THIS SUNDAY: Following on from the woman of Samaria encountering the thirst of Jesus, we find ourselves in the company of a blind man, Bartimaeus. The thrust of St John’s little episode of this healing is to show us, not only Jesus’ power to heal the blind, but to bring this man from unbelief to belief, from darkness to light, from blindness to sight. Those who were newly baptised in the early Church were given the Greek name photozomenoi – the enlightened ones. What St John shows us is that those who belong to Christ are those who are not walking in darkness but are guided by he who is the Light of the World. The light that is given to us at our baptism is a reminder that we have Christ as our light. It is our faith that illuminates the path we walk, leading us to Christ. It is that light we journey towards this Lent as at the heart of our Easter Vigil is the light of the Paschal Candle. Christ is our light and our way, our guide and our lead. His is the light we follow; he will not leave us in darkness, but bathing in his glorious light.  This joy-filled Sunday – Laetare Sunday – also marks the mid point of our season.

MOTHERING SUNDAY: This day, of course, is a day to reflect upon the Church of your baptism, the church where you were brought to birth into the family of the Church – hence the reason why we call the Church, our Mother. We also remember our own mothers today. Whether they have gone before us to glory or whether we still enjoy their presence in our lives, we ask God to bless them and to watch over them, today and always.

FIRST COMMUNION PREPARATION: Preparation continues on Wednesday 6 April at 3.45pm in the school. The children then break for Easter, returning to their preparation on Wednesday 27 April. Their next celebration Mass is when they come to receive the gift of the cross on Sunday 8 May at 10.30am.

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. Deacon Kevin Moloney is reflecting upon the Sacrament of Marriage this week – Tuesday 5 April at 7.30pm. Find out more either on our diocesan website or else on our notice board in the narthex.

THE SEASON OF LENT – PREPARING FOR THE SACRAMENTS: We will have three adult Baptisms this Easter – Joe Alsop, David Fitzgerald and Rebecca Fitzgerald – as well as two celebrations of Confirmation – Nora O’Brien and John O’Brien.  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.  We keep them all in our prayers.

LENTEN SOUP LUNCHES: Palm Sunday, 17 April, here at St Bernadette’s -12 noon. The proceeds from our lunch will go to support CAFOD.

CAFOD BOXES: Your CAFOD boxes can be brought back to the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday where they will be taken up with the gifts as our offerings for the poor.

LENTEN BRUNCH: Thank you to those who provided last week’s lunch and those who cam along in support. £330 was raised thanks to your kindness. This will go to support our parish outreach projects.

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. On Good Friday, the Stations for children and families 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 (10.30am). Put the date in your diary and come along and allow 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 this coming Thursday 7 April in the Church for a time together.

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. The full programme for Holy Week is also available from the narthex.

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

WEB STATIONS: From this coming Friday (8th) you will be able to reflect on the Stations of the Cross via our parish website. A station a day taking us up to Good Friday. Make it a part of your prayerfulness each day. On the home page each day from nextFriday (8th), we journey through the fourteen Stations, taking us to Good Friday and the celebration of the Lord’s Passion. The reflections have been composed by Fr Christopher and Jane Critten. The images are the first images of the stations placed in our Church. Originally, the stations were just marked by a cross. Fr Mitchell (as he was then) obtained a set that were given by St Thomas More’s, Cheltenham. They are slate with the images carved out and highlighted in white. The photgraphs were taken by Fr Robert King.

APF – Missio: Thank you to all red box holders, annual members, and to those who gave donations.  The parish raised £2799 in 2010 in support of the missions.

COMMUNITY CHOIR: Spring Concert in support of the people of Japan.   The Amplius Community Choir are giving a concert of sacred and secular music celebrating  Spring, Lent, and Easter on Saturday 16 April at Counterslip Baptist Church in aid of the Japan Red Cross Relief Fund.  Starts at 7.30pm – everyone welcome.

NEW TRANSLATION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL: Four Thursdays in Eastertime have been set aside for the beginnings of our reflection and preparation for the new translation of the missal ~ 5 May, 19 May, 2 June, and 16 June. These sessions (an hour each) beginning at 7.00pm will give us an opportunity to reflect upon the Eucharist and the words we pray when we come together for Mass. Please do come along and take part in this catechesis.

PARISH MAGAZINE: Don’t forget that copies of the Lenten/Spring edition of the magazine are available from the narthex. Get in touch if you would like a copy sent to you.

