JUNE IS THE MONTH OF THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS
THE ELEVENTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
Dear parishioners,
Next weekend we have our annual first holy communions in the parish. More than ever, parents have been asked to prepare their children rather than relying on classes on a Saturday in the hall. Such preparation has of course included praying with children in order that they should be able to say the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be. These prayers are the basis of all others and are the springboard into a vast ocean of prayer. In the traditional breviary (the ‘offices’ that priests say at eight different points in the day) an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be is said before each office. After every psalm within each office a Glory Be is said. These three prayers are also the basis of the Rosary. The Our Father is the prayer the Lord gave to us saying that this is how we should pray. It contains everything we need to ask our heavenly Father in one prayer. The Hail Mary unites us with the Angel Gabriel in his salutation to Mary, it is a proclamation of hope that as God came to Mary at the Annunciation, so the Lord is with us. When life seems difficult, pointless or empty, the Hail Mary is a reminder that God loves us so much that he sent us his son, Our Lord Jesus Christ to be one with us. And then it finishes with placing our own trust and friendship with Mother Mary by asking her to pray for us. Finally, the Glory Be is pure praise of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s why we are here. We are God’s creatures, finite mortal beings but our destiny and highest calling is to praise our infinite, immortal, eternal and merciful God. The Glory Be reminds us of our place in the universe and that the direction of our life should be towards God.
With these three prayers we can begin a prayer life whether it’s the rosary, the breviary, the litanies, the chaplet of the Precious Blood, the chaplet of the Divine Mercy or we want to enter into silent meditation. It is these three prayers that will unlock prayer for us. It may be these three prayers that will remain indelibly on our minds when all else is gone and others are taking care of us. It may be these three prayers that are in our head when we are unconscious and unable to speak or hear others. It may be these three prayers that our minds fall into saying as we having an operation. It may be these three prayers that we remember in a life threatening situation and from the depths of the soul, we need to call upon God.
Apart from baptism and holy communion, we cannot pass on a greater gift to our children. Even if later they should wander far from the church, these prayers if taught when young, will always remain and will be there to draw upon when your adult child might realise they need God again.
It may just seem like three little prayers to tediously drill and learn off by heart, but they are keys to a whole spiritual life, a stick to support us on the journey through this life to the next. It is truly a great gift a catholic parent gives a child by passing on these prayers to children, and most importantly, praying them together as a catholic family.
Deaths
For all our brothers and sisters who ate the Body of Christ, the bread of Life, that they may be raised up on the Last Day. (Drawn from the intercession of the Funeral Mass)
Please pray for the souls of:
Maria Pereira who died on Tuesday 27th April. Her funeral was on Thursday 20th May .
Joseph Peter Bowman who died on Saturday 8th May 2021. His funeral was on Wednesday 26th May.
Des Leahy who died on Thursday 20th May, aged 92. His funeral was on Friday 11th June.
Tom Brady, son of Nora Brady and brother of Cath and Teresa, who died on Thursday 20th May aged 60. His funeral was on Friday 11th June.
Placida D’Souza who died on Saturday 8th May aged 89. Her funeral was on Wednesday 9th June.
Albert D’Silva who died on Monday 31st May aged 77. His funeral is on Monday 28th June at 11.00 a.m. followed by committal at Hillview Cemetery.
Mark John Norris Paxton who died on Thursday 27th May aged 60. The Funeral Mass is on Thursday 17th June at 10.00 a.m. followed by committal at Eltham Crematorium.
(Numbers permitted at Funeral Requiems are still limited due to current regulations. This is estimated on the size of the church building. The same rules applying to all public services in our church apply also for funeral requiems)
May the divine assistance remain with them always, and may their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
MASSES AND INTENTIONS FOR THE COMING WEEK: THE ELEVENTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
Please come to mass once a week only, on any day of your choosing, to help with numbers and social distancing.
Mass intentions booked for masses cancelled or replaced with a funeral will be moved to another day.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNIONS ARE TAKING PLACE AT ALL MASSES NEXT WEEKEND (Saturday 19th at 10.00 a.m. and 6.30 p.m./ Sunday 20th at 9.00 and 10.30 a.m.) Our maximum number in church is still 80. You might like to consider coming on a weekday next week instead of your Sunday mass, or visiting a neighbouring parish to avoid not getting into St Thomas More.
Saturday 12th June THE ELEVENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (B) Week 11 of Ordinary Time. Psalter week 3. Ferial cycle at mass 1.
6.30 p.m. Bernie Fernandes in T.G. for the intercession of St Anthony
Sunday 13th June
9.00 a.m. Annie Powell and children R.I.P.
10.30 a.m. Mary Bane R.I.P.
Monday 14th June feria
10.00 a.m. Mildred Faulkner R.I.P.
Tuesday 15th June feria
10.00 a.m. D.S. Baptista
Wednesday 16th June St. Richard of Chichester, bishop.
NO PUBLIC MASS TODAY
Thursday 17th June feria
10.00 a.m. Funeral Requiem for Mark John Norris Paxton followed by committal at Eltham Crematorium.
Friday 18th June feria
10.00 Albert D’ Silva R.I.P.
Saturday 19th June St Romuald, abbot.
10.00 a.m. With First Holy Communions. For those who have died of COVID 19 R.I.P.
[ 6.30 p.m. TWELFTH SUNDAY Sharon D’Souza T.G. (B). First Holy Communions at all Sunday masses.)
JUNE PRAYER
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
In Unity
Fr Jonathon
Telephone: 0208 303 2189
email: jonathonrouth@rcaos.org.uk
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