FR DAVID WRITES
Today is the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today is also known as ‘Sea Sunday’ and is a day of special prayer for those who live, work or travel on sea. Please pray for those who support them, and especially the chaplaincy offered by Stella Maris. Today there will be a retiring collection for the Apostleship of the Sea. Thank you in advance.
YEAR 6 SCHOOL LEAVERS’ MASS
This coming Friday at 10 am we have our special Mass with the Primary School for the Year 6 leavers. Please join us if you can to pray with and for those who will leave our school and move on to Year 7 secondary school in September. Please note there will be no Exposition on Friday due to the school Mass.
PRIESTS
Please pray for Fr Tom Blackburn who will take up his appointment here as our new assistant priest at the end of August. Please also pray for Fr Andrew as he prepares to receive a new appointment in due course.
MASSES
Fr Andrew began his summer break on Thursday, which means Fr David is on his own this week. Weekday Masses this week will be at 10 am only.
ENFIELD DEANERY YOUNG ADULTS
This Wednesday we are beginning a new venture in the deanery. There will be meeting for Catholic young adults (18-35) at Our Lady and St Vincent’s Parish, Mutton Lane, Potters Bar, on this coming Wednesday evening 6.30-9pm. The plan is that, from September, the meeting will move around the deanery on a monthly basis (probably on the second Friday of each month).
PARISH AFTERNOON TEA - SUNDAY 21 JULY 2.30 PM
Thank you to all those who have signed up for the Afternoon Tea. The cost is £10 per person. Please put your money in an envelope marked with your name and ‘Afternoon Tea’, and place in the Presbytery letter box, or hand in to the office during opening hours. Monies must be received by Wednesday 17th so catering can be arranged. There will also be a raffle and an auction!
FAIR TRADE SUMMER SALE
The last Fair Trade stall before the Autumn is after all Masses this weekend—Saturday 13th/Sunday 14th. As well as our many long sell by date food items, all our still very good to eat past ‘Best Before Date’ food will be sold at vastly reduced fractions of original prices. At least £200 from our bulk discount will be sent to CAFOD this month thanks to all your Fair Trade purchases.
PARISH CENTENARY BOOK
Parish Centenary Books are available at the back of church, price £5 each.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 2025
Forms will be available from the beginning of September. The programme begins in December and will run on Saturday mornings 10am—11.15am.
TOILET FACILITIES
Please use the parish centre toilets rather than the church toilet. We are working on the problem but it is more complicated than at first thought.
REFLECTION FOR TODAY
Although we are free, our world is in chains. The suffering caused by human ambition and selfishness cries out to God for his help. Amos is the prophet of he poor, the downtrodden; in his day he speaks out about the injustice of his society. Today these same inequalities and dismissals still remain, and the successors of Amos are still fighting for the poor and downtrodden of society. The apostles of Jesus were the prophets of their day; they were sent out into the world to bring the healing power of God into the lives of the people taking with them only what was needed on the journey. Because of their faith, they were able to do much good work, healing the people in both body and spirit, and bringing them back to God. The challenge to us today is that we must go out into the world and show the people, by our love, that the mystery of God, as described by St Paul, is being fulfilled in our time. David Frank