6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Jesus did not reject the Jewish scriptures but brought them back to the basics: love of God and of neighbour. Our lives should reflect this love. Today’s Gospel passage gives us a large chunk of Jesus’ teaching from the Sermon on the Mount. The basic commandment is to love God and our neighbour. All other commandments derive from this. The Book of Ecclesiasticus points out to be faithful to the commandments is within our power. In other words, God gives us the power to be faithful to his word.
Prayer and Life Workshops
Today we welcome VICKEY VENEGAS who will speak about these workshops at the end of Masses.
Would you like to learn praying in an orderly and progressive manner? How would you feel about discovering the plan the Lord has designed for YOU? Do you know God lives within you and is waiting to have a Personal Encounter with You? If any of the above appeals to you, then come and experience Prayer and Life Workshops, a New Evangelisation based purely on the Bible and the practice of fifteen Methods of Prayer, from the simplest to the depths of Contemplation. You will find yourself living a process of purification, healing the wounds of the past and liberating your soul from anxieties, fears and truly re-discovering THE JOY OF LIVING. This holy program will be imparted over 15 weekly, two hour sessions, starting on Friday 21 February 2020 in the Canon Smyth Parish Centre at 7.30PM. For more details please contact Vicky on 07939757920 or Esperanca on 07877388172.
Preparing for Lent
Lent starts on Wednesday week, with Ash Wednesday on 26th February, when Masses will be at 9:00AM and 7:30PM in the church and at 2:PM in the Junior School in The Meads. There will also be a Liturgy of Ashes in the Infants School at 11:AM. Walk with me booklets, giving meditations for each day of Lent are available in the porch, price £1.00. Also there are Lenten calendars for children. We have received the Lenten Discussion Booklet ‘A Word for Lent’ which costs
£2.00 each.
Stations of the Cross will be on Fridays at 7:PM, starting at St Alphage on 28th February, and alternating with the Annunciation for the six weeks. We will also be hearing about the Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal.
Our activities for Lent could centre around the Word, perhaps spending more time reading and reflecting on the Bible. The Prayer and Life Workshops detailed above would be an excellent way to spend our Lent.
Pastoral Letter
Today we have a Pastoral Letter from Cardinal Vincent Nichols which will be read at all Masses
Forthcoming Funerals
Please pray for the repose of the souls of the following whose funerals will take place here in the next fortnight. SLOREENA DEBORAH BADU on Wednesday 19th February at 11:00AM ANNIE GALLAGHER on Monday 24th February at 11:00. Her body will be brought to the church at 5:PM on Sunday 23rd. PATRICIA RYAN on Friday 28th February at 11:00. May they rest in peace.
Parish Annual General Meeting
Next Sunday, 23rd February, we have our Parish Annual General Meeting at 2:PM in the Canon Smyth Parish Centre. At the AGM we will review what has happened during the past year, plan ahead for this year and elect a new Parish Council. Nominations must be handed to Father Colin by today (Sunday 16th). The AGM will be preceded at 1:15PM by a shared lunch to which we invite you to bring along a dish of food. We will provide the drink. This occasion will be an opportunity to have a littlie parish celebration before Lent starts.
Everybody is welcome to come to either or both of these events.
The Passage
Next weekend there will be an appeal by Andrew Hollingsworth to support the work of The Passage. It provides resources which encourage, inspire and challenge homeless people to transform their lives. It undertakes street outreach work including the area around the Cathedral and Victoria Station.
Please support a St David’s Day concert in aid of The Passage at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster on Friday 28 February at 7.00pm.
The concert features the London Welsh Male Voice Choir with guest soloists Claire Jones (harp) and Aled Wyn Davies (tenor) and Guto Harri (Compère).
Please book online through Eventbrite stdavidsday.enventbrite.co.uk
Christmas Morning Masses
As more people are coming to Mass on Christmas Eve and fewer on Christmas Day, we have decided to reduce the number of Christmas Morning Masses to two. For Christmas 2020 which will be on a Friday, Masses will be at 6:30PM and 12 Midnight on Christmas Eve and at 10:AM and 12 Noon on Christmas Day.
Beginning Experience Weekend
A healing weekend for men and women who are separated, divorced or widowed will be held from 3rd to 5th April 2020 at the Domus Mariae Centre, Chigwell, Essex.
For details please contact Freda 01322-838415 or Maura 01322-551503 or email johnabrotherton@hotmail.co.uk.
Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine
04th May 2020. £649.00 per person sharing. Price includes flight with 10kg hand luggage, all transfers, 4 nights’ in Knock House Hotel with breakfast and dinner. All excursions included. Lunches on days out. Single supplement £100.
Contact Patricia on 01268 762 278 or 07740175557 or email knockpilgrimages@gmail.com. Knock Pilgrimages is a member of the Travel Trust Association and is fully protected by ATOL T7613.
Baptism Preparation
The next session for parents who wish to have their baby baptised will be on Sunday 15th March at 4PM in the Dominic Room.
Vinney Packs
. "The SVP are distributing 11,500 Vinnie Packs containing cold weather essentials to the homeless this winter. Please could you consider sponsoring packs at a suggested donation of £3.50 per pack? Donations can be sent to Vinnie Packs, PO Box 72264, London SW1P 9EZ with cheques made out to SVP or by bank transfer to Nat West sort code 60-60-04, account no. 4608 8237.
Thank you so much for your support."
Confirmation Programme
Today at the 12 Noon Mass our Confirmation candidates will be enrolled into the programme.
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 …28th.29th Feb & 1st March 2020
Call or text 0788 7296983 or 0797 3380443 or Email retrouvailleukinfo@gmail.com – or visit www.retrouvaille.org.uk
Year of the Word Scripture Quotes
‘Vast is the wisdom of the Lord; he is almighty and all-seeing’. (Ecclesiasticus 15:18)
Thanksgiving for Matrimony
The Cardinal invites couples who are celebrating this year their 5th, 10th, 25th, 30th, 40th, 50th 60th (and every year over 60) wedding anniversary of Catholic marriage to a Mass of thanksgiving in Westminster Cathedral on Saturday 30th May at 3PM. If you are celebrating such an anniversary in 2020 please give Fr. Colin the following details: husband and wife’s names, wedding date, full postal address and email or telephone number.
Catholic Leadership Retreat
Join us at the SPEC Retreat Centre on Saturday 7th March 2020 as we explore what it means to be a young Catholic Leader. With guest speakers including Dame Mary Richardson,
Brendan Thompson of Catholic voices and others. Please see the poster for more details.
Flower Arrangers
We thank those who arrange the flowers in the church, we need more flower arrangers. If you would like to help, please speak to Fr. Colin or Emilia. Normally the flowers are prepared on Saturday mornings.