Holy Week Services

Times of all our Holy Week Services and Confessions.

Printable version of the Holy Week Services sheet.

Men's walk to Aylesford

Fourteen of us from the parish walked from Hollingbourne to Aylesford this afternoon, concluding with Benediction at Aylesford. More pictures and narrative over at The Hermeneutic of Continuity.

Sacramentum Caritatis

The picture shows the Holy Father signing the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis which was presented at a Press Conference on 13 March.

During the next few weeks at Mass, Fr Finigan will be using the Holy Father's teaching to reflect on the Pasachal Mystery that we will be celebrating in Passiontide and Eastertide.

There are copies of the document available in the Church, you can read the document online at the Vatican website or you can order a copy yourself from the CTS.

Recommended books

In this week's newsletter, I recommended two books.

"Can we trust the BBC?" by Robin Aitken is a very good analysis of bias in the BBC from a seasoned BBC journalist. A whole chapter is devoted to the programme "Sex in the City" which was a strongly biased report on the Church's teaching concerning contraception. This book will help you to develop a "critical eye" when viewing BBC programmes. The book is available from Amazon at the link given here:



"The Prayer of the Presence of God" by Dom Augustin Guillerand is a series of short chapters on prayer and our own attitude to God. Dom Augustin was a Carthusian monk of the Grande Chartreuse. He writes with wisdom and simplicity but at the same time offers an intensely challenging view of the life of prayer.

Unfortunately, the book not available on Amazon. It can be purchased from the excellent US Catholic publisher Sophia Institute Press. I recommend browsing their website but if you prefer, here is the direct link to Dom Guillerand's book.

Prayer Vigil outside Parliament Wednesday

This coming Wednesday, there will be a prayer vigil outside Parliament at Old Palace Yard (the square opposite the St Stephen’s entrance to the House of Lords) on Wednesday 21st March from 7 to 9pm when the final vote on the Sexual Orientation Regulations will be taken. We pray for a miracle next Wednesday. However, whatever the outcome it is vital that history records christians standing for truth to the very end of the parliamentary process.

Fr Finigan will be attending this Vigil and it would be great if as many parishioners as possible from Our Lady of the Rosary could be there.

Further information at Christian Concern for Our Nation.

Parish Family Fast Day

This Friday, 16 March, is our parish Family Fast Day. As a parish, we try to go without some of the food we would normally eat. There are envelopes for you to use to make a donation, perhaps proportionate to the cost of the food you forego. You may also use an envelope of your own, marked clearly "Family Fast Day."

The proceeds of the Family Fast Day will be sent direct to the Holy See’s Agency Cor Unum for use throughout the world to help those in most need.

NACF Family Day

There will be an NACF Family Day in the parish on Saturday 28 April from 1.30pm-5pm. This is a day for families to get together. Please bring a picnic lunch. There will be Catholic talks for varied age groups, Barn dancing, Rosary, Confession, and Shared supper (bring something to share.)

UCM Lenten Lunch

The Union of Catholic Mothers are holding a Lenten lunch in the Large Hall on Saturday 24 March. Tickets will be on sale after all Masses this weekend and next weekend. (You may also pay at the door.)

Proceeds of the lunch will go towards the new stained glass window at Walsingham.

Josephine Wells RIP

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Josephine Wells who died recently.

May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

The Requiem Mass will be at 10am on Friday 16 March at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen, followed by burial/committal at Eltham Cemetery. (The Mass will be celebrated in Latin.)

Youth Vigil

This Friday 9 March, we have a vigil for young people, beginning at 7pm. We will have Rosary and devotions, then take part in the parish Stations of the Cross at 7.30pm. After Stations, there will be a short service of Benediction, followed by a film and pizza.

These vigils are for young people in the upper forms of secondary school or sixth form. If you need any further information, you can email Fr Finigan.

Arrangements for Confirmation

Bishop Pat Lynch will be coming to the parish to celebrate Mass and administer the Sacrament of Confirmation this Thursday 8 March. The Mass will begin at 7.30pm. All are welcome to come to the Mass. Please be seated in the Church by 7.15pm so that we can begin Mass on time and have a clear path for the procession of the Bishop, Ministers and servers.

After the Confirmation Mass, there will be a reception in the parish's Large Hall, prepared by the Union of Cathoic Mothers.

We have 39 young people to be confirmed this year. Please remember them in your prayers.

All parish altar servers are welcome to come and serve at the Mass. We will have a practice at 4.30pm on Tuesday and the "special jobs" will be allocated then. Servers who cannot make the practice are still welcome to come and serve.

A picture of father

One of the children at 10.30am Mass today drew this picture of me.