HOLY WEEK MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Sun 29th Mar Palm Sunday
8.30 am Anton Hergesell, RIP
10 am Stipo Vidovic, 1st anniversary
12 noon Rose Marlow, RIP
Mon 30th Mar Monday of Holy Week
10 am Balguy and Sarthal families, intentions
Tues 31st Mar Tuesday of Holy Week
10 am A private intention
Weds 1st Apr NO MASS
Thurs 2nd Apr Maundy Thursday
8 pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Followed by Vigil at the Chapel of Repose until 11
Fri 3rd Apr Good Friday
11 am Family Stations of The Cross
3pm The Passion of Our Lord
7 pm Stations of The Cross
Sat 4th Apr Holy Saturday
10 – 11am Confession
8pm Easter Vigil – People of the Parish
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: Anton Hergesell, Stipo Vidovic, Rose Marlow, all the Holy Souls and those whose anniversaries occur at this time or have died recently. May they Rest in Peace.
THE OFFERTORY
The offertory collection for week ending 22nd March was £746.62 and Contactless was £162.73
Donations via Standing Orders, Stripe and Online will be communicated one month in arrears. Thank you for your generosity.
THOSE BEING CONFIRMED AT THE EASTER VIGIL
Let us keep Sophia, Elsa, Suzanne, Joe, John, and Sam in our prayers as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night.
We also pray for John, their catechist, who has accompanied them on this journey of faith, and for Fr Peter, who will confer the sacrament.
May the Holy Spirit strengthen them, guide them, and fill them with the gifts they need to live their faith with courage and joy.
THE EASTER COLLECTION
Like at Christmas, the Holy Saturday and Easter Day offertory is part of the tradition that helps provide for the parish priest’s annual salary. These seasonal offerings play an important role in supporting his ministry throughout the year, and your kindness is always appreciated. The ordinary Sunday collection, by contrast, is used for the day‑to‑day running and upkeep of the parish—keeping our church warm, welcoming, and cared for. Thank you for the generous spirit which you bring to our parish community.
MAUNDY THURSDAY & CONFESSIONS
Maundy Thursday is a day of deep significance for us as Catholics. It commemorates both the institution of the Last Supper and the moment when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. These final, tender actions of the Lord reveal His desire to serve us completely—ultimately fulfilled in His sacrifice on the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins.
One of the most meaningful ways we can respond to Christ’s self‑giving love is by coming to confession, allowing Him to serve us once again by washing away our sins. Just as He knelt to wash the disciples’ feet, He meets us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation with the same humility and mercy.
Fr Dennis and I will be available for confessions during the first hour after the Maundy Thursday Mass, during the traditional time of watching and waiting.
If you have not yet been to confession this Lent, Maundy Thursday offers a beautiful opportunity to do so.
Blessings, Fr Peter.
HOLY WEEK
Today we begin Holy Week, the days during which we journey with Jesus on his way of the cross and anticipate his Resurrection on Easter. Today's liturgy begins with the procession with palms to remind us of Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. The events of Jesus' Passion are proclaimed in their entirety in today's Liturgy of the Word.
Those events will be proclaimed again when we celebrate the liturgies of the Triduum—Holy Thursday's Mass of the Lord's Supper, the Good Friday of the Lord's Passion, and the Easter Vigil.
These days are indeed profound and holy. Jesus acts in obedience to the Father even in death, so that sins may be forgiven. Matthew makes this clear in the story of the Lord's Supper. As Jesus blesses the chalice, he says: “for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:28)
There are many vantage points from which to engage in Jesus' Passion. In the characters of Matthew's Gospel, we find reflections of ourselves and the many ways in which we sometimes respond to Jesus. Sometimes we are like Judas, who betrays Jesus and comes to regret it. We are sometimes like Peter, who denies him, or like the disciples, who fell asleep during Jesus' darkest hour but then act rashly and violently at his arrest. Sometimes we are like Simon, who is pressed into service to help Jesus carry his cross. Sometimes we are like the leaders who fear Jesus or like Pontius Pilate, who washed his hands of the whole affair.
Jesus dies so that our sins will be forgiven. The events of Jesus' Passion, death, and Resurrection are called the Paschal Mystery. No amount of study will exhaust or explain the depth of love that Jesus showed in offering this sacrifice for us. After we have examined and studied the stories we have received about these events, we are left with one final task—to meditate on these events and on the forgiveness that Jesus' obedience won for us.
FAITH SHARING GROUP
Just a reminder that our last faith‑sharing group before the Easter holidays will take place on Monday at 7:30pm in the Small Hall. It’s a lovely chance to gather, reflect, and pause together before we enter the heart of Holy Week.
ST MARY’S EASTER EGG HUNT
Join Fr Peter for our giantly enormous and wonderfully huge Easter Egg Hunt right after the 10am Mass on Easter Day!
All children are invited to dash around the grounds, gather as many Easter Eggs as they can find, and bring them back to the Parish Centre, where the Easter Rabbit will carefully inspect and verify each one…
…and then the children can enjoy gobbling them up — remembering to share, of course!
SPRING FORWARD…….
Please remember that on this Sunday 29th March at 1 am, clocks go forward 1 hour!!
THE PASSAGE COLLECTION.
Your amazing generosity filled twenty bags with clothes and shoes. Here they are, on a rail about to be selected by our homeless brothers and sisters.
Well done everyone who contributed, Julie who organised and Jean, Laura and Confirmation parents who sorted and bagged.
“Every action of Christ was a lesson; every silence of Christ was a teaching; every suffering of Christ was a redemption.”
— Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
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