Saturday 18th February – Saturday 25th February 2023
- jonathonrouth
- Feb 18, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 19, 2023
FEBRUARY IS THE MONTH OF THE HOLY FAMILY
The Seventh Week of Ordinary Time/ Ash Wednesday
Dear parishioners,
PREPARING FOR LENT AT ST. THOMAS MORE.
Prayer, fasting and almsgiving give shape to our Lenten Journey.
1. When we pray we recall:
‘ I have seen you in the sanctuary and behold your power and glory. Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you’ ( Psalm 63: 2) Pick up a copy of this Lent’s ‘Walk with Me – A Journey of Prayer for Lent 2023’ This excellent booklet gives us material for daily reflection and supports our commitment to re-directing our lives to God, starting with prayer, this Lent. Archbishop Vincent Nicholls says in the Introduction to ‘Walk with Me’ :
‘Once again we are on the pilgrimage together, nourished by prayer, strengthened and sustained by the Eucharist. We travel towards our great goal, the great feast of Easter Sunday when we renew our baptismal promises and celebrate the Risen Lord’. The Lenten ‘Walk with Me’ invites us to rediscover the Psalms, just as the disciples did as they walked together on the road to Emmaus. The Risen Lord said ‘Everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures’. (Luke 24:44)
You can pick up a copy of ‘Walk with Me’ at the doors of the church for a donation of £1.00. Children’s editions will be distributed to all our First Holy Communion children and other children in the parish. We will also be handing out the ‘Walk with Me’ Lent calendars. Also this year, we will be offering ‘Day by Day’ for Lent to our infants and juniors.
All parishioners of all ages are encouraged to join us for THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS at least once during Lent at 7.30 p.m. on Friday evenings, starting on Friday 3rd March. Also for your diary are the March Devotions to St. Joseph, holy patron of the Church on Sunday 19th March at 4.00 p.m.
Finally, you are welcome to join Patricia in the house for Lenten Reflections - and coffee- after the 10.00 o'clock mass on Fridays, from this coming Friday.
2. We are also called to Fast:
Unless it is a solemnity of falls in an octave, every Catholic, in loving memory of the Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ, should not eat meat on Fridays. This is also an act of penance: an offering to God in sorrow for our sins. In Lent we are called to set our hearts and minds to this more. Here are some traditional approaches:
Fast on Fridays and for Lent, on Wednesdays too. Eat less, cut out meat and all rich foods. Miss one meal and eat simply. For those wanting to take it further, adopt a full non- meat and dairy diet for all of Lent. In Christian tradition, a modern vegan diet, is for Christians, an ancient form of penance, sacrifice and purification. This is still practised by many Christians for all of Lent.
As a family, you might also observe CAFOD FAMILY FAST DAY, which is on Friday 3rd March. Eat simply that day and pray for those who are hungry and any money you save, give to the Cafod Family Fast Day Lent Appeal.
3. Give to charity (almsgiving):
i) As ever, the Parish is supporting the CAFOD FAMILY FAST DAY LENT APPEAL.
This Lent, CAFOD is supporting families with the skills and tools they’ve asked for to fight the climate crisis. In Bangladesh, 14-year-old Dristy and her mum Rupali are building seed beds and planting palm trees to protect their crops from flooding and cyclones. Give today to help families grow in strength to adapt to the climate crisis. Next Sunday, there will be a talk at Sunday masses and the following Sunday there will be a collection in church using the envelopes provided or you can give online at cafod.org.uk/lent.
You can watch a short video on the CAFOD Lent Appeal on YouTube by following the link below.
Also this Lent, please support our elderly, retired priests by supporting the:
i) Clergy Support Fund Second Collection 2023
The Clergy Support Fund of the Archdiocese of Southwark provides care for priests in their old age and retirement, and in their time of ill health. A gift to this worthy fund will ensure a dignified retirement for our priests, after they have dedicated a lifetime of service to Christ, His Church and His People.
In 2022, the Clergy Support Fund provided care to 73 retired priests, at a cost of £1.33 million. With the number of priests over the age of 65 steadily increasing, so too will the financial obligation to the Archdiocese.
