The World Youth Day 2016 was a historic event with about three million Catholics from all over the world, gathered in Krakow-Poland, around the Holy Father and hundreds of bishops, clergy, consecrated men and women, and millions of young people, to celebrate God's mercy and love. Among the lot were 300 young people from Iraq of all places! The Catholic faith is alive! The theme of the celebration was the theme of the Year: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. It was a repeat, with bigger numbers, of the Pentecost experience, when Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached and three thousand people were baptised. A delegation of nearly 100 young people from Portsmouth, led by Bishop Philip, left Portsmouth Cathedral on 21st July by coach and travelled through France, Belgium and Germany before arriving in Krakow on 23rd. Spiritual talks by expert lay people, Consecrated men and women and clergy re-awakened the spiritual senses of all pilgrims, moving them to prayer and Eucharistic Adoration. Millions lined up and gladly celebrated Reconciliation, the Sacrament of God's mercy and love. Music moved many to their feet and, trust them: young people can dance! And dance, many did! The visit to the Shrine of St. Faustina Kawalska on 23rd July gave us chance to venerate her relics and contemplate the mercy of God. The visit to Auschwitz, the German Concentration Camp, on 24th July revealed the level to which human wickedness and inhumanity can go. Paradoxically, it also showed that self-less, sacrificial, Christ-like love was not lacking. For, it was in that same Camp that St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan priest, took pity on a stranger and offered himself to be killed in his place. He died on 14th August, 1941. Our visit to Wadowice, John Paul II's birthplace, was an opportunity to contemplate the roots of the man who was central to the collapse of Communism and brought the Message of Divine Mercy to the world stage. The official opening of the Event by Pope Francis on 26th and the Stations of the Cross on 29th at Blonia Park were mind-blowing. The icing on the cake was the All night Vigil with Adoration, prayer and the closing Mass on 31st. The event totally trans-formed and illumined the young people. The next World Youth Day will be in Panama.

7th August 2016 ~ 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time ~ Issue:1137

READING PASTORAL AREA

St. John Bosco Church

56 Western Avenue, Woodley, Reading RG5 3BH

Tel: 0118 969 3423 Priest:

Fr Bonaventure Ndong

Email: stjohnbosco

@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

Website: stjohnbosco.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/

groups/1455918784702101/

Part of the PORTSMOUTH DI-OCESAN TRUST Registered

Charity Number 246871

Administrator: Karen Tarvin

Church Office is open next week: Tues -Fri 8.30am - 1.30pm

WEEKLY COLLECTION

Envelopes £172.65 Loose £293.52 Standing orders: £510 Thank you for your generous contributions. Your donations make the life and work of the parish possible. Next Special Collection: 24th August - Refugees

WORLD YOUTH DAY: A PENTECOST EXPERIENCE

MASS INTENTIONS & FEAST DAYS

Date Time Dedication Intention Diary

Sat 6th Aug 6.30pm 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time David Hewison + (Chris & Felicity Hughes)

Sun 7th Aug 10.00am 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time Alicia Boult + (Mr & Mrs Hammerton)

Baptisms

Mon 8th Aug NO SERVICE Church open for visits

Tues 9th Aug 2.00pm Funeral Mass for David Evans

Weds 10th Aug 10.00am

ST LAURENCE Kath & Gerry Houlton Diamond Wedding Anniversary (Angela Bentley)

Thurs 11th Aug 10.00am 1.15pm

St Clare Funeral Service for Anne White

Phyllis Belletty (Rita Belletty)

Fri 12th Aug 12 noon Funeral Mass for Giuseppe Monopoli

Sat 13th Aug 6.30pm THE ASSUMPTION OF OUR LADY

Sun 14th Aug 1.00pm THE ASSUMPTION OF OUR LADY

Confessions

Saturday 5.30—6.00pm YEAR OF MERCY 2015 –2016

7 YEARS

BUILDING A STRONG WORSHIPING COMMUNITY

1946- 2016

ST JOHN BOSCO PARISH

CELEBRATING

0

Responsorial Psalm: Year C

19th Sunday of Ordinary Time, 7 Aug “Happy are the people the Lord has chosen as his own”

St. Dominic Savio Primary School - Western Avenue, Woodley

RG5 3BH

Head Teacher: Mr. James

Broadbridge Tel. 0118 969

3893 Emergency numbers for the Sacramental Ministry of a priest: Fr Bon 969 3423 Fr. Pat 931 4469 Fr. Stan 966 3711 Canon Michael 957 2149 Canon John O’Shea 957 4171 Please call your own priest first.

