Newsletter_Dec5

St Ignatius' great insight about finding God in our daily lives was the importance of reflection upon our inner lives. He discovered this when he was recovering from an operation following a war wound. Lying there, helpless unable to do anything, his thoughts and imaginings were all he had and he discovered that sometimes thoughts, that he had enjoyed, afterwards left him sad and discontented, whereas others left him peaceful and contented. The next big jump was to realise that those which left him feeling contented were in harmony with God, while the others were not. This was the beginning of his conversion from a worldly courtier to the founder of a religious order, the Jesuits. From then on he reflected frequently on his inner experience, asking himself, "How has that left me feeling, at peace or troubled?" So he discovered that when we are in harmony with God and God's ways, we feel an increase in love and hope. On the contrary when we are not in harmony with the way God sees our best interests to be, we feel disturbed and troubled and as if separated from God.

2. Asking for helpI ask God to shine light into my heart so that when I look back I may be able to see God working in the things that have happened.

3. Reviewing my lifeNow I look at the period I am reflecting on. I remember the things that have happened. -On the whole, was it a "good" or a "bad" time? -Was it a normal, or unusual in some way? -- Does anything special come to mind …a beautiful sunset … something I was told… perhaps even something on the TV?

-In everything that happened how did I feel? Joyful? Sad? Angry? Scared? Maybe I felt "great!" and was really happy? What caused my feelings and did they change?

4. Where did God find me today and where did I get in His way? So now I remember my relationship with God. Has this time been consistently one when I allowed God to be close, giving me spiritual energy and a felt increase of faith, hope and love? Or have I allowed my emotions to rule me and turn me inwards on myself? So I express my thanks for the times when I have cooperated with God and my sorrow for the times I have got in the way. Where has God been trying to lead me?

With what will I particularly need God's help? Can I commit myself to staying close to God tomorrow, owning my poverty. When I know my need of God, then I am strong.

Fr ANTHONY MEREDITH will give three talks in Advent. His theme will be Christmas and the early Church. 5-6pm in the Hall, beginning this SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5th. All are welcome.

The Farm Street SVP (Society of St Vincent de Paul) is very active and does wonderful work to assist those in need. Their annual appeal takes place NEXT WEEK and we ask you to be generous in your response. Gift aid envelopes are available at the back of the church. Please take one and remember to bring it back next Sunday for the appeal. For any enquiries about SVP activities, please phone Sandra on 0777 907 8933.

FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

On WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 8th Fr Tony Nye will celebrate the Sung Mass at 6pm with the Farm Street Choir performing music from Kodály, Górecki and Bruckner. This is our Patronal Feast and there will be a parish party in the Hall and parish rooms following the Mass. We hope that as many of the Farm Street community as possible will be able to come and enjoy this event.

CAROL CONCERT

The Anglo-Latin American Foundation will hold a special Carol Concert on THURSDAY DECEMBER 9th at 7pm here in the church. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor will be leading the service. The London Oratory School Schola Choir will perform various hymns and music will be played by our Director of Music, David Graham. All are welcome

CATHOLIC CHILDREN'S SOCIETY

As Christmas draws near and the festive season begins we all look forward, with happy anticipation, to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and spending happy times with family and friends. It is appropriate, at this time of good will to all, to think about the plight of hundreds of thousands of children in this country, who will not be enjoying such happy times this Christmas. Their lives have been scarred in their relationships and their material well-being. This Christmas the Catholic Children’s Society can act as their lifeline and safety net by providing immediate support to those in crisis. This year Farm Street would like to go that extra mile and your support can help the Catholic Children’s Society to tackle all the challenges the children face in striving to achieve their full potential. So we would like all the children in the parish to donate a present for another child, boy or girl, during Advent and we will deliver them to the Society who will distribute them. We would also ask everyone else to make a donation to the Society either directly or to ‘Farm Street Church’ and we will send our donation from the whole parish. You can also donate using the gift aid envelopes if you are a UK tax payer. It will make a very real lifetime difference. Thank you for your support. For further information about donations or bringing in presents, please contact Father James Campbell or Patsy Cummings or email farmstreet@rcdow.org.uk.

FAIR TRADE

There will be a Fair Trade stall in the hall TODAY after the 9.30am and 11am Masses. Please support this worthy cause.

