Weekly Newsletter

9 January 2026 Nuntius

SUNDAY 11^th JANUARY

Baptism of the Lord Year A

Readings: Isaiah 42:1-7 Psalm 28, Acts 10:34-38, Matthew 3:13-17

Sat 10^th Jan 17.30 Confessions

18.00 Tracy Andrews (Andrews)

Sun 11^th Jan Baptism of the Lord – The Last Day of Christmas

08.30 John Hollis RIP (Jeyaseelan)

10.30 David Brailsford RIP (Brailsford)

Mon 12^thJan 09.15 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00 Jamie Cowdell RIP (F)

Tues 13^th Jan 09.15 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00 B. Bosser (Bosser)

Wed 14th Jan 09.15 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00 Souls in Purgatory & Abandoned Souls (Bosser)

Please join us in the Hall for refreshments after the 10.00 mass in the Meeting Place

Fri 16^th Jan 09.15 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00 Jane Buhl RIP (Morris)

Sat 17^th Jan 17.30 Confessions

18.00 Christopher Welsh RIP (Deal)

Sun 18^th Jan Second Sunday Year A – Peace Sunday

08.30 Bernadette O’Kane (Cannon)

10.30 David Brailsford RIP (Brailsford)

Please join us in the Hall for refreshments after the 10.30 mass.

LIVE STREAMING OF MASSES ON THE WEBSITE

All masses are streamed via the link:

Recordings are available. The Sunday sermon is also in print on the website.

MASS INTENTIONS; Do have masses said for your intentions. Use the envelopes in the foyer to name the intention and to enclose an offering. Give them to Fr Doug or post them through the presbytery door.

FINANCES

Many thanks for your offertory collection: £ 916.57

Retiring Collection: Next week, Pax Christi

Bank Payments to RCAS Bexley, Sort code 51 70 14, Account 01831763

Card Payment: Machine located in the foyer.

Gift Aid Please join the GIFT AID scheme – Forms available in the foyer.

OUR PARISH HALL: Our hall is available for hire. Please email bexley@rcaos.org.uk at ANY time and our secretary will get back to you. Prices: £35 per hour on weekdays, £40 per hour at weekends

Newsletter: Please copy notices to Fr Doug by the previous Wednesday

Dear Parishioners,

I do hope you have enjoyed the great Christian Festival of Christmas, with its many different Feast Days. It comes to an end today. The Year of Jubilee also came to an end on Tuesday at the Feast of Epiphany. So now the rest of the year gets underway. We pray for those involved in the Holy Communion Programme and those in the Confirmation Programme, both of which start very soon. We might think about personal changes we can make too. Perhaps in our level of giving, perhaps in our commitment to help out and volunteer, perhaps in the time we commit to prayer. Now is a good time to make changes and deepen our spiritual lives.

God Bless, Fr Doug

FLOWERS: As always, the flowers in the Church are beautiful and give great honour to the Festival of Christmas. Is this something you’d like to be involved in?

If not, would you like to support the work financially. A collection is taken through the box in the wall at the back of Church, on your right as you leave.

CRIB COLLECTION: Last chance to contribute!: This year we are collecting for Friends of the Holy Land. This charity, endorsed by Cardinal Vincent Nicholls, actually has workers based in Bethlehem and is therefore able to help the Christians there survive even under the current siege conditions imposed by Israel. They assist with emergency aid, with counselling and with a limited amount of development.

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY – 18-25 January

Churches Together in Old Bexley invite you to a service on Sunday 18 January at 3pm at URC, Hurst Road. We are all invited to celebrate, draw strength and encouragement from the gift of our shared faith. In these turbulent times, we can take heart from the endurance of that faith.

PAX CHRISTI: The work of Pax Christi is based on the gospel and inspired by faith. Our vision is of a world where people can live in peace, without fear of violence in all its forms. Rooted in Catholic Christianity, we work with all who share our values to abolish war and create communities of peace and justice.

Peace Sunday Collection is next week, Jan 18

NEW AUXILIARY BISHOP FOR OUR ARCHDIOCESE OF SOUTHWARK.

Our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV has appointed Canon Gerard Bradley as Auxiliary Bishop for our Archdiocese of Southwark. Bishop-Elect Gerard’s Episcopal Ordination will be on Monday 2 February in our Cathedral. The Holy Father has assigned him the Titular See of Beverley, the birthplace in Yorkshire of St John Fisher, loved by us all as a former Catholic Bishop of Rochester.

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 rota for 2026 is now available for collection from the cupboard.