READING CHURCHES WEEKEND MASS TIMES:

CHRIST THE KING Sat 6.30pm & Sun 10am

ENGLISH MARTYRS Sat 6.30pm, Sun 9.30am, 11.30am & 5pm

OUR LADY OF PEACE Sun 9am, 11am & 5pm

ST JAMES Sat 6pm, Sun 11am

ST JOHN BOSCO Sat 6.30pm & Sun 10am

ST WILLIAM OF YORK Sun 9am, 11am & 6pm

THE SANCTUARY LAMPS FOR WEEK:

7th to 13th August is dedicated to: Main Church: Eleanor Rose Mole (Elizabeth Sim) Lady Chapel: Olivia Fredericio and Karen Clark (Elizabeth Sim)

ST JOHN BOSCO BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE

Please keep in your prayers all those with Anniversaries in August

Kathleen Hodges + Tom Treacy + Reginald Halse + Jo Williams + Stella Chappe + Bolestaw Klonowicz + Anthony McCarthy+ Rita Bellinger + Averil Oxley + Marjorie Pritchard +

Fred Silvester + Joyce Wise + Robert Ashe + Noeleen Sim +

PARISH CENTRE—IS OUT OF USE UNTIL

FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO BUILDING WORK

JOINT CELEBRATION ST JOHN BOSCO CHURCH AND ST DOMINIC SAVIO SCHOOL

CARDINAL NEWMAN CELEBRATION will take place on Saturday, 8th October and will be led by the British community.

More details to follow.

NAME BADGES AT SUNDAY MASSES

IN SEPTEMBER - OUR WELCOME TO ALL. Our Pastoral Area Evangelisation Strategy Team proposed all parishes in Reading for all Sundays in September, have a system where everyone displays their name on a badge. Secondly, our Welcoming Teams review our approach to welcoming people to Sunday Mass. We will all be invited to reflect on how we relate to each other, how we develop a sense of belonging in our parish community and how we develop our skills in welcoming

MINISTERS FOR WEEKEND

13th/14th August Readers Saturday Celia Loan James Lobo Sunday Christopher Esuk Brenda D’Mello Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion Saturday D Cramp M Eames L Carter Sunday M Stanbridge A + Altar M Moreira B + Altar J Jeyakumar C + Altar J Moriera D + Altar L Guttridge Altar only

DIVINE MERCY HOLY HOUR

NO MEETING IN AUGUST Next Meeting 4th Septem-

ber 2.30pm St Anne's in Caversham

All are most welcome

To all former and current parishioners of OLoP:

Fr. Stan Gibzinski and the parish of Our Lady of Peace & Blessed Dominic Barberi invite you to celebrate the parish’s 40th anniversary on Sat 17th Sept starting with Mass at 2pm, followed by cream tea, bbq ceilidh and other entertainment.

August edition of My Day by Day

is available in the church porch

HOLY LAND

8 day pilgrimage from Reading, Wed, 19th April - Wed, 26th April 2017. Follow The

Footsteps of Jesus, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Masada, Dead Sea, Lake of

Galilee etc. Led by Fr John O' Shea. Cost £1100 (tbc). 50 places. Apply to St James Church Reading on tel: 957 4171 or email

stjames@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk. If interested, apply now.

There will be a joint celebration of the 50th Anniversary of St Dominic Savio school and the 70th Anniversary of our Parish on 7th October 2016. More news to follow.

Called and Gifted Teaching and Retreat Weekend 1st– 2nd October 2016 at Cold Ash Retreat Centre, nr Newbury. A mixture of the teaching, discussion, praying, reflections, opportunity for Confession, Adoration. 11am start on1st to 3.30pm on the 2nd. £70 to cover accommodation and meals. Limited places, to book contact csimpson@

portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

from the Romania Link Group for all the help and support for our Afternoon Tea held on the 17th July. From baking cakes, donating raffle prizes, and help with setting up and clearing away. A special thanks to our lovely Irish Dancers. An amaz-ing £678.45 was raised.

RECENTLY DIED:

David Evans - Requiem Mass on Tues,

9th August at St John Bosco at 2pm. Our sympathy to his wife Angela, and all his family. May he rest in peace. Anne White - Funeral service on Thurs, 11th August at St John Bosco at 1.15pm. Our sympathy to her husband, sons and daughters and her family. Giuseppe Monopoli - Requiem Mass on Fri, 12th August at St John Bosco at 12 noon. Our sympathy to his daughter Maria Itta and all his family.

Please pray for Eleanor Mole and George Johnson who are being baptised on Sunday, 7th August.

TRAIDCRAFT A big thank you to all who supported

Traidcraft this financial year. Sales will resume on 10/11 Sept. looking forward to your continued custom. Profit raised goes

to Fairtrade Exchange which supports various projects. This year we chose to

support Child Labour (info available online or from Mary Johnston)

PARISH GROUPS SUMMARY REPORT Could each Parish Group provide a brief summary of their activities between Sept ‘15 to Jul ‘16 to the Parish office no later than 31st Aug. Thank you