5th Sunday of Lent
We have another story about God’s forgiveness in today’s Gospel. A woman was caught committing adultery. The punishment for this was stoning to death. The woman was brought before Jesus who invited anyone who had not sinned to throw the first stone. Nobody did and Jesus told her to go away and not to sin any more. The past is dead. Christ’s forgiveness is complete. So for us when we come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Covering of Statues
You will notice that the statues in the church have been covered and that there are no votive candles. This is because we are now entering the season of Passiontide and that we have reached the most solemn period of Lent as we focus on the Cross. Candles will be burning again in abundance when we reach the Feast of the Resurrection in two weeks time.
Holy Week Arrangements
If you did not do so last week, please take a card giving all the times of services for Holy Week and Easter. Please note that the Reconciliation Service with several priests available for confession will be on Monday 21st March at 7.30pm.
Children are invited to take part in the Children’s Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at 11.30am, either acting or reading. There will be a rehearsal on Maundy Thursday (24th March) from 2.30 to 4pm and again on Good Friday itself at 10am. This will all take place in the Parish Centre.
At the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday at 8pm, there will be the commissioning and re-commissioning of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
Lenten Alms Appeal –Caritas Westminster
If you did not have a chance last Sunday, there is an opportunity to contribute to the Lenten Alms Appeal for Caritas in a second collection today. At present Caritas Westminster is focusing on three projects where a big difference can be made to help those living on the fringes of society: Foodbanks, Night Shelters for rough sleepers and tackling the scourge of Human Trafficking and modern day slavery. Many thanks for your continuing generosity and to those who contribute to Caritas through Growing in Faith.
Feast of the Annunciation
Our Parish Feast Day will be on Monday 4th April, when Masses will be at 9am and 7.30pm. At the evening Mass, we invite people to come in their national costume and for children to carry a flag of their country in the opening procession. After the Mass, there will be a get-together in the Parish Centre to which we invite you to bring along an international dish, and we will provide the drink. This is an occasion when we hope you will be able to bring along someone with you, particularly one who has not been to church for some time.
Baptism Preparation
There will be a session this afternoon (Sunday) for parents who wish to have their baby baptised at 4pm in the Dominic Room. Application forms can be collected from the sacristy.
First Communion Programme
The First Communion candidates will be taking part in a Celebration Mass at 10.30 this morning.
Confirmation Programme
Confirmation candidates have their next session on Wednesday at 7pm in the Parish Centre.
Nell Herr Rip
The funeral Mass for Nell Herr will be on Friday at 10am, replacing the 9am Mass that day. Her body will be brought to the church on Thursday at 6pm.
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross this week will be on Friday at 7pm, here at the Annunciation.
Arrangements for Palm Sunday
Next weekend is Palm Sunday. The Sunday Masses (not Saturday evening) will start from the Parish Centre, with the blessing of Palms. We will then process to the church. Please wave your palm in the procession, recalling the greeting Jesus received when he made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Please do not park any cars to obstruct the procession. Once in the church, we will have the Passion according to St Luke. We invite you to take part by reading the words of the crowd, marked ‘C’ in the booklets.
St Patrick’s Day
Thursday is St Patrick’s Day and in addition to the 9am Mass here, there will be a Mass in Appletree Court at 11.30am.
Altar Servers Rehearsals
Saturday 19th March 11am
(For Holy Week)
Wednesday 23rd March 4.30pm
(For Maundy Thursday)
Friday 25th March 12.15pm
(For Good Friday)
Saturday 26th March 11am
(For Easter Vigil)
Text Payments
A Great Way to Donate
Or to ‘Top Up’
Your Current Giving!
Make a Supplemental
or
Special Offering
Text: Parish ANNUN to 70800
To Donate £5 through your
Mobile Phone!
Easy...Safe...Convenient..Helpful
New Offertory Envelopes
The new weekly envelopes are now available on the table at the back of the church. Please make sure you take the box with your own name and address, but please do not start using the envelopes until the weekend of 10th April. If you would like to start using envelopes please put your name on the list on the table.
You can Gift Aid your contributions by completing one of the forms on the table. This enables us to receive an extra 25 pence for every £1 you give without any expense to yourself.
You may decide to switch to Standing Order Payment. Forms are available on the table. If so, you will not need to put anything in the collection and can return your weekly envelopes.
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy:
Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope;
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
To thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy towards us;
And after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary
Lift Up Your Hearts
Copies of this Lenten meditation are available in the porch. They can be used individually or in groups. The groups which will be meeting are:
Wednesdays 11am Dominic Room, Parish Centre
Sheelagh Benson’s Group
Contact 0208 952 0016
Vince Randall’s Group
Contact 0208 952 6994
WATCH THIS SPACE-J.D.S
The salesman explained, “when I got posted in the Middle East, I was very confident that I would make a good sales pitch as Cola is virtually unknown there. But, I had a problem I didn’t speak Arabic. So I planned to convey the message through 3 posters. First poster, a man crawling through the hot desert sand, totally exhausted and fainting. Second the man drinking our Cola, and third, the man totally refreshed, then place the posters all over the place.” “That should have worked” said the friend. The salesman replied “Well, not only did I not speak Arabic, I also didn’t realize that Arabs read from right to left……..”