PARISH OF ST THOMAS OF CANTERBURY SEVENOAKS Churches in Sevenoaks, Otford, Borough Green and west kingsdown Archdiocese of Southwark Parish Newsleer 7th July 2019 Today’s Mass: FOURTEENTH SUNDAY in ORDINARY TIME (Year C) First Reading: Jerusalem, the holy city, is depicted as a mother and as the centre of celebraon when the Messiah comes. Psalm: with joy we praise God for his mighty deeds. Second Reading: these lines summarise this epistle: the Messiah has come already and begun the new creaon, the restoraon to perfecon which Jewish thought associated with the Messiah ’s coming. Gospel: the Lord sends out the seventy-two, to proclaim the nearness of the kingdom of God. Here we see Jesus’ method: He calls others to help Him in spreading the Good News, and He sends them out in pairs (that is, the Chrisan mission is not a solitary endeavour). When they return rejoicing, Jesus says that ulmately and in reality the kingdom of God is heaven. Fr David “The harvest is abundant but the labourer are few”
Transcript
PARISH OF
ST THOMAS OF CANTERBURY
SEVENOAKS
Churches in Sevenoaks, Otford,
Borough Green and west kingsdown
Archdiocese of Southwark
Parish Newsletter 7th July 2019
Today’s Mass: FOURTEENTH SUNDAY in ORDINARY TIME (Year C)
First Reading: Jerusalem, the holy city, is depicted as a mother and as the centre of celebration when the
Messiah comes.
Psalm: with joy we praise God for his mighty deeds.
Second Reading: these lines summarise this epistle: the Messiah has come already and begun the new
creation, the restoration to perfection which Jewish thought associated with the Messiah’s coming.
Gospel: the Lord sends out the seventy-two, to proclaim the nearness of the kingdom of God. Here we see
Jesus’ method: He calls others to help Him in spreading the Good News, and He sends them out in pairs
(that is, the Christian mission is not a solitary endeavour). When they return rejoicing, Jesus says that
ultimately and in reality the kingdom of God is heaven.
Fr David
“The harvest is abundant but the labourer are few”
Western Rd, Borough Green TN15 8AG
Mass times: Sunday 11:00am , Friday 10:00am Holy Days of Obligation 11:00am Rosary: 1st Wed every month at 7:00pm
Bereavement Support: An informal gathering to support those who have been bereaved, whether recently or longer ago. This take places in the Parish Centre from 10:30am-12:00noon and the dates can be found either in the Parish News-letter or the Parish Notice Board in St Thomas Porch. For more information do contact Ronnie Campbell on 01732 452988 or Sarah Harrison on 01959 522357 or Kate Travers: katetrvers521@ hotmail.com
Catenians: The Catenians are a social club for Catholic
men aged 18 to 108. We also help the parish with social events. We always welcome visitors to our meetings at Knole Park Golf Club on Seal Hollow Road. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm followed by dinner at 8.30pm. For further information, please contact: [email protected] or on 07834 259 229.
Children’s Liturgy of the Word, Sunday Mass: Sevenoaks, 9.15am Mass: Mark O’Prey - [email protected] Otford, 9.30am Mass: Alex Wilson-Beales - Tel: 07789 776602 Borough Green, 9.30am Mass: Fiona Newton - [email protected]
The Pilgrims: Teas or lunches, four times a year, held
at St. Thomas’s in the Parish Centre. All older parishioners are welcome and lifts are available. Contact: Jackie Pembroke 01732 450197 [email protected] or Pat Harman 01732 453902 [email protected].
Scripture Fellowship: Reading a Gospel together. Andrew Wilkinson - 07847 652846
St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP): Please contact us
if you know of someone who would benefit from a visit or some financial help. We aim to help anyone irrespective of a person’s religion. Kathie Gonzalez (01732 761253), Frances Smith and Joan Perkins can be contacted at [email protected].
