Dear friends in Christ
In the Gospel of the Mass this weekend, Jesus address each of us with the words…come, follow me.
Liturgy:
Readings of Year B
The Nicene Creed
Preface of Sunday 3
Saturday 12
Ss Ethelburga, Hildelithe and Cuthburga, Rel
5.30pm Vigil Thomas Patrick Costello, RIP (Anniv) (KC)
6.30-7.30pm: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confession
Sunday 13 October
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
8am Mass Stephen Hymas, RIP (Anniv) (GM)
9.30am Mass The People of the Parish
11.30am Mass Intentions of Bridget Scholastica Helen D'Cruz (AJ)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 14
St Callistus 1, P, M
9am Mass Christopher Adams, RIP (HR)
Tuesday 15
St Teresa of Jesus (Avila), V D
9am Mass Anne & John Young, RIP (Anniv) (LY)
Wednesday 16
St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Rel
9am Mass Intentions of Rosaleen Sherwell (RO’C)
Thursday 17
St Ignatius Antioch, Bp, M
9am Mass Intentions of Zena Rokan (KR)
Friday 18
St Luke, Ev
12Noon Mass Intentions of Evelyn Mackay (SD)
Saturday 19
St John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Pp and Comps, M
10am Mass David Thomas, RIP (Anniv) (PT)
10.30-11.30am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confession
5.30pm Vigil The People of the Parish
6.30-7.30pm: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confession
Sunday 20 October
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
8am Mass Michael Mapson, RIP (JC)
9.30am Mass Intentions of Anita Lupton (K&LW)
11.30am Mass Intentions of Toolya Such (AJ)
5pm Body in Church Sheila Murphy, RIP
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Mgr Matthias Kearney, Mgr Canon Michael McKenna, Canon Roderick Grant, Mgr Canon Christopher Creede, Winifred Archer, Adele Cumbo, Caroline Cussen, Annie Dunne, George Masi, Kathleen Lionnett, Eva Riley, Christopher Adams, Francis Jones, Martha Tanner, Phyllis Koch, Olga Ballard, Mary Aitken, Mary Smith, Kathleen Chambers, Florence Cody, Ada Redington, Patricia Kendal, Charles Edwards, William Brooks, Johanna Gromnicka Margaret Kenney, Josephine Platt, Annie Barton, Anthony Isaacs, Joan Erwood, George Gatward, David Thomas & Kevin Hopley.
This week the Sanctuary Lamp burns for the deceased members of the Hippard Family.
PAUL WATTS, RIP who died on Friday, 11th October. Funeral details to follow.
SHEILA MURPHY, RIP who died on Tuesday, 1st October. Her body will be received into the church at 5pm on Sunday, 20th October and her Requiem Mass will take place at 9.30am on Monday, 20th October.
MICHAEL MAPSON, RIP who died on Tuesday, 10th September. His Memorial Mass will take place on Friday 15th November 9.30am.
Requiescant in pace
My brothers and sisters,
This Wednesday, 16 October 2024, a bill will be introduced to Parliament proposing a change in the law to permit assisted suicide. The debate will continue for a number of months, in society and in Parliament, before a definitive vote is held there. This puts in the spotlight crucial questions about the dignity of human life and the care and protection afforded by our society to every human being.
As this debate unfolds there are three points I would like to put before you. I hope that you will take part in the debate, whenever and wherever you can, and that you will write to your Member of Parliament.
The first point is this: Be careful what you wish for.
No doubt the bill put before Parliament will be carefully framed, providing clear and very limited circumstances in which it would become lawful to assist, directly and deliberately, in the ending of a person’s life. But please remember, the evidence from every single country in which such a law has been passed is clear: that the circumstances in which the taking of a life is permitted are widened and widened, making assisted suicide and medical killing, or euthanasia, more and more available and accepted. In this country, assurances will be given that the proposed safeguards are firm and reliable. Rarely has this been the case. This proposed change in the law may be a source of relief to some. But it will bring great fear and trepidation to many, especially those who have vulnerabilities and those living with disabilities. What is now proposed will not be the end of the story. It is a story better not begun.
The second point is this: a right to die can become a duty to die.
