SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
MASS (OLHoC): 6.00pm (Sat. 7th)
(Sr Sophie Pepper RIP)
MASS (OLHoC): 9.00am
(Giuseppina Cavallo RIP)
X There will be no tea & coffee in the hall
after Mass due to the Christmas Lunch
MASS (OLHoC): 11.00am
(Pro Populo)
X There will be no tea & coffee in the hall
after Mass due to the Christmas Lunch
CHRISTMAS LUNCH IN THE HALL AT 12.45
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• MONDAY, December 9th
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
MASS: 9.00am (Intentions of Catherine
Meehan)
X RCIA JIF: 7.00pm
MASS: 10.30 am with Stellas Maris School
•
TUESDAY, December 10th – Feria
NO MASS TODAY
•
WEDNESDAY, December
11th - Feria
MASS (OLHoC):10.45am (Kathleen Lynch)
X Refreshments in the hall after Mass
•
THURSDAY, December
12th – Feria
MASS (OLHoC):9.00am (Thresiamma Antony RIP)
Parish Open Office with Fr Alex
4.00pm-7.00pm at the Presbytery (OLHoC)
• FRIDAY, December 13th – St Lucy
MASS (OLHoC):9.00am (Holy Souls)
•SATURDAY,
December 14th
St John
of the Cross
MASS (OLHoC):10.00am
(Christmas Blessings for Patricia Fela)
X 1HC class: 9.00am
X Confirmation class:
10.00am
Confessions & Exposition (OLHoC):11.00am-12 noon)
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Next Sunday: December 15th 2024
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
MASS (OLHoC): 6.00pm (Sat. 7th) (Pro Populo)
MASS (OLHoC): 9.00am (Peter Latham & Family)
X Refreshments in the hall after
Mass
MASS (OLHoC): 11.00am
– (Bishop John Hine RIP)
X Refreshments in the hall
after Mass
X OUR PARISH’S JOURNEY TO CHRISTMAS – Advent is a time of waiting, prayer,
penance, fasting, joy and hope because the promised Messiah is here and
near. We are all called to be ready to
welcome Him whose birth changed the course of our human history.
I therefore invite
each one of us to seize the opportunity that the introduction of the new
lectionaries gives us to create a new habit.
That is to develop a love for the Scriptures by reading the lectionaries
at home, that you may have purchased from our parish shop or accessed online,
or during the period before Mass with a copy of the new Mass books provided by
the parish for use in the church. Please use the readings for your personal
prayer and reflection.
As a Parish, we will have a Novena during the week leading to Christmas. It will be based on the antiphons from the Evening Prayer of the Church. Therefore, the week will be as follows:
There will be an Evening Mass from 16th-20th December 2024 at 7.00pm preceded by Confessions at 6.30pm.
For the weekend of
21st-22nd December, the Homily at the weekend Masses will cover the theme of
the Evening Prayer. We will conclude our
Novena with our Mass at 7.00pm on Monday 23rd December. There will be
refreshments in the hall on the first and last evenings.
Monday16th December
O Wisdom, you
come forth from the mouth of the Most High. You fill the universe and hold all
things together in a strong yet gentle manner. O come to teach us the way of
truth.
Tuesday 17th December
O Adonai and
leader of Israel, you appeared to Moses in a burning bush and you gave him the
Law on Sinai. O come and save us with your mighty power.
Wednesday 18th December
O Stock of Jesse, you
stand as a signal for the nations; kings fall silent before you whom the
peoples acclaim. O come to deliver us, and do not delay.
Thursday 19th December
O Key of David and
sceptre of Israel, what you open no one else can close again; what you close no one can open. O come to lead the captive
from prison; free those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Friday 20th December
O Rising Sun, you
are the splendour of eternal light and the sun of justice. O come and enlighten
those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd December
O King, whom
all the people’s desire, you are the cornerstone which makes us all one. O come
and save humanity whom you made from clay.
Monday 23rd December
O Immanuel, you
are our king and judge, the One whom the peoples await and their Saviour. O
come and save us, Lord our God.
I wish you all a happy and spiritually rewarding Advent and may it increase our love and preparedness for the coming of Jesus in our hearts and lives.
X NOTICE OF CHRISTMAS MASS TIMES –
Tuesday 24th December:
¬6.00 p.m. for 6.30 p.m.
Christmas Eve Mass with children and parents.
