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.

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.

Stations of the Cross in Lent

During Lent we have Stations of the Cross in the Church each Friday at 7.30pm. To make the sacrifice of attending the Stations each week is a very worthwhile penance for Lent.

A plenary (under the usual conditions) is attached to devout participation in the Stations of the Cross.

Pentecost Novena

Each evening from Friday 2 May until Saturday 10 May inclusive, we have our annual Novena, arranged by the Prayer Group, at 7.30pm in the Church (except Thursday at 8pm with Benediction.)

All are invited to pray for the grace of the Holy Spirit in our own lives and in the whole Church.

Holy Souls box

Just a reminder about the Holy Soul box at the back of the Church. The money collected in this box is sent away to priests as stipends for Masses to be said for the Holy Souls. Although we particularly remember the Holy Souls during November, we should not forget them during the rest of the year.

Prayers for the dying

The Downloads Page has been updated to include a leaflet produced by the Guild of Catholic Doctors. It includes prayers for the dying and prayers to be said immediately after someone has died.

The prayers should be led by the priest if he is present - he would also give the sacrament of anointing, viaticum, and the apostolic blessing with the plenary indulgence. However, the prayers in this leaflet can be very helpful for the family and for the dying person to repeat again after the priest has gone, or if a priest cannot be had.

If a person is involved in an accident or has suddenly fallen into a life-threatening condition in hospital, and a priest is needed ugently, it is usually best to ask the staff to call the Catholic priest on duty. There is usually a "bleep" or "pager" system.

However, if a person is ill for some time, do not put off calling the priest: as soon as a person begins to be in danger of death, it is the right time to call the priest so that the person can make a good Confession, receive the Sacrament of Anointing and Holy Communion, and receive the Apostolic Blessing and plenary indulgence.

Novena to the Holy Spirit

The parish will have a Novena to the Holy Spirit. Every evening from Friday 18 to Saturday 26 May, commencing at 7.30pm,* we will have the Rosary, Scripture reading, hymns and prayers. Come and join us in praying for the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon the Church.

Come Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful.

* On Thursday 24th, the Novena will be incorporated into our 8pm Adoration and Benediction

Stations of the Cross during Lent

During Lent, there will be Stations of the Cross every Friday at 7.30pm in the Church. A Plenary Indulgence may be gained under the usual conditions.

Parish Retreat

Fr Finigan will lead a residential Parish Retreat during Lent at Aylesford Priory. The retreat starts with tea at 4pm on Tuesday 27 March and concludes after lunch on Thursday 29 March. The programme includes talks, daily Mass, opportunities for private prayer and Confession, as well as time to relax in the beautiful surroundings of Aylesford Priory. We will also join the Friars’ Community for the Rosary and Evening Prayer on the Wednesday evening.

The cost of the retreat is £95 (this includes all meals and afternoon tea). There are booking forms at the back of the Church or you can download a booking form (pdf).

UPDATE: Aylesford need to know our numbers for the Retreat. If you intend to come, please let us know by Sunday 25 February. (If you miss that deadline, you can still ask about booking.)

Dowry of Mary Week

December 4th-9th at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, Blackfen

Praying Holy Hours throughout the week, with talks from some of England’s most passionate Catholics, the Dowry of Mary Week seeks out to inspire Catholics to renew their own Faith as well as to reclaim England as Mary’s own. Speakers will discuss their own personal conversions to Catholicism, as well as the historical circumstances that surrounded the great fissure in Christianity.

Each night’s event will begin at 7:30 with a Holy Hour followed by a conference from one of our speakers. On Saturday, there will be the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass at 10:30 followed by a Holy Hour and a concluding lunch. All are welcome!

Schedule
Dec. 4th – Cyprian Blarimes: My Personal Path to Rome
Dec. 5th – Fr. Richard Whinder: Pre-Reformation England
Dec. 6th – Deacon John Greenwood: My Personal Path to Rome
Dec. 7th – Fr. Tim Finigan: The English Martyrs
Dec. 8th – Joanna Bogle: Continuity, England’s Catholic Heritage
Dec. 9th – Holy Mass followed by a concluding lunch

Sponsored by Continuity – Miles Jesu – Path to Rome

Icon Tour

The Stella Maris Icon (see below) is being taken to different Churches by the Apostleship of the Sea (AOS). The AOS ask for our prayers for their work. They also seek volunteers who may be able to give some time to help in the various tasks of caring for the many seafarers who visit ports in England.

Stella Maris Icon

The Icon Stella Maris is set in the context of the night and reflects the difficulties of life sensed more deeply at night and perhaps also of the times of the ’dark night of our souls.’

The triangles are symbols of fire which in turn are symbols of the Spirit.

The star is Sirius, the largest and most brilliant star in the heavens. A major star of navigation but also known in mythology as the God Star or the Dog Star that leads. This star was (and is) an object of great worship in many cultures around the world. In the middle east the rising of Sirius in the heavens in June coincided with the annual floods of the Nile upon which the lives of the ancient Egyptians depended.

The visible circulation of the minor stars Sirius A and Sirius B around Sirius itself were also part of this worship culture and form the basis of the Star of David symbol.

The Virgin and Child are positioned in the upward pointing triangle of the Spirit -linking to Sirius the lead star of navigation Mary is herself the Star which illuminates our inner darkness and leads our souls to her divine Son.

The sea has always been the most feared elements of nature because of its enormous power to sustain life or destroy. We are powerless and insignificant in the midst of its rage. Yet in its benign aspect the sea is a source of untold beauty and nourishment for mankind. The sea is therefore a metaphor for life and its perils but also for its wondrous joy and beauty. The world wide ocean also represents all the peoples of the world.

The four fish are a reference to the four Gospels, and ultimately Christ Himself who was know to the early Christians as the Great Fish (Ethos)

The boat in the background is a symbol of the individual soul of the believer on the spiritual path. This boat of life can be navigated safely by turning to Christ as guided by Our Lady star of the Sea, the star of our life.

The boat is also an image of the Church Militant navigating through time, through life and to the promised land.

Our Lady is depicted standing on the moon, again an object of worship in ancient religions. The image also recalls the verse in Revelation Chapter 12. “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”

Pentecost Novena

Each evening (except Thursday) at 7.30pm, between the feast of the Ascension and the feast of Pentecost (Sun 4 June), there will be a Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Renewal of the Church in Europe.

One of the parish groups will lead the Novena which will include a short reading from the sacred scriptures, five decades of the Rosary, and the Novena prayers to the Holy Spirit.

(On Thursday, the Novena prayers will form part of our service of Rosary and Benediction.)