Our Lady of Good Counsel

& Guardian Angels Parish

54 Harvey Street,
Elton, Bury BL8 2RD
Tel: 0161 764 1630

Email: olgcga@btinternet.com
Parish website:
www.guardianangels-parish.org
Parish Twitter: @olgcga
Diocesan website:
www.salforddiocese.org.uk

Newsletter for the weekend 6th /7th December 2014

The Second Sunday of Advent (Year of St. MarkYear B)
PLEASE REMEMBER
IN PRAYER
OUR SICK:
Fr Francis Fitzpatrick,
Bro. Nicholas Hutchinson,
David Lindley, Ann McGuigan,
Michael Dewsnap, Barbara
Kendall, Mary McSherry, Dominic
Gamble, Geraldine Short, Rita
Deegan, Eileen Cock, Angela
Rogers, Gladys Abram, Becky
Bolton, Baby Eliza May Lyne,
Margaret Reilly, Elaine Hardman,
Ray Fitzwalter, James Scanlon.
LATELY DECEASED
Derek Simpson,
John Maguire,
Anna Lenguito,
Jean Norman.
ANNIVERSARIES
Angeline & Michael Van Den
Honert
Margaret Anne Adams
Jim Murray
Michael Turner
Kevin Moakler
Rita Cunliffe
Jack Helm
Joe Cullen
To include someone on the prayer list
please give their name to Fr. Paul, put
it through the letterbox of
the Parish Office, call the
Office on: 0161 764 1630
or e-mail to
olgcga@btinternet.com
Please use the
White Mass Intention
envelopes for Mass intentions which
you will find in the porches. Thank
you.
When adding the name of someone
sick please ensure that you have their
permission (or the permission of their
family). The list is updated each week.
and because of space the names of the
sick will be removed from the list after
four weeks. You can ask for them to
be added again.

THIS WEEKENDS
SCRIPTURES
TODAYS READINGS
First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5;911 Prepare a way for the Lord.
Psalm: 84. Res: Let us see, O
Lord your mercy and give us
your saving help.
Second Reading: 2nd St Peter
3:8-14 We are waiting for the
new heaven and new earth.
Gospel: Mark 1:1-8 Make his
paths straight.

NEXT WEEKENDS
SCRIPTURES (Year B)
First Reading: Isaiah 61:1-2;1011
Psalm: Lk 1:46. Res: Is 61:10.
Second Reading: 1st Thessalonians 5:16-24
Gospel: John 1:6-8;19-28.

'CIRCLE OF PRAYER'
St Theresa of Lisieux
Deanery
For the week beginning Sunday
16th November we pray for the
the parishioners of Our Lady of
Dol ores and the Servite
Community.
You are now able to access the
parish newsletter from our
twitter feed (@olgcga)

SERVICES THIS WEEK

Saturday 6th December: Second Sunday of Advent
7.00 pm: Mass
Sunday 7th December: Second Sunday of Advent
8.45 am: Mass
10.30 am: Mass
Monday 8th December: The Feast of the Immaculate
Conception
9.15 am: Eucharistic Service
Tuesday 9th December: Advent weekday
7.00pm: Mass
Wednesday 10th December: Advent weekday
11.00 am: Funeral Mass for Derek Simpson
Thursday 11th December: St. Damasus 1, Pope
9.15am: Mass
Friday 12th December: Feast of Our Lady of
Guadalupe
9.15 am: Eucharistic Service
Saturday 13th December: Third Sunday of Advent
7.00 pm: Mass
Sunday 14th December: Third Sunday of Advent
8.45 am: Mass
10.30 am: Mass
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Saturday 13th December Confessions6.00pm
Saturday 20th DecemberNo Confessions
The Rosary (for the sick and peace)
Monday 7.00 pm In Church

To receive our Parish Newsletter by e-mail each weekend,

simply e-mail the Parish Office on: olgcga@btinternet.com
with the tag line newsletter and we will add you to the list.
Follow us on Twitter also @olgcga for reminders and updates
on parish events.
Follow the Department for Evangelisation: @SalfordDFE

Flowers on the Sanctuary.

If you would like to have the
flowers on the sanctuary in memory of
someone or something special just let Fr
Paul or Sharon know and they will arrange it. (Please
note that during the season of Advent we only have
greenery on the sanctuary)
Flowers on the Sanctuary for Christmas
If anyone would like to make a donation towards the cost
of the flowers in the Church over Christmas (perhaps in
memory of a loved one), please contact the Parish Office,
or put it in an envelope and pop it through the letter box of
the Parish Office.