We would be grateful if more volunteers came forward to either join an existing group or make up a new one. Currently, each group cleans once every 12 weeks for about one hour. If you think you might be able to help, please ring Carole Hughes on 07762 731303.

AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST: A CATHOLIC APOLOGETICS RESOURCE.

The Archdiocese has launched an exciting apologetics project to provide evidence-based answers to questions such as “Is Jesus God?”. Ambassadors for Christ is designed to equip you with a deeper understanding of your faith, so you can confidently answer questions and be a joyful witness for the Lord Jesus and his Church. Every Monday, a new video will be posted on YouTube, along with a worksheet to enable you to use them. To watch the videos and take part in this exciting project, please visit: rcaos.org.uk/ambassadorsforchrist

2 January 2026 Nuntius

SUNDAY 4^th January 2^nd

Sunday after the Nativity Year A

Readings: Ecclesiasticus 24:1-12, Psalm 147, Ephesians 1:1-18, John 1:1-18

Sat 3^rd Jan 17.30 Confessions

18.00 Holy Souls (Jeyaseelan)

Sun 4^th Jan 2^nd Sunday after the Nativity

08.30 Alan Harrison RIP (Bowman)

10.30 Jacqueline Downey (Downey)

Mon 5^th Jan 09.15 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00 Selia Willis RIP (Wilkes)

Tues 6^th Jan 09.15 Epiphany Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00 Maureen Fitzpatrick RIP (Sarton)

19.30 Maria Nucera (Highland)

Wed 7th Jan 09.15 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00 Patrick & Mary Sheehan, Dan & Julia Harrington (Sheehan)

Please join us in the Hall for refreshments after the 10.00 mass in the Meeting Place

Fri 9^th Jan 09.15 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00 Catriona Keenan RIP (Laley)

Sat 10^th Jan 17.30 Confessions

18.00 Tracy Andrews (D Andrews)

Sun 11^th Jan Baptism of the Lord

08.30 John Hollis RIP (Jeyaseelan)

10.30 David Brailsford RIP (Brailsford)

Please join us in the Hall for refreshments after the 10.30 mass.

LIVE STREAMING OF MASSES ON THE WEBSITE

All masses are streamed via the link:

Recordings are available. The Sunday sermon is also in print on the website.

MASS INTENTIONS

Do have masses said for your intentions. Use the envelopes in the foyer to name the intention and to enclose an offering. Give them to Fr Doug or post them through the presbytery door.

FINANCES

Many thanks for your offertory collection £ 806.84

Bank Payments to RCAS Bexley, Sort code 51 70 14, Account 01831763

Card Payment: Machine located in the foyer.

Gift Aid Please join the GIFT AID scheme – Forms available in the foyer.

OUR PARISH HALL: Our hall is available for hire. Please email bexley@rcaos.org.uk at ANY time and our secretary will get back to you. Prices: £35 per hour on weekdays, £40 per hour at weekends

Newsletter: Please copy notices to Fr Doug by the previous Wednesday

Dear Parishioners,

Happy New Year to you all. I wish you good health every joy.

With regard to New Year Resolutions, I think there was much in the Archbishop’s letter last week to offer a challenge. Let us resolve to welcome any new members in our parish and to reach out to those we don’t know. We were urged to ensure that everyone who comes to mass feels that this is where they belong.

EPIPHANY – A Holyday Of Obligation

God Bless, Fr Doug

JUBILEE YEAR OF HOPE: We will be closing the Jubilee Year formally on the Feast of the Epiphany. The closing prayers are to be said in all the churches of our deanery on that day. We have much to celebrate as we look back through the year, especially to our deanery pilgrimage back in the summer.

FLOWERS: As always, the flowers in the Church are beautiful and give great honour to the Festival of Christmas. Is this something you’d like to be involved in?

If not would you like to support the work financially. A collection is taken through the box in the wall at the back of Church, on your right as you leave.

CRIB COLLECTION: This year we are collecting for Friends of the Holy Land. This charity, endorsed by Cardinal Vincent Nicholls, actually has workers based in Bethlehem and is therefore able to help the Christians there survive even under the current siege conditions imposed by Israel. They assist with emergency aid, with counselling and with a limited amount of development.

NEW AUXILIARY BISHOP FOR OUR ARCHDIOCESE OF SOUTHWARK.

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 rota for 2026 is now available for collection from the cupboard.

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY – 18-25 January

Churches Together in Old Bexley invite you to a service on Sunday 18 January at 3pm at URC, Hurst Road. We are all invited to celebrate, draw strength and encouragement from the gift of our shared faith. In these turbulent times, we can take heart from the endurance of that faith.

