FR DAVID WRITES
Congratulations to the 64 young people who were confirmed by Bishop Sherrington on Friday evening. Thanks to Fr Liddle and the people of Whetstone Parish for letting us borrow their church! Thank you also to the parents and families of the newly confirmed, and to our catechists and parishioners who helped to prepare them for this special moment.

FR DAVID WRITES
We hope you are all enjoying the holiday weekend, and also hope that many of you were able to watch and pray along with the coronation ceremony yesterday. The Pope was represented by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin and by the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain. Cardinal Nichols was also present to join in the blessing. Today (Sunday) please join us in the hall at 1.15pm for the coronation shared lunch. If you are able to bring a dish, please do! Thank you to all the helpers who have worked to make this a special celebration. We had two wonderful First Holy Communion celebrations last weekend - thank you to all involved!  Finally, we are greatly looking forward to the Confirmations which will take place on Friday at 7pm in St Mary Magdalen’s Church, Whetstone, with Bishop John Sherrington.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNIONS
Congratulations to the children who celebrated their First Holy Communion here in church yesterday. Many thanks to the parents, families, catechists and teachers, musicians, servers and helpers. God bless you all.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: CARDINAL’S CENTENARY VISIT
We are very pleased to say that His Eminence the Cardinal will visit our parish and celebrate a special centenary Mass on Friday 16 June, 7pm, the solemnity of the Sacred Heart. This will be a very special occasion for us and a great celebration to mark the centenary of the parish. Please make a note of the date and time, and be sure to join us!

FR DAVID WRITES
Congratulations and well done to the children who celebrated First Confession here in church yesterday. Next Saturday is First Holy Communion day in the parish. Please keep the children and their families in your prayers on this special occasion.

FR JEROME WRITES
We have moved from the season of Lent and the period of Passiontide and embarking on a new journey, a paschal journey with the early church, and an opportunity to re-discover the meaning of Community.  Each year we seem to reach this point either exhausted by the intensity of the past seven weeks or exhilarated, ready for a joyous journey through the Easter season reinvigorated by our shared experiences.  The early church could have hidden from view after the traumatic events of the last week but, filled with the spirit of God, they began to build, and so must we. We are faced with many problems but we should follow the example of the early church and aim to build not decline.

FR DAVID WRITES
Happy Easter! Today, on Easter Sunday, we celebrate God’s triumph over sin and death in the glorious resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Today it is our joy and privilege to greet you all and send you many prayers, blessings and sentiments full of Christian faith and hope. We hope you are able to celebrate Easter in your homes and families. Thank you for your generosity throughout Lent and for all that you bring to the life of the parish. May God bless you all. Alleluia!

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!

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.

FR DAVID WRITES
Today is the Fourth Sunday of Lent, also known as ‘Laetare’ Sunday from the first words of the entrance antiphon in Latin; a day of rejoicing in the heart of this holy season of Lent. Today is also Mothering Sunday. We send our love, prayers and thanks to all mothers in the parish and community, and pray for our mothers who have gone to God. We hope you all have a lovely day! Our journey through Lent is going fast! Today you will find sheets in the church porch with the details about celebrations here in Holy Week. Please take one. Finally, it was lovely to see many people at Mass on St Patrick’s Day. We hope you had a good day. God bless you all.

CARDINAL’S LENTEN APPEAL 2023 Saturday 11/Sunday 12 March
Funds raised this year will be shared between the four pillars of the Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal: Marriage & Family Life; Youth & Evangelisation; The Education Service and Caritas Westminster. The effects of the pandemic, followed by the cost of living crisis, are still making daily life harder for all. Price rises last year meant many families faced an impossible choice: HEAT or EAT? The Church continues to respond, with thousands of people putting their faith into action by serving those in need. Cardinal Nichols has expressed his gratitude to everyone who supports the Appeal, with whatever they can afford. And for those who can’t give financially, your time is a priceless commodity – please see the posters on how you can volunteer in the diocese and help those in need. Please take a donation envelope today, for more information. You can use the QR code to make your donation online. Thank you for your generosity.

CAFOD FAMILY FAST DAY
This Lent, your donations to CAFOD’s Family Fast Day Appeal will help families fighting the climate crisis and ensure that our Church network can quickly respond to emergencies, like the recent earthquake in Syria and Turkey. Thank you all very much for your kind donations last weekend, which amounted to £1,512.07.  Envelopes are still available if you would still like to donate or use the QR code on the poster.

FR DAVID WRITES
Today is the Second Sunday of Lent, when we hear the Gospel about the Lord’s Transfiguration on the mountain. Here we catch a glimpse of the meaning of his coming Passion, Death and Resurrection. Jesus, God’s beloved Son, is our Saviour who we are called to follow in his Paschal Mystery. This weekend, we welcome our new candidates for Confirmation who will be enrolled during the Saturday Vigil Mass at 6pm. Please pray for them and their families. Today there will be a retiring collection after all Masses for CAFOD Lent Fast Day. Also this weekend, you are invited to the parish hall after the 8.45 and 10am Masses to join in our Easter raffle! May God bless you all during this Lent and the week ahead.