Awakening Faith and Seeking Christ

NO MEETINGS NOW UNTIL JANUARY 2015
PLEASE KEEP AND EYE ON THE NEWSLETTER

The Clusterers
Thursday 15th December 2014Hollinworth LakeEasy.
Meeting in Guardian Angels Car Park at 10.00am.
Leader Jeff Smith: 0161 764 7269
WEEKLY OFFERINGS
The Offertory Collection for: 29th/30th November was:
Envelopes: 810.96 Loose: 330.83
TOTAL: 1142.79
Thank you for your generosity.
If you wish to join the Gift Aid scheme please see Fr Paul at the back of
Church after Mass. It only takes a couple of seconds!

2nd Sunday of Advent

If you wish to contribute to the View from the Pew,
please contact the Parish Office.

These are anonymous comments from

parishioners.
Isaiah cries, Prepare in the wilderness a way for the Lord.
Jeremiah goes on to give some substance to this wilderness when he
calls it a land of desert and pits, a land of drought and deep darkness, a
land that no one passes through, where no one dwells (Jeremiah 2.6).
I wonder how we would describe our own personal wildernesses
in the world of today. I was standing in the middle of Manchester last
Saturday, yes I know, very foolish at this time of the year. Yet despite
the crowds I sensed more loneliness than when walking on the ridges of
the Tatra Mountains which are part of the boundary between Poland and
Slovakia.
Our wilderness is strange because it is so densely populated. The
voice in this wilderness is often ignored because of the clamour of other
declarations based on power, greed and intolerance. Yet many voices in
the wildernesses of today cry out in their need. People who are lonely,
hurting or in financial need cry out. People who struggle under unfair
burdens and receive no help to lift them cry out. Victims of crime,
abuse and violence cry out, pleading to be heard.
Pope Francis in his recent address to the European Union
seemed to echo these thoughts when he talked about the loneliness of
those with no connection to others, the marginalisation of the elderly,
the young with no clear signposts nor future aspirations and the poor
and immigrants.
Who will listen to these voices? How can we prepare a way for
the Lord so that the voice of the one who will follow after John can be
heard, not just during this Season of Advent but for all the seasons
throughout the years to come?
ITEMS FOR THE NEWSLETTER
Please submit all items for inclusion in the newsletter to the Parish
Office no later than Wednesday evening.
Either pop them through the Office letter-box or e-mail them in. Anything received after Wednesday evening cant be guaranteed to make it
into the next weekends newsletter.
YOGA CLASS
Each Friday 9.0010.00 am in the Parish Centre.
Christmas Extravaganzaunclaimed raffle prizes.
Cosmetics Basket 736-740 (Yellow)
Bottle of Whisky
566-570 (Yellow)
Bottle of Port
551-555 (Blues)
Please Contact the Office.

PARISH DIARY
Monday 8th December
The installation of our new Bishop, Bishop John Arnold at
Salford Cathedral. (Admission strictly by ticket only)
Tuesday 9th December
Tuesday ClubChristmas Raffle
Wednesday 10th December
7.30 pm Book Club Christmas Party in the Parish Centre
Friday 12th December
7.30 pm: Sean Ruane in Concert (tickets now available)
Weekend of 13th/14th December
Helping Hands Sunday (see below)
Tuesday 16th December
8.009.00 pm - Childrens Liturgy DBS form drop-in
session.
Wednesday 17th December
7.00 pm: Advent Parish Reconciliation Service
8.009.00 pm - Childrens Liturgy DBS form drop-in
session.
Thursday 18th December
9.15 am: End of Term Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes School
Friday 19th December
9.15 am: End of Term Mass at Guardian Angels School
Sunday 21st December
After the 10.30 am Mass: The BIG DRAW of the Ten
Week Draw
Wednesday 24th December CHRISTMAS EVE
7.00 pm MassVigil Mass
11.30 pm Mass Mass at Midnight (Mass starts at 11.30)
Thursday 25th December CHRISTMAS DAY
8.45 amMass of Christmas Day
10.30 amMass of Christmas Day
HELPING HANDS SUNDAY
3rd SUNDAY of Advent 13th/14th December
Next weekend once again gives a chance to help those who
are less fortunate than ourselves.
We always have a Helping Hands Sunday in Advent, so
that we are able to distribute a lot of stuff just before Christmas, and perhaps bring a little cheer into some peoples
lives. In case you cant remember the sort of things we
need, heres the list again:

Selection boxes (which will be distributed to the homeless)

Breakfast cereal, Sugar, Jam, Marmalade etc
Tins of meat, soups, beans etc (i.e. food stuff that wont
go off)
Toiletries, (all the usual things, toothpaste, combs,
toothbrushes, soap, etc)
Sleeping bags (new or used) which will be distributed
to the homeless for the cold winter nights.
Gloves, scarves, woolly socks, shirts, jumpers, cardigans, coats, etc (new or used in good condition)
Thank you.

