Recently, on arranged and published days and times, our Eucharistic Ministers and myself have carried the Lord in Holy Communion to parishioners we thought were house-bound, only to find that no one was at home or was actually leaving home when we arrived! We are, of course, delighted to be the means of bringing the Lord Jesus to his people who are unable to genuinely leave their homes and we will do our very best to continue to do so. However, let’s not think of this as a sort of ‘Home-Delivery Service’! If someone is able to leave their home and come to holy Mass and can receive help from a family member or friend, then that is the right thing to do. Please let me know of anyone who is really unable to leave their home and we will be delighted to continue to do our very best to bring the Lord Jesus to them.
The practical way in which you kindly and generously support your parish is changing. It is very helpful if we can please no longer put small coins in the Basket Offertory Collection! Notes are fine but far better still is to use our Card Reader. However, we have had problems with our electronic Card Reader - sometimes it works well but sometimes it doesn’t work at all! I’m sorry about this and the confusion it causes. We are working hard to resolve the problem with the help of the Archdiocese! There is a simple solution! Whenever the Card Reader isn’t working or as an alternative to the Card Reader>, please use the CR Code! You will find a laminated copy of the CR Code attached to the glass partition behind the Card Reader machine. Simply scan the Code using your mobile phone and you will be automatically able to make your contribution to the upkeep of the parish, on your phone, if you have previously registered your details on the Card Reader. If you haven’t yet registered your details, you can very easily do so using your phone and the QR Code. Thank you for all your generosity. Our bills have to be paid, as I’m sure you know only too well!!
Thank you to Margaret who has kindly re-opened our Repository area in the porch of the church. You will find there, rosary beads, prayer books and other religious goods, all available to help you to pray, to celebrate holy Mass, to deepen your relationship with the Lord Jesus. These devotional articles are on the table, while others are in the cabinet. Please feel free to look at everything that is there and please place any money for the sale of these goods in the box provided.
Please pray for Leo, Eva, Isla, Alexander, Kelue and Alde and their parents as they come to the final days of preparation for the priceless gift of receiving Our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion on Sunday 2nd June.
To Tony and Dinah who have exercised the sacred role of Eucharistic Minister for some years. They both now have physical ill-health concerns which they feel make it impossible for them to continue in their awesome ministry. Thanks be to God who gave them the enormous privilege of bringing himself to others.
MAY 2024 4/5: 6pm David; 9am Phil; 11am Angela; Carolyn; Gabriella(H) 11/12: 6pm Patrick; 9am Lizzie; 11am Paul; Lisa; Lorenza(H) 18/19: 6pm John; 9am Simone; 11am Tony; Regina; Dinah(H) 25/26: 6pm Marian; 9am David; 11am Margaret; Coral, Patricia(H) JUNE 2024 1/2: 6pm Phil; 9am Lisa; 11am Dinah, Gabriella, Mary(H) 8/9: 6pm Angela; 9am Lorenza; 11am Ross; Lizzie; Paul(H) 15/16: 6pm Regina; 9am Coral; 11am Marian; Carolyn; John(H) 22/23: 6pm Simone; 9am Dinah; 11am Tony; Lisa; Maggie(H) 29/30: 6pm Margaret; 9am Jim; 11am Patrick; David; Ross(H) Let us pray for our Ministers of the Eucharist that they may be increasingly aware of God’s gift to them as they strive to grow in holiness, living in faith and conduct.
Thank you to everybody who came to share their views on our present Sunday holy Mass schedule. It was a most helpful meeting. The clear consensus was that a change or changes in the number/times of Sunday holy Masses in our parish, needs to be made. Before any change does or doesn’t take place, may I ask anybody who didn’t come to last Saturday’s meeting, to please let me have your views, in the next two weeks. No decision will be made before then. Many thanks. Following our meeting and in the light of other comments I have received, my suggestion is that, although I personally think we only need two Sunday holy Masses, I’ll take your advice and so we will still retain our two holy Masses on Sundays, of 9.00am and 11.00am and also that we will continue with a Sunday Vigil holy Mass on Saturdays. However, because two neighbouring parishes which are geographically very close to us have Vigil holy Masses at 6.00pm, I see no point in having a third Sunday Vigil holy Mass in Sanderstead, in the same geographic area, at the same time! I propose then that we move our Sunday Vigil holy Mass forward by an hour, to 5.00pm. Please let me have your comments on this proposal in the next couple of weeks. Many thanks.
