards.

TAIZE MUSIC AND PRAYER: At the start of our journey of Holy Week this year, there will be an evening of Taize prayer in the Church. This beautiful and simple evening of reflection will draw our attention towards the cross. In song and prayer, reflecting upon the scriptures and drawing upon the spirituality of Taize, we come to the Lord. Monday 2 April at 7.30pm. Do come along – there will also be opportunities for confession that evening, too.

LENTEN CONFESSIONS: There will opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as we journey through Lent. The two Saturday opportunities are there as well as an opportunity as part of Taize evening or prayer on 2 April (7.30pm); also on the Tuesday of Holy Week (3 April) from 6.00pm until 7.30pm (altered), and Spy Wednesday (4 April) from 7.30pm until 8.15pm. There will be a couple of priests available those evenings.

THE ROAD TO CALVARY – A Passion Play: This reflection as we head towards Holy Week takes place at St Gerard’s, Knowle, on Friday 30 March at 7.00pm. Tickets cost £5. All are welcome.

TABLE TOP SALE: To raise some much needed funds for CLIC (Cancer and leukaemia in Children) and SANDS (Stillborn and neonatal death), Barbara Coles is hosting a table top sale in the Hall on Saturday 21 April from 12 – 200pm.  If you can help out by making baked goods, jams and preserves, or you have something for the gift table or some unused, unwanted toiletries, you can hand them into at the presbytery or contact Barbara on (01275) 837754 as soon as possible. Do come along on the day, though, and support these charities, please.

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER: The schedule for Holy Week this year is available for you to take away. Do make sure you pick up an extra one or two copies to pass around to folk who might just need a little encouragement to come and celebrate Easter with us.

FOR YOUR PRAYERS: We remember in our prayers Evelyn Welling and Kathleen Joyce who both died during this last week. Evelyn’s funeral will take place at South Bristol Crematorium this coming Friday at 2.00pm, and Kathleen Joyce’s funeral takes place here at St Bernadette’s on Monday 26 March at 10.00am. May they rest in peace.

OUR PRIMARY SCHOOL: Do keep our primary school in your prayers this week as they welcome the Section 48 (RE) inspector into school on Tuesday and Thursday.

Mass: 5.45pm         (Saturday)    with the blessing of Palms
10.30am        Solemn Procession from outside
and blessing of Palms
Vespers: 4.00pm

Monday of Holy Week ~ 18 April
Morning Prayer & Exposition: 9.00am
Mass: 9.30am

Tuesday of Holy Week ~ 19 April
Morning Prayer & Exposition: 9.00am
Mass: 9.30am

Big Clean for Easter:     10.00am onwards
All willing hands would be appreciated – bring a duster and a mop

Confessions: 7.00pm – 8.00pm

Spy Wednesday ~ 20 April
Mass of Chrism at Clifton Cathedral: 11.00am

Evening Prayer & Exposition: 6.30pm
Mass: 7.00pm

Confessions: 7.30pm – 8.15pm

HOLY THURSDAY ~ 21 April
Office of Readings & Morning Prayer: 9.15am

Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 8.00pm    
Watching at the Altar of Repose until midnight
Night Prayer: 11.50pm

GOOD FRIDAY ~ Friday 22 April

Start of the Walk of Witness from the steps of the Church: 9.15am

Office of Readings & Morning Prayer: 9.25am

Family Stations of the Cross: 11.00am

Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion: 3.00pm

Prayer around the Cross: 7.00pm

HOLY SATURDAY ~ 23 April
Office of Readings & Morning Prayer: 9.15am

Święconka Blessing of Easter Food and Baskets: 11.00am

Easter Vigil of the Lord’s Resurrection:  8.30pm

EASTER SUNDAY ~ 24 April

Mass of Easter Morning:    8.30am
10.30am      

Solemn Vespers of Easter: 4.00pm  

FIRST COMMUNION PREPARATION: Preparation continues on Wednesday 30 March at 3.45pm in the school. Bishop Declan meets with the parents of this year’s group on Thursday 31 March at 7.00pm in the Church. This is always a wonderful opportunity for our bishop spend time with the parents encouraging them in all they do to hand on faith to their children.

ROOTED IN CHRIST: The talks have attracted many over the last couple of months and they are a simple way to begin to deepen our understanding of what we believe. The talks take place in Holy Family, Patchway, and are well worth going along to. The present series on the Sacraments focuses on those tremendous signs of Christ’s presence on our journey through life. Fr Tom Smith is reflecting upon the Sacrament of Ordination this week – Tuesday 29 March at 7.30pm. Find out more either on our diocesan website or else on our notice board in the narthex.

LENTEN BRUNCH: A good hearty brunch as British Summer Time begins takes place straight after Mass this Sunday, 27 March. All proceeds will go in support of our parish outreach projects.