PLEASE NOTE: We have no storage room at the

moment in the houseso please try to bring them with
you to the Masses next weekend and leave them at the
back of the Church. Many thanks.
We will be sorting out everything on Monday
15th December at 9.45 amif you can help out, please
come along to the Parish Centre.
Once more everything that comes in will be distributed to the following three Centres:
The Caritas Centre, Bury, The Missionaries of Charity, Collyhurst, Cornerstones, Moss Side, Manchester (as well as
keeping a supply of food in the Parish House for the increasing number of people who rely on us for some food).

Having your child baptised.

If you are planning on having your child baptised, please pick up a leaflet from the Welcome and Information Centre, which outlines our baptism preparation programme.
Please note that the first thing that parents have to do is contact
the Parish Office (telephone on 0161 764 1630 or call in) to
book onto the First Meeting, held on the first Sunday of each
month. Please do not just turn up for the meeting without first
booking in through the Parish Office. This means that our Baptism Preparation Team have a workable number of people each
month.
APFMILL HILL NOVEMBER 2014
Would APF-MILL HILL Promoters please collect their books,
Calendars, etc., from the Library. The amount collected last quarter was 1323.13. Many thanks.
If anyone has not had their Red Box opened in the last 12 months
and would like it opened, please phone 761 5195 and we will arrange to empty it.

Family Crib Relay

(A new exciting venture for the families of our Parish)
Come together as a family to re-discover the true meaning of
the first Christmas.
We did this last year, but started it latewe only managed a
week of Advent! We want to do it throughout more of Advent this
year.
As we have two Crib sets, we still have a few days unassigned to families. So its still not too late to join in the Crib Relay
(and all families are invited to join in the Crib relay) before the
relay begins.
Once the first day of the Relay arrives, the cribs will then be
sent home with one family, the idea being that they can then take a
little time that night to discuss together the story of the first Christmas and the Nativity scene, and say a prayer together (everything
will be provided by us).
The crib is then packed away and the next day it is delivered
to the next family on the list, if they are not in it could, at a pinch,
be left on the doorstep as a gift, and then that family repeat the
story-telling and discussion about the crib, and then the process
continues.
Each family keeps the crib for only one night as we share
this relay amongst the families in the Parish taking part.
This continues until the final family brings the crib back to
church for one of the Masses on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
SO THIS IS THE LAST CALL FOR ANY MORE FAMILIES
THAT MIGHT HAVE FORGOTTEN TO NOTIFYING US
THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE INVOLVEDLET US
KNOW BY THURSDAY 11th DECEMBER.
If you would like to join in the Family Crib Relay, just fill out this
slip and either give it Fr Paul or Sharon after Mass or post it
through the Parish Office letter-box no later than Thursday 11th
December.
Name of Family..
Address...

E-mail.
Telephone No.

St Gabriel's Annual Carol Service

On Tuesday 16th December at 6.30 St. Gabriel's will be
hosting its popular annual Carol Service in their school hall.
This is the first time we have had the service here and we
would love all members of the St. Gabriel's Community to attend in order to celebrate and prepare for Christmas.
We would like to extend a warm welcome to all parishioners from our contributory parishes and will be serving light
seasonal refreshments after the service.
We look forward to meeting everyone and would like to
take this opportunity to wishing everyone a very happy and
holy Christmas.
The Staff and pupils of St. Gabriel's
MINIBUS DRIVERS
If you cannot fulfil your rota duty, please arrange a swap with
another team. Thanks.
This weeks team: George Ponka & Janet Turner
Next weeks team: Marcia & Lawrence Cook
THE TEN WEEK DRAW
WEEK FOR RESULTS 30th NOVEMBER
1st Prize:
50 No
121 Ged OConnor
Agent:
Bill Lowry
2nd Prize
25 No
142
Debbie ODonnell
Agent:
Anthony Ingham
Join us in the Parish Centre after the 10.30 am Mass for tea
and coffee and the draw!
LIGHTING THE ADVENT CANDLES
AT HOME. (Second Sunday of Advent)
Each Sunday in Church we light another
candle on the Advent wreaththis is
something that we can replicate at home.
When you gather for your main meal of the day, before you
start it, spend a few moments in prayer, using the following as
a way of focusing on Advent. You can use as may voices as you
want!
The Second Candle
VOICE 1: Last Sunday we lit the first candle in our Advent
Wreath, the candle of hope. We light it again as we remember
that Christ will come again to fulfil all of Gods promises to us
(light only the First Advent Candle)
VOICE 2: The second candle of our Advent Wreath is the
Candle of Peace. It is sometimes called the Bethlehem Candle
to remind us of the place in which preparations were made to
receive and cradle the Christ child.
VOICE 1: Peace is a gift that we must be prepared for. God
gives us the gift of peace when we turn to him in faith.
VOICE 2: The prophet Isaiah calls Christ the Prince of
Peace. Through John the Baptist and all the other prophets,
God asks us to prepare our hearts so that he may come in.
VOICE 1: Our hope is in God, and in his son Jesus Christ. Our
peace is found in him. We light this candle today to remind us
that he brings peace to all who trust in him.
(Now Light the Second Advent Candle)
VOICE 2: Let us Pray: Loving God, thank you for the peace
you give us through Jesus. Help us prepare our hearts to
receive him. Bless our worship. Guide us in all that we say and
do. We ask it in the name of the one born in Bethlehem, Jesus
our Lord. Amen.

