3rd Sunday of Easter (Year C)
During Eastertide, we are treated to several different accounts of Jesus making an appearance after the Resurrection. Today’s account occurs by the Sea of Tiberias where Peter and some of the other disciples are going fishing. They have no success on their own but when Jesus appears and tells them to throw their net out to starboard, they haul in so many fish that they can hardly move the net. Jesus was the key to their success. Jesus is in fact the key to the successes we have ourselves. Afterwards, the disciples have breakfast with Jesus, on the shore of the lake. It is a scene of great happiness and calm after all the events that had preceded this.
May Procession
We have now started the Month of Our Lady when our minds focus on Mary, Mother of God, who continues to intercede for us. On Saturday, we will have a procession to Our Lady’s grotto, after the 10am Mass. There the Statue will be crowned by one of our First Communion children and we will say a decade of the Rosary and the Litany before returning to the church for Benediction. Afterwards, there will be refreshments in the Canon Smyth Parish Centre.
Baptism Preparation
There will be a session for parents who wish to have their baby baptised next Sunday at 4.pm in the Dominic Room
First Communion
This Sunday and the following 2 Sundays there will be First Communions at the 10.30 Mass. The church is likely to be very full for these Masses as will the car park. Those children receiving their First Holy Communion next Sunday will have a rehearsal on Friday at 6pm in the church.
Confirmation Parents
There will be a meeting for parents of Confirmation candidates at 7.30pm on Wednesday in the Canon Smyth Parish Centre. The next session for the candidates is on Wednesday 15th May at 7pm.
Photos from 90th Anniversary
Did you take any photographs at the parish 90th anniversary celebrations last November? If you have some available please see Fr Colin.
Repository Communion Cards and Gifts
Are now available, also copies of the parish 90th anniversary booklet. Donations for the booklet will be used to purchase two new chalices for the parish.
St Michael's Catholic Grammar School - Pupil Premium Priority for
Year 7 Entry in September 2020
St. Michael's Catholic Grammar School is appealing to parents of Year 5 Catholic girls who may be considering applying to take the entrance tests in September 2019.
St. Michael's is expanding by an extra 32 places. Priority is going to be given to girls who are 'Pupil Premium'. This means girls who are having, or have had, free school meals because of low income or could be eligible to apply for free school meals.
If you think your daughter could be in this category and you would like to find out more about the school and how to apply, the school invites you to attend on Tuesday 14th May 2019 at 7pm in the school Hall. This is a specific evening targeted at support only for families in this category.
There is an Open Afternoon and Evening for all parents on June 27th at 3.30pm and 7pm.
You Can Help Your Marriage
Do you feel alone? Are you frustrated or angry with each other? Do you argue … or have you just stopped talking to each other? Does talking about it only make it worse? Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vi with a long i) helps couples through difficult times in their marriages. There is no group therapy or group work.
This programme has helped 10s of 1000s of couples experiencing difficulties in their marriage. For confidential information about Retrouvaille’, or to register for the next programme commencing with a residential weekend on 7th – 9th June 2019
Call or text 0788 7296983 or 0797 3380443 or Email retrouvailleukinfo@gmail.com or visit www.retrouvaille.org.uk
Do you have public speaking skills? Want to help tackle poverty and injustice?
CAFOD wants to recruit volunteers in the Westminster Diocese to promote its work for justice and development. We are looking for volunteers with public speaking skills and the ability to work with, and co-ordinate, small teams of volunteers locally.
To find out more, why not book a place on our volunteer day on Saturday 11th May? The meeting will be held in our office near Lambeth North tube station. Contact Tony on 0208-449-6970 or tsheen@cafod.org.uk for further details.
St James’ Catholic High School – a Leading Edge School
Year 7 entry September 2020 – Open Evening Wednesday 2 October 2019
The expansion programme at St James’ Catholic High School is due for completion this coming September, allowing the school to take on two extra forms of entry in Year 7. This means that we have an extra 60 places for Catholic children currently in Year 5 at primary school.
St James' Catholic High School has recently been recognised nationally for its excellent results in 2018 based on data from the Department for Education and Ofsted, analysed by SSAT, the Schools, Students and Teachers network. St James' was found to be among the best performing secondary schools in the country, receiving two awards for being in the top 10% of non-selective schools nationally for attainment and the top 20% for progress. The school will be presented with their award during the summer term at a ceremony attended by winners from across the region.
These excellent outcomes mean that St James’ is now designated an SSAT Leading Edge school, enabling teachers and students to benefit from links with a network of outstanding schools.
If you would like your child to benefit from an outstanding Catholic education in a school where new facilities include a brand new Sixth Form area, 4G floodlit football pitch, excellent sports, art and drama facilities and new masterclass and learning resource areas, we would be delighted to see you at our Open Evening for prospective parents on Wednesday 2 October 2019 from 5:30pm – 8:00pm.