Evening of Recollection

On Friday 23 July, starting at 7.30pm, there will be an evening of recollection for young people with a spiritual talk, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, confessions, Benediction and a gathering in the Small Hall afterwards with pizza.

The evening is open to young people of secondary school age, sixth formers and young adults.

Lesnes Abbey Procession

Our annual outdoor procession of the Blessed Sacrament will be held on Sunday 27 June, starting at 3.15pm. This is a beautiful occasion to pray to our Lord and to witness to our faith in him. First Communion children are invited to come in their special clothes

At the Abbey, please find the parish sign and assemble there. First communicants may go in the special group or stay with the parish.

Michael Hobson latest

Michael Hobson has been busy in the run-up to the Olympics: and not only with his own training. As Head Athletics & Multi-Skills coach, he has been helping to prepare athletes for the Special Olympics Richmond.

He is also arranging an event in memory of his friend Joe Allen who died of a brain tumour last March. As Joe was such a talented 1500 metre runner, it was decided that a mile would be held in his memory. The event is to be held at Erith stadium on the 21st of March (time to be announced). Everyone is welcome to take part by running, jogging, or walking.

Funds raised will go to support paediatric brain tumour research at the Royal Marsden hospital in Sutton, where Joe had been treated during his illness.

Christmas lunch at Aylesford

The temperature has dropped in this part of the world over the past couple of days and the pond at Aylesford had chunks of ice floating on the surface.

Aylesford, the Carmelite Priory confiscated by King Henry VIII and re-acquired by the Carmelites in 1949, was the home of St Simon Stock who received the vision of Our Lady, granting him the brown scapular which is worn, in miniature form, by Catholics all over the world. I always love to visit the Priory which is a mixture of ancient and modern buildings, the home of a community living and working in the service of the gospel.

A forty minute drive in the coach took us there from Blackfen today for a "Christmas Lunch" organised by the Union of Catholic Mothers. I know it is still Advent but these occasions are a good way for people to get together, spend a day out safely, and enjoy a good lunch in good company. I'll admit that I did doze a little on the coach on the way back but I think I was not the only one.

Arise Once More - Reviving Catholic Britain

St Anthony Communications have produced a DVD called "Arise Once More" to offer an encouraging and hopeful look at Catholicism in Britain today and to encourage Catholics to revive the faith by their example, teaching and witness.

The film gives a summary of the history of Catholicism in Britain, beginning with St Alban and the beginning of Christianity in these isles, following the great cultural, artistic and educational achievements of the middle ages, looking at the tragedy of the Reformation, and the Second Spring which brought new life to the Church. The last section of the film focusses on the need for a revival of Catholic life and the steps necessary to achieve it. I have just watched the film through and I think it is an excellent resource for parishes, offering an upbeat response to the dismal secularist propaganda about the Catholic Church that can be discouraging to ordinary Catholics.

The commentary is provided by James and Joanna Bogle, Fr Marcus Holden, Fr Andrew Pinsent, Fr Thomas Crean, Fr Nicholas Schofield, Fr Brian Harrison, and Sister Mary of the Trinity.

St Anthony Communications are arranging a series of public screenings next weekend, with one at Blackfen on Saturday evening.

The DVD will be shown in the Small Hall at 7.15pm (Sat 28 November). There will be light refreshments available in the Hall after the 6pm Mass.
The running time of the film is 33 minutes.

Here is the link to order a copy of "Arise Once More" online.

Talk on the Priesthood

As part of our Bexley Deanery Mission Year, (an our celebration of the Year for Priests) the second of our talks on the priesthood will be held at the Church Hall of St John Vianney, Bexleyheath.

On Friday 20 Nov at 7pm, Fr Marcus Holden, author of Evangelium will be speaking on the Priesthood. After the talk there will be refreshments and a chance to meet the speaker.

Family Day 3 October

On Saturday 3 October there will be a Family Day in the parish. This is a day for all the family to pray together with other families, to support one another in the faith, to deepen our love for Christ and our understanding of the teaching of the Church.

Programme
There is a parish Mass (Latin, older form, Missa Cantata) at 10.30am and confessions available during Mass; Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is at 11.30am, followed by the Marian Anthem.

The Family Day proper begins with the blessing of roses for the feast of St Thérèse (bring as many roses as you like!) and a talk at 12noon for all in the Church followed by lunch in the Hall. After lunch there will be workshops for parents, grandparents, teenagers and children.

3.45pm Finish with tea, juice and biscuits. There are confessions from 5-5.30pm) and the parish Mass (English) is at 6pm

Do come along for this enjoyable and uplifting day.

Race Night

The Parish Social Club are holding a “Big Screen Race Night” in the Large Hall on Saturday 18 July, starting at 8.30pm. Entry £2 for non-members.

The evening will raise funds for the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity which provides practical and emotional support to families who have a child with a life threatening or terminal illness.

"Parenting and the Media" talk

This Friday 5 June, Joanna Bogle, a Catholic writer with extensive experience in the broadcast media, will be visiting the parish to give a talk on “Parenting and the Media.” We will begin in the Church with the rosary at 7.30pm.

Do come along for what promises to be an informative and helpful evening.

