Saturday 20th July - 6.30 p.m. – Nikoi family T.G.
Sunday 21st July - 9.00 a.m. – Kay O’Sullivan W.B.
Sunday 21st July - 10.30 a.m. – People of the Parish

 

We pray for the soul of Thomas Gill who died on Thursday 11th July 2019.
His funeral mass will take place on Thursday 18th July 2019 at 10.30 a.m.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Children’s Liturgy There is no children’s liturgy this week, but please pick up a Sea Sunday colouring sheet in the porch for the children.
Ladies Wednesday Club
The next Wednesday Club will be on 24th July.
Thursday Lunch Club Lunch Club as usual this week
STM Social Club St Thomas More Social Club Parish BBQ - 20th July 2019. Tickets available in advance from Bob in the Church porch, or on the door on the night. Adult £4 and Children £3.All money raised will go to the Greenwich and Bexley Hospice! Bob & Co will be in the Church porch on the weekend of 13th July 2019 to collect your donations of raffle prizes and sponsorship contributions towards the cost of food. Unfortunately we cannot accept food donations, only donations in tender for that of the food. We thank you for your support. Please contact Bob Penny for any further information and hall enquiries on 020 8304 7909
Prayer for the Sick Please pray for Bonnie Meehan who is undergoing treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital. We wish her a speedy recovery.
Money Counter Volunteer Urgently Required The Money Counter Role contributes directly to the smooth running of the Parish. Just one Sunday morning in every eleven is all that is asked. Please contact Katie in the presbytery if you would like to volunteer.
Processional Prayer Vigil led by Bishop Thomas McMahon (Emeritus) of Brentwood The Bishop of Brentwood will be leading our next Helper’s of God’s Precious Infants peaceful, prayerful procession and vigil to reach out in love and compassion to mothers who are in crisis pregnancies and to those who have suffered the effects of abortion. The next vigil at Marie Stopes’s abortion facility, 88 Buckhurst Hill, Essex will be held on Saturday 20th July, 2019. Please see the poster in the porch for details.
New Dawn in the Church - Catholic family Pilgrimage Conference Monday 5th August – Friday 9th August 2019; Walsingham, Norfolk Sunday 7th July, 12-4pm. Free Entry with Mass followed by a picnic. Workshops include a mini petting zoo, art workshops and entertainer Circus Rico.
The Co-Workers of St Teresa of Calcutta Coffee Morning Following the 9.00 a.m. mass on Sunday 14th July there is a coffee morning in the hall.

 

 

 

 

