Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time 08.02.2026

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS

 Sun 8^th Feb​​

8.30am​ Kitty Heenan, anniversary

10am​ Tom Lally, 17^th anniversary

12noon​ Malachy Whitmore, RIP​

Mon 9^th Feb        ​Feria

10am​ Father Terry Tastard, intentions

Tues 10^th Feb​ St Scholastica, Virgin

10am​ Martin Murphy, RIP 

​Weds 11^th Feb                 ​Our Lady of Lourdes

10am             Mass in Our Lady of Lourdes School, Bow Lane

​Thurs 12^th Feb​             Feria

10am​ Felicidad Gines Pascual, RIP​

Fri 13^th Feb​ NO MASS

Sat 14^th Feb​​ Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

5pm​ People of the Parish

Every Saturday: 10am – 10:30am - 4.30pm – 5pm: Confessions and Exposition

YOUR PRAYERS:

Let us keep in our prayers: Joan Gordon, Sanjuna Madonandi Kuniyil, Ben Galligan, Julius Lipner, David Ryan, Margaret Ryan, Michael O’Boy, Christina Cahill, Eric Nicholas Darwent, Therese Kemp, Jose Luis Pérez, Karina McKiernan, Jonathan Heller and Izabela Lissowska – all unwell at this time.  We also pray for: All the Holy Souls, Kitty Heenan, Tom Lally, Malachy Whitmore, Martin Murphy, Felicidad Gines Pascual whose anniversaries occur at this time or have died recently. May they Rest in Peace.

THE OFFERTORY

The offertory collection for week ending 1^st February was £687.08 and Contactless was

£154.88 Standing Orders, Stripe and Online donations will be communicated one month in arrears. Thank you for your generosity.

10 AM WEEKDAY MASSES

To help us save on heating costs during the colder months the 10am weekday Mass will be celebrated in the meeting room of the presbytery, except for Mondays, where it will take place in the church. Thank you for your understanding and for helping us care for both our parish resources and our environment.

INCLUSIVE MASS AT ST MARY’S

St Mary’s warmly invites you to an Inclusive Mass for Children and Adults with Special Needs.

Who is it for?

Everyone is welcome — especially children and adults with learning disabilities, together with their families, friends, and carers.

When?

Saturday 28th February 2026 at 5pm

After Mass, refreshments will be served and there will be a relaxed opportunity to socialise and spend time together as a parish community.

We look forward to welcoming you.

CALLING ALL BISHOP DOUGLASS PRESENT PUPILS

Fr Peter has begun celebrating Mass in the school chapel every Tuesday morning at 8:15am. It will be great to see you!

NEW ROTAS FOR READERS AND EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS

The current rotas end on Sunday 22nd February and new rotas are soon about to be drawn up. The period of the new rotas will be from Sunday 1st March to Sunday 14th June, excluding Sunday 5th April, Easter Sunday, for which there will be special rotas along with those for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. If you wish to change the mass at which you normally serve or know that you will be unavailable for a particular day, please let the Parish Secretary know by Monday 16th February.

ANNUAL MASS OF THANKSGIVING FOR THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY

WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL, SATURDAY 23RD MAY 2026 AT 2.30 PM

The new Archbishop is inviting to this Mass all couples in the Diocese who are celebrating their 5th, 10th, 25th, 30th, 40th, 50th and 60th (and every year over 60) wedding anniversary of Catholic marriage in 2026.  If you are celebrating an anniversary, please e mail the following information to Yvonne in the parish office – finchleyeast@rcdow.org.uk Husband and wife’s names, wedding date, full postal address and contact e mail.  If you have no email, please provide a telephone number. Invitations will be sent directly to parishioners so please provide all the information requested.

“AWAKE” - FAITH SHARING GROUP

Awake is open to all and meets each Monday at 7:30pm in the small hall, offering a welcoming space to reflect on Scripture, explore its meaning and relevance, and spend time in prayer. The sessions are led by Amanda Malandrino, who gently guides the group through its weekly reflections. This Monday will be a special opportunity for the group to look back on what they have learned so far and to share ideas about what they would like to focus on together during Lent.

MESSAGE FROM THE SVP: NEW FRIDGE AVAILABLE

The SVP have a donation of a new fridge – white colour, 59cm width, 83cm height and 55 cme depth.  If anyone is in need, please contact the SVP on 07874 692577 or leave a note for them at the parish office, in the presbytery.

HEATING IN THE CHURCH

Fr Peter writes: “Apologies that, as the newsletter goes to print, I have not yet been able to find a boiler engineer who can repair the pump that circulates warm air into the church. This is largely due to the age of the boiler and the difficulty of finding engineers who can work on such an old installation. I am hopeful that by next weekend I will have found an alternative solution. In the meantime, please wrap up warmly when attending Mass.”

LAST SUNDAY’S SVP SENIOR CITIZENS LUNCH

A huge thank you to the SVP for hosting and cooking last Sunday’s wonderful Senior Citizens Lunch. We are deeply grateful to the SVP team and all their volunteers whose hard work and hospitality made the afternoon so special. A big thank you as well to the amazing live band, affectionately known as “Edward’s Friends”, who filled the hall with their brilliant renditions of classics from the 40s, 50s and 60s. We are also very thankful to Gertie Brownes for their generous donation of wine for the meal. It was a joyful occasion made possible by the kindness and generosity of so many.

ASH WEDNESDAY

Please remember that Ash Wednesday falls on Wednesday 18th February, and there will be two Masses (with the distribution of Ashes) at St Mary’s to mark the beginning of Lent — at 10am and 7:30pm

WEDNESDAY IS THE FEAST DAY OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES

The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is a deeply significant day in the life of the Church, inviting us to reflect on the grace, healing, and hope that flowed from Mary’s appearances to St Bernadette in 1858. These encounters, marked by simplicity and profound faith, continue to draw countless people closer to Christ through the intercession of Our Lady.

To celebrate this special feast we are invited to attend Mass in our Parish School, Our Lady of Lourdes, Bow Lane, at 10am on Wednesday. As part of the schools long‑standing tradition, the children will  reenact the first moment Bernadette meets Our Lady, helping us enter more fully into the beauty and wonder of this profoundstory.

“I am not here to make you believe in the apparitions.

I am here to tell you about them.”

(St Bernadette often said this when questioned, emphasising her humility and honesty.)