First Sunday of Lent Year B
Confident in God’s love and mercy, we began our Lenten journey of rediscovering or deepening our experience of God’s love. Hence, St Peter reminds us in today’s second reading that, “He died for our sins to lead us back to God”. Through Jesus, God is perfecting the promised salvation foreshadowed by Noah and his ark in today’s first reading.
We are invited to be open to the action of God’s Spirit during this season by acknowledging our need for God. Constantly, we entrust ourselves to the Holy Spirit by whose power we submit to God and are impelled to confront our wilderness experiences as Jesus did in today’s Gospel and was tempted.
As we recognise and confront our sins, fears, addictions, and experiences of dryness and spiritual evils etc, we must rise against them. To overcome and be looked after by the Holy Spirit, we are to arm ourselves with the spiritual weapons of prayer, self-restraint, and God’s word, as Jesus did. I pray, that, in the light of God’s love, we may genuinely confront our weaknesses and sins during this season, and so encounter the power of his resurrection.
Happy Sunday, Fr Chinedu
Parish Lenten Day of Recollection:
There will be a Day of Recollection for our parish on Saturday 9th March in the Parish Hall. It will run from 2-5 pm. This will be followed by the sacrament of reconciliation in the Church at 5:30 pm and then the Vigil Mass at 6:30 pm. All are welcome.
MY DAY BY DAY Lent and Easter Booklet
Lent in this year of preparation for the Holy Year -2025. As some of you will know, it is based on the theme of the 'Our Father' and can be used as a personal reflection for a few moments each day. Also available at the back of the church cost £1.00 each.
CAFOD Family Fast Day Appeal
Family Fast Day is Friday 23 February, there will be a collection at Masses next week. This Lent, your donations to CAFOD’s appeal will help hardworking people like James the fisherman in Liberia with resources, tools and training to feed their families for good. Give today using the envelope or online at cafod.org.uk and please join us in praying with James that our sisters and brothers around the world have what they need to feed their families. Use the envelope in church or give online at cafod.org.uk
BAPTISM PREPARATION
The next preparation session for parents who wish to have their baby baptised will be on Sunday 3rd March 2024 at 4pm in the church.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
Stations of the Cross takes place here at the Annunciation every Friday at 7pm.
Annual Mass of Thanksgiving for the Sacrament of Matrimony
Westminster Cathedral, Saturday 25th May 2024 at 2:30pm.
The Cardinal is inviting to this Mass all couples in the Diocese, who are celebrating their 5th 10th, 25th, 30th, 40th, 50th and 60th (and every year over 60) wedding anniversary of Catholic marriage in 2024. If you are celebrating an anniversary, please give your parish office the following details: husband and wife’s names, wedding date, full postal address and email (or telephone number, if no email). Please advise Susan or Loretta in the office before Tuesday 9th April 2024.
Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal
There is a box on the sanctuary for contributions to this appeal as well as envelopes on which you can Gift Aid your contribution. Funds raised this year will be shared between Marriage and Family Life, Youth Ministry, and Education. Funds are also used to support the work of Caritas Westminster, who work with some of the most vulnerable people in our Diocese. If you prefer you can use the QR code to make your donation on line. The QR code can be found on the envelopes and the poster. Thank you for your generosity
Join us and our partners, the Mill Hill Missionaries, for the annual Novena to
St Joseph 10 – 18 March 2024.
St Joseph’s Missionary Society (the Mill Hill Missionaries) is Britain’s own missionary society, founded by Cardinal Herbert Vaughan in 1866. Each year the Mill Hill community prepares for the feast day of St Joseph – their patron – with a special Novena of Masses and prayers.
Prayer is the foundation of all mission work, both in this country and abroad. The Novena is a wonderful way for the faithful to pray for each other, and build links of prayer across the world for missionaries and the people they serve. Visit the Mill Hill Missionaries website for all resources and details of the Novena. https://millhillmissionaries.com/novena/
The Divine Mercy Apostolate
London is holding a Divine Mercy Lenten Retreat on Saturday 24 February 2024 from 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm at St. Lawrence Church,
1 Hamilton Road, Sidcup Kent DA15 7HB.
The Retreat will include teachings on the Message of Mercy, Stations of the Cross, Holy Mass, Hour of Mercy with Adoration and Benediction and Veneration of the Image of Merciful Jesus. All Welcome. Please call Millie on 07957594646 for more information.
GNS 40TH Birthday Celebrations
A Fun Quiz / Supper Night is being held on Saturday 9th March at 6.45pm for 7pm start in Hartley Hall, Flower Lane NW7 2JA. Tables, max 8 people, cost £12 per person, Fish & chips will be served at the interval, bring your own drinks there is no bar. For tickets e-mail: manager@thegoodneighbourschememhbo.org.uk or call 020 8906 3340
Foodbank for the Community
Non – perishable food is required for the foodbank, please leave your donations in one of the marked boxes in the church porch. Thank you.
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.