St Anthony of Padua Anerley

The Third Sunday of Advent

Today the Holy Door is opened at the Cathedral, for the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

First Reading:  beset by personal or family problems, economic hardships, and anxieties about refugees, terrorism and war, we can easily become fearful and ‘let our hands fall limp’.  But rather we should shout for joy, for the Lord will come again; God himself has promised it.

Psalm:  unusually this is not a psalm but a psalm-like extract from Isaiah, echoing the message of the First Reading: “sing and shout for joy”.

Second Reading: happiness, says St Paul, comes from tolerance, prayer and thanksgiving, and above all closeness to Christ the Lord, who “is very near”.

Gospel:  like the other Gospels Luke portrays St John the Baptist as a forerunner of Jesus Christ, but alone of the Gospels he also recounts John’s ethical teaching.  Perhaps this should be part of our endeavours for social justice during this Year of Mercy.

By Fr David Gibbons, Centre for Catholic Formation

Appeal: 

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

The jewel in the crown of the attractive interior of St Anthony’s Church is its set of Stations of the Cross by the Catholic Flemish Sculptor Aloys De Beule, 1861 -1935. Indeed it is believed that there are only 3 sets of stations of the cross by De Beule of this size and style in this country.

Each Station measures 4 feet by 3 feet and the figures are fashioned out of plaster. They were originally richly decorated but over time have suffered from a build up of grime and some of the figures now show considerable signs of the paint beginning to flake off.

Towards the end of the Summer, this year, Fr Sunith and Fr Stuart decided that in order to prevent further deterioration, and to preserve this magnificent set of Stations for future generations, the set would need to be restored as a matter of urgency.

A highly talented artist was found who agreed to undertake the work and an appeal was very recently launched in order to raise the necessary funds. Parishioners are already showing their generosity in supporting this project but more money needs to be raised to reach our target. All donations towards this very worthy project are therefore greatly appreciated.

When the project is completed next year the Stations will be photographed by a professional photographer and will be the feature of the parish’s 2017 Calendar.

Sunday Teas:

Sunday’s teas will be served by the UCM.

Next Sunday’s Christmas teas including mulled wine and mince pies will be served by the Knights of St Columba.

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

Last Sunday’s collections: The 1st collection was £952.08p including Gift Aided  £372.50p). The 2nd collection for Parish Funds was £67.85p. Thank you for your generosity. The  2nd  collection today is for Parish Funds.

Recently Deceased: Please pray for the soul and family of Ann Madeline Murphy.  The funeral will be on Monday 21st December at 1pm followed by the committal at Beckenham Crematorium at 3pm.

Reconciliation Service: The Reconciliation Service will be on Thursday 17th December at 8.00pm.  There will be 3 priests from outside the parish to hear confessions.

Christmas Carol Service: This year, we are supporting the children and staff at St Anthony’s School and you are all invited to come to their Carol Service and listen to their wonderful singing (and hopefully join in with some old favourites).  The Christmas Carol Service will be at 6.30pm on Thursday 17th December in the Church.  All are welcome to attend.  Please do come along.

Eucharistic Ministers and Readers:  The rotas are now available in the Sacristy.  Please do collect one.

Stations of the Cross Donation Envelopes: Please give these envelopes to the priest.  If you are a gift aider then please put your gift number or name on the envelope.  Do not put them in the Parish collection bags.

Note for Registered Gift Aiders:  If you require or have not collected a set of numbered boxed envelopes for your cash donations, please give your name to one of the priests, and we will sort one out. Otherwise, please do write your name on the outside of any other envelope used.

The Knights of St Columba Food Bank Appeal: In order to be ready for the Christmas week distribution the appeal is being brought forward this month to the 19th/20th December (next weekend).  The Knights wish to express their gratitude to the parish for their generous support of the Food Bank throughout 2015.

Parish Christmas Fair Prize Winners: Hamper (Lesley O’Shaughnessy); Whiskey (Susan Allen); Whiskey (David Fagan); Biscuits (Darren); Admissions 1st Prize (Cain); Admissions 2nd Prize (Peter); Guess the Name of the Doll – Elizabeth (Gerard Baldwin); Guess the Birthday of the Doll – 12th February (Alessia Keys); How Many Sweets in the Jar – 72 (Maria Raphael); Guess the Weight of the Cake – 2kgs (Constance Leach); Cake Raffle (Gerard Baldwin).  Thank you to Alvaro Chievella who won the hamper and re-donated it!  Thank you to the Knights of St Columba who organised the hamper raffle.

Thank you to all those who gave up their time to organise the fair and for the many generous donations.  We raised over £1500 for the parish.  We wish you a happy and holy Christmas.

Penge over 60’s Network Christmas Party: The party will be on Saturday 19th December at the Kenilworth Hall, Kenilworth Road from 1pm to 4pm.  All over 60s are welcome.  Please let Wendie Roche know if you are coming.  Limited transport is available.  Please call her on 020 35654125.

Season of Advent – Preparing for God’s Coming: Our Diocese has developed a series of daily reflections featuring the Scripture of the day and a related thought and prayer drawn from the spirituality of Stewardship.  If you would like to receive these daily emails and encounter Advent in this way please subscribe via http://eepurl.com/bF0b6P

Mini-bus users: Please do not try to walk about the bus while the bus is moving.  Once you are on the bus, please sit down and make sure that your seat belt is fastened securely for the duration of the journey.

Repository: There are many Christmas items now on sale in the repository.  Please do take a look and see what there is on offer. Please note that the Southwark Directories and Parish Diaries are now also available. Please take a copy of the Pilgrim.

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

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS (13—20 Dec  2015) (Year: C)