Union of Catholic Mothers (UCM): Borough Green UCM: Mary Ringham (President) Tel: 01732 885814 West Kingsdown UCM: Monica Biggs (President) [email protected]
Young Disciples: Informal catechesis for school years
4 - 9, Sundays after 9.15am Mass in the TV room upstairs, starts with refreshments. Term time only. Enia Adeleye - [email protected]
Further details of organisations are available in our Parish Handbook and on our website.
Visit us at www.sevrcparish.org.uk
Follow us on Twitter @7oaksCatholic
Breaking News! It has been announced that Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman is to be canonised on Sunday October 13th. This, like all canonisations, will take place in Rome, in St Peter’s Piazza. This will make Cardinal Newman the first English person who lived since the 17th century officially recognised as a saint. He was a Church of England priest who became a Catholic in 1845. He founded the Birmingham Oratory and was noted for his intellect as well as for his concern for the poor. He is widely considered to have been one of the most significant figures of the 19th century, and was very influential on the newly emancipated Catholic Church in England and on the deliberations of the First Vatican Council. When he died at the age of 89, over 15,000 people lined the streets of Birmingham for his funeral.
Adoration at St Bernadette’s Now that there is no Thursday Mass at West Kingsdown, the Thursday Adoration is discontinued with immediate effect. The Wednesday Adoration from 7:30pm to 8:30pm will continue, with Rosary for the Unborn at 7:00pm on the first Wednesday of the month.
The Parish Finance Committee will meet on Monday 15th July at 8:00pm in the Presbytery.
St Joseph’s Altar & Ambo The sculptor has informed us that he plans to commence work on installing the permanent Altar and Ambo on Monday 22nd July. This means that there will be no Mass there on Thursday 25th July. It also means that we shall need to move the chairs etc out of the way after Mass on the Sunday (21st) and have a working party on the morning of Saturday (27th) to dust and clean up and re-instate the chairs etc.
St Edith devotions: Sunday 8th September The annual Devotions this year will be on Sunday 8th September: St Edith’s Well (next to the Bell pub) at the slightly later than usual time of 3:30 pm, followed by Vespers at St Mary’s Church at 4:00pm, and Afternoon Tea at The Bell at 5:00pm. These devotions are very suited to families and children. There will also be a Pilgrimage Walk from St Thomas’ via Most Holy Trinity. Details to follow.
This year’s devotions will include a new setting of Vespers by the composer Angus McPhee, in memory of Mary Tyler. There will be a chamber choir, Eo Nomine, from London to support the new setting.
Today
Visiting Priests We welcome Brother Zbigniew Fryska, OFM Cap for the 8:00am and 9:15am Mass at St Thomas’s, and Brother James Boner, OFM Cap for the Borough Green and West Kingsdown Masses. Both are based at the Franciscan Friary in Erith.
Parish Garden Party 12:30pm – 4:00pm in the Presbytery garden. This is our largest social event of the year, so do make an effort to come along. Free entry, free food, free drink, free entertainment, children’s games, bottle stall, book stall, and much more. Raffle tickets (£2 each) are on sale with lots of nice prizes.
Friday: Pre-School St Thomas’ Pre-School will be celebrating 35 years of opening and our last year of operating as St Thomas' Parish Pre-School this year. We will be holding a special event to commemorate these auspicious moments on Friday at 2:00pm. This will take place as a street party on the playground, to which all past and present pupils and families are invited.
Meanwhile, the Pre-School is transferring from a parish based arrangement to be part of St Thomas’ School. This is to comply with Ofsted governance regulations, and will mean better financial, safeguarding and administrative oversight of the Pre-School. Mrs Whitehead, however, will continue in charge, the same staff will also continue, and there will be little practical difference. Please note, for the avoidance of any confusion, that admission to the Pre-School does not automatically give admission to Year R of the main School; parents will still have to make the normal application at the correct time, as required by law.