CHRISTMAS NATIVITY

All children who would like to take part in the Christmas Nativity and Choir for the 6pm Mass on Christmas Eve should come to the Meeting Room after the 9.30am Mass next Sunday (DECEMBER 12th) for a meeting. For further details contact Patsy Cummings on pcummings@rcdow.org.uk

There is a great variety among the Christmas cards on sale in the Hall after the 9:30am and the 11am Masses and at the bookshop including a reproduction of this year’s nativity painting and our regular Christmas crib as well as our Farm Street Madonna. There are also cards on sale on behalf of the Catholic Children’s Society.

PARISH PARTY

On SUNDAY DECEMBER 12th we have our annual Christmas Fair with a sale of selected goods in the Hall, from 10am till 3pm. Sale items will include our popular Jesuit jams, cakes and other comestible goodies. You can help by bringing cakes to sell and bottles (wine, spirit, olive oil, etc.) for a Bottle Tombola. These can be left in the entrance hall under the stairs. The Christmas fair is an opportunity to come together and enjoy each other’s company and to raise money for charity. We hope that by having it on Sunday we will have plenty of participants.

OF GODS AND MEN

After the wide interest shown in the beautiful No Greater Love the Lexi Cinema (194b Chamberlayne Rd, Kensal Rise, NW10 3JU) will be showing another film with a Catholic theme. Of Gods and Men is a powerful, challenging French film which is based on actual events. The story centres on a small Trappist monastery high in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria. The 8 Brothers live in close harmony with their (mainly) Moslem neighbours, providing the only medical care in the region and employing villagers to work in the apiary. The Abbot is seen to be studying the Koran to gain insight into the culture and beliefs of their host country. Despite this integration, the monks are warned that their safety cannot be guaranteed when civil war breaks out. The community must decide whether to flee to safety or remain, and three times the Brothers open heart and soul to one another, seeking wisdom and guidance as to their path. Acted with depth and utter conviction, the film embraces complex questions of faith and violence in the modern world. Work and worship – with much wonderful singing – feature in this beautiful film which is expected to be nominated for The Best Foreign Film category of this year’s Oscars. It is a rare treat in the world of commercial cinema. FRIDAY 10/12 at 6:30pm, SUNDAY 12/12 at 8pm, MONDAY 13/12 at 11am, WEDNESDAY 15/12 at 5:45pm and THURSDAY 16/12 at 5pm. Buy tickets online on www.thelexicinema.co.uk or call 0871 704 2069.

Our film for Christmas this year will be Father Brown (dir. Robert Hamer, 1954), which we will be showing on THURSDAY DECEMBER 16th at 6.45pm. Following in the footsteps of the great Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown (Alec Guinness) seems at first sight a very unlikely detective hero. With his innocent, bespectacled face, diminutive stature, and fuddled manner - how could this sheltered cleric have any special insight into the hardened criminal mind? But Father Brown can surprise us all … G.K. Chesterton began writing Father Brown stories more than ten years before his reception into the Catholic Church and it has been suggested that Father Brown actually helped convert his own creator, and also Guinness, who became a Catholic some years later. A very funny and heartwarming film - with sherry and hot mince pies after the screening. Come and join us!

Please use Gift-Aid envelopes for your donations if you are a UK Tax-payer .

We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the building works in Mount Street. Completion date: January 2011.

Four sessions on the spirituality and theology of the Advent and Christmas seasons. A reflective look at some of the traditional ideas and biblical stories in the hope of seeing them in a new light. The sessions will be based around the following themes: Hope; the Second Coming; the Advent Prophets and Grace – the eternal giving of God.

You are invited to join others in prayer at 114, Mount Street in parlour 3. A prayer guide will introduce different forms of prayer each week to help you become more aware of Christ during these weeks of Advent.

Fr Tony Horan leads us in reflection and prayer. All are welcome. There is no need to book for Ignatian Days, just come along. See the leaflets.

SIN, SOCIETY AND THE INDIVIDUAL, A four-week course led by Fr James Campbell, 5-6pm, on SUNDAYS.

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, led by Brian Purfield, on MONDAYS 7 to 8:30pm, or WEDNESDAYS 11am to 1pm.

ANXIETY AND THE CHRISTIAN, One-day Workshop presented by Helen Costigane, CHCJ on SATURDAY 15th, 11am to 4:30pm.^.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, One-day Workshop presented by KIT DOLLARD on SATURDAY 22nd, 11am to 4pm.

DAY OF REFLECTION FOR ALL PEOPLE INVOLVED IN ACTION ON HOMELESSNESS SATURDAY 29th, 11am to 4pm.