St Anthony of Padua Anerley

Parish Monthly Newsletter December 2023

Father Sunith wishes you and your families

 a happy and prayerful Advent while we wait for the Lord to arrive

Welcome to St. Anthony’s Church

We kindly ask that you respect our Parish Church guidance:

¨ Please turn off your mobile phone when you enter the Church.

¨ Please remember that many parishioners like to pray before and after the mass so please be respectful and keep talking/noise to a minimum.

¨ People displaying any symptoms of Covid should stay at home and not travel to church or participate in person.

¨ Hand sanitiser is available near the entrances to the Church.

¨ The use of face masks is a personal choice.

¨ Holy Communion can now be received on the tongue or on the hand and The Sign of Peace can now be carried out with handshakes (if you so wish).

Mass times:

Mondays to Saturdays:  9.30am (and 7.30pm on Tuesdays);

Sunday Masses:  6pm (Saturday evenings);  9.30am;  11.15am and 5.30pm.

Every Friday at 7:30pm:  Adoration and Benediction.

Please note that after every week day mass (except Wednesdays) The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for 30 minutes so that parishioners can pray for world peace.

The Angelus

The Angelus will be said every Saturday at 6pm, before the evening Mass, and after the 11.15am Mass on Sunday.

The parish website www.stanthonyofpaduaanerley.com has details of the weekly Mass Intentions.

Sunday Teas: The next Sunday teas will be served by the following groups:

3rd December:   The Union of Catholic Mothers

10th December: The Parish Pastoral Council

17th December:  The Knights of St Columba (with mulled wine and mince pies).

Please note that after the 17th December teas, the Knights will be holding their monthly council meeting.  Any man of the Parish interested in the activities of the Knights with a view to possibly joining are cordially invited to attend.

Confirmation 2024: If you would like to receive the sacrament of Confirmation then please complete an application form (available in the Church entrance)and return it to Father Sunith as soon as possible.

St Anthony’s Christmas Fayre: Please remember that Saturday 2nd December is the Parish Fayre.  Please do come along to support this Parish event between 11am until 2pm at St Anthony’s School.  For further details, please see the notice boards.

Christmas Hamper Raffle: The Knights of St Columba will be holding a Christmas Hamper raffle in aid of Parish funds.  The draw will be made at the Parish Christmas Fayre.  £1 per line of tickets.

Christmas Masses: Please note that a separate leaflet listing the times of all the Christmas Services will be made available in the next few weeks.

Repository Gifts: Please take a look at the range of cards and gifts available in the repository.

Gift Aid Envelopes: Please collect your box from the back of the Church.  Please note that if you are a basic rate UK tax payer, and are not yet a member of the Gift Aid Scheme, completing a Gift Aid envelope (at the back of the Church) will help to support the Church even further.  Donating through Gift Aid means that the Church can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give.  It will not cost you any extra.

Financial Support: We appreciate your continued care and support for our parish Community.  Parishioners can contribute directly to the Parish bank account: Natwest Bank Beckenham Branch, Sort Code 60-02-12 and Account Number 46000208. Tax payers, please join the Gift Aid programme allowing our parish to increase the value of every donation it receives from tax payers by 25%. We value your assistance in maintaining our wonderful Parish community.  Please note that the name of the Parish Bank Account is RCAS St Anthony of Padua Anerley. 

Light in the Darkness Service in Betts Park: This year’s service of blessing for the park will take place on Saturday 2nd December at 5 – 5.45pm. 

St Edmunds Parishioners Christmas Lunch: You are invited to the St Vincent de Paul Beckenham Conference Christmas lunch at St Edmund’s Church Hall, 20 Village Way, Beckenham BR3 3NP on Monday 4th December from 1 – 3.30pm.  The lunch is free of charge to anyone on a low income, otherwise the suggested donation is £15 per person.  Please call Fiona Ross on 07956 516279 to reserve your place, to advise on any dietary requirements or to request help with getting to and from the lunch.  Please see the poster at the Church entrance. 

Community Carol Singing: This will take place on Saturday 9th December starting at Budgens on Croydon Road at 3pm and then working down Elmers End Road via the various food outlets. 

Caritas Southwark: In Partnership with Housing Justice, Caritas Southwark is hosting an online information session on 13th December 2023, 7.30-8.30 PM for people interested in becoming a host for a refugee. Please scan this QR code to register for the event. Alternatively, you can email Caritas directly and we can forward the link to you.  caritassouthwark@rcaos.org.uk

Please also see the notice board for a useful ‘Advent Giving Calendar’ listing various items that could be donated each day to the food bank.

Divine Mercy Advent Reflection: The Divine Mercy Apostolate, London is holding a Divine Mercy Advent Reflection 2023 at Church of Mary Mother of God, 192 Nags Head Road, Ponders End, Enfield EN3 7AR on Saturday 16th December 2023 from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm led by the Marian Fathers.  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.

Local Food Bank: Please help support families in need by contributing to the local food bank. If you would like to donate then please leave your donations at the back of the Church.

Date for the Diary: The Knights will be holding a barn dance on Saturday 27th January 2024 at the Royston Ballrooms.  Further details to follow.

Notice Board: Please do take time to read the latest information on the notice boards.  There are further details of some of these newsletter notices on the notice boards.

Thank you to all those people who help support the Parish.

Those who help in whatever way in the Parish, read at Mass, clean the Church, arrange flowers, help with Parish events or generally help in the background, are thanked for their generous help and support.

If you would like to book a Mass, there are envelopes at the back of the church.

Notices for the newsletter need to be emailed/posted to the presbytery by the last Thursday of the month (anerley@rcaos.org.uk).