BLESSING OF ANIMALS, TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF ST.FRANCIS OF ASSISI AND TO EVANGELISE

The holy Season of Advent is only a few weeks from now. Many shops are already selling Advent Calendars that have nothing whatsoever to do with Advent! Dear Parents and Families, please give your children a real Advent Calendar which they can use right up to Christmas and the celebration of Our Lord’s birth. There is a good on-line Company that produces a range of real and beautiful Advent Calendars. Please see: Eden.co.uk

The Archbishop's Appeal is a Diocesan second collection that funds key areas of ministry: Youth and Evangelisation, Our Faith in Action (Caritas) and Clergy Care and Formation. Your support will enable the Archdiocese of Southwark to support innovative projects taking place within Catholic parishes and Schools throughout South London and Kent that seek to invest Faith, Hope and Love into the communities they serve. Please be generous to the Archbishop's Appeal 2026. Every gift is welcome. Cash / Cheque - please use the Archbishop's Appeal envelopes at the back of church

BLESSING OF GRAVES - NEXT SUNDAY, 8TH NOVEMBER , AFTER HOLY MASS During this month of November, we remember and pray for people who have left this world. Our prayers assist them on their final journey from this world to Heaven. If you would like me to visit a local cemetery with you, to bless the grave of a loved-one, please let me know this week.

During the month of November, we pray for everyone who has lived in this world and during that brief time, has tried to follow the Lord’s will and plan for them. We call them the ‘Holy Souls.’ Following their deaths, they are now travelling home to Heaven, while undergoing a process of the purification of their Souls. We believe that the holy Mass, celebrated for the deceased person, connects them closely to the Lord and his saving love and speeds their purification and journey to Heaven.  Please find in the porch of the church, envelopes for holy Masses to be celebrated in November, for people you have known or have known about. Please complete the details on the envelope, adding your stipend, and please post the envelopes through the door of the presbytery. One day, please God, following our deaths, there will be people praying for us.

All Souls (Monday): Jim Tuesday: Lizzie Wednesday: Lorenza Thursday: Paul  Friday: Maggie

As in previous years, we will place our Book of the Deceased, on a table, at the front of the side chapel of the church during this month of November. If any of your family members, friends, neighbours, colleagues, in fact anybody you might have in mind, has died in the last 12 months, please write their names in the Book, on the date of their deaths. Our Book of the Deceased will be placed on the altar, during every holy Mass throughout the month of November so that they will be remembered and will be in our prayers, at every holy Mass.

Please note that our Evangelisation Cafe opens on Tuesdays immediately AFTER holy Mass, at about 10.15am so that our Hosts may be able to celebrate holy Mass before opening the Café. The Café will then be open until about 12.00midday. The Café is also open on Sundays immediately AFTER our final Sunday holy Masses until about 1.00pm The Olde Forge Evangelisation Café can only open thanks to the great generosity of our wonderful Hosts and Bakers/Providers.  Thank you so much to them. If you are not yet an active member of our Parish Faith community, please offer your help as a Host or Baker/Provider. Presently it would mean that your help is needed only about once every month. The more Hosts we have the less often your good help is required. We will be very pleased to show you how the Coffee machine works and you will soon be able to be one of our very own ‘Baristas’!

Vision for our Parish and Church - 13 members of the parish attended this meeting last Friday week and initially wondered why so few had attended. The session raised my awareness that the Church is changing and that it is the Holy Spirit who is prompting, nudging, and inviting each one of us to change and better understand who we are as Christians and to contribute to and be involved in the way the Church develops and functions especially here in Sanderstead. We are being invited to copy and do what those first Christians did as described in the Acts of the Apostles who prayed together, worshipped together, looked after those in need together and supported each other and felt able to tell others about Jesus. How do we achieve this or feel motivated to engage in the process? What do we, as a community, need to do or change in order to better respond to this call? There are no quick answers…it raises several challenging issues and questions.  Let’s ponder and discuss the meaning of this invitation for ourselves and others during our time in the parish Café and amongst ourselves at home. (Paul Donovan)

On Sunday 7th February 2027, Bishop Gerard will be joining us for our 10.30am holy Mass. During that holy Mass, Bishop Gerard will celebrate the great Sacrament of Confirmation for us. Please would anyone who has not yet received the Sacrament of Confirmation in her or his life, speak with me. This is a great opportunity to receive the gifts of God’s Holy Spirit in this Sacrament. The Holy Spirit comes upon us to give us gifts, like Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, Self-Control, Perseverance, Wisdom, Generosity, Humility and Courage and many more. These are the gifts that we all need to live real, adult, mature lives of Faith in this world. We will shortly begin a series of meetings to help those who will be preparing to receive this Sacrament. Please let know in the next few weeks if you would like to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday 7th February next year, when Bishop Gerard visits us.