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Fourth Sunday Easter Year A 30th April 2023 St John the Evangelist: Collections: First Collection GA £ 456.90 NGA £944.88 Monthly Standing Orders: £3,818.00 Building Fund GA £ 70.00 St Anthony £32.54 Second Collection 29th/30th April: Vocations and Ecclesiastical Students: This collection pays for our Paisley Seminarians studying in Rome. Currently we have one student whose seminary fees are £20,000 per year. As well as supporting our seminarians this collection goes to the upkeep of our Scots College in Rome. Funerals this week: Wed 3rd May. Clare Gilchrist, Thurs 4th May, John Lafferty. Fri 5th May, Minnie Monaghan. First Communions: St John’s Primary 4 pupils will celebrate their First Holy Communion next Saturday the 6th of May at 10.00am and St Mark’s Primary 4 pupils the following Saturday the 13th of May also at 10.00am. First Friday Children’s Rosary. This Friday the 6th May at 6.30pm. This is an opportunity, for children of all ages to gather together to pray the rosary. All families are invited to attend and pre- school children are very welcome. The idea is that children as young as 4 or 5 and up to around 14 can learn to lead the rosary and make the rosary part of their daily lives. The rosary only lasts around 15 minutes. Please contact Lesley Ward if you need any further information ([email protected] or call 07910266821). First Friday Evening Mass: Mass after the Children’s Rosary at 7pm. Qualified First Aiders required for Sunday Masses. This would involve obtaining a PVG, which would be arranged by the Paisley Diocese. Please see Fr Joe or Mary Hallan/Mary Murray if interested. Pass keepers: We are looking for new Pass keepers to help with Offertory and Second Collections at Sunday Masses and in particular the 11.30am & 5pm Mass. See one of existing pass keepers or Fr Joe if interested. New Gift Aid Weekly & Second Collection Envelopes for 23-24: These are now available from the link corridor for those who pay tax. First Fridays for Life - 5th May 7pm - St Mary's, Paisley: Will you fast and pray every First Friday for Life? Bishop John invites you to fast and pray on the First Friday of each month for the protection of the unborn child and the flourishing of the Pro-Life movement so that our society will build an authentic culture of life. Family Night & Meal To welcome all our new parishioners and to give all parishioners a chance to meet and enjoy good food, there will be a dinner in the hall on Friday 19th May at 7pm. The idea is that everyone brings a dish of prepared food to share. Hopefully this will lead to a mix of traditional Scottish fayre and food from other countries such as Hong Kong, Nigeria, Poland, Italy, Singapore & Spain. The parish will supply the crockery, glasses and cutlery. There will also be some haggis neeps and tatties on offer. Please bring your own drinks (byob). Volunteers needed to help set up so please give your name to Fr Joe or contact Lesley Ward for further details ([email protected] 07910266821). Please also contact Lesley (preferably by email) if you plan to attend so that we have an idea of numbers, ideally no later than 12 May 2023. A Family Day with Mary – Sunday 14th May: Join families from throughout the Diocese at St. John’s, for an afternoon of celebration in honour of Mary our Mother which includes prayer, activity and games for children. The day will begin with refreshments at 2pm, and concludes with Holy Mass at 4pm celebrated by Bishop John. No 5pm Mass on this day. Teas/Coffees: There are teas/coffees after the 10.00am Mass this weekend and on every weekend up until the school summer holidays. Eastertide Flowers: To defray the costs, you may wish to place a donation in the flower box in the porch. Thank you. We pray for those who have died recently: Clare Gilchrist, John Lafferty, Minnie Monaghan and for the Anniversaries of Sadie Cunningham, Helen Monaghan, Janet Mullen, John Mc Gorrian, Matilda Mc Gorrian, Maurice Mc Guire, William Mc Master, James Mc Shane, Bert Readie, Alexander Young. Good-Shepherd Sunday 2023 Bishop’s Pastoral Letter Dear brothers and sisters, Today our Church celebrates Good Shepherd Sunday and World Day of Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated Life. This year we celebrate the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis in the See of St. Peter and ten years of much change in our society, our Church and, of course, our Diocese. Among the most memorable moments for Pope Francis was his visit to the United States of America where he was accorded the honour of being the first Pope invited to address a joint session of Congress. His speech that day touched on key events in the history of America – the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement and the country’s emergence as a global superpower. America was a place of dreams, which inspired participation, commitment, action and freedom; dreams that awaken the deepest and truest hopes of our lives and times. Pope Francis reflected on those Americans whose dreams had shaped their nation: Abraham Lincoln with his dream of liberty; Martin Luther King and his dream of racial harmony; Dorothy Day with her dream of social justice, and Thomas Merton with his dream of a spirituality in tune with God’s presence in our world. In our time, we have our own dreamers: people who inspire us; whose vision speaks to us; who, despite the difficulties of the present moment, encourage us to believe in a brighter and fairer future for the human family. For me, Pope Francis is one of these dreamers. But what does God dream for us, for our lives, our communities and our world? For Pope Francis, the call to priesthood is a call to make God’s dreams come true. Our priests are our dreamers too. In their commitment to the teaching of the Church, in their celebration of the Sacraments, in their care for the poor, and their love for the Gospel of life, our priests lead us to believe that one family of humanity is not just wishful thinking or pie in the sky, but the very dream God has created us to live and enjoy. Eastertide is the season where death turns to life and fear to hope. It is always a time of dreams. For some, it is a time to let go of old and tired dreams; for others, it is a time to embrace new dreams and visions. I wonder what God dreams for your life; if you dream of being part of God’s plan for the world; if our parishes can be places where the dream of serving God is nurtured and sustained; if some of you can dream of service in the Priesthood? Today, amid the dramatic events of our time, I pray that you, God’s Holy People, hear His dream for you and respond to it with love, generosity and faith. May the light of the Holy Spirit help us so that we play our unique part in God’s dream for our Church and our world. Yours in Christ, Bishop John
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