The Catholic Parish of Holy Family
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OLDE FORGE CAFE BAKERS/PROVIDERS ROTA 1st April: Coral Shirto 8th April: Lorenza Bellavia 15th April: Caroline Hinks 22nd April: Leigh Radford 29th April: Fr Malachy 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 APRIL 2024: Thur 4: John Ducker; Gerry Murphy Sat 6: Elaine and Tony Charlton Sun 7: Rosamunde Wood; Dinah Sackey-Addo Thur 11: Maggie Bowes; Carolyn Hopson Sat 13: Jannine Stebbings; Bridget Saunders Sun 14: Marian Lee; Giannina Powell Thur 18: David Johnson; Patrick Fernandez Sat 20: Lorenza Bellavia; Lizzie Mould Sun 21: Geraldine Truss; Antonia Ugbaja-Omezie Thur 25: Coral Shirto; Regina Fernandez Sat 27: Jim Keating; Vanessa Zanuto Sun 28: Paul Mould; Kinga Vajsz 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.
Many thanks indeed to Paul Mould for, single-handedly counting and depositing our Collections for some years. Going forward into the future, this humble but essential task must now be done on Wednesday mornings in our Parish Office. Paul is unable to help at this time and on this day. Is there anyone who could succeed Paul? It would probably take about an hour and a half to count and deposit our Collections. Please let me know.
TIMES: Sundays 12.00midday-1.30pm;Tuesdays 8.00am-10am; Saturdays 11am-1pm Sat 3rd Vanessa Zanuto; Patrick Fernandes Sun 4th Grainne Grabowski; Mary Jameson; Jenny Somovilla Tue 6th Marian Lee; Bridget Saunders Sat 10th Kim Zenao; Phil Jameson Sun 11th Collette Campbell; Lorenza Bellavia; Regina Fernandes Tue 13th David Johnson; Fr Malachy Sat 17th Simone Ellis; Geraldine Truss Sun 18th Emmanuela Ugwuoke; Mutsa Kagura; Ros Smith Tue 20th Paul Mould; Jim Keating Sat 24th Coral Shirto; Gerry Murphy Sun 25th Maggie Bowes; Manuel Zenao; Patricia Keating Tue 27th Lizzie Mould; Fr Malachy Thank you so very, very much to these wonderful people who give of themselves so generously to make the Lord known and loved. If something unexpected happens and it is impossible for you to be a Host on the appointed day and time, please let Vanessa know (07946 158839).
Archbishop John Wilson: “be filled with the same insatiable love and passion for proclaiming the Gospel” as St Jerome. Ahead of the Synod in Rome, which he’ll be a participant at, read Archbishop John’s inspiring call in the Times for us all to put the words and actions of Christ into effect.
Celebrations at the Old Forge Cafe It all looks quite amazing. An old, rather tired parish hall has been transformed into a most attractive, warm and inviting Cafe without losing anything of its cherished history. For example, a centuries-old fireplace has been uncovered and sensitively cleaned, to reveal its former glory. Everything has been done by our wonderful parishioners. I think everyone who visits the Cafe will be delighted and extremely pleased by what has been achieved. The Cafe is, of course, our response to the appeal of Our Blessed Lord to help others to know, love and serve him. At the recent World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Pope Francis said: “Now is the God-given time of grace, to sail boldly into the sea of Evangelisation and Mission.” Thank you, from the Lord himself, to everyone who is embracing what the good Lord asks of us all.
Parish Priest Notices
Important notices and items. These will contain news elements & important requests and parish notices
Please come to help with the cleaning our church for Easter, on the morning of Saturday 30th March , at 9.30. Thank you.
‘FULLY HUMAN, FULLY ALIVE IN GOD’ - WEDNESDAYS AT 7.00PM, DURING LENT Instead of two more sessions, we will have only one more, final session on Wednesday 13th March at 7.00pm in the Olde Forge Cafe. Please note that there will be no session this week on Wednesday 6th March. In our final session, I would like to describe to you ways in which any ‘wounds’ that may still lie in our hearts and minds, can be healed, enabling us to live more human, holy, happy and fulfilled lives.
