St Anthony of Padua Anerley

Nativity of the Lord

Mass Readings: Pages 95 – 106

Order of Mass: Pages 6 – 60

Each Christmas, we celebrate the feast by using the same reading.  We do not change according to the normal cycle of the years 1, 2 or 3 (A, B, C).  But there are three different masses given to us – Midnight Dawn and During the Day.  This means that though the message is the same all the time – that Jesus, Son of God, is born unto this world from the womb of the Virgin Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit – the emphasis can be slightly different.

For me and for very many, there is a special mystery, awe and radiant joy about Midnight Mass.  Normally the Church is beautifully decorated, music is interspersed with carols and Christmas songs, the crib, already prepared with loving care is blessed and opened, and hopefully everyone joins fully in the celebrations, not least in receiving Holy Communion.

This is the night when God gives us the amazing gift of his only Son.  Surely it is only right and fitting that we should come with the poor but beautiful gift of ourselves.  We should make his birth by receiving his gift to us of himself at the end of His life’s journey in this world which begins at Christmas.

We should remember in all our joy and celebration that God’s purpose in sending his Son as Christ into the world was to save us.  Through his love he leads us through repentance and service of Him and our neighbours to the fullness of God’s kingdom.  The Kingdom of God is already here.  When we come to mass we share in that Kingdom. The sad truth is that God’s Kingdom has not yet been fully realised.  We must understand that we are all on our own mission to make the Kingdom more real in our lives.

Christmas, then, is a wonderful time to show our generosity in opening ourselves to others, especially the poor, sick, forgotten in God’s world.  In loving us, he loves them, and asks us to respond to his love by loving others also.  Alleluia.

Sunday Teas:

There will be no Sunday teas this and next Sunday.

The next Sunday teas will be on the 8th January and will be served by the UCM.

Thank you to all those who help out with the Sunday Teas.

Last Week’s Collections: The 1st collection was £548.42p + £415.05p in Gift Aid Envelopes giving us a parish total of £ 963.47p.   The 2nd  collection for Altar Flowers was £218.52p.Thank you for your generosity.

Sunday/Christmas Day: The collections at all masses this weekend are your personal gift to the clergy.  

Nativity Crib Donations: All donations will be for the Southwark Crisis Fund and will help families in need in the diocese.

Baptism Preparation:  The classes for Baptism preparation be on Mondays, the 16th, 23rd and 30th January at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre.  Please remember it is important to attend all three classes.

SVP: The St Vincent de Paul Group wishes to thank members of the Parish for their generosity both for the recent donations to the SVP Fund, and also for the willingness of those who have offered their time to do our vital work for needy in our local community. There will be a meeting to hear more about the SVP for those who have signed up and for those still considering it on Monday 9th January at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre. We look forward to seeing you there.

Crying Babies and Young Children: If your baby or young child is crying during the Mass please do use the confessional box instead of leaving the Church. We have now installed a monitor inside the confessional box which means parents and carers are able to watch the Mass from inside the confessional box.

Are you a young person aged between 9-18yrs?  Read on to find out how you can take up the ‘Faith in Action’ challenge today! 

‘Faith in Action’ is a new, national, catholic award scheme from CYMFED which challenges young people of faith to make a difference in the world.  There are four levels of the award – Pin, Bronze, Silver, Gold and each one recognises the good work young people already do in the Church, whilst encouraging them to become involved in a wide range of activities and projects which positively contribute to their parish, school or community.  The Faith in Action award scheme will run each year, from January to November, finishing with an awards ceremony to celebrate the work of those who complete each stage.  There will be frequent opportunities for young people to spiritually reflect on their chosen activity in the light of the Gospel message, to seek meaningful ways to develop their own unique gifts and talents and to embrace the challenge to become disciples of the modern world.  All young people in Bromley Deanery aged 9-18 years are invited to take part in the Faith in Action Award Scheme, which will be launched at the end of January 2017.  We are inviting all parents and young people of St Anthony of Padua who are interested in taking part in the Faith in Action award to a meeting at the parish on Friday 6^th January 2017 at 6.30pm – so, if you are a young person who already reads at Mass, sings or plays an instrument in the choir, altar serves, helps or volunteers in your school or community in any way, then come along to the meeting to learn more about the range of exciting opportunities open to you.  We look forward to seeing you then!

New Year’s Resolution: Make a difference with CAFOD

Make 2017 the year you meet new friends, inspire others to act for social justice, and use your skills to help our sisters and brothers working to overcome poverty around the globe. Are you a good communicator who would enjoy speaking in churches? Are you a people-person who would relish involving and encouraging others in your local area? Are you a budding writer who could contribute to our blog and e-news?  Please get in touch with us on southwark@cafod.org.uk or 020 8466 9901 to find out more and book a place on one of our Understanding CAFOD information sessions: 11th January in Bromley, 28 January in Stratford and 4 February in Waterloo.

Job Vacancies: St Chad’s Catholic Primary School are looking for a new Headteacher.  For further details and the application form please visit the website www.stchadsprimary.com.  Please do not send a CV as this will not be accepted.  Closing date: 22nd January 2017.

Southwark Catholic Directories are now available in the repository.

Please pray for the sick of the Parish: Bridget McLaughlin,

Ellen Garvey, John Barry, Margaret Southwell,  Mercie Ihekweme-Hill, Kieran Quinn, Marie Harris and Michael Creech.

Father Sunith and Father Stuart  would like to wish you all  a very  Happy Christmas.

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS (25th Dec 2016—1st Jan 2017) (Year: A)