Please pray for the repose of the souls of
SUSAN GRIFFIN, RIP who died on Thursday, 27th August. Her body will be received into the church on Tuesday, 22nd September at 4.30pm and her Requiem Mass will take place on Wednesday, 23rd September at 11am, followed by burial at Sutton Road Cemetery.
JOHN SCAIFE, RIP who died on Sunday, 6th September. His body will be received into the church on Wednesday, 14th October at 4.15pm and his Requiem Mass will take place on Thursday, 15th October at 2pm, followed by committal at Southend Crematorium.
NICHOLAS HUTCHINS, RIP who died recently.
Requiescant in pace
200 Club
The 200 Club was first formed to raised funds for the Parish Centre. Once it was completed and the building was paid for, it was decided that the funds raised by the 200 Club would be given to the charity ‘Aid to the Church in Need’ to help their missionary work.
Originally the Club had almost 200 members but sadly this has now dropped to 145 members, partly because a number of parishioners have passed away. Additionally, some of them held more than one number in the draw.
We are looking to significantly increase the number of participants in the draw. Membership costs £5 per month (payable monthly, six monthly or annually). If you wish to join, a Membership Application form and Standing Order form can be found at the back of the church.
The draw takes place monthly and there are four prizes: £150, £100, £75 and £25.
For more information, please contact Linda Wall on 01702 558217 or 07769 708231.
Journey in Faith—RCIA
This begins on Monday 12th October at 7.30pm and is specifically for those who are not Catholics but who are enquiring with a view to finding out more about the Catholic Faith and Reception into the Church. These evenings are held in the Parish Centre and last for one hour. Names may be given in advance to Father Kevin or to the Parish Office.
Those interested in reading or learning more before the course begins may wish to purchase a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church from the Catholic Truth Society, or listen to The Catechism in a Year podcast with Fr Mike Schmitz.
Certificates of Catholic Practice
Please note Fr Kevin will be issuing Certificates of Catholic Practise in September/October. These should be collected from the Parish Office Tuesday—Friday 9.00—13.00.
A Bible Study with Dr Brant Pitre
"Why We Believe – A Bible Study with Dr Brant Pitre
Join us this autumn for Why We Believe, a fascinating Bible study exploring the big questions people ask about the Catholic faith — from "Does God exist?" to the Eucharist, Confession, Mary, and Purgatory. Reasonable, biblical and beautiful, this series is for everyone: cradle Catholics, those returning to the Church, or simply the curious. No theology background needed — come as you are, questions welcome!
Two ways to join:
Mondays, 10.30am
Wednesdays, 7.30pm
Both sessions run at the Parish Centre. All are welcome!"
Further info from Heather Ward 07885737393, heatherward55@gmail.com
OLOL Ladies Group
We meet again at 10am on 24th September in the Parish Centre. All ladies welcome. This week we have a guest speaker who will be giving a talk on her move from Italy to the UK so we hope to give Ilaria Peter a very warm welcome. Subs are just £1, plus a Raffle.
Young Vincentians
Our next meeting is on Monday 21st September from 5.15pm. Young Vincentians Committee.
Repository News
We have some new stock, including Statues, plus a few items from Lourdes, in addition to books and a large selection of cards.Please feel free to browse and ask our volunteers for assistance if you can't find what you are looking for.
MISSIO Red Boxes
I have received the Autumn Missio magazines. If you have not already received one from me personally please take one from the back of the Church (usual place). If anyone has a box that is ready for paying in to the Bank please give it to me personally or leave in the office for me to collect. Thank you. Joan Caunce 01268 757505.
St Thomas More High School
Sixth Form Open Evening—Thursday 1st October 6pm—8pm
Headteachers talks at 7.30pm
For families who have students – boys and girls - in year 11 of secondary school who are intending to begin sixth form studies in September 2027. Come and visit the school and meet the staff and current sixth form students. There will be tours of the sixth form building and the rest of the school.
Seniors Exercise & Balance Class
10am Tuesdays
Parish Centre
£6
You are invited to join the Exercise & Balance Class for Seniors which is held every Tuesday morning in the Parish Centre. The class starts at 10am and lasts one hour. Exercises are done to music and each session costs £6.
St Bernard’s High School
We have a vacancy for a Social Media & Design Administrator
Please complete a support staff application form which can be found on our website in High School/Key Information/Vacancies, and email it to recruitment@stbernards.southend.sch.uk. Please note that CVs will not be accepted. Closing Date: 28 September 2026 @ 9.00am Interviews: w/c 28 September 2026.
Our Lady of Ransom Catholic Primary School
Vacancy for a Learning Support Assistant
For details, please visit our website: https://sites.google.com/olorcps.net/olor-website/school-info/vacancies
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear friends in Christ
There are some lessons in life which we never quite finish learning. We may learn our maths, study history and geography, acquire qualifications and degrees, but there are certain lessons which have to be learned again and again.
Dear friends in Christ
There are some lessons in life which we never quite finish learning. We may learn our maths, study history and geography, acquire qualifications and degrees, but there are certain lessons which have to be learned again and again. One of the hardest is the lesson of forgiveness. In the Gospel this Sunday, Peter comes to Our Lord with what he probably thinks is a very generous offer: Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? Seven times sounds like a great deal. But Our Lord’s answer is startling: Not seven times, but seventy times seven. Jesus is not giving Peter a complicated calculation. He is telling him that forgiveness cannot be reduced to a number. If we are to be His disciples, forgiveness must become part of the way we live.
