JULY IS THE MONTH OF THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time.
Dear parishioners,
Farewell Colette from St Thomas More Parish!
The head of St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Mrs Colette Doran-Hanon, after thirteen years with us, is leaving at the end of this term.
On Thursday evening, Canon Victor Darlington, the Episcopal Vicar for Education came and celebrated a joyful mass of thanksgiving in the school field, with hundreds of you in attendance. Many parishioners, present and former staff, parents and children and former pupils came back to school to give thanks to God for Colette’s service to the children of our parish. For Colette, nothing has been more important than the welfare and education of our children and nothing more essential to this than the Catholic mission and identity of our school.
I asked a couple of weeks ago where the motto ‘Do more, be more for yourself, for others and for God’ came from. It works on so many levels. Firstly, because of the play on the word ‘more’ with St Thomas More, our patron. He himself could do no more than give his life for The Truth of the Church and in doing so he became a martyr and saint. Our holy patron could not be any more because he had followed his Lord and master to the end. You can’t be more than a Saint in Heaven! Secondly, because we are all called to follow Our Lord Jesus Christ, to ‘imitate’ him: to live according to the Laws of God, to do more by sacrificing ourselves in good works for one another, and so become more like Our Lord. And that is the mark of a true catholic educator like Colette: to help draw out the God- given potential in us to become fully the person that God is calling each one of us to be.
Colette has proclaimed the school’s motto loudly, but no more loudly than in deed, for I don’t believe any head could have done more for our children than she has, long day after long day, in term and in everyone else’s holiday. We thank Colette for giving herself wholeheartedly to our school and pray that the Holy Spirit give her God’s Peace as she leaves us. We ask too that Blessed Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, support Colette in prayer as she continues her ministry of education for The Church.
I thank Colette personally too. She has been a true friend in Christ to me. Farewell and adieu Colette! With the faith in in our crucified and risen Lord that always, as the English Benedictines have said through the ups- and -downs of centuries, we begin again.
MASS IN CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE, Sept. 23rd, 3pm, at St George’s Cathedral
Message from Marriage and Family Life South East, RC Archdiocese of Southwark:
‘If you are celebrating your 1st/10th/25th/40th/50th/60th + wedding anniversary this year, please let your parish know as soon as possible, and no later than the end of July, providing the following details: your names in the format John and Mary Smith, your home address, the anniversary you are celebrating, so you can receive an invitation from the Archbishop for the renewal of vows during Mass. Spaces are limited. You can also get in touch with us at mflse@rcaos.org.uk As the title of your email, please write your parish location e.g. Clapham, Beckenham’.
PASTORAL COUNCIL: change of date: Next meeting on Saturday 29th July at 12.00 noon.
ST THOMAS MORE GOLF DAY to be held Thursday 21st September 2023 at Birchwood Park Golf course, Swanley. Anyone interested in taking part please contact Tony Brooke. 07833707016. There will be the usual charity raffle attached to the day in aid of taking sick / disabled to Lourdes. You will be offered a chance to be involved in the raffle in early September.
THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY AGM for members Saturday 15th July 2023 at Westminster Hall followed by SUNG MASS (all welcome )in Westminster Cathedral at 2.00 p.m for the Feast of St Henry. This will be accompanied by the men of the Cathedral Choir singing William Byrd ‘mass for four voices’, Robert Parsons ‘Ave Maria’ and Tomas Luis de Victoria ‘Ave Maris Stella’.
THE TABLET The International Catholic Weekly. Four copies are available to purchase in the Narthex price £4.50. Please let me know if you are interested in purchasing this weekly and we can place an order.
THE UNIVERSE is available online but many people have requested a return of the paper edition. If you are interested in taking ‘The Universe’ paper, please let me know.
