Saturday 14th - Sunday 22nd June 2025
- bostallpark
- Jun 13
- 6 min read
THE MOST HOLY TRINITY
DAY FOR LIFE SUNDAY 15TH JUNE 2025
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 2025
Please pray for our children receiving their First Holy Communion this weekend.
Annabelle Tobin
Beau Brooks-Fisher
Callum Oliver
Cassiopeia Edwards
Eleanor Young
Hannah Joju
Kyla Amadi
Lola Tait
Mia Phull
Mieko Tran
Orion Edwards
Orla Nelson
Sebastian Leaford
Zachary Nunes
ON YOUR FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
May Jesus come to bless you on your
First Holy Communion Day.
May you feel His loving presence
in a very special way.
And as you strive to follow in His footsteps
may he bless your life with many graces
and lasting happiness.
Special thanks to our catechists Dorota Stochel & Aniela Sedziak.
Thank you also to Fr. Innocent for his constant guidance and support.
FINDING MEANING IN SUFFERING - Hope does not disappoint.
For as long as history has been written, the world has never been without struggle and suffering. Through the lens of television and social media, however, the suffering of the whole world appears on our personal devices.
Many of us find it hard to make sense of a world in which suffering seems to press down from every direction: pandemic; war; homelessness; violence in our streets, addiction. Then, often without warning, we find ourselves caught up in the struggle when serious illness comes into our own lives.
Suffering touches every person at some point in their lives. It is often associated with illness, grief, and loss. It is not only caused by physical pain but includes emotional suffering as well as ‘soul pain’, such as depression and despair.
Christians are not immune to this mystery and we often struggle to know how best to respond to it, and where we can find hope. “Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Rom 5:5-6). St Paul invites us to see that Christian hope is not just naïve optimism but, rather, an unshakeable trust in the power and presence of God who is with us always. This hope can endure the darkness of human suffering and even see beyond it. That is because Christian hope is anchored in God who is Love and whose love reaches out to us and lifts us up day after day. Care for the sick and suffering was central to the ministry of Jesus.
Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan as a way of explaining what it means to be a “neighbour” to another person. The Good Samaritan is someone who sees and is moved to compassion (while others turn away), who draws close, who “binds up wounds”, who accompanies the person in need, and who continues to care for as long as it is needed. Often the healing Jesus offered was much more than just a physical cure; it included emotional and spiritual healing as well, because for Jesus, the human person is more than just a body needing to be fixed. Jesus invites us to “Go and do likewise” (Lk. 10:29-37).
The alleviation of suffering is good and must always be part of our focus. But there remains, for many people, a suffering that cannot be taken away and has to be endured. How do we make sense of that?
The claim that it is better to die than to suffer leads some people to suggest that euthanasia or assisted suicide might be more compassionate.
As Christians, however, we follow Jesus who lived his entire life, including his suffering, in the confident hope that His Father loved him and would raise him up, and He did! The cross, which Jesus did not ask for and did nothing to deserve, has become a sign of hope for countless millions of people in every generation.
The death and resurrection of Jesus leads us to believe that, far from being futile or absurd, a life marked by suffering, when it is lived with generosity and patience, is full of meaning. People like Simon of Cyrene (who helped carry the cross), or St. Veronica (who wiped the face of Jesus) literally accompanied Jesus on the Way of the Cross.
Modern saints like Thérèse of Lisieux and the soon-to-be first millennial saint Carlo Acutis understood that when we unite our suffering with the suffering of Christ for the good of the w world, it is transformed through his grace. Most of us have known people like them. Far from being the end of hope, their suffering, when accepted and embraced, has shown itself to be a path to growth and ultimately to Resurrection.
This year’s Day for Life is an invitation to pray for those who suffer and to remain with them like the Good Samaritan, bearing witness to their unique and unrepeatable value. We see this closeness in the generous and fruitful service of healthcare professionals, whose mission continues even when there is no longer any prospect of physical healing. We see it in another way in families, carers and chaplains who support their brothers and sisters who are sick or frail or struggling with the many burdens of life.
As Christians, we affirm them and hold out to them the hope of Jesus Christ who does not disappoint us.
Written by Most Rev. John Sherrington (Archbishop of Liverpool), Rt. Rev. Kevin Doran (Bishop of Elphin) & Rt. Rev. John Keenan (Bishop of Paisley). Sourced from the Catholic Trust for England & Wales.
