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Our Church is alive and well, but our Catholic thinking has changed quite a lot since Vatican II!!! There are always opportunities to become involved in developing your faith. For ideas or help refer to the bulletin or contact the Chairman of the Liturgy Committee: Sally Williams, 070-368 4959. ADULT FORMATION From time to time on Sundays after Mass a speaker will address issues related to faith and his or her professional life. Topics to be announced in the bulletin. When a new member of the family is on the way, it is time to think about his or her initiation into the Catholic Christian family. The Church of Our Saviour would like to be a part of welcoming him or her into the body of Christ. Even if your child's baptism will be in your country of origin, it is important that you prepare for this sacrament. Please contact Fr. Sjaak at the Parish House if you will be welcoming a new child into your family. For Adult Baptism we refer you to the RCIA programme. Guidelines for infant baptisms Introduction Firstly we would like to say that we are very happy that you have chosen our parish community for the baptism of your child. It is always a pleasure to be able to extend a welcome to a new member of the family of Christ. Preparation It is necessary to contact the Pastor at least one month before the baptism. One meeting will be needed with the parents for preparation and for general administration. One Catholic Godparent is a requirement of the Church but, in addition, other Christian Godparents are welcome. Please bring the complete names of the Godparents to the preparatory meeting. Timing We normally celebrate baptism every first Saturday of the month as part of the celebration of the Eucharist. This service always takes place at 19.30 at the church itself. During Lent we do not schedule baptisms, although, of course, in an emergency situation, alternative arrangements can be made. 
During the Celebration Due to the fact that baptism is a community celebration for us, it is important that the service should begin on time. Therefore we ask the parents and Godparents to arrive 15 minutes before the Mass for a final briefing, ie no later than 19.15. Photography You are welcome to record the baptism on film, but we can only allow for one camera per family (either video or photo). We would also like to stress again that the baptism is part of a community act of worship and thus that the use of any camera needs to be discreet. We would ask that you do not walk around during the service, and naturally photography or filming of other sections of the service is not appropriate. Clearly, it also stands to reason that neither the parents nor the godparents should be filming or taking photographs. After the service the Pastor will be available for special photographs, if you so wish. Costs The baptism of your child involves preparation and paperwork . We suggest a fee of €75 to cover these administrative costs. A book for the parents, a baptismal certificate and candle are included in this fee. Holy Communion Family friends and relatives who are not Catholic are welcome to come forward for a special blessing during the Communion.
CHILDREN'S LITURGY OF THE WORD At Children's Liturgy the children listen to the Word of God and talk about
how they can follow Jesus in their everyday lives. Each week we do an activity
linked to the Gospel Reading and often the children bring back their work to
decorate the church or to take home with them. The sessions take place during
the Sunday Mass on most Sundays of the year. For any further information you can
contact one of our new Coordination team: Dear Lord Jesus hear our prayers, as we bring to you our cares. Please forgive us any wrongs, as we sing the sorry song. Help us to be kind each day, in our thoughts and all we say. PRAISING: The Gloria is one of the children’s favourite songs. This is sung every week apart from during Advent or Lent GOSPEL ACCLAMATION: This is said or sung with familiar rhyme songs. For instance, ‘Share the word with us’, which is sung to the tune of 'London Bridge is falling down'. Share the word with us, Oh Lord, Us o Lord, Us O Lord. Share your word with us, O Lord. Help us listen. GOSPEL: The Gospel is the same as the one in church but from the Children's Bible. The response is the same as that of the adults. DISCUSSION: One of the children’s favourite parts of the liturgy is discussion. In this part, they are welcome to participate in a lively and enjoyable way ACTIVITY: The activities or crafts reinforce the discussion of the day’s Gospel. THE CREED: A special simplified children’s creed is said with the children to confirm their faith. CLOSING PRAYER: A closing prayer is the link with the theme of the day at the end of each liturgy. Adapted from 'The Complete Children's Liturgy Book by K Thompson.
Preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation is offered to those students
who have completed the Religious Education class years (up to Grade 8/Year 9/Klas 2).
It is expected that these students will be between 14 and 16 years old. Older students
are recommended to consider the RCIA programme. Meetings are held on Tuesday evenings
at the church. Please check the bulletin for the dates of meetings. The Rite of Confirmation
will be celebrated in early June. For information please contact
one of the Coordinators Children who are registered in Our Saviour's Grade 2 RE class and who have attended at least one prior year of religious education and who are at least 7 years of age, will be candidates for the First Communion celebration in May. For further details see below Please get in touch with the Pastor as soon as you have plans to be married - ideally 6 months before the planned wedding. The Pastor will help with the documentation and liturgy preparations and the Couples Group with the pre-nuptial course. For information on the Couples Group CLICK HERE. We recommend an excellent site to help marriage preparation. It is www.gettingmarried.ie , produced in Ireland. It deals with all aspects of the matter -- what are the first steps to take, possibilities for adapting the service to your needs, a full print out of the nuptial mass right through to ideas for creating your own wedding booklet, notions for decorating the church and so on. For those of you planning your wedding, it's a great place to start. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is for people who are interested
in finding out about the Catholic faith. It is also for those adults who
have been baptised but have not yet received first Communion or Confirmation
or for those who have not attended church for a long time and feel they
would like to be part of our community once more. Sessions are held every
Monday at 20.00 in the Parish House. Contact: Sally Williams, 070-368
4959.