The parable of the unforgiving servant makes the point very clearly. A man owes his master an enormous debt, far beyond anything he could possibly repay. Yet the master, moved with compassion, forgives the whole debt. The servant then meets someone who owes him a comparatively small amount and refuses to show the mercy which he himself has received. It is a powerful warning to us. How easily we can forget how much God has forgiven us, while remembering with remarkable clarity the faults of others. We can carry old grievances for years, rehearse old conversations in our minds, and keep alive injuries which, if we are honest, we should have surrendered long ago to the mercy of God. Forgiveness does not mean pretending that something hurtful did not happen. Nor does it mean that justice does not matter. It means refusing to allow another person’s sin to have the final word in our lives. We place the matter into God’s hands and ask for the grace to let go.
And perhaps this is where this Education Sunday has something important to say to us. Education is not simply about passing examinations or acquiring information. At its best, education teaches us how to become fully human. Children need to learn not only mathematics and languages, but patience, kindness, responsibility, generosity and the ability to say both I am sorry and I forgive you. These are lessons which cannot be learned merely from a textbook. They are learned by example. Our schools, our families and our parishes all have a part to play in forming young people who know not only how to succeed in life, but how to live well. And perhaps there is no better lesson we can give them than the lesson of forgiveness. When a child sees an adult willing to apologise, to forgive, to begin again and not to hold a grudge, something profound is being taught. Ultimately, forgiveness is a lesson we learn from Christ Himself. At the Cross, when He had every reason to condemn, He prayed for those who had crucified Him. And every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we ask to be forgiven as we forgive those who trespass against us. It is a demanding prayer. But it is also a liberating one. So, as we celebrate Education Sunday, let us remember that some of the most important things our children—and indeed all of us—have to learn cannot be examined on a piece of paper. We have to learn how to love, how to serve, how to say sorry, and how to forgive. And perhaps today we might ask ourselves a simple question: Is there someone whom I need to forgive? If there is, let us bring that person before Christ. For the same Lord who has forgiven us is asking us, in turn, to become people of mercy. That may be one of the hardest lessons we ever learn—but it is also one of the most beautiful.
With every blessing!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings of Year A
The Nicene Creed
Preface of Sunday 4
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saturday 12th September
The Most Holy Name of Mary
12Noon Nuptial Mass: Peter Underwood & Erin James
5.30pm Vigil Mass The People of the Parish
6.30pm—7.30 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
Sunday 13th September
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
8am Mass Intentions of the Quinn Family (TQ)
9.30am Mass Jean Mulhern, RIP (MS)
11.30am Mass Alan Bush, RIP (Anniv) (CB)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 14th
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
9am Mass Susan Griffin, RIP (Anniv) (AL)
Tuesday 15th
Our Lady of Sorrows
9am Mass Danny Bradley, RIP (J&CO’B)
Wednesday 16th
Ss Cornelius, P and Cyprian, Bp, M
9am Mass Geoff Copps, RIP (MW)
Thursday 17th
St Robert Bellarmine, B, D
9am Mass Alan Ward, RIP (Anniv) (HW)
Friday 18th
Feria of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
12Noon Mass Ian Spacie, RIP (VS)
Saturday 19th September
St Januarius, Bp, M
10am Mass Frances Scott, RIP (MR)
10.30am—11.30 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
5.30pm Vigil Mass The People of the Parish
6.30pm—7.30 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
Sunday 20th September
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
8am Mass Samuel & Johanna Beech, RIP (JC)
9.30am Mass Holy Souls
11.30am Mass Susan Griffin, RIP (Lambert Family)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
We Pray for the Dead on their Anniversaries
Fr Theophilus Borer, Abp George Andrew Beck, AA, Canon James Hemming, Deacon Arthur woods, Fr Louis Heston, Fr John Bergin, Canon Patrick Sammon, Fr Anthony Mayston, Canon Frederick Gahagan, Eliza Moore, Mary Wright, Wilfred Sawyer, Kathleen McGowan, Anne McCarthy, Veronica MGMaguire, Joyce Wager, Alan Bush, Anthony Abbott, Patricia Lawrence, Kathleen Horning, Bill Jarrett, Ann Dodd, Marie Norah Browne, Jack Abbott, Dario Peretti, Philomena Conley, Frank Maguire, Catherine Lane, Bernard Wiltshire, Eileen McCarthy, Percival De’ath, Bridget Finnegan, Anna Pucino, Sylvia Mary Jones, Dot Tooley, Anne Kathleen Gibson, Frances Spriggs, Joseph Hayes, Queenie Kay, Christopher Hickey, Stella Smith, Bernard Ratcliff, Hing San Lan, Mary R Collins, Elizabeth Parsons, James Hale, John Watters, Anna Marie Tynan, Alan Ward, John Fazio, Lilian John, Dora Loker, Margaret White, Ann Maureen Walker & Mark Wilson.
We pray for our sick
We pray for the sick of our parish
“Father,
by the power of your Spirit
you have filled the hearts of your faithful people
with gifts of love for one another.
Hear the prayers we offer for our relatives and friends.
Give them health of mind and body
that they may do your will with perfect love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.”