Next Sunday: second collection The diocesan second collection will be for the Apostleship of the Sea, which supports seafarers worldwide, providing pastoral and practical care at ports. The AoS is part of the international network known as Stella Maris. You can find out more by watching a short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwc-rpDU2KA.
Fr Paul Fr Paul is now away on his annual leave until the end of the month, visiting his family in Nigeria.
Parish NOTICES
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Do you know this Catholic trivia? Are you a Catholic mastermind or simply in need of a novena to St Jude? With thanks to the Diocese of Westminster Youth Ministry. 1. How many Popes have there been? a) 942 b) 266 c) 97 d) 538 2. To whom did Our Lady first reveal the miraculous medal? a) St Catherine Labouré b) St Thérèse of Lisieux c) St Benedict d) St Francis de Sales 3. Who was the first Pope? a) St John b) St Andrew c) St Peter d) St Paul 4. How many Mysteries of the Rosary are there? a) 4 b) 15 c) 10 d) 20 5. What are you reminding yourself of when you cross yourself with holy water on entering church? a) Jesus is the Water of Life b) God’s promise after the flood c) The tears shed during the
passion of Christ d) your Baptism
6. What is the most important day and celebration in the Church’s year? a) Christmas b) All Saints c) Easter d) Pentecost 7. How long must you fast for before receiving Holy Communion? a) 12 hours b) 6 hours c) 1 hour d) 30 minutes 8. How many major apparitions of Mary have there been? a) 9 b) 4 c) 6 d) 12 9. How many Sacraments are there? a) 10 b) 7 c) 4 d) 9 10. What is the official daily prayer of the Catholic Church? a) Taizé chant b) The Mass c) The Divine Office d) The Rosary 11. Which of these is the most recently living Doctor of the Church? a) St Catherine of Siena b) St Teresa of Avila c) St Thomas Aquinas d) St Thérèse of Lisieux 12. What percentage of Christians are Catholic? a) over 30% b) over 40% c) over 50% d) over 20% 13. Which country has the most Catholics? a) Brazil b) Mexico c) USA d) Italy 14. A Catholic priest came up with the ‘Big Bang’ theory. What was his name? a) Georges Lemaître b) Henry Richardson c) Edward Oldcorne d) John Smith
the catholic trivia quiz Answers 1: b. 2: a. 3: c. 4: d (5 Joyful, 5 Sorrowful, 5 Glorious, 5 Luminous). 5: d. 6: c. 7: c. 8: a.. 9: b. 10: c. 11: d. 12: c. 13: a.
St Edith is the right hand saint in the mural behind the Altar in St Thomas’s with Kemsing Church behind her. She was born in Kemsing in 951, the daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful, and became Abbess of Wilton; she was famous for her learning, beauty and sanctity.
Parish Retreats at The Friars, Aylesford This year’s Women’s Retreat is 6th to 8th September. The theme is Discerning God in our everyday life, facilitated by Rev’d Susanne Carlsson, the Spirituality Advisor for Rochester Anglican Diocese. The Men’s Retreat is 11th to 13th October, led by Fr Kevin Alban, O.Carm (theme to follow).
The cost for full board and the facilitator is £200 or £188.50 if you over 60. The increase in cost reflects the increase in the cost of the accommodation. There are a maximum of 20 places available for each Retreat. Lift shares to Aylesford will be organised. To attend pick up a Registration Form from each church or download it from the website. Please return the form with a non-refundable deposit of £20 (cheques payable to ‘St Thomas’s Church’) as soon as possible. Any queries contact Catherine Rodger ([email protected] or 01732 458852).
Pembury Hospital If someone is admitted to Pembury Hospital, please contact Tunbridge Wells parish, whose priests act as chaplains there, giving the ward details if possible: either ring 01892 522525 or email [email protected].
Ride & Stride This annual event is on Saturday 14th September. Charles Sexton is organising the Ride and Stride sponsored walk/bike ride again for Holy Trinity, Otford. Charles will be riding again and will be looking for sponsors after Sunday Masses. If anyone would also like to walk or ride please let him know at [email protected]. We will also need volunteers to greet participants on the day: a signing up form is available in Holy Trinity porch.
