St Anthony of Padua Anerley

Twenty-sixth Sunday

Mass Readings: Pages 134 – 136
Order of Mass: Pages 6 – 60

First Reading: Each of us is responsible for his or her own conduct, and will be judged accordingly.

Second  Reading:  Self seeking and rivalry have no place in the Christian community. We must imitate the humility of Christ.

Gospel: Actions speak louder than words.

The parable of the sons was  addressed to the chief priest and elders of the people. Its purpose was to defend Jesus’ invitation of sinners and outcasts to the Kingdom, in the face of the sneers of the religious establishment. The parable outraged the religious people.

The first son represents sinners. Like him they originally chose to go their own way but then repented and took God’s way, and so gained entry into Kingdom. The second son represents the chief priests and the elders. Like him they promised to work for God but failed to do so, and so have excluded themselves from the kingdom. Repentance is a necessary disposition for entry into Kingdom. The theme of sin and repentance is also dealt with in the First Reading.

The parable also echoes a favourite theme of Matthew: the split in the religious person between saying and doing.

Sunday Teas:

This Sunday’s teas will be served by the UCM (in aid of Macmillan).

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

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

Last Week’s Collections:  The 1st collection was £615.19p + £242.75p in Gift Aid Envelopes giving us a parish total of £ 857.94p.  The 2nd collection for the Home Missions was £89.37p.  Thank you for your generosity. The retiring collection today is for Parish Funds.

Recently Deceased:  Please pray for the souls and families of Grenville George Green and Ellen Garvey.  Grenville George Green’s funeral will be at Lewisham Crematorium Chapel on Monday 2nd October at 9.30am.  Ellen Garvey’s funeral will be on Tuesday 3rd October at 11am followed by the burial at 12.30pm at St Luke’s Cemetery, Bromley.  May their souls rest in peace.

Baptism Preparation: The next two (of three) classes will be on Monday 2nd and 9th October in the Parish Centre at 7.30pm.  It is important to attend ALL three sessions.  Please do try to arrive on time.

Invitation to new readers: Have you read at Mass before, maybe in another parish?  Have you made your confirmation recently?  Have you thought about becoming a reader but not put your thought into action?  We will have an introduction meeting for anyone interested in becoming a reader on Tuesday 10th October from 7.45 to 8.45pm at the church.  Please come along if you would like to find out more.

St Anthony’s Parish Christmas Fair: Please make a note that our Christmas Fair will be held on Saturday 2nd December.  The appeal for donations will be made at the beginning of November.

Parish Calendars: Calendars depicting all the Parish Stations of the Cross are now available from the repository, priced at £5 each.

The Knights of St Columba Annual Barn Dance: Thank you to all who helped out and/or came along to the barn dance on Friday.  Everyone had a good time.

How to be a disciple making disciple: Prayer, Faith, Loving service and the Sacramental Life – A talk on 25th Anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Bishop Mark O’Toole.  Monday 2nd October at 6.30pm at St Patrick’s Church, 21A Soho Square, London.  £5 on the door.  Book your place at guildofourladyandstjoseph@gmail.com

Open Mornings at St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School: If you have a child due to start school in September 2018, you are invited to one of our open mornings.  Come along and see our school at work.  St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School is rated good by Ofsted and in our recent Diocesan inspection was judged as an outstanding Catholic School.  We look forward to welcoming you on either 6th or 13th October 2017 at 9.15am to 10.15am.

Want a place at a good school? St Mary’s Catholic High School, Croydon is  going from strength to strength.  We are Croydon school of the Year and were judged good by Ofsted in February 2017. We have an open morning from 10am – 11am on Saturday 7th October.  All guests will be entered into a raffle to win an iPad or one of two £100 M&S vouchers.  Please come and see us if you are thinking about secondary education steeped in Gospel values with progress for all at the core of what we do. Website address www.st-maryshigh.croydon.sch.uk and Follow us on Twitter: @SMCH_CR

Pope Francis on Love and Joy: Sat 7th October in Forest Hill, 2:30 to 5:30pm Booking essential — marriagese@tiscali.co.uk.  Please see the notice board.

Penge Poets Evening: Read your own poems on Saturday October 7 at the Blue Belle cafe, 182 Maple Road, SE20. Starts at 7.30pm. Seats are £5.00 and must be booked in advance at the cafe (open Wednesday to Sunday). Includes a drink and nibbles. First half of the evening concentrates on the poetry of Edward Thomas, a poet who visited poet Walter de la Mare who lived in Thornsett Road. Second half: read your own poems.

Young Catholic Adult Weekend: Are you 18 – 40, do you want to deepen your knowledge of the Catholic faith, learn its devotions and meet like minded people? Young Catholic Adults are organizing a weekend at Douai Abbey in Berkshire on the weekend of the 20th – 22nd October with Lawrence Lew O.P. and Canon Poucin ICKSP. To book go to https://v1.bookwhen.com/youngcatholicadults-douai2017.   For updates go to:  http://youngcatholicadults-latestnews.blogspot.co.uk/.  For more details goto:- http://www.youngcatholicadults.co.uk/events.htm. Prices start from £18.50.

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and Readers: The annual day of recollection for the South East area will take place at Bishop Thomas Grant School, Belltrees Grove, SW16 2HY on Saturday 11th November.  If you would like to attend then please complete and return the form which can be found in the sacristy. 

Job Vacancies: Deputy Headteacher at St Thomas’ Catholic Primary School in Canterbury from January 2018. For further information, please contact the school on 01227-462539. Advert available on www.kent-teach.com. Closing date: Monday 2^nd October at 12noon.
Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School are seeking an Art Teacher to start November 2017 and a School Site Supervisor to begin as soon as possible.  Please see the website www.virgofidelis.org.uk or call 020 8655 9083.
Laleham Lea School are seeking a Caretaker and a Nursery Practitioner.  Application packs from sbm@lalehamlea.co.uk or call 020 8660 3351.  Closing date: 6th October.

Please pray for the sick of the Parish: Bridget McLaughlin, John Barry, Margaret Southwell, Mercie Ihekweme-Hill, Kieran Quinn, Marie Harris and Michael Creech.

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

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

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS (1st Oct—8th Oct  2017) (Year: A)