Please be generous today with a gift to the Clergy Support Fund and continue to keep our priests in your prayers.
Thank you!
· Donate Online: https://rcaos.org.uk/donate/csf
· QR Code (see right)
· Telephone Mon-Fri 9am-5pm: 020 7960 2504
· Cash / Cheque – please use the Clergy Support Fund envelopes at the back of church.
LENT IS A PENITENTIAL SEASON
Finally, let us remember, that prayer, fasting and almsgiving are all aspects of penance, and that Lent is THE penitential season. Lent is absolutely not about giving up things for ‘self improvement’ and making yourself beach-ready, but denying the self in order to become more like Christ. To truly enter the pentitential spirit of Lent in prayer, fasting and giving alms,, we must go to the greatest act of Penance of them all, and that is to attend THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE given to us by Our Lord Jesus Christ. In this sacrament, all the good works of our prayer, fasting and almsgiving will bear fruit in the absolution given to us and the healing God gives the broken soul. If you regularly receive Holy Communion, you need to be making your confession at least once a year, and the most necessary time is Lent, before taking Holy Communion at Easter. The Church tells us:
‘Each of the faithful is bound by and obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year. Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, without first having received sacramental absolution’ (Cathechism 1457).
May you have a good lent through prayer, fasting and almsgiving, but above all, may it bear fruit for your soul through the humble confession of sins in the Sacrament of Penance.
God bless
Fr Jonathon
UPCOMING EVENTS
FEBRUARY DEVOTION TO THE HOLY FAMILY.
As Mary and Joseph brought the Child Jesus to the Temple, bring your family to church at 4.00 p.m. this Sunday afternoon for a special Vespers of the Holy Family and Benediction and we shall pray to the Lord for our families.
PARISH PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES in October. Please contact the parish office if you are interested in joining us.
PARISH PILGRIMAGE TO WALSINGHAM . We have now taken all the bookings and will be in touch soon.
Escorted Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine, Ireland, 15th March 2023. £699.00 per person sharing. Price includes flight, all transfers, 4 nights’ in Knock House Hotel with full board. All entertainment and excursions included. Day trips to Westport, Ballintubber Abbey, Croagh Patrick, Fr. Peyton Centre & National Museum. Special St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations. Single supplement £150.00. Contact Patricia on 01268 762 278 or 07740 175557 or email knockpilgrimages@gmail.com.
Notice from Marriage and Family Life South East
BUILDING A BETTER MARRIAGE
This Saturday morning online session on February 18th is aimed at couples with average-to-good marriages who would like to improve their relationship further and gain insights into their communication and the call of the Church to the married. No personal sharing! Email Carole on mflkent@rcaos.org.uk or phone 07983 524 727.
GROWING IN FAITH TOGETHER
SycamOre is an online course exploring our Catholic faith and suitable for individuals and couples alike. It runs throughout Lent, with weekly one-hour sessions on Tuesday evenings from 8-9.00 pm starting on February 28th. For more details or to register, visit the website: Growing in Faith Together — Agency for Evangelisation and Catechesis (rcaos.org.uk)
CELEBRATE PARENTING FOR FAITH
A new online course for those with babies and toddlers, 5 weeks from February 23rd – March 23rd. 8.00 pm, 45 mins. https://www.celebratetrust.org/
And a reminder to you that our marriage preparation courses are available by emailing mflse@rcaos.org.uk.
THURSDAY LUNCH CLUB takes place from 12.30 p.m. this Thursday.
PARISH NOTICES
CAFOD Syria-Turkey Earthquake Appeal
CAFOD is responding with support of provision of food, water, shelter, medical assistance and winter kits for survivors. Your donations in recent months have made that quick response possible. Let us join CAFOD in praying for our sisters and brothers affected by the earthquakes and the winter weather. Your support for CAFOD throughout the year allows our Catholic agency to act quickly when disasters strike. For more details visit CAFOD’s Syria Turkey Emergency Appeal online at https://cafod.org.uk/give.
More from CAFOD next week with our annual Lent Family Fast Day Appeal.
FOOD BANK.
Thanks to all who offered to help with collecting our donations and taking them to the Food Bank on Monday morning. Tony McLaughlin will be covering for Paul for a few weeks and will collect the donations after the Sunday 11.00 a.m. mass.