OLDE FORGE CAFE BAKERS/PROVIDERS ROTA 6th May: Lizzie Mould 13th May: Roselinda Kryulule 20th May: Bridget Sanders 27th May: Ann David 3rd June: Marian Lee 10th June: Kim Zenao 17th June: Kinga Vajlz 24th June: Vanessa Zanule 1st July: Giannina Rowell 8th July: Mary Lawlor 15th July: Rodger McIntyre 22nd July: Geraldine Truss 29th July: Chinw 5th August: Linda O’Callaghan 12th August: Dee and Veronica 19th August: Millie Lewis 26th August: Gerry Murphy 2nd September: Lauren Andrews 9th September: Margaret Fuller 16th September: Odette 23rd September: Sierra Koyama 30th September: Helen Mallows Thank you to everybody who is helping to provide cakes. When it is your turn, please could you bring your non-perishable cakes to the Cafe on the previous day which is a Sunday. The cakes can be stored and kept fresh in the Cafe for use during that week. The more people who kindly offer to provide cakes, the more and the better the work of the Lord is shared. If you are not very successful at baking, like me, then buying a cake to share, at a local supermarket, is the answer! Thank you very much to Coral for coordinating the Baker’s Rota OLDE FORGE CAFE - HOSTS ROTA Thu 2nd May: 2.00pm-4.00pm Ros Smithers; Gabrielle Linehan Sat 4th May: 11.00am-1.00pm Trilby and Ian Phillips Sun 5th May: After 11.00am holy Mass-1.30pm Manual and Kim Zenao Thu 9th May: John Ducker and Gerry Murphy Sat 11th May: Elaine and Tony Charlton Sun 12th May: Ros Wood and Orlagh Guarnori Thu 16th May: Dinah Sackey-Addo and Maggie Bowes Sat 18th May: Caroline Hopson and Jannine Stebbings Sun 19th May: Bridget Saunders and Fr Malachy Thu 23rd May: Marian Lee and Giannina Powell Sat 25th May: David Johnson and Geraldine Truss Sun 26th May: Antonia Ugbaja-Omezie and Grainne Grabowski Thu 30th May: Coral Shirto and Phil Jameson Thank you to everybody who acts as a Host. If an unexpected emergency occurs on the date you are scheduled to be a Host, please don’t worry about the Cafe. No need to try to find someone to ‘stand in’ for you. There is no need whatsoever to ‘swop’ with someone! We are not a Business, having to stay open to make money! - we open when and if we can. We take this role of ‘Host’ as a Vocation from the Lord to be his Missionary and his Prophet. Actually, the Cafe has, at times, functioned well with just one Host. The success of our Evangelisation Cafe depends on us. The more we speak to others of our Cafe, inviting them to visit us, the more successful it will be. Please invite members of your families, your friends, your neighbours and colleagues. Please check when it is your turn to be a Host (or a Baker!). Please see this role as a Calling, a Vocation from the Lord which you are generously telling the Lord you will do”. Thank you so much for your trust in the good Lord
You may remember that during Lent , we had a brief introduction to a course called ‘Fully Human, Fully Alive’. The course helps us to understand ourselves, why I am sometimes happy and sometimes sad and all the other feelings I have and then how to integrate my feelings and my thoughts into living a full, meaningful, really alive way of being. The second part of this course takes place at the London Jesuit Centre in the month of June. Knowing something of how my mind and feelings have been formed, Part 2 of the course is very practical - specific ways in which I can ensure I will find joy and peace in the face of my personal troubles and in a loving relationship with the Lord Jesus. If you found our Lenten introduction interesting and helpful, please sign up on the LJC website for Part 2. Places are going quickly!
The Rosary is a beautiful, traditional Catholic prayer that everyone can use, in all situations. In our parish we promote the Rosary prayer every year during the month of May. We pray a decade of the Rosary (1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be) at the end of each holy Mass during this month. Please bring your Rosary with you, when you come to holy Mass. If you don’t have a Rosary, please take and keep a Rosary from the box in the porch of the church - a donation if you can, too!