DAYS WITH MARY
1. Saturday 22nd July 2023 at St Anselm’s Church, Tooting Bec from 11.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
2. Saturday 29th July 2023 at Westminster Cathedral, starting at 9.45 and ending at 5.00 p.m. After tea and coffee, you are welcome to stay to attend the Cathedral’s Evening Prayer at 5.30 p.m. and First Mass of Sunday at 6.00 p.m. Bring a packed lunch. Tea and Coffee provided. Recommended.
JOB OPPORTUNITY: PART-TIME CATHOLIC CHAPLAIN St. Joseph’s Lasallian College, Beulah Hill, is currently seeking a qualified individual to join our institution as a part-time Chaplain. For detailed information regarding the job description and application process, please visit our website: stjosephscollege.org.uk and navigate to the Vacancies section. The job advert is located on the parish noticeboard.
EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION AND LECTORS - Formation Day 2023
Saturday 14th October 2023, 10.00 a.m.-4.00 p.m.
For Parishes in the Deaneries of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich
Venue: St Stephen’s Church, 26 Deepdene Road, Welling, Kent DA16 3QL
If you are a lector or extraordinary minister you are encouraged to put this in your diary and attend it. Please let me know if you are going so I can let them know numbers.
PARISH PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES. Monday 23rd October to Friday 27th October 2023. Please contact the parish office if you are interested in joining us.
FOOD BANK. The Bexley Food Bank currently particularly requests (please notice the new items at the end):
CARRIER BAGS/ TINNED TOMATOES / RICE / NOODLES / JAM / CUSTARD /TOOTPASTE / SHOWER GEl/ DEODORANT/ TOOTHPASTE/ SUGAR / WASHING PODS/ LONG LIFE MILK / BISCUITS / SWEETS- CONFECTIONARY.
Please follow the link below to view the food donations page of the Bexley food bank website. https://bexley.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-food/
‘SUMMERTIME 2023’: Altar servers and young people’s summer break, Tuesday 1st August – Friday 4th August at the Oratory School, Reading, cost £169. . A few days to meet up in a holiday atmosphere with activities including talks, discussions, prayer, daily mass, sport, a visit to Thorpe Park and swimming. For more details, contact Fr Stephen Boyle dartford@rcaos.org.uk . ‘Summertime’ is open to any teenagers up to 17years old who are attending mass every Sunday.
ESCORTED PILGRIMAGE TO KNOCK SHRINE, Ireland, 2nd October 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. Single supplement £150.00. Contact Patricia or Natali on 01268 762 278 or 07740 175557 or email knockpilgrimages@gmail.com.
Notice from Marriage and Family Life South East: Planning a catholic marriage? Marriage preparation courses are available by emailing mflse@rcaos.org.uk.
CHILDREN’S CHURCH for infants: The Liturgy of the Word for our little children will meet again in September after the summer break.
EXTRA HELP NEEDED FOR THURSDAY LUNCH CLUB: The Lunch Club are needing some extra help putting out tables and chairs and especially putting them away again at 2.30 p.m. Could you help us out with this? The next Lunch Club is this Thursday, 20th July at 12.30 p.m.
BEXLEY CRISIS CAFÉ Experiencing emotional or psychological distress? Access mental health support and advice after hours. Open every day from 6.00 p.m. to 10.00 p.m. including bank holidays. MIND IN BEXLEY at 2A Devonshire Road, Bexleyheath DA6 8DS.
CONFIRMATION 2023. Next meeting: This Sunday, 16th July, 4.00 p.m. in the house. Then next week, Saturday 22nd July, we meet at 11.30 in the church for confessions and practice.
THE SOCIETY for the PROTECTION of UNBORN CHILDREN (SPUC) wishes to recruit a part-time Executive Assistant (21 hours p.w) whose role is to work with the Executive Director (Internal Operations) in ensuring the smooth and successful operation of SPUC's governance, administration and finance departments.
Duties include:
- Taking Minutes and maintaining accurate files
- Drafting correspondence
- Maintaining the diary of the Executive Director and coordinate meetings
- General administrative support
Salary details are available on request.