Our Archbishop John is eager to hear your views on how the Catholic Church can better preach the message of Jesus and make him better known in today’s world. Archbishop John, later this year, will be attending a meeting in Rome (a ‘Synod’ meeting) with Bishops and People from all around the world, to discuss how the Church must perhaps change some of its structures and ways of helping people to know the Lord Jesus and his love. Archbishop John wants to know what you think so that he can represent our views, at the Synod. Please come next Saturday to the Parish Room and share your thoughts and feelings which we can then pass on to Archbishop John.
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.
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.
To Linda for the gift of a white-board. To Paul for repairs and installation of our projector. To Lisa for all her work with our parish finances.
A NOTICE FROM LINDA, BRIDGET AND LISA Quiz night at the Old Forge Cafe , Saturday 27th April from 7.30 pm. Join us for soup, bread, pudding, quizzing, fun and friendship! £10 per person (bring your own refreshments). Places will be limited so look out for the sheet at the back of the Church to book your place then pay at the door on the night.
Thanks to you and to your Faith and to your willingness to do what the good Lord asks of us, the Olde Forge Cafe Evangelisation project has begun! The Cafe is primarily, first and foremost, a way of inviting the people of our village and area, to get to know the Lord Jesus by getting to know us. We are his very presence. When people who don’t normally form part of our community for holy Mass, come into our Cafe, please greet and welcome them in your usual very warm way, inviting them to share our refreshments. Chat with them only if you feel they would like you to do that. Never try to ‘convert’ someone!!! We leave that to the Lord. If people ask why we are doing this, please simply tell them that we want to share the Lord’s love with everyone. Never ignore a new face. The Cafe is primarily, first and foremost, to evangelise, to reach out to others beyond our own parish community. It is not a nice, new social centre for us, the people of our parish to enjoy ourselves with free refreshments! That said, of course we all can and should enjoy the Cafe too but always remember its most important reason for being there - to be a place of welcome and warmth, through us, for those who do not yet know or know the Lord Jesus well. May he send his Spirit upon each of us as we begin this great work in his name. Please invite your family members, neighbours, colleagues and acquaintances to join you for holy Mass and to join you for coffee/tea and cake in the Cafe any day and time it is open. We are all asked by the Lord Jesus to be his Missionaries. Our parish, we, you and I, are moving from Maintenance to Mission. Thanks be to God. It’s wonderful to see many new faces visiting our Cafe and coming to holy Mass, thanks to your invitations. ‘Who shall I invite to come with me to holy Mass and/or to our Cafe’ is our natural, normal way of thinking, as we follow our Blessed Lord, leading us home to Heaven.
Please note in your diaries the date and time of our Advent Bible Service. Please encourage all your family, friends and neighbours to join us for Prayers and Fun. Please note that the Olde Forge Cafe will not be open after 11.00am holy Mass on that day but will open after the Advent Bible Service instead. This is a really good way of beginning the inspiring Season of Advent. As the nights draw in and the weather gets colder, entering into Advent warms our hearts with the guaranteed promise of the Lord that if we make the effort to come to him, he will take away our darkness even now and fill us with a light that guides us to a joy and peace that nothing and nobody can take from us.
Thank you very much to Caroline for composing a flyer advertising our Cafe. Thank you to Lauren for distributing the flyer within our local Primary schools. Thank you to Mary and her family for distributing the flyer in her neighbourhood. Please could you help to deliver copies of the flyer to your area, too? Please let me know if you could pop the flyer through the letter boxes of the people living on your street and I’ll let you have copies for distribution. All this is a sure sign that we are becoming an Evangelising Parish.
Parish /
Diocesan Events
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.
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.
The Southwark Catholic Youth Service has re-launched several activities in 2024, for those aged 10-35. For more details about what is on offer, please sign up their network, at: www.tinyurl.com/scysnetwork
PLEASE CLICK ON THE ABOVE ICON FOR A GUIDED MEDITATION
PRAY FOR OUR ARCHBISHOP - JOHN WILSON
As a parish we encourage our community to pray for our shepherd