ROTA FOR LECTORS – SEPTEMBER 2026
Webmaster • August 24, 2026
SEPTEMBER
5/6: 5pm David; 10.30am Gerry
12/13: 5pm Maggie; 10.30am Mutsa
19/20: 5pm Paul; 10.30am Lisa
26/27: 5pm Phil; 10.30am Mutsa
We will soon be using the Olde Forge cottage for Retreats. People who wish to spend a few days in quiet and stillness, to understand themselves better and to deepen their relationship with God, will live in the cottage. The cottage is self-contained. Each day, I will meet with the person ‘on retreat’ for counselling and direction. You might well see somebody new at holy Mass on weekdays. Please don’t try to engage with them in conversation. An extended experience of silence is a part of the ‘Retreat.’
AUGUST 29/30: 5pm Simone; 10.30am Lesley, Jim, Lisa(H) SEPTEMBER 5/6: 5pm Paul Donovan; 10.30am Gaberielle, Regina, Giannina(H) 12/13: 5pm Patrick; 10.30am Paul Mould, Lizzie, Lorenza(H) 19/20: 5pm Patricia; 10.30am Ross, David, Maggie(H) 26/27: 5pm Marian; 10.30am Jim, Angela, Lesley(H) Thank you to our wonderful Ministers of the Eucharist who have accepted the Lord’s invitation to this awesome, sacred ministry, by their willingness to give up their own plans and convenience in order to do God’s will rather than their own. Let us pray for them because they too fight the same personal weaknesses we all have to fight against and they too have to fight the same temptations we all have to fight. God be with them.
We cannot keep quiet while the question of Assisted Suicide is being debated, in our name, in Parliament (Friday 11th September). Please contact your MP, as soon as you can and before the 11th September, expressing your opposition to this cruel and mistaken response to human suffering and death which would reduce so much of our United Kingdom’s respect for the dignity and value of human life. Look on the website of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales for clear reasons to oppose this Bill. Please click on this link to find out more: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/opposing-assisted-suicide/ Look on the UK Parliament website to find various ways of contacting your MP. Our MP for this Constituency of Croydon South is Mr Chris Philps who supports this appalling Bill!
OLDE FORGE CAFE BAKERS/PROVIDERS ROTA AUGUST 2026 29: Soph SEPTEMBER 2026 5: Giannina 12: Sophie G 19: Gabriella Storey 26: Andrea Sumaria Please, if possible, could you provide enough cakes for the whole of each week. Thank you to everybody who is helping to provide cakes. To avoid having too many cakes, Coral mentioned to me that non-perishable cakes can be safely stored in the Cafe for a short while. When it is your turn to provide a non-perishable cake, please bring your cake to the Cafe a few days before the date of your turn. OLDE FORGE CAFE - HOSTS ROTA AUGUST 2026 25: Paul Mould, Collette 29: Jim, Gaberielle 30: Patricia, Maggie Bailey SEPTEMBER 2026 1: Lizzie, Tony C 5: Maggie Bowes, Marian 6: Maggie Bailey, Collette 8: Patricia, Gabrielle 12: Phil, Lesley 13: Emmanuella, Jim 15: Ros, Lizzie 19: Mary, Phil 20: Gabriella Storey, Lorenza 22: Regina, Patricia 26: Patrick, Simone 27: Paul, Vanessa 29: David, Maggie Bailey Please note that for each of the above dates when the Cafe is open, one of the two Hosts has been trained in the use of the new coffee machine. Please would that trained person be the only person operating the machine and also please train the other person in its use. Many thanks. 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
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.
I would like to make you aware of a new type of scam that is now targeting individuals within our parish communities through WhatsApp. Cyber criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to create convincing videos, voice messages and written communications while impersonating members of the clergy. Their aim is to deceive unsuspecting individuals into believing they are communicating with a priest, bishop, or other Parish representative before requesting money or donations. • Never assume that a WhatsApp message or video is genuine simply because it appears to come from a member of the clergy. • Never send money, gift cards or bank details in response to unsolicited requests received via WhatsApp or other messaging platforms. • Always verify the identity of the sender by contacting the priest or parish directly using a known telephone number or official email address before responding to any request. • Report any suspicious messages and the phone numbers to Action Fraud https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/.
The Coffee Machine in the Olde Forge Evangelisation Cafe has a number of controls that govern amounts of coffee and the temperature of the coffee. These amounts and temperatures are set. Please, dear Hosts, do not attempt to alter these settings. Overflowing/Under-filling cups are the results of changing the set controls. Please don’t force anything on the machine. If you are not sure what to do, please seek help, perhaps especially about cleaning the equipment after a session. An engineer visited the cafe last week to make necessary repairs and to check all settings.
Please note that the role of Lorènza, in the Cafe, is simply to be one Manager among Managers! We are all asked to be actively involved by noticing how the Cafe is developing and then to actively work to maintain everything that all our wonderful Hosts and our Bakers/Providers are doing and everyone who invites and accompanies others to visit the Cafe. Lorenza’s role is simply the same as the role that everyone has, of being actively involved in Evangelisation. Every one of us is a Manager of the Cafe. Every one of us is to be actively involved in all aspects of the Cafe. The good Lord commands that everyone who follows him, is to share fully in his work of bringing others to know, love and serve him. The Cafe is our parish way of fulfilling his command. To be involved in this is really not an option but is rather a part of being a member of the Holy Family Catholic Faith Community in Sanderstead, whatever our age or status. Please take part in what the Lord asks of you and one day you will hear the Lord say to you, ”Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter now the joy of Heaven for all Eternity.” When we started the Cafe, a good while ago, some parishioners took part without really understanding the nature of Evangelisation. They felt that the Cafe was either for the parish social life or for Fund-raising purposes! Gradually, I hope we are all beginning to realise that the Cafe is about a way of life called ‘ Evangelisation’ that lies at the heart of what it is to be an authentic, genuine Catholic Christian. It’s not something we do “when we can” or something that we try to fit into our own personal schedule. It is, rather like holy Mass on the Lord’s Day, a core part of the way of life of every Catholic Christian in our parish. The Cafe is the Lord calling you to be his presence and to be his mouthpiece. Please answer his call.
