Third Sunday of Easter
One of the delights of the Easter season is the accounts of Jesus’ appearances after he had risen from the dead. This week Jesus appears to the disciples after they had had a fruitless time fishing. With the intercession of Jesus, they then starting hauling in large quantities of fish. Afterwards, they have breakfast with Jesus. Again, it has a Eucharistic feel about it—asking for help and sharing bread with one another in the presence of Jesus.
Priest Training Fund Collection
Next week our parish will take up a collection for the Priest Training Fund of the Diocese of Westminster. We currently have 29 men in formation for the priesthood at our own Allen Hall Seminary, and at seminaries in Rome and Spain. The Fund also helps pay for promoting vocations to the priesthood, and ongoing training of our priests for specialised ministries such as in hospital, prisons, or university chaplaincy and the like. It costs £25,000 per year, per man to go through the six year rigorous formation programme. That’s a minimum £125,000 investment leading to ordination and placement in parish. Your generous donation helps ensure these men who are called to be like Christ the Good Shepherd fulfil their commitment of their lives and their all in service to God and His Holy People. Envelopes are available in the benches and in the back of the church –please take one home, read the information, and bring it back next weekend with your generous donation. Many thanks to all those who already contribute regularly to this fund through Growing in Faith.
Columban Missionaries
Many thanks for your contributions to last week’s appeal by the Columban Missionaries, which amounted to £553.01. If you would like to receive the Far East magazine, please return the card.
Mercy Mass
The next Mercy Mass will be on Friday 22nd April at 7.30pm. We invite you to bring along someone who has not been to church for some time. The theme this time will be the Corporal Works of Mercy.
Gift Aid
The new planned giving boxes have now started, please can I encourage those who pay tax and who do not participate in GIFT AID to consider doing so.
GIFT AID is applicable to PLANNED GIVING (weekly envelopes) or STANDING ORDERS. The forms are at the back of the church.
Fr Colin Away
Fr Colin will be away from Sunday afternoon 10th April until Thursday 14th.
First Communion Programme
There will be a meeting for all parents of First Holy Communion children on Tuesday at 7.45pm in the Parish Centre. The children have their final session next Sunday at 9.15am.
Please pray for these children and their families as they make their final preparations for their First Holy Communion next month. This will take place on Sundays 1st, 8th, and 15th May at the 10.30am Mass. These Masses will be particularly crowded, so you may wish to attend other Masses on those weekends.
House Masses
One of the initiatives that we are encouraging as a response to ‘The Joy of the Gospel’ is to hold House Masses around the parish. If you would like to host a house Mass for your family and for those in you immediate neighbourhood, please speak to Fr Colin or Fr David.
Lenten Alms
Many thanks for your donations towards Lenten Alms, which is being sent to Caritas. A total of £1155.56 was raised. Thank you very much.
Parish Website
We are in the process of replacing the parish website with a more slicker, more advanced website. We’ve refreshed the content and look to tie it all in all with social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter etc). The site gives us a fantastic platform to build on as we aim, as always, to continue to develop the ways in which we communicate with you.
Have a browse and see what you think, any feedback and thoughts are welcome.
Baptism Preparation
The next session for parents who wish to have their baby baptised will be on Sunday 8th May at 4pm in the Dominic Room in the Parish Centre. Application forms can be collected from the sacristy.
Easter Garden and Path of Mercy & Hope
The Dominican Sisters at St Rose’s, 160 Anson Road, welcome everyone to come and pray in the Easter Garden and walk the Path of Mercy and Hope. The garden is open from 7.30 am to 7.30 pm. There will be Adoration with prayer and reflection every Thursday from 7.00pm to 8pm in St. Rose’s Chapel.
No 7.30am Mass
There will be no early Mass at 7.30am this Monday as Fr Colin is away. We resume on 18th April.
Permanent Deacon
Permanent Deacon Come and See. Men wanting to know more about the permanent diaconate are invited to come to a two hour meeting from 10am to 12 at Ealing Abbey on Saturday 16th April, or St Augustines, Hoddesdon 21st May from 10am to 12. No booking needed. Wives welcome. Contact details Deacon Adrian Cullen 07961 594725 or Deacon Anthony Clark 07545 373548.
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee meets on Thursday 21st April at 7.30pm in the Dominic Room.
PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTHOOD
God our Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit
Draw from the disciples in this Diocese,
The men you wish to be with Christ to serve your Church as priests,
To proclaim the Gospel, to teach the Faith, to celebrate the Sacraments
And minister to your people with mercy.
We make this pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Blessed Lady Immaculate, Patroness of our Diocese, pray for us.
St John Vianney, Patron of Priests, pray for us.
St Thomas of Canterbury, Patron Saint of English Clergy, pray for us.
St John Southworth, Martyr of our Diocese, pray for us.
Annual Migrants Mass
Cardinal Vincent invites you to join him at the annual Mass for Migrants in honour of St Joseph the Worker on Bank Holiday Monday 2 May at Westminster Cathedral. The banner procession will begin at 10am, followed by witness testimonies from two refugees before Mass, which will be followed by an opportunity for Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. All are welcome!
WATCH THIS SPACE
Negotiations between union members and their employer were at an impasse. The union denied that their workers were flagrantly abusing their contract’s sick-leave provisions. One morning at the bargaining table, the company’s chief negotiator held aloft the morning edition of the newspaper, “ This man” he announced “called in sick yesterday!” There on the sports page, was a photo of the supposedly ill employee, who had just won a local golf tournament with an excellent score. The silence in the room was broken by a union negotiator. “Wow,” he said, “Just think of what kind of score he could have had if he had been well!”
J.D.S.