GUARDIAN ANGELS PARISH

Proudly Presents:

Sean Ruane in Concert

Sacred Art and Sacred Arias and
Popular Songs (some from the Shows)
Friday 12th December.
7.30 pm in the Church
15.00 a ticket
(includes mulled wine and mince pies in the Parish
Centre at the end of the concert)
Sean is an international, professional
opera singer. He studied at the RNCM
and at the prestigious academy for
Puccini singers in Tuscany. After
making his debut in 2001, Sean has
worked all over Europe, the United
States, Russia, Australia and New
Zealand at some of the worlds most
prestigious venues, and at many international sporting events. Sean was
heavily involved with our Diocesan
Relay of Prayer (including a Concert
here in our Church with an assembled
choir of school pupils).
The photograph shows Sean singing in
Ypres Cathedral on Remembrance
Day 2014 in front of 1600 people.
A selection of pieces from the programme for
Fridays Concert (to whet your appetite!!!):
Ave Maria (Schubert) ... Panis Angelicus
O sole mio Empty Chairs (Les Miserable) ...
Love changes everything Bring him home (Les Miserable) ... You are my hearts delight Alone, always
alone O Holy Night Marys Boy Child Nessun
dorma ... Hiding Place . Clouds Veil ...You raise me
up White Christmas and many more!

Tickets now on sale at the back of Church and

from the Parish Office.
Please support this Parish Event.
In order to cater for the Mulled Wine and Mince Pies
please try to purchase your tickets before Wednesday
10th December.
The bar will be open during the interval and after the concert
& drinks can be pre-ordered for the interval in the bar
before the concert begins.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
FOR ALL EXISTING AND NEW LEADERS OF THE
CHILDRENS LITURGY OF THE WORD.
The first thing that we need to put in place is the
completion of the DBS forms (formerly CRB) by all those
who currently and in the future will lead our Childrens
Liturgy of the Word (this is in compliance with our Diocesan Safeguarding policy). As soon as individuals DBS
forms are processed we will then be able to start the Childrens Liturgy at the 8.45 am Mass. Please note that there
is no cost to the individual for the DBS checks.
So we are holding two drop-in sessions simply for
the purpose of completing the forms with guidance, and
having them verified by our Parish Safeguarding Officer.
The drop-in sessions are on:
Tuesday 16th December: between 8.009.00 pm
Wednesday 17th December between 8.009.00 pm
(it will take about 10-15 minutes to complete the form with
guidance & have it verified)
Very important: In order to have your DBS application
verified you will need to bring with you on the evening 3
separate documents from the following lists (which will be
photocopied to accompany your application):
You must have at least one of the following documents
(Group 1 documents). If you have 3 of these forms of identification thats all you will need to bring with you)

A current and valid passport

A biometric residence permit

A current driving license photocard with paper

counterpart

Birth certificateissued at the time of birth

(Group 2 documents). You can have 2 documents from this
list if you havent been able to provide 3 from Group 1.

Current driving licensephotocard without paper

counterpart

Current driving licensepaper version

Birth certificate issued after time of birth

Marriage certificate (UK & Channel Islands)

HM Forces ID card

Mortgage statement (issued in last 12 months)

Bank or building society statement (issued in last 3

months)

Credit card statement issued in last 3 months)

Financial statement e.g pension or endowment

(issued in last 12 months)

P45 or P60 statement (issued in last 12 months)

Council tax statement issued in last 12 months)

Utility bill (issued in last 3 months & not a mobile

phone bill)

Benefit statement (issued in last 3 months)

At least 2 of the documents must show your current address.
It might all seem a bit overwhelming, but its not,
especially with guidance in completing the forms (thats
how I did mine recently!). DBS certificates are not transferable, so even if you have one already a new one has to be
applied for.
The drop-in sessions will take place in the Parish
Office and Meeting Room. If you have any questions
please call the Parish Office on 0161 764 1630.
Many thanks. Fr Paul.