WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY RETIRING COLLECTION - NEXT WEEKEND

Thank you so much to everyone who bakes cakes or provides cakes for our Cafe. If you are not yet actively involved in our parish, this would be an excellent way of doing so. I could tell you all about it. Our Cafe is presently open on Tuesdays from 10.30am until 12.00midday, on Wednesdays from 12.15pm until 1.15pm, on Saturdays from 11.00am until 12.30pm and on Sundays following 11.00am holy Mass until 1.30pm. Thank you to our Gardening Group who have kindly offered to provide cakes for Tuesday and Wednesday, each week. That means we only need cakes for Saturdays and Sundays each week. Thank you to the wonderful folks who already provide us with cakes. Please join them. Let me know. Many thanks.

31/1: 5pm, Lisa; 9am, Claire; 11am, Kelly, Jim 7/8: 5pm, Lizzie; 9am Mutsa; 11am David, Marian 14/15: 5pm, Maggie; 9am Gerry; 11am Chinwe, Richard 21/22: 5pm, Jim; 9am Phil; 11am Mutsa, Lisa 28/29: 5pm, Patricia; 9am Lorenza; 11am Marian, Maggie

As we mentioned during holy Mass, on the great Feast of the Ascension last week, we follow the example of the first Christians by praying for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us. Between now and Pentecost Sunday, every day, please ask the Lord to send his Holy Spirit upon you and upon our parish that we may all be filled with more wisdom, with more willingness to be actively involved in our parish, with all the gifts we need to continue his work in the world. Here is the ancient prayer used by countless numbers of people, who have gone before us. Please pray this prayer every day until next Sunday, Pentecost Day. Please allow the Holy Spirit to enter your heart and allow the Spirit of God to melt and mould you into the person he wishes you to be. Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come, From thy bright heav’nly throne, Come take possession of our souls, And make them all thy own. Thou who art called the Paraclete, Best gift of God above, The living spring, the living fire, Sweet unction and true love. Thou who art sevenfold in thy grace, Finger of God’s right hand His promise teaching little ones To speak an understand. O guide our minds with thy blessed light, With love our hearts inflame; And with thy strength, which never decays Confirm our mortal frame. Far from us drive our deadly foe; True peach unto us bring; And through all perils lead us safe Beneath thy sacred wing. Through thee may we the Father know, Through thee the eternal Son, And thee, the Spirit of them both, Thrice-blessed Three in One. All glory to the Father be, With his coequal Son; The same to thee, great Paraclete, While endless ages run.  Amen.

I bring our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion, to all our parishioners who are house-bound, on the First Friday of every month.

JUNE 2025 1st: 9am Jim; 11am John, Gabriella, Giannina(H) 8th : 9am Lesley; 11am Linda, Regina, Patrick(H) 14/15th : 6pm Paul; 9am Lizzie; 11am Lorenza, Patricia, Maggie(H) 21/22nd : 6pm Ross; 9am David; 11am Angela, Phil, Marian(H) 28/29th : 6pm Margaret; 9am Simone; 11am Carolyn, Lisa. Mary(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.

JUNE 3: Giannina 4: Claire 5: John 6: Lizzie

Please pop that date in your diary and come to the Jubilee celebrations on the 7th June . We are celebrating the 60th anniversary of Southwark becoming an Archdiocese, following centuries of being unable to publicly live out our Catholic Faith. The celebrations at The Friars will feature Music, Teaching, Prayer, Fellowship and will conclude with holy Mass. Please sign the list in the porch if you would like to attend this historic and most joyful event. We could try to arrange transport to and from The Friars Carmelite Centre in Aylesford.

“WHO HAVE YOU BROUGHT WITH YOU?”  These are the words of the Lord Jesus to each one of us, every time we come to holy Mass. Please don't be content to come alone or just to come with someone who already comes every week, to holy Mass. Invite and encourage others in your family, those living next door to you, those living down your street, your friends. Do that and the Lord will work through you, probably slowly and bit by bit. Do that, and one day you will hear him say to you, “Well done, good and faithful child of mine. Enter into the joys prepared for you, for all eternity.”

Please do your best to bring members of your family, your friends, neighbours and colleagues who normally have little, if any contact with our Catholic parish, to the Olde Forge Cafe. Please remember that those you bring with you DO NOT give a donation for their coffee and cake. Only us, who are regular members of our parish, are asked to give a donation, each time, to cover the cost of the Coffee machine, coffee beans, heat, light etc. Dear Bakers and those who provide milk, please remember to take your expenses from the donations received.