The Catholic Parish of Holy Family
Parish News
You can download our weekly Newsletter
from this section too
Welcome to the 'Parish News' section at Holy Family RC Church
APRIL 2024 6/7: 6pm Angela; 9am Simone; 11am Lorenza, Patrick, Regina(H) 13/14: 6pm Gabriella; 9am Carolyn; 11am Lizzie, Patricia, Marian(H) 20/21: 6pm Mary; 9am Tony; 11am Dinah, Gabriella, Jim(H) 27/28: 6pm Paul; 9am Margaret; 11am Ross; Maggie; Coral(H) 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.
PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE OF KNOCK, CROAG PATRICK, WESTPORT, BALLINTUBBER ABBEY - 9th JULY OR 15 OCTOBER, FOR 4 DAYS - £550 On the evening of the 21st August 1879, a heavenly apparition occurred at the gable end of a parish church in the West of Ireland. Our Lady appeared with St Joseph and St John the Evangelist. This place has become an international pilgrimage centre, like Lourdes and Fatima, with many, many thousands of people, each year, visiting the spot where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a group of very poor people. Flying from Stanstead to Knock, for a pilgrimage of four days, we would visit the Payton Centre and hear about the life of the ‘Rosary Priest’ who devoted his life to praying the rosary, holy Mass on the very spot where Our Lady appeared in the parish church, holy Mass in the great basilica, visit to the holy mountain of Croag Patrick where St Patrick fasted and prayed before beginning his missionary work in Ireland, visit to the lively town of Westport for shopping and a little ‘craig’( fun!), visit to Ballintubber Abbey, where St Patrick baptised his converts to Christianity. Holy Mass and rosary each day We will stay in a very comfortable hotel on a part-board basis (breakfast and evening meal) Please put your name on the ‘Knock Pilgrimage’ sheet you will find in the porch of the church, if you would like a little more information about this possible pilgrimage.
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.
Next Saturday we begin again our meetings for adults to help us all to grow in understanding our Catholic Faith. Please join me at 12.00 midday, in the Parish Room, for an hour, to discuss anything at all that you may wish to speak about. We meet in a very relaxed, informal, enjoyable way. I know there will be many other calls on your time but do come and give yourself permission to keep growing in your Faith.
The priesthood has always been essential to the life of the Church, from the time of Jesus until today. Good Shepherd Sunday is the day we pray for vocations, for our priests, and take up the Priest Training Fund second collection. This fund pays for the formation of men to become priests in our Archdiocese. After their ordination, our priests dedicate their lives to serving Christ and His people in our parishes, hospitals, schools, chaplaincies, prisons and in service to the needy, throughout South London, Kent and Surrey. We are blessed to have 5 men in formation to the Priesthood for our Archdiocese. However, it costs £30,000 a year to sponsor each seminarian. They study for 6 years before being ordained a Catholic priest. We therefore rely on your generous support and prayers. Please support our priests of the future with a gift today. Thank you!
May I wish you all the joy and peace and life that the risen Lord Jesus offers to us. Thank you to everyone, in many ways, who helped to make our Holy Week and Easter Services so dignified, worthy and inspiring. Thank you for all your cards and gifts and your generosity in the Easter Sunday Offertory Collection.
To Linda and Lisa for helping with the management of parish finances. To Lorenza for helping to provide a Newsletter, every week. To Antonio for building work in the sacristy. To Jim for cutting the grass around the church.
Please come to help with the cleaning our church for Easter, on the morning of Saturday 30th March , at 9.30. Thank you.
HOLY MASSES AND SERVICES AND EVENTS PALM SUNDAY Holy Masses as on a normal Sunday Nb Film, ‘The Passion of the Christ’ in the Olde Forge Cafe - 3.00pm Monday (25 March) Funeral holy Mass 12.30pm Tuesday (26 March) Holy Mass at 6.00pm WEDNESDAY (27 March) Holy Mass of the Chrism, in St George’s Cathedral, Southwark at 11.00am. Please let me know if you would like to come with me to this holy Mass. HOLY THURSDAY (28 March) Holy Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 8.30pm, followed by Prayer (‘Watching’)at the Altar of Repose until Midnight. GOOD FRIDAY (29 March) Solemn Liturgy of Lord’s Passion at 3.00pm Stations of the Cross at 6.00pm EASTER SUNDAY SATURDAY (30 March) 8.00pm. EASTER VIGIL AND FIRST HOLY MASS OF EASTER SUNDAY SUNDAY (31 March) 9.00am. SECOND HOLY MASS OF EASTER SUNDAY 11.00am. THIRD HOLY MASS OF EASTER SUNDAY
Next Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the most important time in the year for all Christians. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday. May I invite you to join me in our Cafe, next Sunday, to watch the film ‘The Passion of the Christ.’ This film is a most moving, dramatic, powerful presentation of the suffering and death of Jesus, his final 12 hours. Directed by Mel Gibson, countless people around the world, having viewed this film, have a more real understanding of the depth of God’s love for them. We will show the film in our Cafe at 3.00pm. It lasts for about 2 hours. We might have an intermission, for a comfort break, if you so wish, half-way through the film. You will be enthralled by how vividly the film portrays Our Lord’s suffering and death and quite likely moved to tears. After viewing this film, you will be better able to enter into Holy Week than ever before. The Cafe will open at 2.30, before the film, for coffee, tea and cake.