12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
One might conclude from today's readings that being a prophet or an apostle is not an easy task. Jeremiah is in a state of fear. Terror is on every side. His friends have turned to enemies. They await him to make an error so that they can take revenge. Meanwhile the apostles are sent out by Jesus on their mission. Jesus warns them that they should not fear those who oppose them who might kill but to fear those who might kill the soul. Jesus’ overall message is not to be afraid. He will be with them in spirit on their mission. Similarly, Jeremiah knows that the Lord is at his side and that his opponents will eventually fail. Jeremiah expresses his commitment to God as do the apostles. We too commit ourselves to the Lord as we go about fulfilling our Christian duties, aware of God’s presence.
St Peter & St Paul
On Thursday we celebrate the Feast of St Peter and St Paul. It is a Holy Day of Obligation, a day when we must attend Mass. There will be Masses in the church at 9.am and & 7.30pm. There will also be a Mass in the Annunciation Junior School at 2pm.
St Peter and St Paul are the Church’s two great Apostles, although Paul was not one of the twelve. Peter was originally called Simon but Jesus changed his name to mean Rock, as he would be the earthly foundation of the Church, Paul became the greatest missioner in the Church, having been a one-time persecutor of the Church. They would have received that message not to be afraid as they went about their apostolic work. As we attend Mass on Thursday we should ask for the Lord’s guidance on our own apostolic work, living and spreading the faith, bringing others closer to Jesus.
PETER’S PENCE
Near the Feast Day of St Peter and Paul each year we have a collection for Peter’s Pence. Perhaps the collection should be renamed ‘Peter’s Pounds’ because in these times this charity needs more than a few pennies per person. Our Offerings are designated for the Pope’s apostolic charitable ministry. It is a worldwide collection and we will have our second collection next weekend (2nd/3rd July).
Baptism Preparation
There will be a session for parents who wish to have their baby baptised on Sunday 16th July at 4pm in the church.
LOURDES BANGAR R.I.P
The funeral Mass for Lourdes Bangar will take place on Friday at 10am. This replaces the 9am Mass on that day. May she rest in peace.
SUMMER FAYRE
Our Summer Fayre takes place on Saturday 15th July, between 12 noon and 3pm. There will be Games, Tombola, a bottle stall, Toys, Cakes. Plants, Bric-a Brac Face Painting and several other stalls. There will be plenty of food and drink available. We are looking for volunteers to assist at the stalls, and also helpers to set things up on Friday evening. If you are able to help in any way, please add your name to the list of volunteers at the back of the church. There will be a raffle and raffle tickets will be available after weekend Masses.
Donations of toys, bric a brac, drinks, baked cakes, plants etc. can be brought to the Parish Centre during Office Hours or brought to the Presbytery. Thank you.
WESTMINSTER DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES
This takes place from 21st to 28th July. Please see the Tangney Tours poster in the church for details and ask one of the priests for an application form if you are interested in going.
CAFOD: update on the conflict in Sudan
Violent conflict continues in Sudan and thousands of people are running out of food, water and medicine. Working as part of the Caritas network, your previous donations to CAFOD are enabling our teams to provide practical help to families who have escaped to neighbouring countries, including South Sudan. Please join Pope Francis in praying for peace in Sudan. Find out more on the CAFOD website: cafod.org.uk/news/emergencies-news/sudan-conflict
The Divine Mercy Apostolate
The Divine Mercy Apostolate, London is holding a Divine Mercy Retreat at St Georges RC Church, 970 Harrow Road, Sudbury, Wembley, Middlesex, HA0 2QE on Saturday 8 July 2023 from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm. The Retreat will include teachings on the Message of Divine Mercy, Holy Mass, Hour of Mercy with Stations of the Cross, Adoration and Benediction and Veneration of the Image of Merciful Jesus. Call Millie on 07957594646 for more information
The Universe Catholic Weekly
Since COVID a digital version of the Catholic newspaper, the Universe has been produced instead of a hard copy. But now they have resumed producing the hard print copies and a sample of this can be found on the table in the porch. Please have a look at this and see whether you would like to receive a regular copy of the Universe. Please let us know. We would need to receive at least five people interested for us to go ahead with this venture.
BARNET
If you enjoy helping people and making a difference in your local area, we would love to hear from you. We have a variety of volunteer roles available including front of house, early years and community activities. Hours can be agreed to suit weekly or ad-hoc availability. For more information, please email mill.hill.library@barnet.gov.uk or visit us during our opening hours.
USED STAMPS
If you have any used stamps please can you put them in the box in the porch. Just leave a border around them. They will go to the Royal National Institute of the Blind.
Gift Aid
We thank all parishioners who are paying by direct debit or envelopes and have signed a Gift Aid Declaration. We ask any parishioner who is a tax payer and donating through the loose plate to please consider donating instead by direct debit or envelope.
Any parishioner who has stopped being a tax payer should inform Susan or Loretta in the office.
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