Chandos Street, Winchcombe, GL54 5HX. Clifton Diocese Registered Charity No: 1170168

Also serving St Michael’s Shared Anglican-Roman Catholic Church, Bishops Cleeve, GL52 8BA Parish Offices Winchcombe 01242 602412 or Tewkesbury 01684 293273

email: winchcombe.stnicholas@cliftondiocese.com Website address: www.saintnicholaswinchcombe.org.uk

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT - Year A [Psalter 3 & Proper of the Season]

Monday 16th Weekday of Lent

St Nicholas’ 12.30pm Con-celebrated Requiem Mass for Monica Donovan

St Nicholas’ 7.00pm Rosary [Fr Peter]

Tuesday 17th FEAST OF ST PATRICK

St Michael’s Rosary 9.10am

Wednesday 18th Weekday of Lent

St Joseph’s Vigil Mass for

Patron Saint’s Day** 7.00pm

St Michael’s 6.00pm Stations of the Cross

Thursday 19th SOLEMNITY OF ST JOSEPH**

St Nicholas’ 9.30am Stations of the Cross

10.00 Mass

Friday 20th Weekday of Lent

St Joseph’s Stations of the Cross

and Morning Prayer 9.30am

St Nicholas’ 9.30am Exposition and

10.00am Morning Prayer

Saturday 21st Weekday of Lent

St Joseph’s Morning Prayer 9.30am

Followed by Exposition

St Michael’s Bishop’s Cleeve

12.30pm Wedding of Anna Brooke & Sean Kelly

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT - Year A [Psalter 4 & Proper of the Season]

Saturday 21st St Michael’s B Cleeve

Vigil Mass 5.30pm

Sunday 22nd St Joseph’s Mass 9.00am [Michael Murphy]

St Nicholas’ Mass 11.00am

14th - 15th March 2020

Saturday Vigil Mass

5.30pm St Michael’s, Bishops Cleeve

Sunday Masses Saint Joseph's, Tewkesbury

Mass 9.00am [Lioswiec family]

Saint Nicholas’, Winchcombe 11.00 am

The Word - 3rd Sunday in Lent

[Exodus 17:3-7] The Israelites, dying of thirst in the desert, begin to doubt God’s love for them. At God’s command, Moses strikes the rock with his staff. Out gushes water [Romans 5: 1-2, 5-8] God’s love is overflowing: that is why Christ came to save us, and not because we deserved it. Trusting in God’s love, we face the future with hope [John 4: 5-42] The conversion of Samaria begins when Jesus stops by a well, where he meets a woman coming to draw water. She gives him a drink; he, in turn, offers her the living water of God’s spirit Diocesan Prayer Link: Cheltenham St Gregory’s and ST Thomas More, Charlton Kings Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary

NOTICES FOR THE WEEK

FURTHER DIOCESAN DIRECTIVES TO PROTECT ALL CONGREGATIONS Please note that coffee after Mass is suspended for the time being, as a precaution against spreading of the corona virus. The fact is that we need to be as vigilant as possible. All parishioners will appreciate that there are hand washing facilities in the WC area - the best way to inhibit the spread and protect ourselves and each other. Anyone who is feeling unwell should seriously consider whether they should be attending Mass at the moment.

Our weekly parish collections will be taken after Mass as we leave church this morning to avoid the passing of collecting bags from hand to hand at the offertory. Finally, we have also been advised to stop using communal hymn/mass books during our services. It is possible that we may have individual hymn sheets prepared each Sunday for the next few weeks or use well known hymns for our sung praise. Fuller COVID 19 information, sent from the Diocese office is available at the back of the church.

A LENTEN JOURNEY THROUGH SCRIPTURE Father Tony suggests we read the following Chapters in the remaining weeks of Lent as part of our preparation for Easter: March 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th 21st - Gospel of Mark - Chapter 16 Roman Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 March 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th & 28th - Roman Chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 &11 March 30th, 31st, April 1st, 2nd, 3rd - Roman Chapters 12, 13, 14, 15 & 16 Holy Week - The Passion Reading MONICA DONOVAN The con-celebrated Requiem Mass for Monica will take place in St Nicholas’ on Monday, 16th March at 12.30pm, prior to her being laid to rest in her native Yorkshire. Please remember Monica in your prayers. PASTORAL PARISH COUNCIL The PPC meeting scheduled for this Wednesday has now been post-poned. FUN QUIZ NIGHT The event due to take place on Friday, 27th March, in Gretton Village Hall is now post-poned until the current situation improves. EASTER COFFEE MORNING This is due to take place in the Guide Hall, Winchcombe 9.30 - 12noon Saturday, 4th April although it may have to be cancelled. In any event, please bring unwanted gifts/items for the ‘New Gift’ stall. A box is at the back of the church in Winchcombe. SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Bishop Declan is scheduled to visit St Gregory’s, in Cheltenham, on Thursday 2nd April at 7.00pm where a number of priests will be gathered with him for the service and also available to hear confessions. C.A.F.O.D. Our Family Fast Day collection has realised £373.50 to date - a most generous and pleasing result from our parish. A cheque will be sent to CAFOD next week, giving those who have been away (or simply forgot their envelope!) a chance to boost this amount. APF/MISSIO Would all ‘red box’ holders please hand in their boxes as soon as possible to St Nicholas. The usual arrange-ments for Saint Michael’s in Bishop’s Cleeve. Thank you PARISH OFFICE This week Chris will be in the office at Winchcombe on Wednesday - not Tuesday. On Friday Chris will be in St Nicholas’ during the afternoon, rather than the morning, in order to tie in with an afternoon rehearsal for a wedding taking place at St Michael’s next weekend. Apologies for any inconvenience this might cause.

YEAR OF COMMUNION In the Jewish faith, water was used often as a powerful metaphor. In such a semi-arid environment water was a precious gift to relieve thirst and bring refreshment. However, in today’s Gospel, we will hear of a different thirst which needs quenching. Jesus is thirsty, because he is tired and hot, but there is another kind of thirst here - a thirst for the woman, he meets at the well, to be transformed. Jesus offers living water, a spring of water welling up to eternal life. This is the water we all thirst for, the living water of the Holy Spirit. Lent is a time to quench our thirst, to rediscover the meaning of our life in Christ. It is a special time of encountering Jesus, to be transformed by him, just as the woman was transformed. The Lord wants to give us living water so that we might have life and have it abundantly. Drinking from this well, changes us so that we be-come, like the woman, true disciples ready and able to share what we have encoun-tered; the love of Christ in all its fullness.