SUNDAY 16^th January 2022

2^nd SUNDAY 

Readings: Isaiah 62:1-5. Psalm 95, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11;  John 2:1-11.

 

SERVICES FOR WEEK  15^th  – 23^rd January 2022

 

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)

 

Mon     17^th Jan   09.15 St Anthony,Abbot     Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                           10.00         Dominic Saldanha RIP (Coutinho)  

 

Tues    18^th Jan   09.15 Octave Prayer,Unity. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00         Rita Maynard RIP (Sullivan)

 

Weds   19^th Jan   09.15 St Wulstan    Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00            Tess Truman RIP (Eileen & Girls)

 

Fri      21^st Jan     09.15 St Agnes       Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00         Peter Harold Sivyer RIP (Gardner)          

 

Sat     22^nd Jan    17.30                  Confessions

                           18.00            Danny Lyons RIP (Lyons Family)

 

Sun    23^rd Jan    2^nd SUNDAY                         

         08.30         Maureen Fitzpatrick (Jeyaseelan) 

                           10.30         Anne & Dennis Newton (Frake)

            

LIVE STREAMING OF MASSES ON THE WEBSITE

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

If the above link fails please try: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTKMoTYHUEURyP0LXV1vdPg

This will take you to the St John Fisher channel on YouTube.

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:                     £994.40 incl standing orders

2^nd Collection for Crib                                                          £295.60

 

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.

 

 

Dear Parishioners,

Apologies were in the news a lot this week. “Sorry” does seem to be the hardest word, as Elton John once suggested. I think this is partly due to fact that we use it in so many different ways, just as we use the word “love” in so many different ways. Loving peanut butter is different from loving God, though we use the same word. More importantly saying for instance, ‘I sincerely hope that you feel loved by me’ is not the same as saying ‘I love you’. If I don’t feel loved properly then it might seem that this is my problem and nothing to do with whether you love me or not! We must love each other more, and say that we do, and much more so with God. He says it often enough to us. 

 

And the same with “Sorry”. Saying ‘I am sincerely sorry that you feel hurt by me’ really is not the same as saying ‘I am sorry for what I did to you’. The first expresses mere regret and as above may imply that my lack of feeling is my own fault, while the second owns what we call a sin. And we Catholics are supposed, by many, to know a thing or two about sin! So again, let us use our knowledge and lead by example in owning up to sin and what is our own fault. Let us tell each other when we do wrong and find sorrow in our hearts and let us tell God too when we sin. 

                                                                                                            Fr Doug

 

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 Rayer, Parish CAFOD Co-ordinator

 

TESS TRUMAN’S FAMILY would like to thank everyone who came to Tess’s funeral on Friday 7^th January and all those who played a part in the arrangements to make the day so special.  We also appreciate the many cards, mass intentions and donations to The Passage which have been received.  The day was a real celebration!

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.

SUNDAY 2^nd January 2022 

2^nd SUNDAY AFTER NATIVITY 

Readings: Ecclesiasticus 24;1-2, 8-12, Psalm 147, Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18 John 1:1-18.

 

SERVICES FOR WEEK  1^st January – 9^th January 2022

Sat     1^st Jan      NEW YEAR’S DAY

                            17.30                   Confessions

                            18.00                  Teresa & Ray (Li/Sparkes) 

Sun    2^nd Jan      2^nd SUNDAY AFTER NATIVITY             

                             08.30                 Vincent D’Mello RIP (Coutinho) 

                             10.30                 Tony Moffat RIP (Connolly)

 Mon     3^rd Jan     09.15         Beatified Martyrs       Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                             10.00                  Mary Whelan RIP (Sheehan)       

Tues    4^th Jan       09.15                 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                             10.00                  Dave Curran RIP (Coutinho) 

Weds   5^th Jan       09.15                 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                             10.00                 Tess Truman RIP (Stanton)

 Thurs    6^th Jan      EPIPHANY OF THE LORD (HDO)

                              09.15                Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

                              10.00                Maureen Fitzpatrick (Hughes)

                              19.30                Pet & Brendan Kilcullen (Long)           

 Fri     7^th Jan      12.30                Funeral Mass for Tess Truman

 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)

                                                                           

LIVE STREAMING OF MASSES ON THE WEBSITE

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

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 Christmas Offering last week. I am humbled and grateful.

 

CATHOLIC NEWSPAPERS

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

The Catholic Post The new monthly Catholic newspaper is available FREE of charge this week. 

 

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 wish you all a Happy New Year. We look forward with hope and we look back on 2021 with thanksgiving in so many ways and in particular in our parish:

A big ‘thank you’ to all who have been involved with the flowers, the crib, the Christmas tree, the Advent wreath and everything else during this holy season. 

Thanks also to all those who have contributed to the life of the parish throughout the year: the parish council and all the groups and activity that they lead or coordinate – including our AIC, our M.C. and altar servers, the teams for baptism, first holy communion, confirmation, and children’s liturgies, our hard working finance team, our gift aid organiser, our premises committee; our offertory collection counters, our stewarding teams at masses, our coffee morning organisers, our events committee, the SVP team, the liturgy committee, our newsletter team, the representatives for diocesan and national charities, our hall staff, our Meeting Point helpers, the church care team, the organist, the choir and their leader, our Eucharistic ministers, shop staff and sacristans, the parish secretary, our readers, the parish registers keeper, the safeguarding team and the person who runs our website and our on-line masses, and who offers other technical support. On behalf of the whole parish, I say a big thank you to you all. 

 

And as we say ‘Goodbye’ to the old year and begin this New Year let me wish you and your families every blessing. We live with great hope in what medical science has come up with, and we live in great debt to the brave doctors, nurses and carers who keep us safe and well. We must continue to pray for them as they look after us under such a terrible strain.

 

Please note that Thursday is the Feast of the Epiphany and that Christmastime ends next Sunday with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.                            

                               God Bless          

 

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

 

CONFESSIONS  Please note that from now on confessions will be before the Saturday evening mass at 5.30 p.m instead of in the 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.

 

FUNERAL  The funeral mass for Tess Truman will be at 12.30 on Friday 7th January.  Please feel free to wear any colour. All are welcome to join the family in the church hall afterwards

 

CONGRATULATIONS – Diocesan Awards

Congratulations to Peter Murphy and John Rayer who recently received the Award of the Archdiocese of Southwark – Fideliter Servienti (“to one who faithfully serves”)

The medals were awarded by the Archbishop following the reopening of our church to: –

Peter, who filmed a weekly mass during Lockdown, edited it together with parish readers and singers and posted it on the website. It was a source of unity, communion and strength during those dark days. He proceeded to assemble all that was necessary for livestreaming and installed the system himself. It is so much appreciated by all who are unable to attend mass.

John, who took on board guidelines and laws from the government and from the church hierarchy, interpreted them to our church circumstances and then recruitred and trained a team of stewards who could implement procedures that allowed the church to reopen in safety and with reverence. He has developed the stewardship into a ministry of welcome and is in the process of leading a stewardship spirituality campaign which we hope will breath new life into the parish.