The Catholic Parish of

THE HOLY FAMILY

S A N D E R S T E A D

Part of the Archdiocese of Southwark

CHILDREN’S LITURGY OF THE WORD DURING 11.00am SUNDAY HOLY MASS

By Webmaster • November 30, 2025
We began again our ‘Liturgy of the Word’ for children of Primary School age on Sunday November 2nd and will continue on the following consecutive Sundays. Dear Parents please bear these dates in mind when you bring your children to holy Mass. During these ‘Liturgy of the Word’ sessions, our children will have opportunities to understand and enjoy God’s loving Word during the 11.00am holy Mass.

ADULT ON-GOING FAITH FORMATION MEETINGS - DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

By Webmaster • November 30, 2025
We will shortly begin again our meetings for everyone who is ready to grow in Faith and who wishes to have a grown-up Faith. For many people, opportunities to move from a childish Faith to a mature Faith have been very limited or even not available at all! These meetings are moments to talk about any aspect whatsoever of human life and to receive a little help to see how our loving Lord is so close to us in everything and to see how he is trying to draw us all into a genuine adult Faith relationship with him and his Church. We will meet on Saturday mornings, at 12.00midday for one hour, in our Parish Room. Owing to other commitments, we can only have 4 meetings before Christmas, on the 22nd and 29th November and the 13th and 20th December.

HEALTH AND SAFETY - LEAVES!

By Webmaster • November 16, 2025
Please be careful on the pavement in front of the church and on the pathways leading to the main door of the church and around the church and Cafe and presbytery. As Autumn takes hold and the daylight hours decrease, fallen leaves make for slippery surfaces. If you see fallen leaves around our church and buildings and on the pavement in front of the church, please clear the leaves. There is a brush in the church porch. Thank you.

VISIT BY THE CATHOLIC APOSTOLATE OF THE ‘WOMEN OF CHRIST’S LOVE’

By Webmaster • September 22, 2025
On the weekend of the 25th/26th October , I’m delighted to tell you that members of the Catholic Apostolate of the ‘Women of Christ’s Love’ will join us for holy Mass in our parish. They believe very strongly that “Christ’s love for humanity must be the focus of our worship.”
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Welcome to Holy Family Parish

I wish all our visitors to this website, great peace and joy.
I hope you enjoy exploring our site and discovering the varied life of our vibrant parish.
If you would like to join us for the celebration of holy Mass, you will be welcomed with open arms.
So too, if you would like to join in any of our events and meetings, it will be a pleasure to see you.
If there is anything I can do to help or support you, please let me know.
With assurance of my prayers and warmest best wishes,

Fr Malachy

Holy Family Catholic Church

I wish all our visitors to this website, great peace and joy.
I hope you enjoy exploring our site and discovering the varied life of our vibrant parish.
If you would like to join us for the celebration of holy Mass, you will be welcomed with open arms.
So too, if you would like to join in any of our events and meetings, it will be a pleasure to see you.
If there is anything I can do to help or support you, please let me know.
With assurance of my prayers and warmest best wishes,

Fr Malachy


  • Weekend Mass

    Saturday: 5:00pm (Vigil Holy Mass)

    Sunday: 9am and  11am 

  • Weekday Mass

    Monday: 9:30am

    Tuesday:  9:30am

    Wednesday: 9.30 am

    Thursday: 9.30am

    Friday: 9.30am

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Our very latest news updates and information about Parish activities.

PROGRAMME OF PREPARATION FOR FIRST RECONCILIATION AND FIRST HOLY COMMUNION, FOR CHILDREN

By Webmaster • November 30, 2025
Our programme to help parents to prepare their children for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist will begin early in the New Year. Meetings for Parents and meetings for their children will be on Friday evenings at 5.00pm. The parents will meet with Fr Malachy in the Parish Room and the children will meet with our Catechists in the Sacristy of the church, at the same time. Each meeting will last just 30 minutes. The dates of the meetings are flexible but we are planning to have the first six meetings on: 16th, 23rd, and 30th January 2026, then the 6th, 13th and 20th of February 2026. First Reconciliation for Children and their parents will be during the Season of Lent 2026 and First Holy Communion during the month of June 2026. If you have a child who you think is ready to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion in 2026, please let me have details as soon as possible so that we can begin our planning.

BEQUEST, IN A WILL

By Webmaster • November 30, 2025
It is wise to write a Will so that the resources you have when the time comes for you to leave this world, goes to the people and organisations you wish. May I suggest that you might consider leaving a Bequest in your will to our parish or to our diocese or to our priest as well as to other causes. A gift in your will can enable us to continue to help people to know the Lord Jesus and his saving love. What a wonderful legacy you would be leaving behind.

