Friday 1st December 2017

This year's Diocesan Walk with Me journey of prayer focuses on the watchwords of 'Watching, Listening and Welcoming.' Watching: Advent invites us to keep watch, stay awake and be on the look out. We are to be alert and watchful for all signs of the coming of God into our world, the signs of his abiding presence. Listening: God is often quietly whispering gently into our ears of our heart long before we catch sight of his presence in our lives. Listening to those quiet words of the Lord prepares us intimately for his coming. Welcoming: We see Advent from God's perspective. God wants to be with us, for we are God's beloved, each one of us. We welcome this coming of our God. So it is that God never forces himself upon us. Love never does that! Love is patient and gentle, always seeking an approach that the beloved cannot resist. That is why, in the fullness of time, God comes to us as a tiny, helpless baby.

Following on from last week's newsletter about keeping your child safe online, the following information has been provided by the DGfL Senior Development Manage in Dudley, Heather Jeavons, regarding safe usage of social networking sites.Parents and carers have a responsibility to ensure their children are responsible users of technology, including online services. Many primary aged pupils are creating their own You Tube channels and posting content. Content includes videos and comments.. The content and language used within these comments are becoming an increasing cause for concern. Children believe that they can post any comments to social media sites and often take pleasure in trying to make their comment 'worse than' the previous comment.

It starts off as 'just a joke'. Unfortunately, this 'banter' may quickly escalates to a point that the content may be considered offensive, threatening, indecent or constitute 'harassment'. There are laws in place that protect individuals (including children), against 'offensive, threatening, indecent and harassing comments and we know of instances where the police have become involved. This can potentially have a devastating effect upon the whole family, including the child or children involved in this type of incident. Please support us to ensure our children are responsible users of technology and fully understand the implications of 'risky' online behaviour- including posting content and commenting on content. If it is not acceptable off line it is not acceptable online. For further information please refer to the following: https://www.internetmatters.org/. To use You Tube a Google account needs to be created and users must be 13 years of age. Any users using this site or any other social networking site are breeching the terms and conditions of usage although this is not illegal. Parents and carers can also activate 'Restricted Mode' which will screen out potentially objectionable content that they may not want to see. Follow this link for further details: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/174084?hl=en-GB

As Christmas starts to creep up on us, many of our towns in the Dudley Borough will be holding events to switch on the Christmas Lights in the next couple of weeks.Below is information about events that we know about so far:

•Saturday 2nd December - Dudley

•Saturday 9th December - Brierley Hill

All the information about these events can be obtained by clicking on the following link below:

http://www.dudley.gov.uk/see-and-do/events/christmas-events-2017/

Other events around the Borough that we also know of include:

•Friday 1st December - Kingswinford: http://www.facebook.com/events/1731344893827312/permalink/1736589669969501/

•Saturday 2nd December, Gornal: http://www.blackcountryradio.co.uk/events/event/803/

•Friday 8th December - Coseley / Roseville: http://www.facebook.com/RosevilleCoseley/?hc_ref=ARQ6aC2LdBot_G7H0ZLXLzLo8RtZiEWWZp9mDrY_wOy9pV0msTNMVpt-NX2BF81ZuEc

Children in St. Joseph's School are growing to be learned, finding God in all things; and wise in the ways they use their learning for the common good.

During the season of Advent try and recite the Diocesan Walk with Me prayer each day. Lord God, our light and our salvation, we praise you for your gifts of life and faith. We thank you for the desire that you have planted in our hearts, our yearning to see your face. Help us to meet you in prayer, to walk in your ways, and to speak to others of our joy and consolation in your presence. Give us faithfulness in this present life so that we may come to know and praise your beauty, with all our brothers and sisters in the life to come. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Please come along to the parish Christmas Fayre tomorrow and join in with our Advent preparations. The fayre will take place from 10.30am until 2pm. If your child is going to join in with the carol singing then please arrive at...

We have decided to support two worthy causes during the month of November. Firstly, we are asking for donations of men's toiletries and new socks to support the Birmingham Sanctuary charity to help the homeless. Then on Friday 15th December we will be supporting Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day. For further details please go to the following website:https://christmasjumperday.org/. Finally, a small group of children in Year 6 are organising a raffle for Jude Marrey to raise funds to buy much needed equipment. Thank you for your continued support to those in need in our local community and beyond.