St Anthony of Padua Anerley

Third Sunday of Lent

Mass Readings: Pages 158 – 164

Order of Mass: Pages 6-60

Jesus is the New Temple of God. He replaces the law given by God to Moses, which is not destroyed, but taken up into the true worship in the spirit and truth. Christ asks for faith above all else, a faith which is deep and personal, because he is the power and wisdom of God. Baptism is only the beginning of our response in faith.

In the ten commandments we hear the two great commandments of love—love God, and love your neighbour as yourself.  The ten commandments merely emphasise these two commandments;  one to three are about our relationship with God, the rest are on relationships with neighbours.    God’s covenant and God’s law are both expressions of his love. If we accept his law and his love our lives are changed and we prove our love for him by keeping his law.

This is a whole new area of love for us, shown in God’s patience with those who broke his commandments. Often it is only through forgiveness that we can move forward into reconciliation and peace.

God’s covenant of love is the gateway to peace. It must also be the solid foundation of peace. You and I must pledge ourselves to be positive in working for justice and peace. There are many other parts of the world crying out for this peace.

Sunday Teas:

This Sunday’s teas will be served by the French Speaking Prayer Group.

Next Sunday’s Mother’s Day teas will be served by the Knights of St Columba.

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

Last Week’s Collections: The 1st collection was £731.01p + £493.50p in Gift Aid Envelopes giving us a parish total of £1224.51p.   The 2nd    collection for CAFOD/Lenten Family Fast Day was £127.17p. Thank you  for your generosity.  The 2nd collection today will be for Easter Altar Flowers.

Recently Deceased:  Please pray for the repose of the souls of Father Cyril Elkington and Father Barry Angus.  May their souls rest in peace.

UCM: The UCM will meet on Monday 20th March at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre.  They will be making Spring crafts and ALL the ladies of the Parish are welcome to attend.

Lent Study Course: This year’s programme will continue at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre on Wednesday 22nd March (To be a Pilgrim, Part One).  The next sessions will be on the following Wednesdays –  29th March (To be a Pilgrim, part two) and 5th April (The Life and Message of John Henry Newman).  All are welcome to attend.

Stations of the Cross: The Stations of the Cross will be on Wednesdays after 9.30am Mass,  Fridays at 7pm and Sundays at 4pm.

In Your Prayers: Please remember to pray for the Holy Communion Group (the names are on the notice board at the back of the Church).

Minibus: From the 1st April the minibus will only run on the third Sunday of the month.

Lent Reflection: The Diocesan Stewardship Team are making available by e-mail each day during Lent a reflection with a Stewardship theme based on the day’s Mass reading.  If you wish to sign up to receive the reflection then please visit this link http://eepurl.com/bF0b6P.  Stewardship is a spirituality that is accessible to everyone; the concept of gratitude to God for his personal gifts to us in our lives acts as a focus and provides the right language for our people’s lived faith.  For parishioners it can resonate with their own lives, their responsibilities, character and experiences. Stewardship can provide the vocabulary and spiritual imagery to describe, affirm, sustain and promote much of what we already do in our parishes and in our lives; this spirituality can provide a cohesion and closeness to Our Lord that may still be lacking in our lived discipleship.

The Knights of St Columba: The Knights of St Columba would like to express their thanks to Father Sunith and Father Stuart and all those who were present for the Full Knighthood Ceremony at the 11:15am Mass last Sunday for making it such a successful occasion.  Congratulations to Brothers Alvaro and Daniel from our Parish.  Special thanks to the UCM and all who helped.

Knights of St Columba Food Bank Collection: The Knights are collecting for the Penge Food Bank.  They will collect regularly on the last weekend of each month.  The next collection will be next weekend, the 25th/26th March.

Top of the Pew Quiz 2017: St Anthony’s have been drawn away to Christ Church in Chislehurst in the first round of this knockout competition. The contest will held on the 19^th March starting at 8pm. If any parishioner wishes to come along to support and need directions or transport please contact a member of the Parish Council.

Lenten Masses in the Hospital: There will be Mass in Croydon University Hospital Chapel on every Monday during Lent at 12noon.

Stations of the Cross by Denis McBride: All the parish copies were sold last weekend.  However, if any parishioner would like to buy a copy of this popular book, more copies are on order.  To avoid disappointment, please give your name and telephone number to the Repository so a copy can be reserved for you.

Job Vacancies: Bishop Challoner Independent Catholic School are seeking a KS1/KS2 Teacher.  Please contact Sue Long on 020 8460 3546 or apply online at: http://www.bishopchallonerschool.com/266/teaching-vacancies.  The closing date is Monday 27th March 2017.

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.

Please remember to switch off your mobile phone when you enter the Church. Please don’t distract others at Mass.

Notices for the newsletter need to be emailed/posted to the presbytery by 6pm on Thursdays.

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS (19th Mar—26th Mar 2017) (Year: A)