CRUCIFIX

By Webmaster • September 22, 2025
As you see, we have raised up the outside crucifix to a height which now makes it fully visible to all who pass by our church. It is also now surrounded by a solid base.  This is another way in which we are demonstrating that we are a Christian community obedient to the Lord and to our Archbishop, by becoming a missionary parish. We are trying to make stronger the ‘rumour’ of the living presence of the true God who loves everyone and who can save all who come to him from their sins and from death itself. In a secular culture where the worship of false Gods like Money and Power and Violence and Fame and Selfishness in all its forms and Greed are so strong, the Lord needs you and I to take every opportunity we can to make his saving loving presence known.

THE CATHOLIC EDUCATION SERVICE ANNUAL COLLECTION, NEXT WEEKEND

By Webmaster • September 8, 2025
The CES supports Catholic Education in the 2000 Catholic schools, academies and colleges of England and Wales, providing education over 800,000 students. The CES is the chief negotiating and advisory body on matters affecting all aspects of Catholic education.

NEW SOUND SYSTEM INSTALLATION

By Webmaster • September 1, 2025
I’m hoping that on Thursday this week, a team of engineers will be installing a new Sound System in our church to replace the rather old, tired system that hasn’t worked well for some time.
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Golden Jubilee of Priesthood

By Webmaster • September 1, 2022
PARISH CELEBRATION - THANK YOU, WITH ALL MY HEART What an amazing, quite wonderful Celebration we all enjoyed, last Sunday. It was an occasion full of joy and happiness, as we thanked the good Lord for all his loving kindness. It reminded me of the description, in the Acts of the Apostles, of how the first Christians lived - sharing and caring, as they rejoiced in their awareness of the risen Lord alive in their midst, by the power of the Holy Spirit. There isn’t enough space on this Newsletter to thank so many people by name, who in so many ways, made the Parish Celebration a huge success. Thank you, with all my heart, to everyone for everything you did. The memory of my Golden Anniversary of Priesthood will remain with me for ever. Please send me, digitally, your photographs. Unless you instruct me otherwise, I would like to publish some of them on our parish website, as a permanent reminder of a quite wonderful moment in the life our parish. Thank you for all your gifts and cards and best wishes. I am deeply honoured to be your priest. Thank you for your generous Collection for me which raised £1,596.00.

Parish Priest Notices

Important notices and items. These will contain news elements & important requests and parish notices

EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION ROTA

By Webmaster • December 1, 2025
DECEMBER 2025 6/7: 5pm Maggie; 9am Ross; 11am David, Simone, Margaret(H) 13/14: 5pm Marian; 9am Angela; 11am Phil, Lisa, Mary(H) 20/21: 5pm Carolyn; 9am Jim; 11am John, Giannina, Gabrielle(H) 24: 6pm Linda, Regina, Paul; 12Midnight: Lizzie, Lorenza, Patricia 25: 11am: Marian, Ross, Maggie(H) 27/28: 5pm David, 9am Angela, 11am Margaret, Simone, Phil(H) Thank you to our wonderful Ministers of the Eucharist who have accepted the Lord’s invitation to this awesome, sacred ministry, by their willingness to give up their own plans and convenience in order to do God’s will rather than their own. Let us pray for them because they too fight the same personal weaknesses we all have to fight against and they too have to fight the same temptations we all have to fight. God be with them.

ROTA FOR LECTORS – DECEMBER

By Webmaster • December 1, 2025
6/7: 5pm Lizzie; 9am Gerry; 11am Chinwe 13/14: 5pm David; 9am Claire; 11am Richard 20/21: 5pm Phil; 9am Marian; 11am Lorenza 24: 6.00pm Paul; 12Midnight Lisa 25: 11am Mutsa 27/28: 5pm Collette; 9am Maggie 11am Jim