The Passage Garden Party You can support the excellent work which The Passage does for homeless people in central London by attending The Passage annual Garden Party in the beautiful and historic College Garden, Westminster Abbey on Friday 19th July, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Tickets at £45 each include wine, soft drinks, buffet supper and live music. Tickets are available online through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-passage-garden-party-2019-tickets-59008227196,
or from The Passage, St Vincent’s Centre, Carlisle Place, London SW1P 1NL. Tel: 020 75921856. Email:[email protected]. It will not be possible to purchase tickets at the Abbey. All proceeds in aid of The Passage.
One World Fr Kenneth Egere, on behalf of the Department of Communication Studies at the Catholic Institute of West Africa, has written to acknowledge receipt of the equivalent of 875,000 Naira. With the money they were able to buy data video SE 500HD 4 Channel Digital Video Switcher (N410,000), 2 HP computers (N440,000), with transport and installation costs (N25,000).
Fr Kenneth’s arrival has been delayed by the new Visa restrictions introduced by the UK government, but he hopes to be with us by August.
Cyclone Idai appeal Co-incidentally, Monsignor Boniface Tamani has also emailed to thank “all the parishioners for the kind donations you made towards the flood victims”. In consultation with the government Department for Disaster Preparedness they were advised not to buy food items as these were being supplied by the World Food Program. Instead the areas most affected needed plastic papers for roofing as they attempted to rebuild their homes, and your money paid for the special paper for 350 households. Additionally the money paid for exercise books and pens for the school going children.
Assuming he negotiates the new, restrictive UK Visa regime, Monsignor Boniface hopes to be with us towards the end of July. .
Parish Finances
What return can I make to the Lord for his generosity to me? Psalm 116
Offertory - 29 June / 30 June 2019
St Thomas’s £1,134.71 Otford £273.05 Borough Green £230.70 West Kingsdown £121.59 TOTAL £1,760.05 Second Collection Peter’s Pence £497.13
Standing Orders are not included and are
notified monthly.
Thank you for your generosity and support
Parish NOTICES
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Christian moral behaviour: the third commandment
T he Third Commandment is: ‘Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy’. For Jews the sabbath is Friday evening to Saturday; Christians transferred it to Sunday, the day
of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The best document on the reasons for keeping Sunday holy is Dies Domini, an Apostolic Letter of Pope St John Paul II in 1998. You can find it on the Vatican website.
The Day of the Resurrection “This is the day which the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118), and Sunday has always been given special status by Christians because it is the Day of the Resurrection, the day on which Our Lord rose again, the central core of Christian belief. Hence, in the words of a fourth century homily, the Lord’s Day is the ‘lord of days’. Seen in this way Sunday is not merely part of the weekend, some time off work. Rather every Sunday is an Easter celebration.
The Day of Creation and Day of Rest According to Genesis 2 God rested on the seventh day. This gave rise to the Jewish ‘Shabbat’ or Sabbath in English. Sunday is thus a day of rest from normal work (insofar as is possible for people like nurses) but also a day on which we praise God for his goodness and love in creating us and the universe. Keeping this day holy helps us to remember God’s work for us.
The Day of Pentecost and the Day of Faith It was again a Sunday when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles gathered with Mary on the feast of Pentecost, the ‘founding event of the Church’ (Dies Domini 28) and which continues to give life to the Church. Sunday thus also becomes a Day of Faith; it is the day on which we recite the Creed.
The Day of the Church It is above all when we participate in the Sunday Mass, the Sacred Assembly, that we become the holy people of God: “the Sunday Eucharist is at the heart of the Church’s life” (Catechism 2177). Sunday is thus also the Day of the Church: it is our attendance at the Sunday Mass – the Sacrament of Communion - which makes us Church and makes individuals part of the Church. As the Mass anticipates the eternal banquet in heaven, Sunday can also be called the Day of Christian hope.
