Saturday 19th September - Sunday 27th September
TWENTY FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – CYCLE A – 20th SEPTEMBER 2026
A Pastoral Message on the Occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and the March for Life 2026
(cont. from last week…)
St Paul writes that ‘the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains.’ (Rom. 8:22) Creation groans because our world bears the consequences of sin. When our relationship with God becomes disordered, so do our relationships with one another. The greed, waste, violence, and selfishness that push us away from God not only harm creation, but also have damaging consequences for people who are poor and vulnerable and, so often, amongst the first to suffer.
This is why care for creation cannot be reduced simply to policy, technology, or good intention. It calls first for conversion, for us to remember that we are creatures - not the Creator - and that the world is a gift, not a possession.
Yet the Christian understanding of creation cannot stop there. Pope Benedict XVI memorably wrote that ‘the book of nature is one and indivisible.’ We cannot speak seriously about safeguarding creation whilst treating human life as disposable. The same God who created the heavens and the earth creates every human person in his image and likeness. (cf. Gen. 1:27)
Pope Francis made this connection in Laudato si’: ‘Since everything is interrelated,’ he wrote, ‘concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion.’ In defending the dignity of the natural world, how can we not defend human life when it is at its smallest, most dependent, and most defenceless?
This brings us to the March for Life on 5 September, whose theme this year is Abortion Hurts the Family. We are a people of life. Life is sacred and a gift from God. The measure of a humane society cannot be how readily it removes those whose presence it regards as a burden, but how generously it protects and accompanies them.
To defend the unborn child cannot mean abandoning or condemning a mother who is frightened or in difficulty. Both lives matter. Our defence of life must always be accompanied by compassion, practical help, friendship, forgiveness, and hope. We want to care for a mother and child together, support fathers and families, and offer healing to those who carry the pain of abortion.
(to be cont.)
A Message from the Bishops’ Conference about Home Mission Sunday 2026
On Sunday 20th September, we will celebrate Home Mission Sunday, a day for us as the Catholic community in England and Wales to celebrate our faith in these lands, and our shared commitment to communicate the beauty and the joy of knowing Jesus Christ. Celebrating the Holy Father’s first encyclical, the theme for this year is “Magnifica Humanitas” as the heart of mission. We can celebrate together the call the Holy Father has placed before us to live out our authenticate humanity which finds it’s fullness in Christ. More details about this can be found on the Bishops’ Conference website - https://www.cbcew.org.uk/home-mission-sunday/ . The Second Collection on this weekend is to support the work carried out by the Bishops’ Conference Mission Directorate. Through the Mission Directorate, we support our Church in a wide field of service and mission here in England and Wales. Please hold this important work in your prayers and give as generously as you can. Thank you.
A Pastoral Message on the Occasion of Education Sunday 2026
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
On Education Sunday, we join as one in offering our prayers and expressing our deep gratitude for everyone involved in the life of our Catholic schools.
Each year, we celebrate the teachers and the staff in our schools who work tirelessly to ensure our young people receive the very best Catholic education. This education prepares them for their future careers, but most importantly, it draws them into a deeper relationship with the Lord Jesus, so that they can grow in wisdom, knowledge and holiness.
I know how hard our headteachers, teachers and staff work to put their pupils first and give them the tools they need to flourish. For that, I once again express my sincerest gratitude and assure you of my prayers.
Headteachers, teachers and staff cannot do it alone – they need the support of the CEOs of our Catholic Academy Trusts, governors, chaplains, office teams and volunteers. Each one of you plays a crucial role in helping our schools to live out their Catholic values and nurture our young people. Thank you all for your service – please know that each of you is valued and appreciated.
Alongside our schools, I want to recognize the parents and carers who make so many daily sacrifices to give their children the love and care they need to flourish. I know being a parent can sometimes feel like a thankless task, but please know that I am deeply grateful for your daily witness of love, and for the endless sacrifices you make for your children. Parents and carers lay the foundations upon which all education is built, and Catholic education can only flourish if the partnership between home and school is nurtured.
