St Mary's East Finchley N2 8HG

Father Terry writes: In our opening prayer today, we ask of God: ‘Hear the pleading of your people, and bestow your peace on our times’. To which I would think we would all heartily say: Amen. Only 25 years ago we were hoping for a new era of peace. Apartheid had been overcome. The Berlin Wall had been torn down. Northern Ireland was making more and more progress. It seemed that we could spend money on vanquishing hunger and disease rather than building weapons. Alas

Second Sunday (Year C ) 20th January 2019 MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS Sat 19th Jan 6 pm Vigil Mass May Brennan, intns Sun 20th Jan 8.30 am People of the parish 10 am Agnes O’Boy and Nancy O’Boy, RIP 12 noon Intentions of the donor Mon 21st Jan 11 am Funeral Mass of Christine Cunningham Tue 22nd Jan 10 am

Father Terry writes: I remember once seeing in the newspaper a photograph of Korean children doing physical exercises in the snow. They were shirtless, despite the freezing cold. The caption said that their parents paid for them to do this course in order to give them mental and physical stamina. In suburban London we would worry at such dangerous exposure to the winter cold. But it is thought-provoking. As children grow up they will have to overcome obstacles and rise to

Baptism of the Lord (Year C ) 13th January 2019 MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS Sat 12th Jan 6 pm Vigil Mass People of the parish Sun 13th Dec 8.30 am Brother Michael Brennan, intns 10 am Karen and Santana, intns 12 noon Winnie Fallon, RIP Mon 14th Jan 10 am Annette O’Gorman, 1st anniv Tue 15th Jan 10 am

Father Terry writes: A friend in America recently sent me a kind of questionnaire about family life, not so much questions as observations. One of them went as follows: Your car contains the cartons of at least four drive-thru restaurants but you haven't sat down for a meal as a family all week. Well when I read that I made a mental note to clear the cartons and crisp packets out of my car. But it also set me thinking. The point, as you can see, was to say that we are unde

Holy Family (Year C ) 30th December 2018 MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS Sat 29th Dec 6 pm Vigil Mass John O’Callaghan, anniv Sun 30th Dec 8.30 am People of the parish 10 am Patrick Mackessy, RIP 12 noon Spellman family, intentions Mon 31st Dec 12 noon Marie Bloom, intentions Tue 1st Jan Solemnity of Mary, Mother

Father Terry writes: In the final trimester of a woman's pregnancy, the life quickens within her. The baby kicks and makes its presence felt in many ways. Some mothers will tell you that near the time of birth, their baby seems to respond to external sounds. So it makes perfect sense to read in the gospel today that the infant John within Elizabeth responds to the sound of Mary’s voice. Mary’s greeting must have contained an exultancy that reached even the child carried i

Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year C ) 23rd December 2018 MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS Sat 22nd Dec 6 pm Vigil Mass Veronica Filippin, anniversary Sun 23rd Dec 8.30 am People of the Parish 10 am Mary Marshall, intentions 12 noon A private intention Mon 24th Dec NB no morning Mass 6 pm John McGrory, anniversary 10 pm

Father Terry writes: We read in the gospel today that a feeling of expectancy had grown among the people (Luke 3.15). It was a time when they were wondering whether the Messiah might have already come, whether he was hidden in their midst and was about to make himself known. And people were already beginning to reform their lives, in the expectation that at any moment the Christ might be revealed right next to them. What power is hidden in that simple phrase about a feeling

Third Sunday of Advent (Year C ) 16th December 2018 MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS Sat 15th Dec 6 pm Vigil Mass Sean & Margaret Byrne, intentions Sun 16th Dec 8.30 am People of the Parish 10 am Patrick Giblin, anniversary 12 noon Lily Murphy, intentions Mon 17th Dec 10 am Funeral Mass of Maurice Lane Tue 18th Dec 10 am