The Day of Humanity As a day of rest from our daily work, Sunday can be devoted to important things such as the family, acts of charity and solidarity (eg inviting a lonely person to a meal), cultural activities, living a genuine peace, and so on. Pope Leo XIII in Rerum Novarum spoke of Sunday rest as a worker’s right which the State must guarantee.
The Day of Days Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end of time. This is why the liturgical season on Sundays follows the saving acts of Christ, from Advent to Christ the King. Sunday foreshadows the Parousia, the Day of Judgement at the end of time.
The Sunday Obligation Since Sunday is so important and so full of significance for the Christian, from the earliest centuries the Church has reminded the faithful of the need to take part in the Sunday Assembly, the Mass. The Code of Canon Law (1247) places a grave obligation to attend Sunday Mass, unless one is impeded by something such as ill health or lack of transport. This includes Sundays when one may be away from home, on holiday or whatever. If this seems onerous, we should remember that Sunday should entail “a joyful celebration in song” and should be a “day of prayer, communion and joy” (Dies Domini 50 and 84).
Please remember the sick who have been commended to
our prayers, especially:
Sue Chamberlain, Michael Gerald Cleere, Elaine Cuthbertson, Frank Easterbrook, Sr Rosemary McCaffrey fmsa, Patrick Moore, Rosemary Remnant, Ana Pilar Santos, Jill Wilson, Ann Steven, Bernard Summerville, Richard Murphy, Maria Pretious, Maureen Perry, John Banbrook, Lilian Spragg.
Anniversaries
Tony Crane, Jeremiah O’Driscoll, Mary Jowett, Florence Eaton, Rose Byrne, Celia Piddock, Edna Waller, Jerry Lynch, Suzan Temple, Hugh Cogleh, Agatha Vincent, Margaret Pyke, Chris-tine Devitt, Agnes Byrne, Brian Morel, Harold Hinton, Vera Doherty, Emily Gregg.
Mass intentions All masses are at st Thomas ’s CHURCH unless otherwise stated
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Sunday 7th July 14th SUNDAY of the YEAR 6:00pm(Sat) Marcus Wray RIP 8:00am People of the Parish 9:15am Les Phillips RIP & comfort of Aldred girls 11:15am Stan Kowalczyk RIP & comfort of his family 6:00pm Mark & family 9:30am Otford Catherine McGuane RIP
9:30am Borough Green UCM Intentions 11:00am West Kingsdown Barry Simmonds RIP & comfort of his family Monday 8th Feria
8:00am Laureen & family Tuesday 9th Feria
9:30am Bob Harman RIP (1st Anniversary - birthday)
Wednesday 10th Feria
8:00am Holy Souls 10:00am Otford Roy Cavey - thanksgiving for ordination Thursday 11th Feria
8:00am Mark & family 10:00am West Kingsdown Holy Souls Saturday 13th of Our Lady
9:30am Holy Souls Sunday 14th July 15th SUNDAY of the YEAR
6:00pm(Sat) Roseline Martlew RIP 8:00am Well being of Ian Nunn 9:15am Thomas Mernock RIP (birthday) 11:15am People of the Parish 6:00pm Joseph & Josephine Brown RIP 9:30am Otford Marie Scott RIP (anniversary) 9:30am Borough Green Frank Hullett RIP 11:00am West Kingsdown Colin Smith - good estate
Sunday 8:00am Mass Antiphons
Entrance Antiphon Suscepimus, Deus, misericordiam tuam in medio templi tui. Secundum nomen tuum, Deus, ita et laus tua in fines terrae; iustitia plena est dextera tua. Communion Antiphon Venite ad me, omnes qui laboratis et onerati estis, et ego reficiam vos, dicit Dominus.
Confirmation
Congratulations to Kathleen Bouverie recently Confirmed