THE SEASON OF LENT – PREPARING FOR THE SACRAMENTS: Lent has always been the traditional time whereby we accompany those who are journeying towards the Sacraments on Initiation at Easter. It was, in the early Church, an intensive time of preparation as the catechumens walked ever nearer to the font. As a parish we are in a most fortunate position whereby (at the moment) we will have three adult Baptisms – Joe Alsop, David Fitzgerald and Rebecca Fitzgerald – as well as two celebrations of Confirmation – Nora O’Brien and John O’Brien.  This will mean that some of the Sunday’s in Lent (three, four and five) will be used to celebrate the Rites appropriate for those journeying towards Baptism and the Sacraments at Easter. The Scrutinies, as they are called, are the Rites and prayers that ask for strength and courage in those walking towards the sacraments. At Easter, we will also be celebrating the reception into the Church of four members of the Anglican Communion who are seeking entry into the Church through the Ordinariate – Pauline & Michael Long, and Bernard & Beryl Coombs. They are part of a wider community spread across Bristol. This is a most encouraging prospect for our parish community and should find us wanting to use their journey as one that encourages us in our faith, too.  Keep them and all those journeying towards the Sacraments this Easter in your prayers. They took part in the Rite of Election this weekend, welcomed by the Bishop, supported by the diocesan community. You’ll notice that the cover is over the font, inviting us to look forward to its ‘unsealing’ at the great Easter Vigil as we renew our baptismal promises in the presence of the newly baptised.

LENTEN SOUP LUNCHES: Our Lenten Lunch series got off to a great start this Lenten fast Day on Friday and it was good to see so many of our fellow Christians from the churches around coming along for lunch. Please do go along to offer them some support as they did to us. Monday 28 March -  United Reformed Church, Whitchurch Village; Saturday 9th April – St Nicholas, Whitchurch Village; Palm Sunday, 17 April – St Bernadette. All at 12 noon. Do go along and support this charitable initiative. The proceeds from our two lunches will go to support CAFOD.

CAFOD BOXES: To accompany your Lenten journey, there are still some CAFOD pyramids and boxes for your Lenten gifts (alms) which you are free to use across the six weeks. Just bring them back to the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday where they will be taken up with the gifts and our offerings for the poor. We are sending just under £550 from last week’s retiring collection plus a further £260 from the Friday Soup Lunch. Thank you for your generosity.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS: Each Sunday of Lent we will make that prayerful journey to the Cross and to the tomb following in the footsteps of Jesus. The Sundays of Lent we start at 4.00pm in the Church, ending with benediction. Palm Sunday will find us celebrating Vespers at 4.00pm, and on Good Friday, the Stations for children and our young people will be celebrated at 11.00am. This gives the children a chance to enter into the story and the drama of Good Friday walking with Jesus to the Cross. This is also a chance for families to draw together on this important day in our lives of faith.

SCHOOL STATIONS: Year 5 are leading the Stations of the Cross here in the Church on Friday 8 April. Put the date in your diary and come along if you can allowing the children to help us reflect upon this journey to the cross.

DIOCESAN FAMILY DAY: Bishop Declan is inviting us to join him at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College on Saturday 21 May (from 10.00am – 4.00pm) with our diocesan community, drawing us together to celebrate our faith. There is a poster in the narthex, and please put the date in your diary. It is a great opportunity for the parish communities across the four counties of our diocese to come together – from climbing walls to workshops – there is something for everyone of all ages. Please go along and represent our own parish community.

WELCOMERS: Our welcomers come together on Thursday 7 April in the Church for a short time together.

PARISH MAGAZINE: Pick up your copy of this Lent/Spring’s issue. It’s free…if you want to pop a little something in the newspaper pot, then please feel free to do so.

CONGRATULATIONS to Richard Coles and Kirsty Grimsby who were married here this Saturday.

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE: Palm Sunday: 5.45pm (Saturday) & 10.30am (Sunday); Holy Thursday: Mass at 8.00pm; Good Friday: Stations for Children (11.00am); Liturgy of the Passion at 3.00pm; Holy Saturday: Easter Vigil at 8.30pm (note the time as the sun does not set until 8.08pm BST and the Vigil is celebrated after the sun has set); Easter Sunday: 8.30am & 10.30am. Full programme for Holy Week available next weekend.

PARISH FORUM GROUP meet in the presbytery on Thursday 14 April at 7.00pm.

SUNDAY GOSPEL REFLECTIONS: Don’t forget to tune in to cliftondiocese.com where five of the younger priests of our diocese will be leading us in reflection each Sunday of the day’s gospel. It gives us a chance to tap into the living water that is the Gospel as part of our lenten jounreying through the desert.

Sunday 28 March         PALM SUNDAY

Mass:10.30am        Solemn Procession and Blessing of Palms
Vespers:   4.00pm

Big Clean for Easter: 10.00am onwards
All willing hands would be appreciated – bring a duster and a mop

Confessions: 7.00pm – 8.00pm

Evening Prayer: 6.40pm         (Confessions from 6.30pm)
Mass: 7.00pm

Lenten Catechesis: 7.30pm

Stations of the Cross led by the Primary School Children: 10.00am

Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 8.00pm
Watching at the Altar of Repose until midnight

TENEBRAE ~ Office of Readings & Morning Prayer: 9.30am

Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion: 3.00pm

Prayer around the Cross: 7.00pm

TENEBRAE ~ Office of Readings & Morning Prayer 9.30am

Swieconka: Polish Blessing of Easter Foods – 10.30am

Easter Vigil of the Lord’s Resurrection: 8.00pm