PARISH YOUTH NOTICES
CHURCH for CHILDREN.
HALF TERM BREAK. There will be no church in the hall for children at 9.00 a.m. for the half –term break. This will resume on Sunday 26th February.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 2023.
No session on Saturday 11th or Saturday 18th February for Half Term Break. Session 6 on Saturday 25th February, 10.30 a.m. in the hall.
CONFIRMATION 2023.
Candidates need to attend Ash Wednesday Mass (if no school service available) and then Stations of the Cross on the 17th February at 7.30 p.m.
Next class: 4.00 p.m. Sunday 26th February 2023, in the presbytery.
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 soul of:
Michel Vidal, who died in France on Monday 19th December aged 62 and whose funeral was in France. He had a Requiem at St. Thomas More on Friday 27th January followed by the burial of ashes at Hillview Cemetery.
Teresa Bridget Crump who died on Thursday 29th December 2023, aged 77. Her funeral was on Friday 3rd February 2023 .
Patricia Maureen Lee who died on Monday 2nd January 2023, aged 88. Her funeral is at 11.30 a.m. on Tuesday 7th February 2023 with committal at Plumstead Cemetery.
Mary Etheridge, who died on 6th January 2023. Her Funeral was on Friday 3rd February.
Bernard O’Brien, who died on 15th January 2023.
May the divine assistance remain with her 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 SEVENTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
Instaurare Omnia in Christo: "restoring all things in Christ."
Saturday 18th February Our Lady’s Saturday with commemoration of St. Simeon, bishop & martyr [T.C.]
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+ 10.00 a.m. [Latin 1962] Timothy Carroll R.I.P.
+ 6.30 p.m. SEVENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (A) Eileen Budd W.B
Sunday 19th February
8.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+9.00 a.m. [SUNG] The people of the parish.
+11.00 a.m. [SOLEMN. Latin with English. Missa Orbis Factor] Freny, Carl, Emily and Michael Adagara W.B.
4.00 p.m. February Devotions to the Holy Family with Vespers of the Holy Family, prayers for our families, silent adoration and Benediction (this service lasts about an hour)
Monday 20th February feria
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+ 10.00 a.m. Esau Rahim R.I.P.
Tuesday 21st February St. Peter Damian, bishop & doctor of the church.
The Daily Rosary at home
NO PUBLIC MASS TODAY
Wednesday 22nd February ASH WEDNESDAY. A day of fasting and abstinence.
+10.00 a.m. Ash Wednesday mass with distribution of the ashes at St Thomas More primary School for staff and pupils only.
6.30 p.m. The Daily Rosary
+ 7.00 p.m. Ash Wednesday mass with distribution of the ashes (these will also be distributed on Thursday, Friday after mass for anyone who was unable to come to mass today). The Rev. James Malone R.I.P.
Thursday 23rd February Lent feria, with commemoration of St. Polycarp.
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary.
+10.00 a.m. James Templeton R.I.P.
Friday 24th February Lent feria.
9.30 a.m. Daily Rosary
+10.00 a.m. Rui Coelho R.I.P.
6.00 p.m. Parish Choir Practice. New members welcome.
Saturday 25thFebruary Lent feria [T.C.]
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+ 10.00 a.m. [Latin 1962] Alfred Charlton R.I.P.
+ 6.30 p.m. FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT (A) Martha & Francis Yeates R.I.P.
FEBRUARY PRAYER FOR CATHOLIC FAMILIES
A blessing on all our young families in our parish.
Your kingdom come; yes bid it come – as when your kingdom first began on earth, your kingdom was a home, a child, a woman and a man.
The child who was in the midst of them, O blessed Jesus, holiest One! The centre and the fount of love, Mary and Joseph’s little son.
Wherever on this earth shall be children, a woman and a man, may they be an image of that sweet trinity with which your kingdom first began.
Establish in that family your kingdom! Yes, and over it your trinity of unity, harmony and peace send down, and on that chosen day, the blessings of your love.
(after Katherine Tynan Hinkson 1861- 1931 ‘Thy Kingdom Come’)