CHRISTMAS GIFT BAGS FOR PEOPLE IN PRISON

By Webmaster • December 1, 2025
“Whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me.” These words of the Lord Jesus apply to the people held in our prisons as much as they apply to anyone. Christmas Day in prisons is often experience of Hell! People locked in and sharing a 3 metre by 2 metre space called a ‘Cell’ for almost all of Christmas Day, perhaps alongside somebody unpredictable and dangerous! Christmas is the worst day of the year in prisons, for attempted and successful suicides and when the incidence of self-mutilation (self-harm)is at its highest. May I invite you, this Christmas, to share the love of the Lord Jesus with some of the women and men who will spend Christmas Day behind bars, separated from but thinking of families and loved-ones on the outside. Many people in prison feel forgotten, but they are still our sisters and brothers. In the Bible, we read: “Remember those in prison as if you yourselves were imprisoned.” (Hebrews 13:3) How can we help? I invite you to join me in a very practical way of showing the Lord’s loving presence to our sisters and brothers held in our prisons. I invite you to assemble and donate ‘Christmas Gift Bags’ which will be distributed to people in prisons by our Prison Chaplains. Your generosity can help to bring the light and love of the Lord Jesus into those places that often feel very dark. Please use a small paper or plastic bag and put in it the items, listed below: A sachet of hot chocolate A sachet of coffee 10 tea bags A standard size chocolate bar (eg Mars Bar, Twix. Nb Must only be in paper wrappers!) A small wooden Christmas Decoration (Nb Baubles and anything with sharp edges and points, not allowed!) A Christmas card from our parish (Do not use your own name; only sign the card ‘From all at Holy Family Catholic parish, Sanderstead’) A blank Christmas card (to be used by the person in the prison to send to a family member or friend on the outside) A pair of socks Please note that all bags must only contain what is mentioned on the list above and no more than the quantity listed above. The bags must not sealed and must be left open, in order for the contents to be checked by Prison Security. Please bring your filled Christmas Gift Bags to church in the next few weeks and leave them in the porch of the church. I’ll bring them to one of our prisons or I’ll ask one of our Prison Chaplains to please collect them.  A Christmas Gift Bag is much more than a gift. It is a message from us which says: “You are part of our family. You are not alone. The Lord Jesus loves you and we do, too. We will keep this Appeal open until Sunday 13th December. Thank you for your compassion, generosity and kindness.

CALLED TO BEAR FRUIT CONSULTATION RESPONSE.

By Webmaster • December 1, 2025
Thank you to the thousands of people who took part in the Called to Bear Fruit consultation. We are grateful to you all for sharing so openly your hopes for the life of the Church in our Archdiocese. The consultation response, which includes 15 actions points for renewal, is available at https://rcaos.org.uk/calledtobearfruit and hardcopies will be sent to every parish. The consultation revealed a burning desire within our parishes to be missionary and evangelising disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, who work together to help people encounter His love. So, as we move forward on the next steps together, let’s build up the Body of Christ in Southwark with faith and confidence, becoming ever more a community of missionary disciples filled with joy and hope for the future. As an Archdiocese, we will continue to discern the process of renewal, and further updates will be provided in due course. There are hard copies of the ‘Report on the Consultation’, in the porch of the church. I’m afraid they are rain-damaged but hopefully still readable.

THANK YOU

By Webmaster • December 1, 2025
The Gardening Group for their great work in the Cafe as well as in the grounds around the church. On Tuesdays, our cafe is hosted by Bridget, Linda and Jannine. Their warmth, kindness and week by week consistency has led to our Cafe on Tuesdays becoming a place of great welcome for many Visitors as well as our own parishioners. This is exactly what our Evangelisation Cafe should be. Very well done and thank you.

OLDE FORGE CAFE - FREE COFFEE AND CAKE FOR OUR VISITORS

By Webmaster • November 30, 2025
Please do your best to bring members of your family, your friends, neighbours and colleagues who normally have little, if any contact with our Catholic parish, to the Olde Forge Cafe. Please remember that those you bring with you DO NOT give a donation for their coffee and cake. Only us, who are regular members of our parish, are asked to give a donation, each time, to cover the cost of the Coffee machine, coffee beans, heat, light etc. Dear Bakers and those who provide milk, please remember to take your expenses from the donations received.

Parish / Diocesan
 Events

MORE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

By Webmaster • December 1, 2025
Please note in your diaries: Advent Service of ‘Light in Darkness’, followed by Tea in the Olde Forge Cafe: Sunday 14th December at 3.00pm. Advent Penance Service and Individual Reconciliation: Wednesday 17th December at 6.00PM Christmas holy Masses and Carols: Wednesday 24th December - Carols at 5.30pm, holy Mass at 6.00pm; Wednesday 24th December - Carols at 11.30pm and holy Mass at 12.00Midnight;  Thursday 25th December - Carols at 10.30am and holy Mass at 11.00am

RCIA - RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS

By Webmaster • November 30, 2025
The final meetings for adults preparing for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist and Confirmation will be the 21st and 28th of November, then the 12th and 19th of December. First Reconciliation will be on the 5th December and First Holy Communion, during the 11.00am holy Mass on the 21st December. The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated during 11.00am holy Mass on Sunday 4th January 2026. Please pray for Sarah and Sian as they prepare to receive the fullness of the Lord’s saving gifts for the first time in their lives and as they become adults in Faith

‘HOW TO LIVE AND DIE WELL’ - A COURSE AT THE LONDON JESUIT CENTRE

By Webmaster • November 30, 2025
On Saturday 6th December , from 10.00am until 2.00pm, I’ll be delivering this course. The course will bring hope to anyone who is struggling in any way with the complexities and disappointments of life and deeper meaning to anyone who wishes to live and die with peace and joy. The Lord who loves us, is with us in everything. He can show us how to live and even how to die, in the ways that will bring peace and joy to our hearts and minds, whatever be our circumstances. Please book early for this course, on the London Jesuit Centre website, to avoid disappointment.

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