St Anthony of Padua Anerley

Twenty–Eighth Sunday (C)

In the first reading Naaman was commander of the Syrian army. As such he was a very powerful man. But he contracted leprosy it seemed that his glittering career was over. He sought help from the prophet Elisha, who told him to bathe seven times in the Jordan.

Our reading tells how on being cured of his leprosy Naaman acknowledges Yahweh as the supreme and only God. However, when he tries to express his gratitude to Elisha, the prophet refuses to accept it, because it  would suggest that the cure was due to him rather than to God. Naaman was a Gentile, in other words, an outsider like the Samaritan in the Gospel.

 In the Gospel we have the story of ten people who were cured of leprosy by Jesus, and how only one of them came back to thank him. The only who came back was a Samaritan, that is a foreigner like Naaman. It is presumed that the other nine were Jews. The stranger puts the Jews to shame.

 St. Paul tells Timothy that the work of preaching the Gospel will result in hardship, opposition and persecution. Paul himself is in bonds, like a common criminal, for the sake of the Gospel. The passage closes with a quotation from a baptismal hymn: at baptism the Christian dies and rises with Christ, but the sacrament imposes the obligation of endurance and fidelity.

 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.

Last Sunday’s Collections: The 1st collection was £795.96p + £287.80p in Gift Aid envelopes giving us a parish total of £1083.76p.

The 2nd collection for CAFOD/Harvest Family Fast Day was £223.58p. Thank you for your generosity. Today’s 2nd collection is for Parish Funds.

 Recently Deceased: Please pray for the soul and family of John Barry.  The funeral will be at 10.30am on Thursday 17th October.  May his soul rest in peace.

Baptism Preparation Classes: There will be two Baptism preparation classes on Mondays, the 14th and 21st October at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre (4 Genoa Road).

First Holy Communion Classes: There will a parents meeting on Tuesday 15th October at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre (4 Genoa Road).

Parish Consultation Evening: This year’s Parish consultation evening will be on Thursday 17th October in the Parish Centre. The topic will be “All the generations working together”. We will start with some refreshments and social time from 7.30pm and discussion from 8 until 9pm. Everybody is welcome.

UCM: Please note that the UCM will be meeting on Monday 14th (instead of the 21st) October at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre.  All are welcome.

Christmas Fair: There will be a meeting on Monday 28th October at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre for all volunteers willing to help out at the Christmas Fair, which is on Saturday 7th December. All offers of help welcome.  Please do come along to the meeting and help to support the Fair.

Missio/APF Red Boxes: Please bring in your red boxes for emptying & counting. Please ensure that your name is shown either on or inside the box. Thank you for your continued support.

Farewell to Father Stuart: This Sunday, we will have a farewell for Fr Stuart after the 11.15am Mass (13th October). This will be an informal gathering with tea, coffee and a glass of wine. Please come along if you would like to join in thanking Fr Stuart for all the work he has done for the parish and wishing him well in his retirement.

Deanery Youth Council: 19^th October 2019 (12-2.30pm) at St Joseph’s Church, Upper Room.  Bromley Deanery is launching an exciting new initiative called a Youth Council.  This is a board of young people whose views and opinions will feed directly into the programme of youth ministry for the Deanery and will have a key role in making decisions on behalf of the young people in our parishes.  The Youth Council will comprise 2 or 3 representatives from each parish, ideally aged 15yrs+.  The Youth Council will meet up to three times a year – our first meeting takes place on Saturday 19^th October from 12-2.30pm at St Joseph’s Church (Upper Room).  This will be a fairly relaxed introductory meeting, to give us the opportunity to get to know one another, share some preliminary thoughts and pizza!  So, if you would like to have your say, represent the youth in your parish as a Youth Councillor and make new friends from parishes all over the deanery, please see your parish priest or contact CYM Coordinator, Susan Longhurst to receive a nomination form (email: susan.longhurst@bromleydeanery.org).

“God who Speaks” The Year of the Word 2020 – 30^th September’19 – 31^st December’2020: The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales have designated 2020 as ‘the God who speaks’ to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of Verbum Domini – Pope Benedict’s Apostolic Exhortation on ‘The Word of the Lord’ and the 1600^th anniversary of death of St Jerome who translated the Bible into Latin. St James The Great, Petts Wood parish are celebrating, living and sharing God’s Word throughout the Year with a range of moments of reflections on God’s Word for us. The first seminar is being held on Saturday the 19^th October with Fr Denis Mc Bride from 9.30am – 1.00pm at St James the Great, Petts Wood. All are welcome.

Beginning Experience: A healing weekend for men and women who are separated, divorced or widowed will be held from 18th-20th October at the Domus Mariae Centre, Chigwell, Essex. For more information phone 01322 838415 or email johnabrotherton@hotmail.co.uk

Lighting Candles: Please take care when lighting the candles and ensure that candle wax does not drip onto the newly treated floor.  For health and safety reasons, adults, not children, should be lighting the candles.

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

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS (14th Oct—20th Oct 2019)  (Year: C)