A law which prohibits an action is a clear deterrent. A law which permits an action changes attitudes: that which is permitted is often and easily encouraged. Once assisted suicide is approved by the law, a key protection of human life falls away. Pressure mounts on those who are nearing death, from others or even from themselves, to end their life in order to take away a perceived burden of care from their family, for the avoidance of pain, or for the sake of an inheritance.
I know that, for many people, there is profound fear at the prospect of prolonged suffering and loss of dignity. Yet such suffering itself can be eased. Part of this debate, then, must be the need and duty to enhance palliative care and hospice provision, so that there can genuinely be, for all of us, the prospect of living our last days in the company of loved ones and caring medical professionals. This is truly dying with dignity. Indeed, the radical change in the law now being proposed risks bringing about for all medical professionals a slow change from a duty to care to a duty to kill.
The third point is this: being forgetful of God belittles our humanity.
The questions raised by this bill go to the very heart of how we understand ourselves, our lives, our humanity. For people of faith in God - the vast majority of the population of the world - the first truth is that life, ultimately, is a gift of the Creator. Our life flows from God and will find its fulfilment in God. ‘The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ (Job 1:21) To ignore or deny this truth is to separate our humanity from its origins and purpose. We are left, floating free, detached, in a sphere that lacks firm anchors or destiny, thinking that we can create these for ourselves according to the mood of the age, or even of the day.
The clearest expression of this faith is that every human being is made in the image and likeness of God. That is the source of our dignity and it is unique to the human person. The suffering of a human being is not meaningless. It does not destroy that dignity. It is an intrinsic part of our human journey, a journey embraced by the Eternal Word of God, Christ Jesus himself. He brings our humanity to its full glory precisely through the gateway of suffering and death.
We know, only too well, that suffering can bring people to a most dreadful state of mind, even driving them to take their own lives, in circumstances most often when they lack true freedom of mind and will, and so bear no culpability. But this proposed legislation is quite different. It seeks to give a person of sound will and mind the right to act in a way that is clearly contrary to a fundamental truth: our life is not our own possession, to dispose of as we feel fit. This is not a freedom of choice we can take for ourselves without undermining the foundations of trust and shared dignity on which a stable society rests.
As this debate unfolds, then, I ask you to play your part in it. Write to your MP. Have discussions with family, friends and colleagues. And pray. Please remember: be careful what you wish for; the right to die can become a duty to die; being forgetful of God belittles our humanity.
May God bless us all at this critical time.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster
Prelude: Concertado No. 3 sobre Ave maris stella—Gaspar Dos Reis (d. 1674)
Postlude: Farborão e versos do 1 tom—Fr. Martinho García de Olague (17th century)
Responsorial Psalm
Monday, 14th October—Journey in Faith (RCIA) 8pm Parish Centre
Thursday 14th November—Annual Requiem Mass 7pm
Friday 22nd November—Sung Latin Requiem Mass 7pm
Thursday 28th-Saturday 30th November—Forty Hours’ Prayer
Friday 20th December—Sea of Voices Carol Service 7pm
Saturday 15th—Friday 21st March 2025—Parish Mission led by the Redemptorists
Saturdays 10th & 17th May 10.30am—First Holy Communion Masses
Sunday 1st June 2025—Visitation & Confirmation
Sunday 22nd June—Corpus Christi Procession 4pm
Monday 21st—Friday 25th July—Lourdes Pilgrimage
These Certificates can be collected from the Parish Office 09.00-13.00 Thursday and Friday; this will be the final opportunity this week.
This continues on Monday, 14th October 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 begin at 8pm, are held in the Newman Room of the Parish Centre (the door is beside the Memorial Garden) and usually last just over an hour. Names may be given in advance to Fr Kevin or the Parish Office.
Are you interested in finding out more about us? If so, why not come along to an informal gathering, have a talk to one of our group, pick up a leaflet and have a cup of tea.
One lady has joined after contacting Aylesford Priory. She had no idea there was a group meeting once a month at Our Lady of Lourdes.
We are meeting on Saturday, 26th October from 3pm to 4pm in the Parish Centre. All welcome—or contact Julie on 01702 330096.
The Holy Father invites all Catholics to support his charity for World Missions through a special collection. To donate use the Mission envelopes (at the back of the Church) and please take a Missio Prayer card. The ways to donate are on the envelope. See also the poster at the back of the Church.