RECONCILIATION We have a book stall opposite the coffee area which sells a good selection
of spiritual reading matter, as well as Bibiles and Missals, after Sunday
Mass. Contact Frank and Francesca van Duren (070-346 2866) either for information or
to offer help in running the stall.
The RE Administrative Coordinator for 2010-2011 is not yet decided but will be announced soon.
If your child is making his/her First Communion this year, please contact the coordinators for special instructions. First Communion Preparation At the end of
January/beginning of February each year the Parish organises a weekend Retreat for adults.
This takes place at the beautiful Abbey of Koningshoeven in Tilburg. Details of the Retreat for
2011 will be posted towards the end of this year. The links and reflections entered below
will give you some idea of what is entailed. A few reflections on the 2010 Retreat from some of the participants. "We really enjoyed our two days in the Monastery. Getting away from it all is what you do there. We especially loved the talks given by Father Brendan. We will always remember the peaceful and spiritual atmosphere of the chapel during services. Also meeting parishioners whom we had only ever seen before was an added bonus. Love to go again if possible. Thanks especially to Helena for organizing everything." Colin and Rosaleen "The Parish retreat is a very special event in many ways. The minute you arrive down at the Abbey in Tilburg you forget anything to do with the mundane hum-drum of everyday life. As you begin to participate in the routine of the monks you become enveloped by the peace and serenity of the surroundings. You don't even need to bring a watch as the ringing bells keep time for you. Its a wonderful opportunity to get to know fellow Parishoners that you may have seen and never met, or not even seen before ! Father Brendan prepares each year a new presentation, each in a class of their own, using amazing artwork to depict his theme along with quotes and passages.They really are an inspiration. The retreat is only two days but you come away feeling as if its been longer - an experience well worth making the effort to do." Bridget Andersen A weekend in January spent at the Trappist Monastery in Tilburg is always on my yearly agenda. After the hectic Christmas and New Year celebrations, it’s the weekend to invest in centering myself and getting in touch with a source of boundless spiritual energy, limited only by my own spiritual short sightedness. This year’s theme – 2 Female Mystics(Julian of Norwich and Caryll Houselander), was handled superbly by Father Brendan – Being spiritual is Being human. The beautiful abbey(the grounds clothed in snow), the kind and generous monks, and the camaraderie of our group was the icing on the cake. Another wonderful experience to carry me through the year. I feel blest and lucky to have been there again! Thank you Helena & Father Brendan." Livia Lobo Reflecting on what I took away from the retreat; the phrase "You will not be overcome" struck me the deepest. Fr. Brendan Thomas taught us using the writings of Julian of Norwich, that "He(God) did not say: You will not be troubled, you will not be belaboured, you will not be disquieted; but He said: You will not be overcome. God wants us to pay attention to these words and always be strong and faithful in trust, in well-being and woe, for he loves us and delights in us and so He wishes us to love Him and delight in him and trust him greatly and all will be well." Besides the teachings so thoughtfully chosen by Fr. Brendan, the Trappist Monastery in Tilberg was for me the ideal location for a retreat. I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to have been a participant at this retreat. PARISH RETREAT 2009 IF THE APOSTLE PAUL KNOCKED AT YOUR DOOR, WOULD YOU ANSWER? The weekend of 31 January/2nd February about 20 parishioners attended the Annual Parish Retreat at the Trappist Monastery in Koningshoeven outside Tilburg. Father Brendan, a Welsh Benedictine, presented a number of masterful meditations on the Apostle Paul, his life and his writings. Who was this man? What did he see on the road to Damascus? What was going on in Corinth that he wrote the letters he did? Father Brendan explored these questions and more, giving each of us a deeper appreciation of this often misunderstood ‘Apostle to the Gentiles’. Certainly, he whet our appetites to study his Epistles more and appreciate his insights into Life in Christ. At the same time, the parishioners learned more secular items, such as a typical Australian grace before meals and that ‘hagelslag’ goes well with anything. The only thing missing from this retreat was you. Mark your calendars for January 2011. Each year a Retreat is organised predominantly for our Confirmation candidates. Its form varies from a one night residential Retreat to an activity focussed day at the church. Details are always published in the church bulletin. |
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2002 © ESIRC - English Speaking International Roman
Catholic Parish of The Hague
Parish House - Ruychrocklaan 126 - 2597 ES Den Haag Tel. 070 - 328 0816 |