Sunday 27th March 2022 : 4th Sunday of Lent
HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CHURCH
208 Sangley Road, Catford, London SE6 2JS
Fr Antony Megalan Sellam [Parish Priest] – 02086983672
Website: www.holycross-catford.org.uk
Parish Contacts
Parish Office is Open
(Tuesday and Thursday)
10am - 3pm
020 8698 3672
Josepha Flahive
Lisa O’Hara
Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate
Holy Cross Bookshop, 020 3441 8240
Holy Cross School
[020 8698 2675]
Miss Mary Collins
www.holycross.lewisham.sch.uk
Repository:
CLOSED
St Vincent De Paul [SVP] 07835 188411
Safeguarding Line 07598 524024
Pat Barber and Kate Cleevely - [email protected]
Third Thursday Time TTT
Email: [email protected]
Hartley Hall [Tony Early]
Culverley Road, SE6 2LD
Email:[email protected]
Sunday 27th March 2022 : 4th Sunday of Lent
You can find the Readings from here
Gospel Reflection: The two sons in todays Gospel can be seen as archetypes.
With the younger son, it is the will to be independent. The younger son says, treat me like the heir that I am: “Father, give me my share of the inheritance that is coming to me.” He wasted it and was penniless – becoming a hired hand who could not even eat the food for the pigs he was tending and yearned to be a hired hand who ate well in his father’s house. He presumed that the consequence of his sin was the loss of sonship. His memorised apology was based more on his own hunger and hard times than on having insulted his father. Perhaps, we would identify more with this son when we were younger. Jesus saw this son’s identity in the sinners and tax collectors.
At first hearing, the elder son resonates with us because of a second archetype deep within us: self-righteousness. However as we mature spiritually, we see that the elder son’s attitude is impelled not by love for his father but by: “look at all that I have done for you; I deserve better than this.” However, God does not keep score in his love as we tend to do when we are young and immature.
However in both son’s cases the father went out to them, not forcing them to grovel and apologise. Before the youngest could get his apology out his father had dressed him in a robe and sandals and set about giving a feast for his return. In the older brother’s case he went outside and rather than having a go at him he spoke gently and lovingly, explaining the situation. The father’s behaviour was showing ‘Divine Grace’.
Jesus here gives us a story of how we should forgive as our father forgives. We remember that when Jesus said, “Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect,” it was in the context of the father’s forgiveness, not in our doing everything perfectly. Thinking that we have to do everything perfectly is a spiritual affliction that we have to overcome in order to serve God.
Fr Antony
Please take a copy of the Newsletter home with you - please do not leave it in the church. Thank you.
- MANNA MISSION: We repeated the Soup And Bread Kitchen in our Parish after the 11.30am Mass on Sunday (20th March). Thanks to Gracey George & Marion Perez who produced some wonderfully delicious soups this last Sunday for the mission. Also thanks to those who helped set up, serve and cleardown afterwards. This will be repeated once more on Sunday 3rd April, after which we will evaluate how well it has been received (i.e. numbers of needy attending).
- MOTHERS’ DAY: This Sunday we celebrate Mothers’ Day. St. Thérèse of Lisieux says, “The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother.” We thankfully remember our mothers and pray for them for what they have been to us.
- ONE PERSON ONE MISSION: We try to follow ONE PERSON ONE MISSION principle in our parish. This will enable many people to participate in God’s mission in His holy community. This goal may not be achieved overnight but we strive to fulfil this as soon as possible. So, for example, if you are a reader at Mass and also an offertory collector, please find someone to do one of the missions. Together we establish His kingdom in our midst.
- BAPTISMS This weekend we will be receiving baby Michael Aaron Douglas into the church through baptism. Please keep baby Michael and his parents Maria and Andrew in your prayers.
Last year we baptised 33 children in our parish.
- If you would like to baptise your child, collect an application form from Fr Antony, complete it and submit it to Jo Flahive in the parish office with the necessary documents asked for.
- You will then receive an email from the Baptism Preparation Course coordinator, Donella Canelle [[email protected]], with details of the course.
- You will have to participate in two Baptism Preparation Courses held in our Hartley Hall.
- Next Baptism Course will be held as two sessions on 30th April & 7th May.
- First Holy Communion, Confirmation and RCIA for next year. Applications for are available from this week. Please collect them from Fr Antony
- LENT IN HOLY CROSS
Divine Mercy Chaplet: Every Wednesday after the 9.15am
OUR PARISH RESPONSE TO COVID 19 PANDEMIC - Updates
URGENT: COVID-19 Update-> Holy Cross Church is Open
COVID SECURITY GUIDELINES : Following the recent changes(Friday 10 dec) in the regulations from the Government, the parish has issued updated guidelines for continued safe and covid-secure worship in the church.The latest document is Guidances for Churches December 2021
- Please note that the Mass times have been reviewed : See below (Mass Times and Intentions)
All the Masses will be live-streamed: https://holy-cross-stream.click2stream.com
- With respect to the current situation with the omicron variant it is important to ensure the following points are followed in our churches:
- That people displaying any symptoms of covid-19 should stay at home and not travel to church or participate in person.
- That hand sanitiser is used by everyone attending the Church.
- Concerning face masks, some form of face covering will be required in most public indoor venues, including places of worship. However, exemptions exist for various reasons: legitimate health reasons, as has always been the case.
- That there is good ventilation and air throughput in the building; in this case, because of climatic conditions, please do wrap up warmly when coming to the church as we may need to leave doors open.
- That people who are engaged in a form of pastoral ministry which involves ministry to the housebound, sick, and vulnerable, should take regular lateral flow tests to ensure they are safe to do so. These are free from the NHS.
- The Holy Mass is offered everyday via Livestream
- Diamond Club Magazine is available here
