Parish News

We are now unable to accept any more Pilgrims. The Pilgrimage is full. I heard good news last week that a friend of mine who worked in the Vatican for some years will be able to arrange for MONSIGNOR Malachy and his pilgrims to have a special place at the papal audience which we will attend! We will also have holy Mass in St.Peter’s Basilica in Rome, in the churches associated with St Francis and St Clare in Assisi and in the church of St Padre Pio in San Giovanni. Please note, dear Pilgrims that this is a pilgrimage and not a holiday! We go to these sacred places NOT AS TOURISTS but prayerfully as pilgrims intent on knowing and loving and serving God. We will also have fun times as well, of course but prayer and openness to what God wishes to give us will be our priority. We will have a meeting here in Sanderstead with our Travel Director a little closer to the date of our departure

Next Saturday, 22nd February, at 10.00am , in the Parish Room and for the following six Saturdays, some of our children and their parents will be preparing for the children's First Reconciliation which will take place on the 29th March. Please pray for these families as they approach that moment when the children first experience the tender, gentle forgiving love of the Lord Jesus in this beautiful Sacrament. Please, dear Parents, notice the slight difference in the time of these meetings which will now begin at 10.00am .

Before ‘Covid’ struck. We had a wonderful group of individuals whose ministry was to be in the porch of the church and there to greet and welcome people arriving to celebrate the Sunday holy Masses. I hope we can revive that ministry. Please let me know if you could do this. All it means is to arrive in the church a little early. Please note that this will be a ministry only for people who are not yet actively involved in our parish

SATURDAY 22ND FEBRUARY AT 12.00MIDDAY If you think you could understand your Faith better and discover how close the Lord is to you; if you have a sense that the Lord wishes you to be closer to him; if you wish to be open and faithful to Lord’s Call to you, then this meeting is for you. We speak about anything and everything that you would like to speak about. Please be brave and open your heart to this invitation from your loving God and come to this very informal meeting. I think you will enjoy it and you will be doing something very pleasing to the Lord.

To everyone who came, last Saturday, to discuss ‘Called to Bear Fruit’ and then to share with the Archbishop what you, Lay Parishioners of our parish, believe is the way forward for our Archdiocese and our parishes. Your insights were noted by Linda and Marie and will be forwarded to the Archbishop via the diocesan Agency for Evangelisation. Of course, anyone can still send their views, in the next few weeks, using the contact details found in the booklet which were distributed at holy Mass recently.

Every holy Mass from our parish is streamed world-wide. I thought you might like to know how many individuals and groups have joined us for holy Mass in the last few weeks: England: 473 Wales: 8 Scotland: 1 Ireland: 12 United States (Iowa): 2 United States (Oregon): 40 Ecuador: 60 May all our Viewers be blessed by the Lord

Monday this week is the Feast of St. Blaise, who was a Bishop in Armenia in the 4th century. He was a physician before becoming a Bishop. His reputation spread widely throughout the church in the Middle Ages, because he was reputed to have miraculously cured a little boy who nearly died because of a fishbone stuck in his throat. From the 8th century, he was asked to pray for those who suffered from illnesses of the throat. One account of the miracle cure was that it took place when he had been imprisoned for his faith and when he picked up two candles provided for him and formed a cross around the boy’s throat. I will offer you this Blessing on Monday. During holy Masses

1 Marian 2 9am Anne 11am Lorenza Claire 3 David 4 Colette 5 Lorenza 6 Paul 6 Maggie 6 David 9 9am Lisa 11am Mutsa Patricia 10 John 11 Jim 12 Patricia 13 Lizzie 14 David 15 Phil 16 9am Giannina 11am Maggie Jim 17 Lorenza 18 Lisa 19 Maggie 20 John 21 Lisa 22 9am Gerry 11am Paul Richard 23 Lizzie 24 Patricia 25 Lorenza 26 Jim 27 Paul Please note that some of these dates and times may be cancelled or changed because of my other pastoral work

January 2025 26/27 : 5pm Lizzie; 9am Angela; 11am Phil, Margaret, Simone(H) February 2025 1/2 : 5pm Mary; 9am Lisa; 11am Carolyn, John, Jim(H) 8/9: 5pm Gaberiella; 9am Giannina; 11am Leslie, Regina, Linda(H) 15/16 : 5pm Patrick; 9am Paul; 11am Patricia, Lorenza, Lizzie(H) 22/23 : 5pm Maggie; 9am David; 11am Marian, Angela, Ross(H) MARCH 2025 1/2 : 5pm Phil; 9am Margaret; 11am Simone(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.