Anderton St Joseph's        
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THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

5th January 2020

After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote:
And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.’
Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way. Matthew 2:1-12


Sat 4th  
16.00Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 
16.15-16.30Confessions

Sun 5th THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD (p.115)
Sat 16.45Mass – Parishioners
09.00Mass – Mary Fearnhead – Thanksgiving (Foundation Mass)

Mon 6th
09.15Liturgy of the Word and Holy Communion 

Tues 7th St Raymond of Penyafort
09.15 Mass – Sheila Hodgson (L.D.)

Wed 8th 
10.00Liturgy of the Word and Holy Communion 

Thurs 9th Saint Adrian of Canterbury
09.15 Liturgy of the Word and Holy Communion 

Fri 10th
09.15 Mass – Catherine Hassard (L.D.)

Sat 11th  
16.00-16.35Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
16.15Confessions

Sun 12th Dec THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD (p.118)
Sat 16.45Mass – Parishioners
09.00Mass – Fr Louis Catterall (L.D.)

NO LITTLE CHURCH THIS WEEK – RESUME NEXT WEEKEND

PLEASE PRAY FOR ALL THE SICK AND THE HOUSEBOUND 
including: Emeritus Pope Benedict, 
 and all at Grove House & Marley Court.

COLLECTIONS: Offertory last weekend (Holy Family) was £399.The Christmas Day Collection was £1038 including a very generous donation in memory of the late Maureen Gerrard. Thank you for your continued support and generosity. Your Christmas Offerings go into the Parish Account. Any cheques for the parish should be made payable to St Joseph’s Anderton (068) Parish A/c. Retiring collection on 5th January - Restoration Fund. Next weekend (12th) we have the White Poppy Appeal at the retiring collection.

QUOTATIONS ON THE EPIPHANY 
What are you doing, O Magi? Do you adore a little Babe, in a wretched hovel, wrapped in miserable rags? Can this Child be truly God? … Are you become foolish, O Wise Men … Yes, these Wise Men have become fools that they may be wise. — Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

Give me, therefore, I pray Thee, this gold, this incense, and this myrrh. Give me the gold of Thy holy love; give me the spirit of holy prayer, give me the desire and strength to mortify myself in everything that displeases Thee. I am resolved to obey Thee and to love Thee; but Thou knowest my weakness, oh, give me the grace to be faithful to Thee! — St Alphonsus Liguori

Today the Magi gaze in deep wonder at what they see: heaven on earth, earth in heaven, man in God, God in man, one whom the whole universe cannot contain now enclosed in a tiny body. As they look, they believe and do not question, as their symbolic gifts bear witness: incense for God, gold for a king, myrrh for one who is to die. — Peter Chrysologus

Truth, by which the world is held together, has sprung from the earth, in order to be carried in a woman’s arms. — St Augustine

EPIPHANY HOUSE BLESSINGS: This is a long-established tradition, especially in central Europe You can do this easily yourself. Blessed chalk will be available in little baskets by the nativity crib. Please take a piece after Mass and here is a suggested format for the blessing:

All make the Sign of the Cross.
Leader: “Peace be to this house and to all who dwell here, in the name of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
A Reader reads the Gospel for the Epiphany - on front of this newsletter
ALL: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ 

Our Father ……

Leader: Let us pray: 
Hear us, O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, and send Your Holy Angel from Heaven to watch over, cherish, protect, be with, and defend all who live in this house. I call upon Your Saints, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, to protect my family and my home from every harm and danger, and I place the marks of their holy names over the doors of my home to remain there as a constant reminder to us and to all who enter here that my house is truly a house of the Lord. 
O God, make the door of my house wide enough to receive all who need human love and companionship; narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride, and strife. Make its threshold smooth enough to be no stumbling block to children, nor to straying feet, but rugged and strong enough to turn back the tempter’s power. O God, make the door of my house the gateway to Your eternal Kingdom. I ask these things in the Name of Jesus Christ Your Son. Amen.
Using chalk, write on the outside of your house or inside above the front main entrance, above or next to an entrance:+20 C M B 20+
[These words mean. “May Christ bless this house” or the names of the Magi above]
All: Lord God of heaven and earth, you revealed your only begotten Son to every nation by the guidance of a star. Bless this house and all who live here and all who visit. May we be blessed with health, kindness of heart, gentleness and the keeping of your law. Fill us with the light of Christ, that our love for each other may go out to all. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.​

A warm welcome to all our visitors and to any new members of our parish who share with us today's Celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We are pleased that you have come to join us in our community of faith. New Parishioners, please take a copy of the Parish Directory, available in the church porch or ask at the Repository. New Parishioners are also invited to complete their contact details on the forms available in the church porch and hand them in to the sacristy.


CHORLEY HOSPITAL: Please contact St Joseph’s, Harper’s Lane (262713) if any member of your family is admitted into the Hospital and needs the priest to visit. In an emergency, the ward staff will call in the duty priest chaplain via the switchboard. For the chaplaincy service at Royal Preston Hospital please ring 01772 522435. For the chaplaincy service at Wigan Infirmary T. 01942 822324.

BAPTISMS: In order to arrange a baptism, please ask Fr Marsden for an application form in the sacristy immediately after one of the weekend Masses. The next Baptism Preparation Course will be sometime in the New Year.

BIBLE STUDY GROUP: in St Mary’s presbytery and we are looking at St Matthew’s Gospel. We resume this Wed 8th January looking at Matthew ch.3. Everybody welcome. Please spread the word.

As pilgrims of faith, the Wise Men themselves became stars shining in the firmament of history and they show us the way. The saints are God’s true constellations, which light up the nights of this world, serving as our guides. Saint Paul, in his Letter to the Philippians, told his faithful that they must shine like stars in the world. - Benedict XVI

As you kneel at the feet of the child Jesus on the day of His Epiphany and see Him a king bearing none of the outward signs of royalty, you can tell Him: “Lord, take away my pride; crush my self-love, my desire to affirm myself and impose myself on others. Make the foundation of my personality my identification with you.” St Josemaria Escriva

THE HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTION FOR JANUARY
For the Promotion of World Peace - We pray that Christians, followers of other religions, and all people of goodwill may promote peace and justice in the world.


 A BLESSED AND PEACEFUL NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! 



Parish Priest: Fr Francis Marsden (01257) 480237 
(Also 01257 262537 - St Mary's Chorley)
Parish Office: St Joseph’s Presbytery, 28, Bolton Road, Adlington, 
Chorley PR6 9NA   (Open Wednesdays 10 am – 3.30 pm)
E-mail: stjosephs.anderton@tiscali.co.uk        
Parish Website:www.stjosephsanderton.com
LIVERPOOL ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN TRUSTEES INC 
Registered Charity No.232709