Fourth Sunday of Easter
Mass Readings: 261 – 263,
Order of Mass: Pages 7 – 47
There is a variety of people now serving in parishes and other church organisations, some with full-time, others with part-time jobs. Some are married, some single, all are lay people. They will bring their training and their personal qualities to their ministry, and join teams of priests, religious and laity working in the parishes already. Some parishes already have full time or part time lay assistants, apart from the voluntary services provided by so many laity for years now. This new venture, as well as the preparations for the permanent diaconate, invites us to consider the meaning of vocation in the church.
The prime vocation within the church is to loving service. Men and women being there for others. Baptism calls us all into the vocation of a loving service to the Christian community. For some this will in a public, full-time service within the parishes as lay pastoral assistants, or in schools, hospitals and prisons as chaplains.
Looking ahead we know that the number of priests will be less in future years. There will be a shortage of full time people, and eventually we will find ourselves in parishes where the parish administrator or leader is a lay person, male or female. Priests will be part of this team, but not necessarily leaders, just as in many religious schools, priests, nuns and brothers work in the school and are not necessarily leaders. This is sharing in the ministry of the risen Christ, announcers of the Easter message in many ways.
Vocation Sunday reminds us of the different callings within the church. We pray sincerely for new ways to engage ourselves in the ministry of the risen Jesus Christ.
Sunday Teas:
This Sunday’s teas will be served by the SVP.
Next Sunday’s teas will be served by the volunteers.
Thank you to all those who help out with the Sunday Teas.
Last Sunday’s Collections: The 1st collection was £547.07p + £382.50p in Gift Aid Envelopes giving us a parish total of £929.57p. The 2nd collection for the Church Repair Fund was £197.28p. Thank you for your generosity.
Today’s retiring collection is for Ecclesiastical Education (training students for the priesthood + deaconate).
Recently Deceased: Please pray for the souls and families of Karen McGee, Jane O’Connor and Delorraine Perera.
The funeral for Karen McGee will be on Friday 27th April at 2pm and then 3.30pm at Beckenham Crematorium.
The funeral for Jane O’Connor will be on Tuesday 8th May at 2pm and then 3.30pm at Beckenham Crematorium.
The funeral for Delorraine Perera will be on Thursday 10th May at 10.30am followed by the burial at 12 noon at Beckenham Cemetery.
May their souls rest in peace.
Note for Gift-Aiders: To be a scheme member you must be paying UK Income Tax. If your circumstances have changed and/or you no longer wish to be in the scheme, please let us know. Thank you. Noel Maloney (Scheme Organiser)
1st Friday Silent Adoration: On the first Friday of every month there will be Silent Adoration in the Church from 7 – 8pm. This will begin on Friday 4th May.
Knights of St Columba Parish Quiz: The KSC Parish Quiz will be this Friday (27th April) at Melvin Hall, Melvin Road SE20 8EU. Doors open at 7.30pm for 8pm start. Admission is £2.50 per person. Maximum of 6 people per team. A licensed bar will be available. Please do come along to support what promises to be a fun and enjoyable parish event.
Adoremus Extra: A lasting resource for cherishing the Eucharist is now available in the repository.
Knights of St Columba Food Bank Collection: The Knights are collecting for the Penge Food Bank next weekend (28th/29th April). Thank you for your continued support.
The Road to Emmaus and Beyond: Denis McBride will be at St Anthony’s Church on Thursday 17th May at 7.30pm to talk about his new book ’The Road to Emmaus and Beyond’. Please put the date in your diary and come along to hear him speak about it.
Church Repairs: As you heard from Father Sunith last week, our church is in need of some TLC and needs to be made weatherproof. Priority is being given to the leaking windows. Here is the quotation from a reputable conservation company: (1) Window cleaning, inside and outside £12,600; (2) Sealing the lead of the windows £6,400; (3) Repointing defective mortar joints £4,200; (4) Painting the external iron on the windows £3,400. Totalling £26,600. Until further notice, on Sundays where there is no diocesan collection, all our retiring collections will go towards our church restoration fund. In addition, one of the wall boxes (near to the water font at the side door) has been re-allocated to this fund. Any donations will be much appreciated. If you are a registered gift-aider, please put donations in an envelope with your name or unique gift aid number on it, and we will be able to reclaim the tax that you have already paid to HMRC on them.
Post-Easter Talks at the Amigo Hall: Each year the Centre for Catholic Formation hold a series of talks at the Amigo Hall, SE1 7HY, in the weeks of Eastertide. This year, the series’ theme is Eucharist in anticipation of the upcoming National Eucharistic Congress. Entry is free, donations welcome. Doors open at 7pm for 7.30pm start. Eucharist in Art (26 April); Eucharist and Prayer (3 May) and Eucharist in Scripture (10 May). The talks will also be filmed and will be viewable on the CCF YouTube channel. For more information: www.ccftootingbec.org.uk/sharinginhislife
New Evangelization Summit : The New Evangelization Summit is an annual event hosted in Ottawa, Canada and streamed to venues across North America. This year, for the first time, the event will be shown via video link in both Australia and in the UK, at the Centre for Catholic Formation, Tooting Bec, on Saturday 28th April 2018 (9.30am to 9.30pm). Tickets are £30 and include two meals and printed literature. To book visit www.ccftootingbec.org.uk/nes2018
St John’s Seminary – Wonersh: Can you help? The Seminary, near Guidford, Surrey (which has been involved in the formation of priests for over 125 years) is looking for some help with the cost of re-decoration and refurbishment of 30 of its bedrooms, which have received little or no upgrading for 40+ years. The Seminary operates on a very tight budget, and there are no funds available for this much-needed work, which would cost in the region of £2000 per room. If you can help in any way, please send a cheque made payable to St John’s Seminary to: Mgr Gerry Ewing (Vice-Rector), St John’s Seminary, Wonersh, Guildford, Surrey GU5 0QX. Thank you so much!
Please pray for the sick of the Parish: John Barry, Mercie Ihekweme-Hill, Kieran Quinn and Michael Creech.
MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS (22nd April—29th April 2018) (Year: B)
Sunday 22nd | Fourth Sunday of Easter (B) <for Vocations> | ||
(Saturday) …. | 6:00pm
9:30am 11:15am 5:30pm |
People of the Parish
Arthur & Elvira Jones RIP Deceased of the Crowley Family Int. of Florence Clarke |
|
Monday 23rd | St George, patron of England | ||
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9:30am
|
George Loader RIP | |
Tuesday 24th | Feria | ||
|
9:30am
7:00pm |
Deceased members of the Thomas Family
Lorraine Pereira RIP |
|
Wednesday 25th | St Mark, evangelist | ||
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9:30am
|
Emma Loader Int. | |
Thursday 26th | Feria | ||
9:30am
|
Welfare of Kathleen Fitzgerald | ||
Friday 27th | Feria | ||
(Requiem Mass) …….. |
9:30am
2:00pm |
Timothy & Marjorie Kelleher RIP
Karen McGee |
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Saturday 28th | Feria | ||
9:30am
|
Thanksgiving for our salvation | ||
Sunday 29th
(Saturday) ….
|
6:00pm 9:30am 11:15am 5:30pm
|
Fifth Sunday of Easter (B)
Mr M Healy RIP Vincent King RIP Oisin Joseph Quinn RIP People of the Parish |
Mass Times
Sunday: 9:30am, 11:15am & 5:30pm Monday: 9:30am
Tuesday: 9:30am
Wednesday: 9:30am
Thursday: 9:30am
Friday: 9:30am
View our Diary for a full list of services...
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