St Anthony of Padua Anerley

Parish Monthly Newsletter December 2021

Welcome to Saint Anthony’s Church

New Guidelines:

With respect to the current situation with the Omicron variant it is important to ensure the following points are followed in our church:

¨ People displaying any symptoms of covid-19 should stay at home and not travel to church or participate in person.

¨ Hand sanitiser is available to those attending Church.

¨ Face coverings must be worn by those attending public acts of worship unless there is a genuine exemption or the person is leading worship or participating in a role that requires the mask to be removed for a period of time.

¨ There is now very strong evidence to support that the main mode of this variant’s viral transmission is through aerosols, and that the risk from surface and touch transmission is very small indeed. As such, strict regimes of church cleaning that were recommended at the beginning of the opening of churches for public worship are no longer necessary. General church cleaning is sufficient.

¨ A positive message encouraging people to get vaccinated and have the booster jab when able is delivered whenever possible (bearing in mind that the 40+ age group can apply for the booster vaccination, and that the period between 2nd dose and booster is reduced to 12 weeks).

¨ People who are engaged in a form of pastoral ministry which involves ministry to the housebound, sick and vulnerable, should take regular lateral flow tests to ensure they are safe to do so. These are free from the NHS.

Third Sunday of Advent

There is a general call ‘Seek the Lord’. Where do we look for the Lord here and now? Here are a few suggestions: 

¨ Seek the Lord in the world. Today many find it difficult to see what God is doing in the chaos, the violence, and even the problem of global warming. Where is He? The only answer I know is not to write God off because of the chaos, but to look more deeply – look below the surface of chaos to the beauty.

¨ Seek the Lord in your family, friends, neighbours and neighbourhood. Here is a real challenge. To be close is beautiful, happy-making. But not easy! Sadly, the Christmas period which is supposed to be a time of peace and good will for all, often proves a time of irritation and even the surfacing of family problems and rows. In our own home let us make peace, joy and love – even when it is difficult. Pray for grace and strength if you know or feel that it will be a difficult time. To be close demands being open to the other person and we can be very private people. However, private or sharing – God is in each individual person and  we must not just shut him in. It is of his nature to grow and to help others.

¨ Seek the Lord in yourself. We are told firmly – ‘The kingdom of God is within you!’ We have put these other two seekings first because the effectiveness of your seeking the Lord in the world or in your family depends on whether you have realised first, that essentially ‘The Kingdom of God is within you’. We must go inside ourselves to find the Lord – and that means prayer, deep prayer. Then care of your neighbours, relations and friends. If you go inside yourself to pray – if you are prepared to be silent in supplication to the Lord – well done.

¨ Seek the Lord. In the end, it is the Lord we seek who centres in our hearts. Meet him there as you can do if you can carve out even a tiny space of stillness, silence, peace in your probably busy day. Open your heart to him. Be still. Listen to the silence of his answer. His love is silent – reply to that love with patient and loving silence.

Christmas Mass Times:

24th Dec: 6 pm and Midnight.

Christmas Day: 9.30 am and 11.15 am. Please note there will be no evening mass, though it is a Saturday.

26th Dec: 9.30 am, 11.15 am, and 5.30 pm.

Christmas Hamper Raffle:

The Knights of St Columba are organising a Christmas Hamper Raffle in aid of Church funds for the winter. Draw will take place on Sunday 19th December. Entries are £1.00 each. The Knights will also like to thank all parishioners who attended the recent quiz night and helped to make it a success. 

School Carol Concert:

Carol Concert to be held on 14th December in the school playground. Please phone the school to find out the time on 020 8778 7681.

Repository:

Parish diaries are available as well as free copies of the Catholic Post, a new monthly national newspaper. If you want to make donations, please do so. 

Teas:

In the parish centre after the Sunday 9.30am mass. The next dates will be hosted on 12th and 19th December. 

St. Anthony’s Bridge  Club:

New Members required urgently. If you are retired, this is one way to support the parish community. Beginners are welcome. Mondays only (1.15 to 4.30pm). Weekly subscription £3 inc refreshments. Small friendly social club. Contact Bill on 0208 771 1876 or 07949871865.

Returning to the Church:

If you wish to encourage someone to return to the church, please find at the back of the church ‘Come Home’ cards and booklets on ‘The Ultimate Relationship’, provided by the Archdiocese of Southwark. 

Mass Times and Intentions:

Mass is celebrated from Monday to Saturday at 9.30am. Sunday Masses are at 6pm (Saturday evening), 9.30am, 11.15am and 5.30pm. The parish website www.stanthonyofpaduaanerley.com, has details of the weekly Mass Intentions.

Adoration and benediction:

Every Friday 7.30pm to 8.30pm.

Financial Support:

We kindly appeal to your generosity to add an extra pound to your donations to help the Church cope with rising gas prices. We appreciate your continued care and support for our parish community, especially with the uncertainty and financial instability the pandemic has brought both households and parish.

Parishioners can contribute directly to the Parish bank account: Natwest Bank Beckenham Branch, sort code 60-02-12 and account number 46000208. Tax payers, please join the Gift Aid programme allowing our parish to increase the value of every donation it receives from tax payers by 25%. We value your assistance in maintaining our wonderful Parish community. 

Newsletter Notices:

If you have a notice for the Parish Newsletter, please email it to the presbytery (anerley@rcaos.org.uk). Notices need to be emailed/posted by 6pm on Thursdays.

Local Food Bank:

Please help support families in need by contributing to the food bank held at neighbouring Christ Church, at the corner of Maple and Anerley Roads.  Food donations are collected on Fridays only.  If you would like to donate then please leave your donations at the back of the Church. The Parish received a thank you card from Christ Church with New Year blessings.

Thank you:

Those who continue to steward at Mass, clean the Church, read at Mass, arrange flowers, or help in  the background, are thanked for their generous help, especially in these difficult times.