FR DAVID WRITES
This is Holy Week. Please join us here during the Triduum to celebrate the great mysteries of our faith. We look forward to seeing you all during the week and at Easter. Please remember that later in the week, the Masses are all at special times. Bishop Sherrington will join us on Good Friday to lead the celebration of the Lord’s Passion. Please take a Holy Week poster and display this in your window at home. If you have started your school holidays, we wish you a happy break. Have a happy and holy week!
CHRISM MASS
The annual Diocesan Chrism Mass will be celebrated in Westminster Cathedral, Victoria SW1, this Tuesday at 12 noon; led by Cardinal Vincent Nichols. Everyone is welcome to attend. Please arrive in good time to get a seat.
GOOD FRIDAY
Good Friday is a day of fasting and abstinence.
COLLECTIONS FOR THE HOLY PLACES & EASTER
On Good Friday there will be the traditional annual collection for the Holy Places. Next weekend, the Easter collection will be taken. Like the Christmas collection, this one is very important for the life of the parish. Thank you in advance.
MUSICAL MEDITATIONS ON THE SEVEN LAST WORDS
This will take place in the church on Good Friday evening at 7pm. All welcome.
WORKS IN THE CHURCH
Please be careful this weekend in the church as we are still in the midst of our redecoration works. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday weekday Masses will be in the hall; the Masses and celebrations for the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday) will be in the church.
PARISH OFFICE
The office will be open this week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be closed for the Triduum and Bank Holiday weekend on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday. Please bear this in mind.
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.
CONTACTLESS CARD READER
The Parish now has a contactless card machine. It takes cards and smart phones, and you can add Gift Aid if you follow the instructions on the reader. Once you have used a card with Gift Aid, it recognizes it for any subsequent donation you may make. This weekend, the card reader will be in the entrance area of the parish centre if you would like to use it either for the collection or for the shop.
FOOD BANK
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.
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.
BERNADETTE CLUB
All our members, old and new, are welcome to this month’s meeting of the club
at 2pm on Thursday 6 April in the parish centre. We will be celebrating a very important April birthday. There will also be a flower arranging demonstration by Jean Turner. Tickets will be available for our coach trip to Canterbury on Tuesday 26th May.
VOLUNTEER CATECHISTS
If you would like to volunteer for next year’s Confirmation programme please see Teresa or ask the office for further details.