This Mass is to celebrate 75 years of collaboration between missio APF and the Mill Hill Missionaries.

The celebrant will be Bishop Declan, and concelebrants include Monsignor John Dale (National Director of Missio) and Father Tony Chantry (General Superior of Mill Hill Missionaries).

Please invite friends and anyone interested in mission.

THIS SUNDAY: A few weeks ago (22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time) we had a Gospel about humility in social life – today we hear the Lord reiterating the message, but this time in reference to our prayer lives. The two Gospels are linked by the last words today, which also appear in the other story: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” This phrase is obviously a key part of our Lord’s teaching! The sin of “self-exaltation” consists in putting others in a lower place – as the Pharisee does to the tax collector. Perhaps the most telling phrase in today’s Gospel is where Jesus refers to the Pharisee saying “this prayer to himself,” rather than offering it to God! And since the Pharisee wasn’t talking to God, how could he expect to be heard?

CONFIRMATION PREPARATION: The third session of preparation takes place on Wednesday November 10 in the Hall at 6.00pm – then, December 8, and January 12. The Bishop will be with us on Thursday 27 January.

SCHOOLS OF PRAYER: There is a wonderful opportunity to explore ways of praying this October. Members of different religious communities will explore with us their Order’s particular spirituality – and this next Saturday, the Dominican Sisters will take us on a journey through a Dominican way of praying. Hosted by the nuns at Woodchester Convent, the sessions start at 10.00am and finish at 12.00noon. Do go along if you can – it should be a reflective, prayerful couple of days. Have a look at the poster in the narthex. This final session brings the prayerful month to a close.

EXTRA ORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION: All our ministers of Holy Communion will be commissioned over the weekend of 13th & 14th November. This will see some of our parish family commissioned for the first time to serve us in this special way. This gives us an opportunity to appreciate the generous service that is shown to us through their ministry.

COMMUNION UNDER BOTH KINDS: Our Saturday evening Mass is the only one where communion is not offered from the chalice. From the First Sunday of Advent (27 November) and following the commissioning of ministers of Holy Communion, there will be the opportunity to receive communion from the chalice. To enable this to happen is as respectful and orderly a way possible, we will need to approach the altar from the central part of the church and not from the sides. This will enable the two ministers holding the chalices to stand at the end of the rails and those who want to receive communion from the chalice to present themselves from those side aisles. It should enable a steady flow to and from communion and facilitate an easy reception of communion from the chalice. Please just be aware of these slight adjustments over the next couple of weeks.

CURRY AND QUIZ NIGHT: A fantastic and fun evening with an authentic curry and mind-teasing questions from our resident quizmaster to draw us together as the autumn looms in. Keep the evening free – Saturday 6th November. There will be a bar as well as a delicious supper and good company, too. Tickets cost £5 (great value) so come along, get a team together, and join in! See notice board for more details. Numbers are limited to fifty places.

SOUNDS OF THE 70’s – PARISH SOCIAL – 27 NOVEMBER: Come and dance the night away to the music of “Erebus”, in a fun night with a fish and chip supper. Search your wardrobes, dig out and dust off those clothes and spend the evening reminiscing to the authentic sounds of the 70′s! Watch this space for more details. Tickets will cost £10 and this will include entertainment through the night by a fantastic live band as well as your fish and chip supper.

FIRST COMMUNION PREPARATION: The preparation programme for First Communion 2011 will begin late January. If you have a child in year 3 and feel that they are ready to take this next step in their pilgrimage of faith, then you might think about coming along to a parents’ meeting on Thursday 18 November in the Church at 7.00pm. This is an important get together for parents (for you will have a crucial role, this year, in your children’s preparation) and this meeting will be chance for you not only to register your child on the course, but also find out something of your child’s preparation across the six months. If you have questions at this stage, please get in touch with FrC. You might also like to pass the word around just in case someone misses out on the info.

ROTAS: The new rotas are out in paper version from the table in the narthex or electronically by looking at www.stbernadettewhitchurch.org    Don’t forget to pick up your copy.

NOVEMBER MASS LIST: The Mass list for the month of November can be found on the notice board in the narthex. If you would like a Mass celebrated for your deceased loved ones during the month of the Holy Souls, please use the list to allocate yourself a particular day. One mass intention per day is all that is allowed, so ensure that you chose a ‘free’ slot. It is always helpful if you also write down the name and the date you have requested and give it to FrC.

