Wednesday, 28 January 2015

(back of) newsletter of St Mary Star of the Sea, Hastings, 1st February 2015

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: O that today you would listen to his voice!
                  Harden not your hearts.
IMPULSES FOR PRAYER: 
1 Kings 18:17-40;   Galatians 3:23-29;   1 John 1:1-4
MEDITATION:
At the heart of catechesis we find, in essence, a Person, the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, the only Son from the Father, Jesus who suffered and died for us and who now, after rising, is living with us for ever. Catechesis aims at putting people in communion with Jesus Christ: only he can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity.
In catechesis it is Christ alone who teaches – anyone else teaches to the extent that he is Christ’s spokesman, enabling Christ to teach with his lips … Every catechist should be able to apply to himself the mysterious words of Jesus: ‘My teaching is not my own, but his who sent me’.
Catechism of the Catholic Church

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
To join the rota of those who serve teas and coffees after the 10am Mass on
Sunday mornings. We also need volunteers to join our church cleaning crew.
Please speak to Fr Seamus if you can join one of these vital ministries.
Mass Intentions for Week 3 in Ordinary Time
Saturday 31st January, 6pm: Special intention
Sunday 1st February, 10am: Anne Hayes
Sunday 1st February, 11.30am: Ron Collins, RIP
Monday 2nd February, The Presentation of the Lord, 10am: Miceal & Eamon Joyce, RIP
Tuesday 3rd February, St Blaise, 10am: Walsingham Association
Wednesday 4th February, 10am: Pauline Forrest intention
Thursday 5th February, St Agatha,10am:
Friday 6th February, St Paul Miki and Companions, 10am:
Saturday 7th February, Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday, 10am:
If you would like a Mass to be celebrated for your intentions or for the repose of the soul of friends or family, just come into the presbytery after Mass to book it.
PARISH COMMUNITY CLUB
in the hall, Mondays 10.30am to 12 noon.
All welcome. (non-members 50p entrance to talks and demonstrations). Coffee/tea,
 biscuit 50p.     
DIVINE MERCY DEVOTIONS ON MONDAYS IN THE PRESBYTERY AT 2.30pm:
Do join us on 2nd February, 16th February, 2nd March and 16th March
PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION AGAINST LEGALISING 
GENETIC MODIFICATION OF HUMANS
Genetically Modified (GM) Babies: what does this mean? The Government announced just before Christmas that it is shortly going to ask Parliament to legalise the production of human beings who, in order to eliminate some rare but very serious diseases, have had part of the ova (their mother’s eggs) from which they themselves came replaced by material taken from other ova. These re-constructed ova would have then been fertilised artificially (i.e. by In vitro fertilisation - IVF - in laboratories) and inserted into their birth-mothers’ wombs. So these children would effectively have three parents. This would be something we have never before dared to do – or been allowed to do - to human beings. It is genetic modification (GM). Parliament banned this in 2008. But the Government is trying to pull wool over our eyes by calling it genetic ‘donation’. And they hope to smuggle it past Parliament without it reaching ‘the floor of the House’, i.e. being debated and voted on by all MPs and then the Lords. They plan to send it via a small committee of MPs which meets in a back room. They say that what they propose is not GM and is therefore not unlawful. If it were already lawful there would be no need to ask Parliament to approve these regulations. GM could have all sorts of very serious side-effects because it is tampering with the basic constituents of human beings. It could cause new congenital abnormalities in not just the children themselves but their descendants. GM experiments using animals have had some horrifying results. Most countries are holding back. The US Food and Drugs Administration, for example, has recommended extreme caution. Britain is rushing ahead. GM will not cure any diseases. Rather, it could take away the incentive to conquer them. And it will inevitably result in ever more use of the technique. It’s a slippery slope.


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