Newsletter

SUNDAY 9^th January 2022 

BAPTISM OF THE LORD 

Readings: Isaiah 40:1-5. 9-11, Psalm 103, Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7, Luke 3:15-16:21-22.

 

SERVICES FOR WEEK  9^th January – 16^th January 2022

Sat    8^th Jan       17.30                                    Confessions

                           18.00                                    Danny Lyons RIP (Morris)

Sun    9^th Jan      BAPTISM OF THE LORD              

                            08.30                                    The Back Family 

                            10.30                                     David Brailsford RIP (Brailsford family)

Mon     10^th Jan   09.15                                     Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                            10.00                                     The Meade Family (Sullivan)      

Tues    11^th Jan    09.15                                    Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                            10.00                                    Harrington Family RIP (Sheehan)

Weds   12^th Jan    09.15 St Aelred (Rievaulx)    Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                            10.00                                      Lucy Nencini RIP (Fitzpatrick)

Fri      14^th Jan    09.15                                     Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                           10.00                                     Sheila Beattie (Sullivan)                        

Sat     15^th Jan    17.30                                    Confessions

                           18.00                                    David Latimer RIP (Morris)

Sun    16^th Jan   2^nd SUNDAY                         

                            08.30                                   Sean King RIP (Norton) 

                            10.30                                   Tess Truman RIP (Fitzpatrick)

                                                                           

LIVE STREAMING OF MASSES ON THE WEBSITE

All masses are streamed live and can be viewed via the link. 

Recordings are available there for a week or so. The Sunday sermon is also on the website in printed form.

 

FINANCES          

Direct Bank Payments to RCAS St John Fisher – Bexley, Sort code 51 70 14, Account 01831763

Please put your name and if you use envelopes, your envelope number, as the code.

Many thanks for your collection last week:                                     £991.02 incl standing orders

 

CATHOLIC NEWSPAPERS

The Herald by subscription: Ring 0207 448 3607 or go to http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/subscribe

 

 

COVID PROCEDURES

In church please:

•       Continue to wear facial coverings on Sundays unless you are exempt. 

•        Socially distance 1metre. In other words, keep a space between yourself and anyone else.

•       Continue to make your Offertory Contribution on entry.

 

 

First of all, let me express my thanks to you for your kind Christmas Offering. I am most grateful. Thanks also for the many cards and gifts. The cards are strung up as decorations in my sitting room and I shall feel very sad when I take them down on Sunday evening as the season of Christmas comes to an end. It is always a special time requiring extra effort and attention but this year in particular it seems to have been a little more stressful with all the challenges regarding keeping safe and well, and all the concerns about travel and whether or not we would be allowed to gather in all the different circumstances that our different lives dictate. But it has been worth it all. When someone casually commented that it will be a relief to get back to “normal” I wasn’t so sure. From Monday the church translates the sentiment by prescribing “ordinary time” between now and Lent, a period of seven and a half weeks. All the gold and white coloration of Christmas is replaced by the green of ordinary time – banners, vestments and even newsletters! There are some cold and frosty weeks ahead but our wonderful celebrations of Christ’s birth in mid-winter have served us well in making the winter easier to endure. We pray though, that ordinary time may reflect a more normal way of living and of keeping safe and well.

                                                                                                           

 

CHURCH CLEANING   

A big THANK YOU to the small group of parishioners who give up their free time to help keep our church clean.  The 2022 rota is now available for collection from the cupboard.

More volunteers are needed to either join an existing group or make up a new one.  Each group cleans once every six weeks for about an hour.  An additional group of three or four people would mean cleaning once every eight weeks.  Please contact Carole Hughes on 07762 731303 if you are able to help.

 

CAFOD Afghanistan Appeal  

CAFOD has joined with the Disasters Emergency Committee.  Your generous donations are needed to provide food and winter kits for the harsh winter.  If you can, call 08085 85 88 85 or visit cafod.org.uk.        John Rayner, Parish CAFOD Co-ordinator

 

“WE MISS YOU”  

If you know of anyone who used to attend mass but has not yet returned since Lockdown, why not offer a bit of encouragement. The Church has produced a simple postcard that you might drop through their door. “We miss you” cards can be collected from the foyer.

 

THE ULTIMATE RELATIONSHIP 

This little booklet is available free of charge from the foyer

 

SOUTHWARK DIRECTORIES 

A few are available in the shop, or in the presbytery, priced £4

 

CONFESSIONS 

Confessions are now being heard before the Saturday evening mass at 5.30 p.m instead of Saturday morning.

 

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 2022

Application forms are now available for the First Holy Communion Programme 2022.  Children eligible for First Communion must be in Year 3 or above. Application forms can be collected from the church entrance porch or please speak to Father Doug or Ángela Underwood. The programme will commence late January/early February. Completed forms to be returned by 9th January 2022.