PARISH MAGAZINE: The Autumn edition of our parish magazine is available from the narthex for you to take away. Thanks to all our contributors. There are some wonderful reflections of how members of our parish community took part in the Papal Visit. Maybe when we have read your copy, pass it on! They are free to take away; it you want to pop something by way of contribution into the paper bowl, then please feel free to do so.

MISSION MASS: Each autumn Mass is celebrated around our diocese to draw together all those who work to support the APF. We are fortunate as a parish to be in a position to host one of the Masses this year. On Thursday 28 October, the annual Mission Mass will be celebrated here at 7.00pm. Those of you who support the APF through your red boxes, those of your who work to promote and collect contributions are warmly invited to come along. Those of you who know little about the APF and would like to find out more are equally encouraged to come along. Our diocesan Missions Director will be celebrating the Mass and it is a great chance to reflect upon all that is done to reach out to charity and mission. See notice.

THIS SUNDAY is World Mission Sunday and our retiring collection goes to support the work of the APF and the missions. The APF is something that is so generously supported in our parish and many of you contribute towards the work of the missions through you Red Boxes. This week’s collection is our contribution towards the work of the Church on the missions… we remind ourselves that we may not be able to go to the ends of the earth, but we do encourage those who commit themselves to doing just that, bringing the gospel and Christ’s good news to those who have yet to hear it.

VESPERS FOR ALL SAINTS: Sunday 31st October (next Sunday) at 4.00pm we celebrate Evening Prayer on the Feast of All Saints. We seek the prayer and the intercession of the saints for they are our examples of how to live that life of love and fidelity seeking to imitate Christ in all we do. Do come along if you can.

SCHOOL YEAR GROUPS AT MASS: Starting after this half term, each Friday morning Mass will see us joined by one of the class groups from our primary school. This is not just a prayerful opportunity for them but also a catechetical one, too. It gives them chance to experience the celebration of Mass and to grow in their appreciation and understanding of this treasure in our lives of faith. It would be great if there were folk ready to support them on these Fridays. All are welcome. On Friday 5 November, we welcome year 6.

HOLY SOULS MASS: This annual mass at Holy Souls cemetery takes place on Saturday 6 November at 12noon. This is a special opportunity for us to join our bishop and our diocesan family at the start of this month of the Holy Souls.

The many outreach activities in our parish include our involvement through Amplius the ecumenical group of local churches, support for the Julian Trust and the Ministry of the Door at St. Nicholas of Tolentino, our links with Cafod, Missio (formerly the APF), the HCPT, Traidcraft, Samaritans Purse shoebox presents from our youth club, our support for projects in Zambia and our prayer links.

Awareness of the needs of others has prompted action by many parishioners. We enjoy many social events, themed evenings and meals prepared by our Italian, Malaysian and Indian parishioners. Money raised from these events supports local and overseas projects.

Together with other local churches we hold weekly lunches during Lent, a Good Friday walk of witness and a Christmas concert.

Our links with Cafod are strengthened through our Family Fast days and our pyramid box donations during Lent. The Cafod national and diocesan organisers keep in regular contact informing us of events in the diocese and overseas.

Support for building and aid projects in Zambia is co-ordinated through the Papal Nuncio to Zambia, Monsignor Girasoli and local priests and religious.

Through the weekly prayer list of intercessions posted at St. Joseph’s statue in the church we remember the needs of those in our parish and the wider world. Parishioners are invited to add their special intentions to the list so that all the parish can support them in our prayers.

The work of the different groups in the parish is supported by representatives meeting together regularly. Our parish contacts are :

Zambia projects – Fr. Christopher and Maria Amesbury

Cafod – Linda and Gordon Hodgson

Missio – Judith Lavelle

HCPT – Maureen Case

Traidcraft – Marie Forester

Amplius – Gerry Panter and Mike Forde

Samaritans Purse – Youth Club

At present we are collecting groceries for the Julian Trust and gifts and donations for the Samaritans Purse appeal as well as meeting together with other local churches in a community choir to prepare for our Amplius Christmas concert.

Events during Advent include the Amplius Christmas concert in St. Bernadettes school hall on Friday December 4th and a quiz night with fish and chip supper in the parish hall on Saturday December 5th.

We are always looking for new ideas and our Outreach group would welcome suggestions from parish members in addition to the generosity, prayers and support we already receive.