PARISH NOTICES
THANK YOU to all those who helped organise and celebrate our parish Pentecost Multicultural lunch last Sunday. It was a fantastic day full of culture, fashion, good food, and wonderful people.
If you would like to join the parish social committee, please contact the parish office.
UPCOMING EVENTS
DEANERY JUBILEE YEAR PILGRIMAGE ON 5TH JULY. A pilgrimage is a physical journey that we make to a holy or sacred place and which we use to reflect upon some aspect of our inner journeys. We might have a decision to make, an act of thanksgiving to make, an act of penance, a prayer for healing (or anything) or we might simply wish to honour the Lord. For our Deanery Pilgrimage, we will have our Pilgrimage Opening Service here at 10am. We will then make our pilgrimage journey on foot (or by other means) to the designated sacred Jubilee Year Site, St. John Vianney in Bexleyheath, where we will join with the other parishes of Bexley deanery for our concluding service at 1pm. Maps and instructions will be available closer to the date. There will be time to stop for refreshments on the way, and you can bring a picnic for lunch or try one of the many restaurants on the Broadway or simply leave after the service. It will be a day to bring before the Lord any special or long-term issues in your life or the lives of your loved ones. We will be carrying a pebble on the journey to symbolize that concern or burden we carry in life.
Please see the poster in the porch.
SUMMERTIME 2025. 6th August – 9th August: Retreat to Westminster Pastoral Centre, £189. For aged 11-15. Open to those who regularly attend mass on the weekend. This event has been going on for more than 20 years and is a few days for deepening one’s catholic faith, in a great social atmosphere, including football, sports & a visit to Thorpe Park. For more details of how to get to the venue, with a coach laid on at St. Anselm’s Dartford, see the parish priest for a form, or contact Fr. Stephen Boyle, chaplain to the Guild of St, Stephen, Dartford@rcaos.org.uk, Tel:01322 220075.
Relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis visiting St George’s Cathedral - 26-29 June.
St George’s Cathedral will be visited by a relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis. The youth of our parish are encouraged to visit on Saturday 28th June where there will be a “morning with Carlo Acutis”, including Mass, adoration, rosary and a talk on the relic. An exhibition will also be on display.
Please see the poster in the porch for more information.
PARISH GROUPS NOTICES
BIBLE STUDY GROUP.
Meeting every Thursday in the church at 7pm.
All are welcome.
LUNCH CLUB.
Meeting 26th June at 12.30pm in the hall.
New members always welcome.
LEGION OF MARY.
Every Monday at 7pm in the porch.
New members are always welcome.
UCM MEETINGS.
The next meeting dates for the UCM are Saturday 21st June at 11.30am in the hall & Wednesday the 30th of July at 7pm in the Porch.
New members are always welcome.
MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK
THE MOST HOLY TRINITY
Saturday 14th June
G Feria
9.30 a.m. Adoration
10.00 a.m. Parish First Holy Communion Candidates
W THE MOST HOLY TRINITY
6.30 p.m. Holy Souls
Sunday 15th June W
8.30 a.m. Daily Rosary
9.00 a.m. Lavinia Pereira WB
10.30 a.m. Daily Rosary
11.00 a.m. Sobem Onuora TG on his birthday
Monday 16th June
G Feria
No Public Mass Today
Tuesday 17th June
G Feria
7 p.m. Daily Rosary
7.30 p.m. Fr. Ray for his healing
Wednesday 18th June
G Feria
9.30 a.m. Adoration
10.00 a.m. Laurence & Celia Hayward on their 25th Wedding Anniversary
Thursday 19th June
R St. John Rigby
9.30 a.m. Adoration
10.00 a.m. Priests & Vocations to the Priesthood
Friday 20th June
R St. Alban
9.30 a.m. Adoration
10.00 a.m. Fatima Menezes RIP
Saturday 21st June
W St. Aloysius Gonzaga
9.30 a.m. Adoration
10.00 a.m. KC Onuora TG on her birthday
W CORPUS CHRISTI
6.30 p.m. Sharon D’Souza TG
Sunday 22nd June W
8.30 a.m. Daily Rosary
9.00 a.m. Holy Souls
10.30 a.m. Daily Rosary
11.00 a.m. FHC Thanksgiving