St Anthony of Padua Anerley

Thirtieth Sunday

Mass Readings: Page 149 – 151

Order of Mass: Pages 7– 47

First Reading: Eucharistic Prayer III asks God to ‘gather to yourself all your children scattered throughout the earth’, and Eucharistic Prayer IV prays for those ‘gathered into one body by the Holy Spirit’.  This theme of gathering the scattered is taken from today’s First Reading from Jeremiah.  Prayer III or Prayer IV would therefore seem to be the most appropriate today.

Psalm: a song of joy, sung by those scattered into exile in Babylon but now gathered back to Jerusalem (Zion).

Second Reading: only the high priest offered the sacrifice for sins on the Day of Atonement.  Christ is in fact made the true high priest by the Father, and so Christ alone can offer the sacrifice which takes away our sins.

Gospel: the healing of blind Bartimaeus is the last healing miracle in Mark.  Notice that Bartimaeus is not initially a disciple of Jesus; he comes to faith after his encounter with Jesus.  The Lord’s question ‘what do you want me to do for you?’ is perhaps the way we should start in seeking to evangelize and win disciples for Christ.

By Fr David Gibbons, Centre for Catholic Formation

Gift Aid: We would like to say a big thank you to all parishioners who have signed up for our Gift Aid Scheme. We have recently received a tax refund cheque for £9,587.48p from HMRC for the tax year 2014/15.  This bonus income for the parish has been made possible because parishioners who pay income tax have filled in and signed  a Gift Aid Declaration form and it has not cost them a penny more.

If you pay tax please consider filling in a Gift Aid Declaration. Forms are available in the church porch.

Sunday Teas:

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

Next Sunday’s teas 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 £889.91p (including Gift Aided  £292.80p). The 2nd collection for APF/Missio (World Mission Sunday) was £138.97p. Thank you for your generosity.  The 2nd collection today will be for Parish Funds.

Recently Deceased: Please remember the souls and families of Liam Kelly, Sheila Ainge and both father and son Peter Fagan and Peter Fagan in your prayers.

Liam Kelly’s funeral details will be announced in next week’s newsletter.

The funeral service of Peter Fagan (the son) will be on Thursday 29th October at 1pm followed by the cremation at 2.15pm at Beckenham Crematorium.

The Requiem Mass of Peter Fagan (the father) will be on Monday 9th November at 11.30am followed by the cremation at Beckenham Crematorium at 1.30pm.

Sheila Ainge’s funeral will be on Friday 13th November at 10.30am followed by the burial at Streatham Vale Cemetery.

Holy Souls: The Month of November is when we especially remember our dead. Please list  the names of those you wish to be prayed for at all November masses and next week put it into the special box marked ‘Holy Souls’ which will be placed on the altar rail beside the pulpit.  Please do not put any money into the box.

A Polite Request for Peace: Please would all parishioners leave the church quietly after Mass  ( especially  those  attending the 11.15am Sunday Mass).  A number of parishioners wish to stay in church and pray  after Mass or, as in the case of the 11.15am Mass say the Rosary, so can we all please respect the Church and those who wish to worship in it.

 Parish Christmas Fair: We are now collecting items for the Christmas Fair (which will be on the 5th December).  If you have any unwanted gifts or good quality items that would attract people to a stall (for example, gifts sets or bottles) then please do donate them by leaving them in the box in the narthex.  For a successful fair, we need appealing items which will attract buyers and help raise funds for the Church.  Thank you.

 Annual Mass for the Deceased Clergy of the Deanery: This Mass will be celebrated at St Patrick’s Church in Chislehurst at 11.30am on Monday 9th November.

Can you help prisoners and their families?: You are invited to come and see the opportunities for you to volunteer to help those in prison, prisoner’s families, and ex-offenders. The Catholic prison charity Pact (Prison Advice & Care Trust) work in several prisons across London and rely heavily on volunteers to help those in need.  Saturday 14^th November from 10.00am–2.30pm, Westminster Cathedral Hall.  For more information contact:

prisonsweek2015@prisonadvice.org.uk or call 020 3031 6953

St Mary’s, Crown Lane, Chislehurst, BR7 5PL: The Annual Cemetery Mass and Blessing of the Graves  will take place on Saturday 21^st November at noon, remembering those buried at Saint Mary’s and Beaverwood Cemetery. This year, we have had all of the graves reviewed and are in the process of repairing many that pose a safety concern. Unfortunately, we no longer have up to date contact details of all the families of those buried here. A list of graves that require repair will be posted on the St Mary’s notice board, along with the associated cost. Please email Kelly Robson at office@stmarysrc.org or call 0208 467 3215 if you would like a copy of this list sent to you.  

 Mount Street Jesuit Centre: Please see the Mount Street Jesuit Centre’s website www.mountstreet.info or contact them on 020 7495 1673 to find out about all their October and November events.        

Christmas: There are many Christmas items now on sale in the repository.  Please do take a look and see what there is on offer.

Job Vacancy: Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior School are looking for an Examination Invigilator.  The closing date is 2nd November.  Further details can be found on the noticeboard or by visiting their website: www.virgofidelis.org.uk

If you want to see a priest then please phone and make an appointment.

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

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS (25 Oct—01 Nov 2015) (Year B)