Newsletter for Week starting on the 23rd December 2018 : 4th Sunday of Advent

Published by AFAN in News · 22 December 2018

HOLY CROSS CHURCH

Date 22^nd/23^rd Dec

208 Sangley Road

Catford, London SE6 2JS

Tel: 020 8698 3672

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.holycross-catford.org.uk

Part of RC Archdiocese of Southwark

Registered charity number: 1173050

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL

The magic of Christmas is not in the presents,

but in His presence!

May the joy of Christmas and the peace which the Birth of the Saviour brings into the world be in your hearts forever- Fr Antony

New Year thanksgiving service and Mass

At the end of the year 2018, we are going to spend an hour of adoration of the blessed sacrament in our parish to thank and praise for all God’s blessing. Holy Mass will begin at midnight to welcome the new year in a prayerful atmosphere. All welcome.

CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERT

This Sunday, 23^rd December at 4pm in the church. Come and sing praises then have a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie in the hall afterwards.

Surprises of Heaven: “But it is on the night of Christmas that the biggest surprise comes: The Most High is a small child. To celebrate

Christmas, then, is to welcome the surprises of Heaven on earth” – Pope Francis.

READERS AND EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS CHRISTMAS ROTAS.

Please sign up for ONE of the Christmas and New Year Masses, there are still lots of spaces. The sheet is located on the table near the Lourdes Grotto. Thank you if you have committed already. Remember if you are ever unable to fulfil your commitment you should contact someone and arrange cover.

WELCOME

A very warm welcome if you have recently moved into our parish. Do please introduce yourself to Fr. Antony and the welcomers, and complete a Parish Registration form for you and your family. You can do so online via the parish website or complete a form available in the Lourdes Grotto corner. If you have young children (babies to 4 year olds), do please come with them to Children’s Liturgy of the Word in Hartley Hall during the first part of the Mass, to meet other parents and families.

If you are a visiting friends or family over the Christmas holiday period, do please come and join us as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour.

REFLECTION As we draw close to the Feast of the Nativity, we hear the great stewardship proclamation twice in today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews: “Behold, I come to do your will, O God!” Who is this Jesus? Who are we that we should follow him? Many want him as a friend, a guide, a king, an advocate. We long to see the face of God. Jesus reveals the nature of God, the servant sent to give us new life in Him. Take time to ponder: Do we have the courage to follow Jesus? To show others the face of God? To say to the Lord: “Behold, I come to do your will?”

SERVICES OVER CHRISTMAS

Christmas Masses

For the Family Mass, kindly dress your children up like shepherds or any other characters of the crib please. They will be gathered in front of the altar during the homily.

Christmas Eve Monday 24^th

5pm Family Mass

7pm Vigil Mass

MIDNIGHT Carols and Midnight Mass

Christmas Day

10am Tuesday 25^th

11.30am Tuesday 25^th

New Year’s Eve

Midnight Mass Monday 31^st December

New Year’s Day 1^st January 2019

10am Mass

Mass intentions

If you would like to offer a Holy Mass for your family [for a particular intention or thanksgiving] or pray for the peaceful repose of the soul of your beloved departed ones, kindly complete a Mass request envelope found near the Children’s Corner and hand it over to Fr Antony. We, our parishioners as family, pray for your intentions.

Sat 6.30 People of the Parish

Sun 4^th Sunday of the Advent

10.00 Michael Herlihy (F)

11.30 Francesca C Simpkins RIP

4pm Christmas Carols

Mon Christmas Eve

5pm Family Mass [Angela Wipp]

7pm Mass of the vigil of Nativity

11pm Christmas Carols

12pm People of the Parish

Tues Christmas Day

10am Matt Cleary

11.30am Shantini TG

Wed St Stephen’s Day

10am Dominic & Elizabeth TG

Thur St John. Apostle. Evangelist.

10am Stella & Philomin TG

Fri Holy Innocents Martyrs

10am John Baptiste Thomas RIP

Sat 6.30 Mr Steve Clark RIP

Sun Holy Family

10.00 Mary Monaghan RIP

11.30 People of the Parish

Mon 10am Mary Holden

Midnight Mass Augustine Carnell

Tues Mary Mother of God

10am Titus Nwachukwu RIP.

Please note: During Christmas week, we shall have morning 10am Mass [not 9.15am].

Please pray for those whom our Ministers visit with HOLY COMMUNION:

Clifford Aristide, James Barlow, Mary Barry, Rose Calver, Bridget Doyle, Eileen Embury, Ellesdene Edwards, Elizabeth Marie Forde, Elizabeth Goba, Margaret Doherty, Audrey Fitzsimmons, Theresa Harney, Peter Hughes, William Keogh, Nino Leone, Agatha Lewis, Gala Lobo Anthony Marshall, Ivy Mulroney, Susan Murphy, Florence Nosegbe, Eleanor Martin, Mabel Martin, Charity Oparaji, Josephine Patterson, Rex Phillips, Anthony Renouf, Casimar Santhiapillai,Jean Scott, Irene Stone, Bridget Sullivan, Genevieve Stanislaus, Vera Pollock, Sheila Tagg,

Patricia Vesey, Ann Whitington,

HOME VISIT BY FR ANTONY

Kindly complete a form kept in the Grotto Corner to invite Fr Antony to visit your home to bless your family and family home. Please note that the preferred date and time may not be available sometimes because of the number of requests he has been receiving.

Special Ministers of Holy Communion

This weekend 4^th Sunday (22nd/23^rd Dec)

6.30pm Neville Fernandes, Beatrice Orodje, Prexy Rajendram

1)Brendan Downton 2) IsabellaVan Schslwyk P) Margaret Folkes

10am Dilys Grant , Shirley Lench, Wendy Abiola, Sam Jayakaram

1) Millie Lemonius, 2 )Ijeoma Agbonye, P / Cath Sanderson

11.30 John Ogunbadawa, Kate Middleton, Frank Afful, Vera Onongaya,

1) Petrina Douglas2) Rosa Candita Simpkins P) Vacant

Next weekend 5^th Sunday (29^th/30 Dec )

6.30pm Bridgette Laing, Chris Joyce

1) Pat Barber, 2), Rubi Erangey,P) Rahel Leul

10am Joe Baptiste, Caroline Cleary, Francesca Dunbar, Dilys Grant, Eta Ngobe

1) Francesca Savanmut 2) Ben Travers P) Diane Ukah

11.30am John Ogunbadawa, John Walsh, Franck Acquibi

1) , 2) Dillon Augustin, P) *

FINANCE £742.84 Standing orders £503.

Many Thanks

CHRISTMAS OFFERING

The offerings at Christmas services will be your personal gift to Fr Antony

OPEN HOUSE

If you would like to see a Spanish crib then visit 69 Bargery Rd SE6 2LP on Sat 29^th December between 15.00 and 18.00

CRIB COLLECTION

…this year goes to ‘The Catholic Children’s Society’.

ECUMENICAL PILGRIMAGE

The parishioners of Holy Cross, St Lawrence and St Andrew are making a pilgrimage to Walsingham on the 29^th of May [Wednesday]. This is a new initiative and only 17 pilgrims are accepted from each parish. Kindly give your names to Fr Antony. First come first served!

How can I bring the Joy of Christmas to…

At least 78 homeless people died in the UK on the streets and in temporary accommodation this winter, bringing the number of recorded homeless deaths to more than 300 since 2013.

Rough sleeping has increased by 169% nationally since 2010. An estimated 4,751 people bedded down outside in 2017, but charities say the official statistics fail to capture the true level of street homelessness.

4.5 million UK children are living in poverty.