For a full job description and application form, please email jobs@spuc.org.uk or call 020 7091 7091.
The closing date for applications is the 15th July 2023. Applications may close early if a suitable candidate is found.
MESSAGE FROM SPUC (The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children)
'Please contact your MP and implore them to reject the British Pregnancy Advisory Service's call to completely decriminalise abortion. BPAS successfully campaigned for the pills by post scheme (active during covid) to be made permanent. We argued that without proper examination women would be sent the pills after the cut off period. BPAS have done just that, leading to the death of a totally viable child and a prison term for the mother. BPAS have made a tool for people to contact their MP so we need to respond. There is advice about this on www.spuc.org.uk but no tool as it's important you use your own words.
Rob Hills
Bexley SPUC Branch Chairman'
PETITION: THE SOCIETY for the PROTECTION of UNBORN CHILDREN (SPUC) are collecting signatures for their petition against the UK government sending aid to China.
Over £60 million of taxpayers' money (your money) was sent in 2020-21 and all to a country whose population control polices have led to 30 to 40 million 'missing women', and which routinely imposes enforced abortion, sterilisation and infanticide on its own population, notably the Uyghur minority. The petition itself can be seen on the notice board and sheets with QR codes can be found at the back of the church ( or on the pews?) along with hard copies. Alternatively, please visit www.spuc.org.uk
Please sign and pray hard for our success
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:
Milita De Mello, beloved wife of Alex, who died on Tuesday 23rd May 2023, aged 83 whose funeral was on Monday 3rd July 2023 at 10.00 a.m. followed by private committal.
Robert Penny, who died on Tuesday 30th May, aged 87, funeral arrangements with St John Vianney parish.
Bridget Daghini, who died on Tuesday 4th July, aged 79. Her funeral requiem is on Friday 28th July at 11.00 a.m. (TBC) followed by committal at Eltham crematorium.
Anthony Daniel Da Silva Modos, who died on 13th June 2023, aged 35. His funeral is on Thursday 27th July at Eltham Crematorium, following a Requiem mass at church at 9.00 a.m.
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 FIFTEENTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
Instaurare Omnia in Christo: "to restore all things in Christ."
Saturday 15th July St Henry, Holy Roman Emperor [TC]
The Daily Rosary at home.
NO MORNING MASS. [Sung Mass 1962 at Westminster Cathedral at 2.00 p.m. following LMS AGM)
[+ 6.30 p.m. FIFTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME Milita De Mello R.I.P.
Sunday 16th July
8.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+ 9.00 a.m. SUNG. Church for our infant children in the hall, last time before summer break. Erlinda Nethercott R.I.P. (1st anniversary)
+11.00 a.m. SOLEMN LATIN MASS (missa orbis factor) The people of the parish.
7.00 p.m. Parish Social Evening in the Hall. All welcome.
Monday 17th July feria
The Daily Rosary at home.
NO MORNING MASS
+5.00 p.m. St Thomas More Catholic Primary School Leaver’s Mass, in church.
Tuesday 18th July feria
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+10.00 a.m. Tony McLaughlin W.B.
Wednesday 19th July feria
The Daily Rosary at home.
NO PUBLIC MASS TODAY.
Thursday 20th July St Apollinaris, bishop & martyr.
8.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+9.00 a.m. Rose Castanha W.B.
12.30 p.m. Thursday Lunch Club.
Friday 21st July St. Lawrence of Brindisi, priest & doctor of the church.
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+10.00 a.m. Brenda Clarke R.I.P. (first anniversary)
6.00 p.m. Choir Practice.
Saturday 22nd July St Mary Magdalen, penitent [TC]
9.00 a.m. confessions
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary at home.
+ 10.00 a.m. Flory Pereira TG for \her 90th Birthday.
[+ 6.30 p.m. SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME Patrick Joseph Meehan R.I.P.
JULY PRAYER TO THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
Comments