Tel: 020 8778 9460 email: [email protected] 208 Sydenham Road London. SE26 5SE www.rcchurch.org.uk/sydenham Parish Priest: Fr. Peter Mansfield Assistant Priest (Sydenham & Catford): Fr. Regis Rubaya Deanery website: lewishamdeanery.com 6th Sunday ~ Ordinary Time Year B; EP 3 15 February 2015 Parish Mass Book … Readings: P137 Mass Prayers P8. THIS WEEK 2nd Collection - Poor Parishes in our Diocese NEXT WEEK 2nd Collection - Parish Development Fund Mass Intentions for the coming week Vigil Mass Sunday 15th 6.30pm 9.30am 11.00am Monday 16th Tuesday 17th 9.30am 9.30am People of the Parish Philip Kiernan RIP Maureen Thornton RIP Coffee in the Hall after 11am Mass Eileen & John Purcell RIP 1)Requiem Mass - Michael Ouzman RIP (Fr. Peter) 2) Intentions of Vera Curran (Fr. Regis) 9.30am God’s blessing on the Parish for Lent. 8.00pm Private Intention Mass at Church of The Resurrection 165 Kirkdale 9.30am 9.30am Intentions of Marie & Pat McWeeney Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction until 10.30am ASH WEDNESDAY 18th Thursday 19th Friday 20th First Sunday of Lent Vigil Mass 6.30pm Katie Rudden RIP Sacrament of Reconciliation - Confession Every Saturday - 7.20pm (after evening Mass); First Saturday of the month at 12.30pm. The sacrament can also be arranged at other times by making an appointment with the Priest. The Legion of Mary meets Sundays in the Hall after 11am Mass New members are always welcome. WOMENS WORLD DAY of PRAYER Hosted by our Parish. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED • Readers • Singers • Keyboard Player/Musicians • Help with Teas and Coffee Meeting 12 noon Sunday Collections last weekend: Offertory: £619 Standing Orders £272; Thank you. SYDENHAM CATHOLIC CLUB (Watlington Grove) … Sky sports, darts, pool table and BIG screen showing Premiership and GAA games. Families and new members always welcome. Club available for all private functions and funeral receptions. Thursday night Quiz in aid of St. Christopher’s Parent/ Carer and Toddler Group. All are welcome to come along to the Church Hall on Tuesday and Friday mornings, 9.30 ‘til 11.30 am (term time only). Call Paula: 07761 530739 to find out more. 2nd Collection: £382 Parish Development There are two Requiem Masses in the near future for Parishioners who have died recently. In both cases funerals have already taken place. Michael Ouzman RIP: Tuesday 17 Feb at 9.30am. Shirley Young RIP: Tuesday 24 Feb. at 9.30pm We remember those who are sick: Sr. Agnes, James McKenna, Sr. Agnes, Canon John Naughton, Jimmy Hartigan, Jeanne & Joe Williams, Howard Byers, Maeve Laverty, Myra Donnellan, David Camp, Mercy Aerifa, Baby Edward Kowal, Anne Mackie, Trudi Foster, Steven Murray, Victor Walker, Hugh Garvey, Declan Daly, Sonny Caldinez, Bernard Loughran, Antoni Kowal, Dusty Miller, Patricia Edwards, Yvonne Knight, Patrick Freeney, Elaine Felix, Edward Garas, Christine Flannagan, Shirley Young, Ellen & Alexander Sweeney. Also those housebound or in our Residential Homes: Muriel Felix, Kathleen Keeffe, Antoinette Remice, Jan Wilson, Adrienne Hyde, Violet Miller, Elizabeth Turner, Ann Sheehan, Ellen Sweeney, Vera Curren, Margie George, Noleen Armstrong, Giovanna Ghezzi, Margo Stafford, Margaret Rivers, Joseph & Charlotte Hadji, Genevieve Stanislaus, Madeline Edwards & Winifred Powell. Please pray for those recently deceased: Zeta Ghelfi RIP, Joe Hughes RIP, and for those whose anniversaries occur at this time: Mavis Waters, Vincena French, Stella Alexis, Derick Alexis, Anthony Greene, Michael Beirne, Tony (Beamish) Simkin, Baby Bernadette Whelan, Sean Murray, John O’Sullivan, Ainslie Brown, Mary Brown, Patrick Donovan, Rhoda Fulgar, Anniversaries Please pray for………………………………… my………………………… who died on ………………….. My Name: …………………. ….. Telephone:…………………. Dear Brothers & Sisters, The season of Lent begins this week on Ash Wednesday. Masses and distribution of ashes at Our Lady & St. Philip Neri, are at 9.30am & 8.00pm. The season of Lent is a time to renew our Christian faith, - the faith in which we are baptised. In Lent we are called to unite ourselves more closely to Christ in his passion and death through acts of penance, in order to share more fully in the joy of his Resurrection at Easter. In Christian spirituality ‘penance’ comprises of PRAYER, FASTING and ALMS-GIVING.   The Bishops of England and Wales issued guidelines concerning penance. They offer helpful guideliness in discerning what we might do as a Lenten penance:“The obligation of Penance may be fulfilled in one or more of the following ways:  By abstaining from meat or some other food:  By abstaining from alcoholic drink, smoking or some form of entertainment:  By making the special effort involved in family prayer, taking part in the Mass, visiting the Blessed Sacrament or praying the Stations of the Cross.  By fasting from all food for a longer period than usual and perhaps by giving what is saved in this way to the needy at home and abroad:  By making a special effort to help somebody who is poor, sick, old or lonely.” PRAYER - Possibly you could try to go to a Mass on a weekday during Lent. There will be Stations of the Cross on Sundays of Lent at 4.00pm.  giving of some of our time to others; time to listen to members of our family or a lonely neighbour. FASTING & ABSTINENCE - This can mean eating less at certain times or on particular days. (Care should be taken not to damage your health, especially if sick or elderly.) It can mean refraining from a particular thing that you like such as sweets, biscuits, tea or coffee. It need not be restricted to food, it can be less TV, cigarettes or alcohol. There are days throughout the year when Catholics are still required to