Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) 30.03.2025

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS

Sun 30th Mar​​

8.30am​ People of the Parish

​10am​​​ Kitty Heenan, RIP

​12noon​​​ Jimmy Sheehan, RIP

Mon 31st Mar      Lent Feria

10am           ​Funeral Mass of Mary Drumm

Tues 1st Apr​ Lent Feria

10am​ Mary Giblin, anniversary

​Weds 2nd Apr​​ NO MASS

Thurs 3rd Apr​ Lent Feria

10am​ Lawrence Whitehead, RIP ​

Fri 4th Apr​ Lent Feria

10am​ Aiden O’Donnell

Sat 5th Apr ​Fifth Sunday of Lent

5pm​ Paddy McNally and Paddy McGrath, anniv.

4.30pm – 5pm: Confessions and Exposition

YOUR PRAYERS:

Let us keep in our prayers: Julius Lipner, David Ryan, Margaret Ryan, Michael O’Boy, Christina Cahill, Eric Nicholas Darwent, Therese Kemp, Jose Luis Pérez, Karina McKiernan, Jonathan Heller, Izabela Lissowska and Sveta Valeri – all unwell at this time. We also pray for: Canon Bernard Scholes,James Corr, Maud Holloway, Una Murphy, Mary Drumm, Kitty Heenan, Fr Sean Carroll, Fr David Barnes, Gerry Stenson, Luis Goncalves,Arcangela Moretto, Patrick Jean Noel Louis-Auguste, Jose Barreto, Gianpiero Gallian, Mary Teresa Foran, Martin Flanagan, Noeleen Hare, Noreen McGlynn and James McCormack whose anniversaries occur at this time or have died recently. May they Rest in Peace.

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE MASS AFTER RECEVING COMMUNION

Please stay for the final blessing unless you have to leave Mass early to return to work.

OFFERTORY

The offertory collection for the week ending 23rd March 2025 - £927.59 and Contactless was

£159.28. The Offertory via Standing Order, Stripe and Online Banking will be communicated one month in arrears.

SPRING FORWARD…….  

Please remember that this weekend (early Sunday morning at 2 am) the clocks will go forward by one hour.

 ST MARY’S LENT COURSE – 2025

“WHEN YOU PRAY”

You know prayer is important but still find it challenging. Perhaps it’s hard to find time, or you’re unsure what to do when you pray. Or maybe you feel discouraged by your weaknesses and your inability to overcome them.

If you have any of these feelings, you are not alone. Many of the saints struggled in prayer. They were like us. But each time they fell, they got up again and learned to rely more on God’s grace.  “When You Pray” is Authored and presented by Dr Edward Sri. 

This Monday’s Theme “Meeting God in the Valley”

Every Monday until Monday 7th April. Each session is an hour.

Make it one of your Lent commitments for 2025.

PLEASE KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS:

The RCIA group has been meeting since September and are about to begin a more intense period of formation before Easter. At the Easter Vigil Aziz and Arlan will be Baptised, receive their First Holy Communion and Confirmed. Roger and Milka will also be confirmed. Please keep John, their catechist, and their sponsors in your prayers as we journey through Lent towards the great feast of Easter.  

ST MARY’S “JUBILEE” EASTER FAMILY & FRIENDS QUIZ NIGHT

What is the capitol of London? How many legs does a six-legged spider have? If it takes 60 minutes to fill a bath, how many hours does it take to fill the River Thames with an average sized teaspoon?

These are essential quiz questions to prepare you for the “Mastermind” of all quizzes at 6pm on Saturday 26th April. More details to follow, but please save the date and start revising what cheese and onion crisps taste like.

Oh…….and some of the rounds will be CAHOOT ones!

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

During Lent the “Stations of the Cross” will be celebrated every Friday at 10:30am.

ST MARY’S JUBILEE DAY TRIP TO ROME:

For those who have booked, you now need to pay your full balance by 14.4.25. Just go towww.pilgrimagepeople.org

WEEKDAY EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

At 9:30am there will be half an hour of Veneration of the Blessed Sacrament before every weekday Mass.

FIRST HOLY COOMUNION PARENTS

There will be a mandatory meeting for parents of first Holy Communion children on Tuesday 22nd April at 7:30pm in the small hall.

CONFIRMATION PARENTS MEETING

There will be a mandatory meeting for parents of Confirmation candidates on Tuesday 29th April at 7:30pm in the small hall.

CHILDREN’S LITURGY AT SUNDAY’S 10AM MASS

As a safeguarding precaution, all children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian when attending Holly’s children’s liturgy at Sunday’s 10am Mass.

THE CAR PARK WILL BE CLOSED THURSDAY AFTERNOON FROM 12 NOON

Fr Peter is having the car park “relined” on Thursday from 12 noon. This means painters will mark out parking spaces with white paint. As a result, there must be no vehicles parked in the car park from 12 noon on Thursday. Thank you.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

HOLY WEEK” at ST MARY’S

17th April—Maundy Thursday

Mass of the Lord’s Supper​​​​                       8:00pm

Followed by Vigil at the Chapel of Repose until 11pm

18th April —Good Friday

Family Stations of the Cross in Church  11:00am

Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion     3:00pm

Stations of the Cross      7:00pm

19th April —Holy Saturday

Confessions                     10:30 am to 11am

Easter Vigil                        8:00pm 

Sunday 20th April —Easter Day

Sunday Masses ​​          8:30am, 10am and 12noon

LENT THOUGHT:

TOGETHER WE FIND NEW STRENGTH

“If we journey together, young and old, we can be firmly rooted in the present, and from here, revisit the past and look to the future. To revisit the past in order to learn from history and heal old wounds that at times still trouble us. To look to the future in order to nourish our enthusiasm, cause dreams to emerge, awaken prophecies and enable hope to blossom. Together, we can learn from one another, warm hearts, inspire minds with the light of the Gospel, and lend new strength to our hands.”

Pope Francis “I want you to be Happy” – Hodder & Stoughton