FR DAVID WRITES
Today is the Fifth Sunday of Lent. This marks the beginning of Passiontide in the heart of the Lenten season. Next weekend will see the start of Holy Week as we will gather for Palm Sunday. Please make sure you take a leaflet home with the times of celebrations here for Holy Week and Easter. We do hope that as many people as possible will be able to join us in the celebration of the great festivities to come. These days mark the heart of our faith and the mysteries of Christ our Saviour. Have a blessed week ahead.
AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED: SYRIA APPEAL
This weekend there will be an appeal from Aid to the Church in Need. ACN is a Pontifical charity which works in 145 countries, helping persecuted Christians around the world through prayer, information and action. ACN has opened an emergency appeal for people in northern Syria following a series of devastating earthquakes in February. ACN is providing medical aid, shelter, food, blankets and repairs to those affected. This truly Catholic response to this tragedy demonstrates Catholic Social Teaching in action. Our support will have a huge impact on those who have been affected by this earthquake.
CHURCH PROJECT
The first phase of redecoration work will start in the church this week. Initially, there should not be too much disruption. We will continue to use the church for weekends, the Easter Triduum, and Easter itself. However, in due course there will be a need on some weekdays to de-camp to the church hall or small hall for Mass. We will let you know about this during the week. Please be patient and bear with us, and follow the indications on these days. Please note that this will also affect the livestreaming of Masses as we have no live feed facility in the hall. Also, on some days, you may find the church is closed but we will do our best to keep things running as smoothly as possible for the great days approaching. The second, and more complicated phase is in preparation but will not come until after Easter.
PLANNED GIVING ENVELOPES
Envelopes for 2023/24 are now available at the back of the church. They are in numerical order and your number will be the same as last year. Please take yours as soon as you can. If you can’t find your box, please email the Parish Office. Thank you.
ANNA MARIA VOLPICELLI RIP
The Funeral Mass will be on Monday 27 March at 10am. May she rest in peace.
PILGRIMAGE TO SHRINES IN NORTHERN FRANCE & PARIS
10-16 September. £730 per person. Travel by coach. Please contact the office for information or see Fr David.
ANNUAL MASS OF THANKSGIVING FOR MATRIMONY
The annual Mass for Matrimony will be celebrated in the cathedral by the Cardinal on Saturday 13th May at 2.30pm for couples celebrating significant wedding anniversaries – 5th, 10th, 25th, 30th, 40th 50th, 60th and 60+. If you would like to attend, please send both your names, the date of the wedding, your full postal address and an email (or phone number if no email) to the Parish Office.
FOODBANK
Thank you for your ongoing support. We are seeing a significant increase in the number of people accessing the foodbank. These items are really popular: toilet rolls, soap, detergent, basmati rice, spaghetti, lentils, noodles, couscous, oil, sugar, green tea, coffee, tinned tomatoes, tinned fish and tinned fruit.
EASTER EGG COLLECTION
Please collect Fair Trade Easter Eggs ordered last Sunday after all Sunday Masses from the hall lobby.
FINANCES 2022
There is a summary of our income and expenditure for 2022 to view in the notice board in the church porch. This summary compares last year with recent years. Thank you all for your generosity and thank you to the Parish Finance Committee.
VOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTHOOD
On Wednesday 17 May, there will be an open evening at St James’s, Spanish Place, for any men interested in learning about or discerning a vocation to priesthood. The regular evening Mass will be at 6pm, followed by a gathering downstairs in the Social Centre for a short presentation, informal conversations and refreshments. The nearest tube stations are Bond Street and Baker Street.