abstain from meat, these are: every Friday and Ash Wednesday. ALMS-GIVING - The ‘Poor Box’ (on wall at the back of the Church) could provide a way of giving to the needy during Lent. You may have a favourite charity to which you would like to make a special Lenten donation. Our CAFOD Fast Day will be on the second Friday of Lent. ‘Giving’ can also be interpreted in a wider sense: e.g. the The purpose of ‘penance’ is to enable us to grow in our love of God and one another “WALK WITH ME” Booklets for Lent. Containing spiritual reading and reflections for every day of Lent. Available at the back of Church on Rack and on table. Donation £1 in box marked ‘booklets’. Meeting for parents of those who enrolled for CONFIRMATION . Thursday 26 March in Hall Meeting Rooms at 8.00pm. This meeting is for Parents or Guardians only . Sacrament of Confirmation 2015. Enrolment forms available from Fr. Peter. It is the young person themselves who must request the enrolment form. The must also complete it and bring it back to Fr. Peter as soon as possible. Bishop Pat Lynch will be visiting our Parish on Friday 19th June 2015 to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation at 7.30pm Mass. Candidates must be at least in year 8 of Secondary school. There is no upper age limit. Those who apply must attend Church regularly. It is important that the young people concerned take responsibility for putting their name forward themselves and not their parents. The Newsletter and Church notices will give information about the programme in the coming weeks. The start date is Sunday 1st March at 5.30pm. Prospective candidates take on a commitment to come to the preparation programme every week during term time. On the application form they are asked to write a short letter in their own words saying why they wish to be confirmed. The preparation is aimed at helping those who enrol to come to a better understanding of this Sacrament so that they can make an informed decision as to whether they want to go ahead this year or not. To ask to be confirmed is to say 'yes' to playing a part in the mission and work of the Church. Regarding Confirmation of Adults: We have a separate programme for Adult Confirmation 18 years and over. This is part of our 'Journey in Faith' process which begins in the Autumn. If any adult has not been confirmed, please contact Fr Peter. The display of HANDS in front of the Altar represents the children who are preparing for First Holy Communion in our Parish. They traced their own hand and decorated it with their name. It represents their individuality and also their membership of Christ’s family which is his body the Church. The display is on the sanctuary to remind us to pray for the children and their families as they prepare for their First Holy Communion. After this week it will be in the Lady Chapel. ● Sunday 15th February 2015: SIXTH SUNDAY in ORDINARY TIME Today’s Mass By Fr David Gibbons, Centre for Catholic Formation First Reading: we misunderstand this section of Leviticus if we assert that these are rules about hygiene and health. It is about ritual purity (which is why Mark in the Gospel emphasises that Jesus touched the leper). The word translated ‘leprosy’ here means skin diseases generally. Psalm: in Christian tradition this is one of the seven penitential psalms, but today’s extract is more about thanksgiving for sin forgiven. Second Reading: our freedom should not be exercised if it does harm to another. Everyone is called to obey St Paul’s exhortation “never do anything offensive to anyone” Gospel: Jesus heals the leper. He tells him to make the required sacrifice as prescribed in Leviticus and tell no one, but the man can’t help telling everyone. Would that we were so eager to tell everyone about Jesus! ● LENT The season of Lent begins on Wednesday (Ash Wednesday). It has two purposes. For those to be Baptized at the Easter Vigil, it is the time for their final, spiritual preparations. These include the Rite of Election at the Cathedral on Saturday and the ritual Scrutinies on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent. For the rest of us, Lent is a period of penance and self-denial as we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord at Easter. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting (that is, eating only one full meal) as well as abstinence (not eating meat or taking alcohol, etc). The Gloria is not recited except on the Feasts of S Patrick, S Joseph and the Annunciation. The word Alleluia is never uttered during Lent. The clergy wear violet vestments, and music and floral Car Parking in Church Grounds. Please be aware that we only have enough space for 3 cars on the tarmac trip in front of the Tower near the grass area. This area is therefore designated for ‘disabled’, or elderly people who have difficulty walking short distances. The first car needs to be parked close to the Tower in order to leave space for two more. Recently the area in question has been getting congested on some occasions. It would be nice to have a bigger parking area but unfortunately it is not possible. Generally people who come to do voluntary jobs outside of Mass times are welcome to use Arrangements for visiting Sr. Bridie. The best time to visit is between 3.30pm and 5.00pm. The address is: St. Josephs Convent, Layhams Road, West Wickham. BR4 9QJ. The Convent is in the same grounds as the Emmaus Retreat Centre and the Coloma Court Nursing Home but it is separate from these two places. The back of the building faces the driveway and the front door is around the other side. People wishing to visit Sr. Bridie should telephone Sr. Mary Goretti on the previous day to make arrange-