Marathon for Demelza

Julie Walford will be running the London Marathon and asking for sponsorship in aid of Demelza Hospice for Children. There will be a bucket collection after all Masses next weekend. If you will be away and would like to make a donation, please put it in an envelope marked “Demelza” and put it through the presbytery letterbox.

Missa Cantata on Saturday

This coming Saturday, 4 April, our visiting schola will be here for our solemn Missa Cantata in the older form of the Roman Rite The texts of the Mass will be sung in Gregorian chant according to the Roman Gradual.
Since the Mass will take longer than the usual Low Mass, it will be followed by a short service of Benediction and the Marian anthem. There will be a priest available from 11am to hear Confessions during Mass and Benediction.

Geoffrey Brown RIP

Please remember Geoffrey Brown in your prayers. Geoffrey had Downs syndrome and was a much loved member of our parish for many years. More recently, he was a popular member of the community at Bursted Homes in Erith

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

The Requiem Mass will be on Wednesday 1 April at 10.30am, followed by committal at Eltham Crematorium.

Holy Week and Easter Services

We now enter the last two weeks of Lent when we focus more particularly on the Passion and death of Our Lord, before celebration his glorious resurrection.

By ancient custom, the crucifixes and statues in the Church are veiled from today until the Easter Vigil. As with many of our ancient liturgical customs, this has various meanings. Before his Passion, Jesus hid himself and no longer went openly among the Jews. At his passion, the divinity of Jesus was hidden by his humiliation and sufferings for our sake. The statues of Our Lady and the saints are covered because it is not fitting for the servants to be honoured when their Master is hidden.

The veiling of the statues gives a striking austerity to the Church, reminding us of the solemn and mournful time of the suffering and death of the Lord as we approach the liturgical celebration of his Passion.

At the website, you can look up times of all our Holy Week Services and Confessions.

There is also a printable version of the Holy Week Services sheet.

Parish Woods - vote won!

In January, I asked you to Vote to improve Parish Wood Park - and our School environment

I have just heard that the results are now in from the recent competition and that the Parish Wood Park project won. The project will now receive a grant of £400,000 from Boris Johnson for improvements to the park.

As I mentioned, the school environment will also benefit significantly from this project.

Many thanks to all of you who voted.

Year 6 Mass, Wednesday

This Wednesday, 11 March, Year 6 from our Lady of the Rosary School will be coming to Church for the 10am Mass. Parents and Grandparents are warmly invited to join us.

(For those unfamiliar with modern school year numbering, the children in Year 6 are aged 10-11 and will be starting in secondary school in September.)

The Feast of St Patrick

Evening Mass
There will be an extra Mass (English, with hymns) at 7.30pm on the Feast of St Patrick (Tuesday 17 March).

Social Club
On Saturday 14 March, there will be a St Patrick’s celebration in the Social Club with Irish music, dancing and food. Tickets for food £3.50 available in the Club. The Social Club will also be open on the feast of St Patrick, Tuesday 17 March, from 8pm.

St Thomas More School
The PA are holding a St Patrick’s Night on Saturday 14 March from 8-11pm. Tickets £10 (Adult) £5 (Child) includes Traditional Irish Food. Traditional Irish Dancers also in attendance.

Lenten Lunch

The Union of Catholic Mothers invite you to come with your friends and family for a special Lenten Lunch on Saturday 28 March from 12noon to 2pm in the Large Hall.

Tickets £3

Sponsored Cycle Ride

Two children from the parish are doing a ten mile Cycle ride along the Thames Path this weekend, in order to raise money for the Manna Centre. There will be a “bucket collection” after Mass or, if you prefer, you can drop a donation into the presbytery letterbox during the week, marked “Sponsored Cycle Ride.”

Please give generously to help the Manna Centre and to encourage our young people in their generosity.

Parish Family Fast Day

I would like to propose this Friday 13 March as a Lenten “Family Fast Day” when, 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.

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.

Men’s Evening of Recollection

On Wednesday 11 March at 7.30pm, Fr Finigan will lead an Evening of Recollection for men of the Parish. It will include a spiritual talk, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions.

At the end of the evening, there will be an opportunity to meet together socially in the parish Social Club.