Peace Sunday Collection Jan 18

27 December 2025 Nuntius

SUNDAY 28^th December

Holy Family Year A

Readings: Ecclesiasticus 3:2-14, Psalm 127, Colossians 3:12-21, Matthew 2:13-23

Sat 27^th Dec 17.30 Confessions

18.00 Zoe Baker (Duff)

Sun 28^th Dec HOLY FAMILY YEAR A

08.30 Margaret Northover (Cannon)

10.30 Tony Speed RIP (Speed)

Mon 29^th Dec 09.15 Thomas of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00 Canterbury Sean Staden (Staden)

Tues 30^th Dec 09.15 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00 Tony and Margaret Deacon (Staden)

Wed 31^st Dec 09.15 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00 Kathy Connolly (Wheatley)

Thu 1^st Jan 09.15 Mother of God Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00 The Back Family

Fri 2^nd Jan 09.15 Basil & Gregory Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00 Holy Souls (Jeyaseelan)

Sat 3^rd Jan 17.30 Confessions

18.00 Des Mendes (Jeyaseelan)

Sun 4^th Jan 2^ND SUNDAY AFTER THE NATIVITY

08.30 Alan Harrison RIP (Bowman)

10.30 Jacqueline Downey (Downey)

Please join us in the Hall for refreshments after the 10.30 mass.

LIVE STREAMING OF MASSES ON THE WEBSITE

All masses are streamed via the link:

Recordings are available. The Sunday sermon is also in print on the website.

MASS INTENTIONS

Do have masses said for your intentions. Use the envelopes in the foyer to name the intention and to enclose an offering. Give them to Fr Doug or post them through the presbytery door.

FINANCES

Many thanks for your offertory collection £ 1135.66

Bank Payments to RCAS Bexley, Sort code 51 70 14, Account 01831763

Card Payment: Machine located in the foyer.

Gift Aid Please join the GIFT AID scheme – Forms available in the foyer.

OUR PARISH HALL

Our hall is available for hire. Please email bexley@rcaos.org.uk at ANY time and our secretary will get back to you. Prices: £35 per hour on weekdays, £40 per hour at weekends

Newsletter: Please copy notices to Fr Doug by the previous Wednesday

Dear Parishioners,

As we prepare to begin a New Year let me look forward and wish you and your families every blessing and look back to the year past and thank everyone who has given so much to the parish:

To the parish council, and to all the groups and activity that they lead or coordinate – including our AIC, our altar servers, the teams for baptism, first holy communion, confirmation, and children’s liturgies, our hard working finance team, our premises officer; our offertory collection counters, our welcome teams at masses, our coffee morning organisers, our events committee, the SVP team who will be sadly missed in the future, the liturgy committee, the mass intention coordinator, our newsletter team, the representatives for diocesan and national charities, our hall staff, our meeting point helpers, the church care team, the flower arrangers, the crib and Easter garden builder, the Christmas tree team, the organist, the choir and their leader, our Eucharistic ministers, our shop staff, our sacristan, the parish secretary, our readers, the safeguarding leader, and the person who runs our website and offers other technical support, and indeed everyone who has taken part in our parish activity and helped to carry our mission forward. On behalf of the whole parish I say a big thank you to you all.

Let me also, on my own behalf, thank you all for the generous Christmas Offering that you gave me along with all the Christmas Cards and gifts. I am humbled, touched and grateful.

God Bless, Fr Doug

CRIB COLLECTION

This year we are collecting for Friends of the Holy Land. This charity, endorsed by Cardinal Vincent Nicholls, actually has workers based in Bethlehem and is therefore able to help the Christians there survive even under the current siege conditions imposed by Israel. They assist with emergency aid, with counselling and with a limited amount of development.

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 rota for 2026 is now available for collection from the cupboard.

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY – 18-25 January

NEW AUXILIARY BISHOP FOR OUR ARCHDIOCESE OF SOUTHWARK.

POPE LEO XIV, AMOR SED AMOR, (LOVE BUT LOVE) – a new book

This book explores today’s most pressing questions—from AI and LGBTQ+ issues to individualism, relativism, and more.

A clear Catholic response for our time. In a world shaped by Artificial Intelligence, individualism, and moral relativism, this book presents Pope Leo XIV’s compelling call to the Church: to love with truth, to evangelise with courage, and to remain faithful to Christ in a changing culture.

HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS

A reminder that if you (or a family member) are admitted to hospital, you need to ask that your record indicate you are a Roman Catholic if you would like a visit from the Chaplaincy or to receive Holy Communion. The Chaplaincy cannot approach you unless your religion is recorded.