Lesnes Abbey Procession

Each year, the Deaneries of Bexley and Greenwich hold a procession of the Blessed Sacrament in the grounds of the ancient Lesnes Abbey, finishing with Benediction at the site of High Altar of the old Abbey Church. The date for this year is Sunday 14 June.

A procession of the Blessed Sacrament is an act of adoration of Our Lord who has given himself to us in the Holy Eucharist. It is also an opportunity to witness to our faith.

Altar servers, those who have recently received their first Holy Communion, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are especially encouraged to come along.
The site is off Abbey Road, near Abbey Wood Station. We gather at the parish banner at 3pm.

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.

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.

A Day with Mary this Saturday

This Saturday, 14 February, the parish hosts its annual Day With Mary, a day of instruction, devotion and prayer based on the message of Our Lady of Fatima.

The Day with Mary team, under the guidance of the Franciscans of the Immaculate will lead the day which begins with a procession of Our Lady at 10am, and includes a procession of the Blessed Sacrament, Confessions, Adoration, Rosary, enrolment in the Miraculous Medal and the Brown Scapular.

At lunchtime, there will be tea and coffee available in the Large Hall and a large selection of Catholic books.

There will be Solemn Latin Mass in honour of Our Lady after the procession (about 11am) with Gregorian chant sung by the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate.

People travel some distance for these wonderful days of devotion and prayer. Do take the time to come along yourself for at least part of the day.

The Faith, the Family, the Future

A reminder of the Family Conference on Saturday 21 March in the parish. We are very glad to welcome Margaret Mizen, the mother of Jimmy who was killed last May. Margaret's talk will be on the theme “Be proud of your Faith….it’s the only thing that keeps you going” - an inspiring message of hope that she gave at Christmas.

See the previous notice for more details. This is a day for all the family, in support of Catholic family life. Do put the date in your diary and come along.

"Million Party"

On Saturday, after our monthly Missa Cantata, there was a little party in the Hall to celebrate the millionth visit to Fr Finigan's blog "The Hermeneutic of Continuity." On this occasion, as well as the regular good attendance from parishioners, we had some visitors who travelled to Blackfen. Many thanks to Trisha and the Luncheon Club team for providing a delicious fork buffet.

In the afternoon, we celebrated solemn Vespers (the evening prayer of the Church) and prayed for our Holy Father, Pope Benedict. It was lovely to have so many children and young people at these events. As Pope Benedict said "The Church is alive... the Church is young!"

"Be proud of your faith" - Family and Youth Day

There will be a Family and Youth Day at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Blackfen, on Saturday 21st March.

In the morning, we have our usual programme: Low Mass, (usus antiquior) at 10.30am, followed by Confession, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction at midday.

After Benediction, there will be an address by Margaret Mizen, mother of Jimmy Mizen who was killed in May 2008. Barry and Margaret, Jimmy's parents, showed a tremendous example of faith and peace-filled courage when speaking to the media after the tragic death of their son and it is a great privilege to have Margaret come to speak to us.

(See this video on Hopeinfo.co.uk - "At the funeral I urged all the young people 'Be proud of your faith'"; "The only thing that's going to come out of this is a peaceful response.")

A light lunch will be provided in the Hall and in the afternoon, there will be various talks and activities for children and young people as well as a talk on parenting by Greg Clovis. We will finish with prayers at 3.30pm followed by tea, juice and biscuits.

Our usual Saturday schedule continues with confessions at 5pm and a Mass in English at 6pm.

Lunch at Aylesford

Each year, Hilda and the Union of Catholic Mothers organise a trip to Aylesford for the Christmas dinner served by the magnificent catering staff. Today after Mass, on a glorious December morning, Cedar Coaches took us along the A2 to the Friars. Here are a few photos from the day:



There were other photos taken as well as mine as you can see here:

Brother Lawrence O.Carm welcomed us and told us all about the 13th century Pilgrims Hall. It has a lovely fireplace in which a good blaze kept out the cold:

Many people bought books, medals and other Christmas presents from the Friary shop as well as having the opportunity to jon the Friars for Mass. We returned to the coach well nourished both physically and spiritually.

Family Evening at Chislehurst

There will be a Family Evening at Chislehurst on Friday 28th November. After the 7.30pm Mass at St Mary’s, Chislehurst (Crown Lane, BR7 5PL) we will meet together in the parish room for a talk by Josephine and Adrian Treloar on “Miracles and Lourdes: a medical view.”

The talk will be suitable for all from parents down to the little ones. The very little ones are fully welcome to just be there anyway. Most importantly we will met up with other families and share our faith and friendship. All are invited.
(The 7.30pm Mass at Chislehurst is the Traditional Latin Mass. Many will like this and some will be quite happy, but if you prefer not to come to the Mass that’s fine; just come along at 8pm.)

You can see one of the cases that we will be presented at The Faith, The Family, The Future website. (Click on the “publications” button.)

School Bazaar

Our Lady of the Rosary School is having a Christmas Bazaar on Saturday 29 November from 1-5pm. Please come along and support the school.

Garden Party

Our Blessed Lady smiled on us today as we had one of the sunniest days of the summer. The Garden Party was a very enjoyable afternoon, raising over £500 for the parish. The children had various activities to keep them occupied and Fr Finigan joined in trying to "Splat the Rat."