The collection taken over the Easter Sunday Masses is an opportunity for you to make your own personal Easter offering to the priest. Together with the Christmas collection, this forms his main income for the year. If you have gift-aid envelopes, you will find a purple envelope marked “Easter Sunday” amongst your envelopes. Please use this envelope for your offering. If you pay by cheque, then please make it payable to “Catholic Church Shoeburyness”; your offering will still make its way to Fr Brett. If you support the parish community by paying through a Standing Order, then please note that this money does not form part of the Easter offering to the priest, but goes to the parish.
Keep informed about upcoming events and ensure that your children don't miss out on any invitations, I ask for your permission to include them in our communications. Your support will enable us to better cater to the needs of our young community members.
Please reply to this email using the button below this invitation.
You may use this button more than once if you use more than one email address.
This weekend we begin the most important week in the Church’s year, Holy Week. The important days ahead should not pass us by without thought, prayer and reflection, so let’s remind ourselves again of the different stages of Holy Week.
First off, we have Palm Sunday, which starts with a joyful tone as Jesus enters Jerusalem and the crowd cheer him. However, this soon dissipates, and the ‘cheer’ turns into a ‘jeer’ as we enter into the Passion and death of Jesus. This swift and brief turn of events is unpacked throughout Holy week. Palm Sunday is the headline, and Holy Week is where we are invited to delve deeper into the meaning of it by journeying with Jesus.
From a liturgical perspective the first few days of Holy Week (Monday through to Wednesday) are uneventful. This, however, is the calm before the storm as the liturgical pace picks up on Holy Thursday evening. Here we commemorate not only Jesus’ last supper with his disciples but also the inauguration of the Eucharist; ‘this is my body given for you…this is my blood poured out for you’. Jesus’ self-gift in the Eucharist becomes our gift of service to others as Jesus models true discipleship when he serves his disciples by washing their feet.
The twists and turns of the drama ensue. Jesus faces betrayal. His friends snore through his loneliness and suffering in the garden. He is arrested because of a friend’s kiss. And so, we enter into Good Friday and the ‘kangaroo court’ of Jesus’ trial where he is flogged to placate the crowd and a politician’s conscience. He is handed over to a mob because of political cowardice. He makes the way of the cross alone because his friends deserted Him. He exercises forgiveness to the bitter end. He draws his last breath while his ‘close’ disciples remain at a safe distance. He is laid in a borrowed tomb…and so we reach Holy Saturday and wait.
We wait in hope, we wait for the light to pierce and dispel the darkness; we wait for life to triumph over death!
The events of Holy Week invite us to deepen our trust in the sacrificial love of a God who goes all out for us, and to walk with Jesus our brother, friend, and our saviour.
Let us continue to pray for each other asking the Lord to fill our hearts with light, hope and peace.
God bless you all
In his recent letter to us, the Bishop has asked us to examine more closely the recommendations and implications, in the 'Shaping Our Future' document.
'Shaping Our Future' The Brentwood Diocese Vision Document (2019)
The Southend Partnership Response Comprising of the Parishes of: St. Peters, Eastwood; Our Lady of Lourdes & St. Joseph, Leigh-on-sea; Our Lady Help of Christians & St. Helen, Westcliff; Sacred Heart of Jesus, Southend with St. John Fisher, Prittlewell; St. George & The English Martyrs, Shoeburyness with St. Gregoryʼs, Thorpe Bay; St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, Rochford with St. Pius X, Hockley.
'Believing, not belonging ..'''Why Catholics no longer come to Church' Brentwood Diocese Research Report Summer 2023
'We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything,
and there is a sense of liberation in realising that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders;
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.'
The Rosary Group meets every Tuesday 3.30pm at St George’s Church.
You are all welcome to join us in fellowship.
With worship, music, prayer & The Rosary
Use the Front Entrance please!
As part of its involvement in the wider Justice and Peace community, our Parish Justice & Peace Group participates in local, national and international events. The members of the Group also encourage other Parishioners to participate.
The work of the Group is not only about raising money. Issues such as food poverty, trafficking, genocide, climate change, recycling, energy conservation, pollution, are all of great concern. We meet again on Tuesday, 23rd January, in the Church Hall at 2pm. All welcome to come along and hear about the projects we are involved in or planning.
We invite you to consider joining us. New members for each group would be very welcome.
If you are interested or would like to find out more about our work please contact/speak to Brian Fitzgerald (bfitzg6306@sky.com or 07817842604)
Pope Francis is asking all of us to listen more to each other, to be more open and prayerful, to have a mutual respect for one another, supporting each other in our community.
With this in mind we have moved to a more ‘’open approach’ to all that goes on in the parish.
We propose an ‘open invitation’ to all parishioners to attend all pastoral parish council meetings and greater representation on the council.
Permanent PPC members will include: Our Parish Priest, Parish Secretary, The MC, The Steward of the Gospel, Our Parish school Headteacher, A Youth Representative, The Chairs of; Finance, 669, Justice & Peace, plus others co-opted by the Parish priest who are actively involved in running parish activities. There will also be 3 elected members, voted on by you the parishioners.
We hope that this ’Open Forum’ style Council will encourage greater involvement by all of you in our parish community and cover all aspects of parish life. Our aim will be to unify and support our community and its future needs.
Mary’s Meals serves nutritious school meals to children living in some of the world’s poorest communities. The promise of a good meal attracts these hungry children into the classroom, giving them the energy to learn and hope for a better future.