¬10.00 p.m. for 10.30
p.m. Carols followed by Midnight Mass
Christmas Day 25th December:
¬10.30 a.m. Christmas Day Mass
X AN APPEAL FOR AN ACT OF KINDNESS AND FAVOUR - Please, as you leave the Church at the end of Mass, return the books and papers, that you were given when you first arrived, to the back of the Church where they normally stay for the next Mass. It is sad to see our volunteer who welcomed you, going through the pews to collect hymn books and papers that have been left behind and not returned to them or to the back of the Church. Thank you for your act of kindness and favour regarding such matter.
X PARISH
CHRISTMAS DINNER
is taking place today, Sunday 8th December at 12.45pm at the OLHC hall. There
will be a delicious three-course meal. Soft drinks will be provided, but please
bring your own wine/ beer. Tickets £20 per adult and £10 for children aged 5-16
years. Under 5 year olds eat free. If you have not bought your ticket yet –
there will be tickets available at the door
Please see Chi Davies, Anne Berry, Ellen Fitzpatrick or Sara Adams for tickets.
X WE PRAY FOR THE SICK - We remember all those who are sick or housebound and that they remain in our prayers including, Robert Claridge, Cecilia Niven, Stacy Rodrigues, Ann Robinson, Uzo Mbanugo, Bob & Tess Vickery, Canon Luke Smith, Beulah Blomfield, John Lodge, Veronica Poulton, Margaret Woolley, and all those who have asked for our prayers.
X INFANT BAPTISM may only happen after undergoing a preparation with the parish priest. Baptisms can then be celebrated at either 3pm on a Saturday or 1pm on a Sunday on the 1st or 3rd Sunday of the month. Please note from January 2025 the preparation for infant Baptism will take place every second Sunday of the month at the time 11 am Mass.
X WE PRAY FOR THE RECENTLY DECEASED - Please pray for the repose of the soul of Bishop John Hine, Lillian Orfila, Robert Jones, Christine Mary Kissane, James Kissane, Ron Hall, Suchada Robinson (who was known as Jo or Jojo) and all those who have died recently, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time including Geraldine Loader, Christopher Shields, Marjorie Burdett, Ann Brooks (8th Dec) Dorothy Butkus, Maurice Brivio, Joan Bradwell, Patrick Maher, Margaret Bloe, Philip Brivio (10th Dec); Mary Eltham, Kate Bellamy, (11th Dec.); Marie Dyball (13th Dec.); Ann Craggill (14th Dec.); Richard Ellis (15th Dec.); Therese Castle, Danny Oakes (16th Dec.); Darren Gibson, Terrence Colquhoun-Flannery, Dieudonne Trefousse (17th December).
X STATEMENT FROM THE ARCHBISHOP OF SOUTHWARK FOLLOWING THE VOTE ON ASSISTED DYING IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
I am deeply saddened and extremely worried by
the progress made in the House of Commons towards the legalisation of assisted
suicide. While this is not yet the final step in enacting this legislation, it
represents a seismic and concerning shift in our nation’s approach to caring
for the most vulnerable among us.
Compassion, rightly understood, means standing with those who suffer, sharing their burdens, and honouring their dignity until the natural end of their lives. It does not mean hastening death, even in the face of pain or despair. Every human life is of immeasurable value, and our response must always be to protect and support those who are most in need.
The experience of other countries where assisted suicide has been introduced serves as a grave warning. Promised safeguards are eroded over time, leaving the elderly, disabled, and seriously ill at risk of feeling their lives are a burden to others. The subtle, and sometimes overt, pressure this creates threatens the very fabric of a society built on care and protection for the weakest.
Legalising assisted suicide also undermines the essential trust between patients and healthcare professionals. Those who dedicate their lives to healing and comforting the sick are being placed in an untenable position. Conscientious objection — the right of medical practitioners, nursing and care staff, and institutions to refuse to participate in practices that violate their deeply held ethical or religious convictions — must be upheld and protected. Without this assurance, the ethos of our healthcare system and the integrity of those who serve within it are at serious risk.
Instead of moving towards assisted suicide,
we must commit to improving palliative care, ensuring that expert pain relief,
emotional support, and spiritual care are available to all who need them. No
one should feel alone or abandoned in their suffering.
As we face this challenging moment, I call on
Catholics and all people of goodwill to advocate for the protection of life at
every stage and to stand in solidarity with those who are most vulnerable. Let
us also turn to the Lord Jesus, who shared in human suffering and revealed the
depth of his love through his death and resurrection. Through him, we find the
strength to defend the dignity of every person and to build a society that
values the gift of life from conception to natural death.
Archbishop John Wilson
29 November 2024
X DRAW PRIZES – please look to see if you have won a prize in the Grand Draw. There is
a list of prize winners in the porch and in the hall. Prizes can be picked up from the Presbytery.
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