Dear Parishioners,

1. Concernng the tabernacle veil Following the re- installation of the dignified and traditional hanging sanctuary lamp with the Roman practice of a clear glass to indicate the real presence of Jesus in the blessed sacrament within the tabernacle, a ‘tabernacle veil’ has now been fitted. Now you may think that the lamp would be the main indicator of the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, but in fact it is the veil: ‘Whatever form the tabernacle takes, it should be veiled as THE PRIMARY SIGN OF THE REAL PRESENCE’. The veil may be white or preferably the colour of the day or season, but never black. The veil represents the holy tent of the Lord. It is thus a paradoxical sign of mystery, revealing by concealing the sacred Presence of Emmanuel who ‘tabernacles’ among us’. Eliot, ‘Ceremonies of the modern Roman Rite’ p28. For now we will be using just the white veil. White in the church’s liturgical colours covers quite a spectrum anyway: from silver to gold, from snow white to pale yellow. White is always the colour to indicate the presence of Jesus: hence for all feasts of the Lord (like Christmas, Corpus Christi, Sacred Heart) the priest wears white and the light for the Blessed Sacrament is white too. Our current silver coloured veil was made with many thanks to a parishioner, from an old vestment which was frayed and out of shape. Now in its new form it will see many more years of service to the parish. Eventually we may get veils for the tabernacle in purple for Advent and Lent, red for Pentecost and martyrs (including of course St. Thomas More) and green for ordinary time, but white is permitted at any time if you don’t have these other colours. The same applies to vestments for the priests; if he doesn’t have the right colour available, he can always wear white. If there is no veil on the tabernacle and the sanctuary lamp is not on, this is the indicator that the Lord is not present. We rejoice that the Lord is with us at our parish church and our doors are always open. The lamp is lit, the veil is on, the Lord is present. Come and visit Him for some peace in your heart for he promised in his call to us ‘Come to me, all you are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28).       2. Concerning the July Votive Mass of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ           on Friday 19th July, 7.00 p.m. July is ‘the month of the Precious Blood’ which is a great traditional devotion connected to the Passion of Jesus Christ. It is a recognition of Jesus’ sacrifice and how Jesus gave his blood for our salvation through the scourging, through the crowning with thorns, through the carrying of the cross on his shoulder, through the nailing to the cross and through the piercing of his side. His blood is made present through the sacrifice of the Mass which we consume, along with the body of Christ, under the appearance of bread and wine: for the Lord said ‘Take and drink, this is my blood’. Over time the Church developed various feasts of the Precious Blood, but it wasn’t until 1849 when a universal feast was established by Pope Pius IX. He was in exile from Rome at the time due to war, but after creating the feast, the war ended and he returned to Rome soon after and proclaimed that the 1st Sunday in July would be dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Later, Pope Pius X assigned July 1st as the fixed date of this celebration. After Vatican II the feast was removed from the calendar as it was thought the feasts of Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart covered it, but a votive Mass in honour of the Precious Blood was established and can be celebrated in the traditional month of July and like all votive masses, at many other times too. Following May, the month of Mary, June the month of the Sacred Heart, the entire month of July is traditionally dedicated to the Precious Blood, and Catholics are encouraged to meditate on the profound sacrifice of Jesus and the pouring out of his blood for humanity during this month: it is in the outpouring of the Lord’s Most Precious Blood from his pierced side that our church, the body of Christ, was born. In addition to these months, October is of course dedicated the Holy Rosary and November to Holy Souls. The Litany of the Precious Blood is one of the Six official litanies of the Church which can be sung in public gatherings (there are many others for private devotion). We will sing the Litany of the Precious Blood on Friday at the Mass. Many Churches are dedicated to the Most Precious Blood including Westminster Cathedral and Borough parish church in our archdiocese. In modern times there has been a revival of devotion to the Precious Blood notably in parts of Africa.       3. Concerning the Diocesan Award: ‘Fideliter Servientes’ The Archdiocese of Southwark has created the Diocesan Award ‘Fideliter Servienti’ conferred in recognition of faithful and committed service to the church in the Archdiocese. The medal awarded bears the logo of the Archdiocese and on the reverse the phrase ‘’Well done good and faithful servant’’ (Matt. 25: 21). The medal is presented formally at mass. The Award is a sign of the communion which exists between the particular and universal church, and to answer the universal call to holiness in union with the Holy Father and his Bishops. The Medal can be worn to mass when a bishop is present, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, on the Feast of St Thomas of Canterbury and of St Augustine of Canterbury (all patronal feasts of the diocese). It can also be worn on the Feast Day of St Thomas More, our parish patron. The lapel pin can be worn at any time and the miniature medal may be worn at any formal church social event. His Grace, Archbishop Peter has awarded the Diocesan Medal to our very own MR ROBERT PENNY for his dedicated service to this parish as Chairman of St Thomas More Social Club and manager of Hall Bookings. Bob has carried out this service for twenty years, organising social events and so helping bring the parish together. Bob has continued to serve at the request of his parish priests. His work has also had considerable outreach to many in the area who are not St Thomas More parishioners but who attend our social events. Over the years, Bob’s service will have made a considerable contribution too to the finances of the parish. The parish thanks him and Bob will be awarded the diocesan medal at the 6.30 p.m. mass on Saturday 20th July, before the parish barbecue. Well done good and faithful servant. In peace and unity Fr Jonathan

 
 

 

 

Mass Attendance on 7th July: 306 Counters for 21st July:  Antonio Andrade and Dave Goode 09:00 Sunday Morning Mass - Readers Rota Large print copies of the Newsletter can be obtained from the Sacristy

The Catholic Church of St Thomas More. 420A Long Lane, Bexleyheath, Kent, DA7 5JW Tel: 020 8303 2189 Email: bostallpark@rcaos.org.uk Website: www.st-thomasmorebostallpark.co.uk Parish Priest Fr. Jonathon Routh Email: jonathonrouth@rcaos.org.uk