St Anthony of Padua Anerley

Second Sunday of Easter

Mass Readings: 255 – 258,

Order of Mass: Pages 7 – 47

The image of the primitive Christian community ‘unites heart and soul’ is placed alongside the profession of faith of Thomas; just as that community shared a resurrection faith, so do we. This faith can overcome the world’, because it is brought into being and fostered by the power of the Spirit of God himself.

There is so much talk about the freedom of the individual nowadays, that talk about obedience and following God’s will may be considered old fashioned. Yet, if we look at Christ himself what do we see? He is example of obedience.

What Christ wants from us is obedience to the Gospel, obedience to his commandments of love for God and love for our neighbour. At every moment of our lives, we must ask ourselves what Christ would want us to do in a particular situation; that is the only way to discover the truth, the only way to discover true freedom. Following Christ means giving freedom to the Father, being open to him, listening to him, and then we will receive true freedom from him. Our obedience is a radical surrender to God, that is the choice we have made, so that he may enter into our lives and lead us to true freedom. Following Christ means giving freedom to others, being open to them, listening to them, and then, in our turn, we will receive freedom from them. Our Lady set an example for us when she said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord; let what you have said be done unto me” (Luke 1:38). Let us pray that we may be able to do the same in our lives; that we may listen to God’s will  for us, that we may be open to him, that we may choose to surrender in obedience to his commandments of love.

Sunday Teas:

This Sunday’s teas will be served by the UCM.

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

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

A Big Thank You: Your generous Easter Offerings were much appreciated.

Also, the Good Friday collections for The Holy Places raised £490.88p. Thank you for your generosity. The 2nd collection today will be for Parish Funds.

Recently Deceased: Please pray for the soul and family of Priscilla Burke. The funeral will be on Monday 16th April at 12 noon. May her soul 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)

Mass in Celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage: If you are celebrating your 1st/10th/25th/40th/50th/60th+ wedding anniversary this year, please give your names as soon as possible.  Please use the form provided (at the back of the church) and write very clearly so you can receive an invitation from the Archbishop. The Mass will be on Saturday 16th June at St George’s Cathedral.

Life in the Spirit Seminars: Starts on Wednesday 18th April for 8 consecutive Wednesdays at SS Joseph and Swithun Parish, Plaistow Lane, Bromley, BR1 2PR.  7pm Registration and refreshments, 7.30pm Welcome and gathering followed by the Seminar at 8 until 9.30pm. If you are interested in attending please email admin@stjosephsbromley.org or call 020 8402 0459. The poster is on the noticeboard.

Mass Intentions: Please speak to Father Stuart if you have any mass intentions and try to give at least 3 months notice in order to get your specific dates. Please do not email requests to the presbytery. Thank you.

Divine Mercy Retreat: The Marian Fathers are organising a Divine Mercy Retreat on Sunday 15th April from 2 – 6pm at Tyburn Convent, 8 Hyde Park Place, London W2 2LJ. Please see the notice board for further details.

Top of the Pew Competition: St Anthony’s Parish has been drawn to play Hayes Free Church at home in the annual Top of the Pew Competition. The match will be played on Sunday 15th April at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre. Please come along and support St Anthony’s Parish team.

Alpha course at Holy Innocents’, Orpington: Alpha is a chance to explore the meaning of life and the basics of Christianity in a welcoming and relaxed environment. “It helped me to ‘join the dots’ in my head about my faith,” is how someone who came on our autumn 2017 Alpha course put it. Want to find out what she meant? Then come along to an introductory session for our next Alpha at 1.30 pm, repeated 8 pm, on Friday 20 April. Feel free to bring a friend who might like to hear about our faith. More details from Stephen Walsh (07778 6120500) or email alphaholyinnocents@hotmail.com.

CYM Careers Fair: As part of the CYM programme for 2018, we will be holding a Careers Fair for young people on Saturday 21^st April from 12.30-2.30pm (please note the change to original times listed) at St James the Great Church, Petts Wood. The aim of this event is to assist and equip young people in making decisions regarding their future and to provide information and guidance on a range of opportunities available to them, such as pathways into teaching, Metropolitan police, civil service, engineering, GAP year opportunities and many more. We will also be offering one-to-one career guidance, interview training and help with writing CV’s. You can register for your free ticket by visiting: https://cymcareerfair.eventbrite.co.uk, for more details please visit: www.bromleydeanery.org. If you would like to become involved in this event by sharing skills and experience, please email susan.longhurst@bromleydeanery.org. We look forward to seeing you there!

Works of Mercy – The Helpers of God’s Precious Infants: The next Rosary Procession Vigil of The Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, led by Father Jacob Hausman CFR, will be held on Saturday 21^st  April 2018, at St. Patrick’s Church, 21a Soho Square, London W1D 4NR. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will begin at 9 am. after which we will begin our Rosary Procession, following an Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to Marie Stopes Abortion Centre, Whitfield Street, W1T 5BE, where we shall pray 15 decades of the Rosary and sing hymns. At approximately 11.30am  we return to the Church  for Benediction, followed by refreshments. For full details see poster on church notice board. For further details tel. 01727 763832 or e-mail marg@helpersuk.org. A mother who had a change of heart and kept her baby at one of our vigils contacted the counsellor to say that she is ‘unable to express her gratitude.’ Her baby was born in January ‘18. Please also see the notice board.

Job Vacancy: Do you support the Church’s provision of high quality education for children across the country? Are you interested in supporting dioceses, teachers, schools and colleges to achieve this mission? If so, the Catholic Education Service is seeking to appoint an Assistant Director (Education) to lead our work on Religious Education, Inspections, Leadership, Governance and wider education policy. Full details on the role and how to apply can be found on the Catholic Education Service website: www.catholiceducation.org.uk

Please pray for the sick of the Parish: John Barry, Mercie Ihekweme-Hill, Kieran Quinn, and Michael Creech.

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS (8th April—15th April 2018) (Year: B)