30th Sunday of Year B
The plea in today’s readings is to come back to the Lord, who is all-powerful, all-forgiving and ever-present. Many have turned away from the Lord over the years for various reasons. God is calling on us to renew our commitment to Him, perhaps to see Him in a new light. Certainly, Bartimaeus in today’s Gospel did. His sight was restored, but not only that, he became a disciple. He had obviously known about Jesus and his power. That is why he called out to him when he heard that Jesus was passing his way. Bartimaeus’ request that he may see again was granted. Furthermore, he followed Jesus down the road. This event should encourage us to renew our following of Jesus and help others to re-discover the presence and love of Jesus.
WORLD MISSION DAY
World Mission Sunday is vital to the growth of the Church and the spread of the Gospel in predominately impoverished and remote areas overseas. It offers the financial assistance needed to help struggling communities. MISSIO is responsible for World Mission Sunday. It is the Pope’s charity for World Mission and hence today a collection is taken in every parish throughout the world. We thank all those of you who support MISSIO throughout the year by
filling red boxes. Our contributions provide mission dioceses with the essential support they need to become self-sufficient. Our donations build much needed infrastructure, from chapels and schools, to orphanages, clinics and dispensaries. They create a hub from which the young Church can spread the Good News of the Gospel, minister to the faithful and deliver essential services in health and education.
MONTH OF THE HOLY SOULS
November, the month of the Holy Souls, is approaching. The Memorial Book for you to enter names of those you wish to be remembered is on a table near the statues on the left side of the church. Please sanitise your hands before touching pen or book. There is no need to enter names you have already entered in previous years. Alternatively, you can put the names on a piece of paper and put it in one of the envelopes at the back of the church. They will be placed in a box in front of the altar during November together with the Memorial Book. Several Masses will be offered during the month of November for the Holy Souls. All Souls Day is on Tuesday 2nd November and there will be an additional Mass at 7.30pm as well as the usual 9am Mass. There will be a Bereavement Mass on Saturday 13th November at 3pm to which everybody is invited.
THE SYNODAL PATHWAY
Last weekend we launched the Synodal pathway at our Sunday Liturgies. We will be letting you know soon how we are going to proceed with the listening process in this parish.
ALL SAINTS DAY
The Feast of All Saints will be celebrated nest Sunday 31st October.
CLOCKS GOING BACK
Next Saturday night, clocks go back one hour. Winter is beginning.
BAPTISM PREPARATION
The next session for parents who wish to have their baby baptised is on Sunday 14th November at 4pm in the church.
Foodbank for the community
This outlet is currently suspended until 1st November. Many thanks to those who have made donations already.
FIRST COMMUNION PROGRAMME 2022
Application forms for parents who wish their child to receive 1st Holy Communion next year are available on the table at the back of the church. Children should be in Year 3 or above. Please return the form to the presbytery by 5th December 2021.
INFANTS SCHOOL ADMISSIONS MEETING
There will be an admissions meeting for families who are considering a place for their child in the Annunciation Infants School or Nursery on Wednesday 10th November at 7.30pm This is for those who will be eligible to enter the school in September 2022.
CAFOD
Thank you for supporting our Climate Crisis Appeal for our recent Family Fast Day. Every donation helps us in our work and is gratefully received. cafod.org.uk/climatecrisis Please pray for the success of the upcoming UN climate talks in Glasgow, COP26, from 31 October to 12 November. There are prayer cards at the back of church; please do take one and pray that that world leaders will put the needs of marginalised communities around the world, those most affected by climate change, right at the heart of these climate talks. For more information see cafod.org.uk/COP26
May the Holy Spirit inspire all political leaders at COP26 and instill in them the courage and gentleness to implement fairer solutions for the most vulnerable.
Good Counsel Network
“Wednesday 27th October is the 54th anniversary of the Abortion Act being passed in England and Wales. Since 1967 over nine million babies have lost their lives to abortion. Millions of women and men have also had to deal with the suffering which so often follows an abortion. Please join us in praying and fasting for the end of abortion in this country on Wednesday 27th October. For Post Abortion help and to support Pro-Life counselling see; www.GoodCounselNetwork.com”
DONA contactless giving Device
Each week more and more people are returning to Mass and this is great to see and we welcome you back with the open arms of Jesus.
Part of our culture as Catholic Christians is to make charitable donations to the Church. These donations might be for a number of different reasons. It might be to make a general donation to the parish which you would ordinarily place into the collection basket during the offertory. Or it might be to make a donation to the church for a catechetical programme like Baptism, First Holy Communion or Confirmation. Or you might want to make a donation to the church for a particular mass to be said for a friend or loved one – called a Mass stipend/offering. Or you might like to make a donation to help with the maintenance of our lovely church. It might be that you wish to make a donation towards the cost of the votive candles that you light as part of your ordinary prayer life in veneration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, or Our Lady; or in thanksgiving to St. Anthony, St Jude, St Teressa of Lisieux – the little flower or St. Patrick. In all these different ways you can now do this online using either the DONA contactless giving machine at the back of the Church or via the Web using the QR code which is at the top of this page and is now also printed each week on the top right of the Take Home News front page for your convenience. This will allow you, if you want, to make your donation quickly and easily without the need to queue up or hunt for the cash donation boxes in the various locations around the church. You can also use the QR code to pay for items you purchase at the Repository which is now open following the pandemic and will be stocked with Christmas Cards, candles, statues and rosaries to name but a few.
Please note that we are still accepting Cash in the normal way and any planned giving can still be done either through the weekly envelope scheme or by standing order.
The DONA Contactless Giving machine and the online platform are here to help us be of service to you. If you have any questions, about how to use DONA, then please direct these to either Fr David or a member of the finance committee who will try and help you. A big thank you to you all for supporting the parish in all the ways you do and to those who have already started to use DONA.