St Anthony of Padua Anerley

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Mass Readings: Pages 170 – 175

Order of Mass: Pages 6 – 60

First Reading:  The exile of the people to Babylon is described in terms of death.  And their return home is described in terms of resurrection and spiritual renewal.

Second Reading: it was the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. Now this same Spirit lives in us.

Gospel: By raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus shows that he is the Lord of life and death.

In today’s Gospel we have a scene with which all of us are familiar, namely, people weeping over the death of a loved one. Jesus is at centre of that scene. He is the one who gives hope to those who are surrounded by the shadows of death.

John’s main aim is to elicit in Jesus and show the effects of faith in him. Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad I was not there because now you will believe. And the story ends with the words: Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and have seen what he did believed in him. Martha is presented as our model of faith. In defiance of the evidence. She makes a wonderful profession of faith: I believe that you are the Christ, Son  of God, one who was to come into the world.

Jesus is the source of life, not just physical life, but the undying life of God. The new life is not merely a future hope but a present reality which physical death, despite appearances, does not negate. The key words in the story are: I am the resurrection and the life. The delay in coming to Martha and Mary, and the fact that Lazarus has been dead for days, serve to underline the point the evangelist is making, namely that Jesus is the Master of life and death.

Sunday Teas:

This Sunday’s teas will be served by the Flower Arrangers.

Next Sunday’s teas 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 £726.90p + £358.60p in Gift Aid Envelopes giving us a parish total of £1085.50p.   The 2nd    collection for Parish Funds was £ 81.06p. Thank you  for your generosity.  The 2nd collection today will be for Parish Funds.

Lent Study Course: This year’s programme will end this Wednesday (5th April) at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre with 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).

Eucharistic Ministers and Readers: The rotas are available in the sacristy.

Holy Thursday: The church will stay open after the Lord’s Supper until the Stations of the Cross at 7pm.

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: 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.

Lent Reconciliation service will be on Saturday 8th April at 11am. There will be a Polish Priest available to hear confessions in Polish.

Minibus: Please remember that from now on the minibus will only run on the third Sunday of the month.  In April, the 16th April (Easter Day) is the third Sunday in April.

St Anthony’s Car Share?:  Due to costs, our minibus service taking older and less mobile parishioners to mass will in future only run once per month. On the positive side, this provides an opportunity for parishioners to help in a very practical way. Would anyone prepared to take a parishioner to mass?  Please contact a member of the parish council if you are interested.  It is unlikely that anyone could do this every week. Hence, a pool of car-share parishioners would be ideal. Depending on the response, the parish council will organise a rota including flexibility to allow for holiday, illness, or other commitments. Thank you.

Quiz Night:  The Knights of St Columba will be hosting the annual Parish quiz competition on Friday 28^th April at the Royston Club, Royston Road Penge SE20 7QW.Entrance fee is £2.50 per person or £12.00 for the maximum number of 6 in a team. Winning team receives a trophy . Individuals welcomed to come along to make up a team on the night. Entry time from 7.30pm onwards for a 8.00pm start. Proceeds will go to the Missio Charity.

St Anthony’s Parish Annual Pilgrimage: Please place a note in your diary that this year’s pilgrimage will be to the Shrine of St Augustine in Ramsgate on Saturday 23^rd September. Coach will depart at 8.30 am and will return by 6.00 pm in the evening. It will also include a visit to the village of Sandwich in the afternoon. Coach Fare will be £18 per head. Bookings for the Pilgrimage will commence at the end of July.

Penge Heritage Trail Appeal: The Penge Town Centre Team has a project: the Penge Heritage Trail. A crowd-funding site has been set up to raise funds for a heritage website and a free explanatory pamphlet guide. Everyone in Penge will benefit from this initiative to raise awareness of Penge’s fascinating history and heritage. Why not make a donation?  Every little helps. The crowd-funding link is:

https://www.spacehive.com/penge-heritage-trail  or just google ‘Penge Heritage Trail – Spacehive’ for full details. Thank you for your interest. Chris O’Shaughnessy, Penge Town Centre Team

Job Vacancy: Laleham Lea Catholic Independent School are seeking a Primary Teacher for September 2017.  Please contact Mrs Carly Edwards on 020 8660 3351 or email: secretary@lalehamlea.co.uk for further details.

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.

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS (2nd April—9th April 2017) (Year: A)