This partnership has to be centered on Christ Jesus, who is the vine. Our Lord tells us to abide in him “as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (cf. John 15:4-5). Jesus is the vine; we are the branches. As we continue on this journey together, we must remember to remain close to Christ so that we may bear fruit in abundance.
St Oscar Romero, reflecting on this Gospel passage, explains that in this “language of Christ” we find a “beautiful definition of grace” which is “communion with the very same love and truth that God has revealed to us”1. By remaining close to Christ in all that we do – and especially in cultivating young people through Catholic education – we bear the fruits of good works in communion with God, and reveal His love to those in our care.
So, as we begin this new academic year, please continue to work together as communities of faith and love, forming our young people in the love of Christ. Please be assured of my continued gratitude and prayers.
May Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, watch over our families, schools and parishes.
With every blessing for the year ahead.
Most Rev John Wilson
Archbishop of Southwark
Given at Southwark on 10 September 2026
PARISH NOTICES
SEPTEMBER SECOND COLLECTIONS. 20th – Evangelii Gaudium Sunday (Home Mission)
BEREAVEMENT NOTICE. Kindly pray for the repose of the souls of Adelina Regina Braganza, 94 years, whose funeral Mass will be 25th September, 2026 at 11:00 am & Norah Conlon.
Visit to shrine of St. Augustine in Ramsgate. Patricia Kilgallon and a few parishioners intend to visit the shrine on Monday, 21st September, leaving Bexleyheath train station at 9:10 am. All are welcome. For more details see Annette after 6.30 pm mass. God bless!
St Columba’s Catholic Boys’ School Open Day. Parents & carers are warmly invited to attend the Open Day on Saturday 3 October 2026, from 9.30am to 12.30pm. Come & experience life at St Columba’s, meet students, staff, tour the school, and hear from the Headteacher at 10.30am or 11.30am. We are proud to be one of the highest-performing schools in Bexley for boys of all abilities. The Open Day is an excellent opportunity for families to discover all that we have to offer. To register or find out more, visit www.st-columbas.co.uk. We look forward to welcoming you.
ARE YOU LOOKING TO JOIN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?
The next session of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) will take place on 24th September 2026 at 7.15 pm and thereafter every Thursday in the church porch. Please speak with Fr Innocent for further information.
PARISH GROUPS' NOTICES
LEGION OF MARY. Now meeting every Friday at 11.15 am in the church porch.
LEGION OF MARY MARIAN FUNCTION. The LoM will be celebrating its annual Marian function on Sunday, 27th September at 12.10 pm in the church porch. All are welcome to join in prayer and devotion to Our Lady, as we honour & invoke her blessings on our members and parishioners. Light refreshments will be served after.
SENIOR YOUTH GROUP. The next session is on 27th September at 10.00 am in the church hall.
LUNCH CLUB. The next gathering will be on Thursday, 15th October at 12.30 pm in the hall.
MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK
Saturday 19th September G Feria
Family Marian Devotion at home
25th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME G
6.00 pm Daily Rosary
6.30 pm Sr Bridget McCourt RIP
Sunday 20th September G
8.30 am Daily Rosary
9.00 am Deceased souls of Pereira & Rodrigues families
10.30 am Daily Rosary
11.00 am Priscilla Ojinnaka RIP
Monday 21st September R
St Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist
No Public Mass
Tuesday 22nd September G Feria
7.00 pm Daily Rosary
7.30 pm Roland D’Souza RIP
Wednesday 23rd September W
St Pius of Pietrelcina
9.30 am Adoration
10.00 am Mary O’Connell RIP
Thursday 24th September W
Our Lady of Walsingham
9.30 am Adoration & Prayer for Vocations
10.00 am Kelli Stenstrom RIP
Friday 25th September G Feria
9.30 am Prayers for the Dead
10.00 am Charles & Elizabeth Dinah RIP
11.00 am Adelina Regina Braganza RIP funeral mass
Saturday 26th September G Feria
Family Marian Devotion at home
26th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME G
6.00 pm Daily Rosary
6.30 pm Alicia & Goldwyn Rodrigues RIP
Sunday 27th September G
8.30 am Daily Rosary
9.00 am John Joe Corbett RIP
10.30 am Daily Rosary
11.00 am Aileen Alice Meehan RIP