We are already feeding more than two million children every school day and together, we can reach the next hungry child waiting for Mary’s Meals. It costs just £15.90 to feed a child in a place of education for a whole school year.
Watch Believe's Story Believe is just one of the 1,035,637 children we're feeding across the globe with your support. Out of every £1 donated, at least 93p is spent on their charitable activities.
Please give what you can today.
All your daily Mass Readings here online, including the Psalms, Morning, Evening and Night Prayers.
We invite you to make a 'Sacred Space' in your day, praying here and now, as you visit our website, with the help of scripture chosen every day and on-screen guidance. 'Sacred Space'
Pope Francis asks us not to forget the hungry and marginalised.
So please don’t forget the SVP helping the vulnerable in the Southend area.
Bring an item to Mass next week please!
With the colder nights coming we want to ensure we can support the community that are sleeping on the streets of Southend. We need of Sleeping bags, Hoodies, Jogging bottoms all sizes, Gloves, Hats, Coats and Socks. Please drop donations into the Church office or bring to Mass and we will deliver.
Our Foodbank is running very low of the below items at present. We are constantly providing food for Homeless, vulnerable guests and families who are experiencing food and fuel poverty.
The full list is on their Facebook page, but includes: Tinned Veg Meals; UHT Milk; Squash; Coffee; Tinned Fruit; Tinned Custard/Rice pudding; Pasta Sauces;
Roll-On Deodorant; Sunscreen; Shampoo; Shower Gel; Toilet Rolls; Bottled Water; Sanitary Products; Tinned Meat/Fish.
Please drop anything that you can spare into the Presbytery or give it to one of the Ushers.
Visit their SVP Facebook Page
Fr Brett
Please pray for all those who are sick or housebound in our parish, as well as our friends and family.
Father of goodness and love, hear our prayers for the sick members of our community and for all who are in need.
Amid mental and physical suffering may they find consolation in your healing presence.
Show your mercy as you close wounds, cure illness, make broken bodies whole and free downcast spirits.
May these special people find lasting health and deliverance, and so join us in thanking you for all your gifts. We ask this through the Lord Jesus who healed those who believed.
ANNIVERSARIES IN MARCH
Please remember the following :
† Joseph Bryan, Genevieve Britto, Florence Meager, Edith Humphreys, Kathleen Davies, Kathleen Gooding, Tony Mander, Louisa Bruce, John Roberts, Peter Zuelchaur, Leon-ard Carlile, Linda Conroy, Arthur Bann, James Rockell, James Coughlan, Thomas Spalding, Bill Wisbey, Kenneth Dawson, Edith Timmermans, Edward Dean, May Mills, Carmen Kelly, Stephen Dowie, Jim Dixon, Pat McKelvie, Mary d’Eca, Catherine Harman, Jenny Adamson, Michael Sheaf, Maria Coleman, Joan Pollock, Sean O’Sulli-van, Barbara Neagle, Brian Hanley, Marion and Alistair Plant, Monica Winn, James Cur-tis, Barbara McKelvie, Robert Stone, Teresa Pitcher, Shirley Sharrad, Joan James, Ma-nuel Sufredo, Gabby Millar, Barbara Deve-reux, Maureen Cooke, Angela Skinner, Maureen Hare, Margaret Dye, Philip Borth-wick, Timothy Quinn, Terence Hol-lingsworth, John Morton †
Fr Brett
You would be very welcome! Register for an emailed weekly newsletter and keep in touch with, mass times, community news and much more ...
The last Coffee Morning before Easter will be hosted by 669, and more details are below. Come in after the 10.45am Mass and help raise money for the Church.
We take a break next week, and will be back on the 7th April with a McEvoy’s Freebie, to which you are all invited!
Don’t forget, if you want to run a Coffee Morning for your charity or good cause, please contact the office.
Fr Brett
ROSARY AND PRAYERS
in St. George’s
every Tuesday at 3.30pm
(throughout the winter months)
Come and join us at 3.30pm from this coming Tuesday for a spiritual cleanse, with uplifting worship music, intercessory prayer and the Rosary.
Call Kazza on 07786 000391, or just turn up!
Fr Brett
FAN THE FLAME OF HOPE - Saturday 15th March 2025
11am-6pm Ovo Arena, Wembley
We are now taking names of anyone wishing to attend Flame NEXT year, as the Diocese want to get a bulk booking in early.
If you think you would like to join us for this terrific event, with the content aimed at Year 10 to 13, please contact Sharon.
Last year over 1,000 young people from across the Diocese attended the Flame, along with thousands from all around the country.
As we did last year, we would hope to get a coach to and from the venue.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Fr Brett
If you are interested in participating in this fundraiser for the church, please return your form to the church office as soon as possible.
If your form went out with the Christmas recycling, please contact Sharon, who will be able to arrange a new one!
Fr Brett
Remember, if you 'Gift aid' it then every for every donation we receive from you we can claim back 25% from the Govermment!
Click to submit your booking intentions and check hall availablity
Full hall hire terms and conditions
Brief guide to its constitution, membership and meeting records
Pope Francis - 'Rejoice and be Glad'
Pope Francis - Encyclical
The full Catholic catechism
Care for our common home and each other
Pope Francis - a reflection on family life
'The Joy of the Gospel'
A brief guide when making mass intentions
A brief helpful guide for parents with young children
Supporting the faith development of young people - Pope Francis