Thank you Joan Caunce Secretary 01268 757505
Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th October by appointment. Telephone 01702 344933 or email office@st-thomasmore.southend.sch.uk.
For parents who have a son due to transfer to secondary school in September 2025—come and see the school during a normal school day, meet the staff and pupils.
Parents of boys who wish to apply to St thomas More School for a place in September 2025 should complete the Local Education Authority single application form (SAF) and fill in the supplementary information form (SIF) that can be collected from the school or downloaded from the website.
As we approach the colder months, St Vincent Centre Southend is working to provide much-needed winter clothing for vulnerable men and women in our community. We are reaching out to ask for your assistance in donating warm clothing items, such as coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and other essentials, to help those who are struggling through this difficult season.
St Vincent’s are accepting donations of gently used or new winter clothing at our centre: Unit 9, Victoria Business Park, Short Street, Southend , SS2 5BY
If you are able to assist, please feel free to contact me at 07549128877 or via email at nesperm@svp.org.uk.
Volunteer Drivers
As we approach the colder months, St Vincent Centre Southend is urgently seeking driver volunteers to help us continue providing vital services to those in need. This winter, we are asking you to be the "Door of Hope" for vulnerable individuals and families in our community.
How You Can Help: Food Pickup & Delivery, Furniture Pickup & Delivery, Event Support and More.
If you or anyone in your community can spare an hour a week, you can make a real difference. Your assistance will enable us to keep our doors open to those in crisis, offering them not only essential goods but also the warmth and kindness they so desperately need.
Together, we can be the hands and feet of compassion this winter. Thank you for considering this opportunity to help. We are deeply grateful for any time you can offer.
For more information or to volunteer, please contact us at lilyd@svp.org.uk
Join a group for faithful young adults for faith based discussions. Presentations on relevant theological or ethical issues, evening prayer, exposition and benediction.
If you are interested then contact Max on 07783506474 for more information or to confirm your place. Food and drink will be provided.
The first session: Monday 28th October at 18:30pm in Sacred Heart Church Hall (SS1 2QB) featuring a presentation by Fr. Graham Smith titled: Gender Ideology: A Catholic Perspective.
We are open after Masses every weekend with some new stock including Statues and Rosaries. We have a good selection of cards for various occasions, plus a few books for children.
You are welcome to come and browse and if you do not see what you are looking for please ask one of the Volunteers. NB. The Repository is open at weekends only.
Saying Goodbye, (part of the Mariposa Trust) are coming to Chelmsford in October with a very special Baby loss remembrance and support service (part of a UK and Ireland chain of events). The Mariposa Trust’s core objective is to support people who have lost babies at any stage of pregnancy, at birth, or in infancy. It was founded in 2012, by Zoe and Andy Clark-Coates, who saw a critical lack of support for people like them, who had gone through baby loss. With over 258,000 babies being lost yearly in the UK alone, the charity needed to be able to offer not only a comprehensive package of befriending and support but also national baby loss remembrance services (called Saying Goodbye Services), for people to join together and remember the children they had lost. 12 years on, over 200 services have taken place at Cathedrals and Minsters across the UK, US, and France, and 2024 will see 25 services across England, Wales, Ireland, France and the US.
On the 13th October at 6pm, in Chelmsford Cathedral, we will be hosting one of our Saying Goodbye Services and as this is the most local service to you this year we wanted to share this information with you.
So who is the service for?
Anyone who has either personally lost a baby at any stage of pregnancy, at birth, or in early years, or who has been affected by family members' or friends' loss. Whether the loss was recent or 80 years ago, everyone is welcome to attend. We have also extended the services, and gladly welcome anyone who is grieving the fact that they haven't had children. This may be due to circumstance, infertility, or for other reasons - but all are welcome. Babies and children are also invited to come with their families, as the Saying Goodbye service is truly a family event for all.
We know that as 1 in 4 women suffer miscarriage and baby loss, you will have contact with a significant number of people who have either personally suffered baby loss, or who have a partner or family member that has, so we wanted to ask if you would help us in promoting the service.
To read more on the charity, please see the Saying Goodbye website, which you can find at: www.sayinggoodbye.org