​​​​The CAFOD collection last weekend raised £2998, so many congratulations to Elizabeth Carey and all her volunteers and thanks also to all the parishioners for contributing so generously.  We do try to space out the second collections, so that they are at least two weeks apart.  Next weekend, 18 October, is the 100th World Mission Sunday, when there will be a second collection in support of the work of Missio.  Pope Leo’s annual message for World Mission Sunday can be found at the following link:  https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/messages/mission/documents/20260125-giornata-missionaria.html.  It concludes with a lovely prayer:  “Holy Father, make us one in Christ, rooted in his love that unites and renews. May all members of the Church be united in mission, docile to the Holy Spirit, courageous in bearing witness to the Gospel, proclaiming and daily embodying your faithful love for all creatures.  Bless all missionary men and women, support them in their efforts, and watch over them in hope! Mary, Queen of Missions, accompany our work of evangelization in every corner of the earth: make us instruments of peace, and grant that the whole world may recognize in Christ the light that saves. Amen.”

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This Sunday is Prisoners’ Sunday, and it is an opportunity for us to remember prisoners and their dependents in our prayers.  Our Lord himself, not to mention Saints Peter and Paul and many of the saints, have spent time in prison.  Even those prisoners who are guilty of an offence of some kind deserve our prayers and our support, as God’s mercy is boundless and these people are our neighbours.  The Catholic Association that supports prisoners is known as PACT (Prison Advice and Care Trust), and I would encourage any parishioners inclined to be generous to support this fine charity by donating directly on their website, which can be found at https://www.prisonadvice.org.uk.  Our own Archbishop, Richard Moth, is President of PACT and has supported its work for many years.  

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Next Saturday, the long-awaited mini-pilgrimage is to take place, from Farm Street Church to Saint James’s Church, during which medieval pilgrim songs are to be song.  It is not too late to register for participation, although attendance at the second and final rehearsal in the Social Centre this Wednesday evening is mandatory for those registering now.  The link with which to register, using Eventbrite, is bit.ly/caminosongs1.

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Tuesday of the coming week is the Solemnity of Saint Edward the Confessor, King of England just before the Norman Conquest.  As the Bayeux Tapestry, in which Saint Edward features, has just come to this country, it seems a particularly opportune moment to reflect on the reign of this saintly king, whose mortal remains are enshrined at Westminster Abbey.  His feast-day is a solemnity in the City of Westminster, and for that reason there will be a Vigil Mass on Monday evening.  

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For those of us in Westminster, this solemnity takes precedence over the founder of the Order of Malta, Blessed Gerard, whose feast day also falls on 13 October.  So one way and another, there is much for us to celebrate this week.

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Thursday 15 October is an important day for our Carmelite friends, as it is the day when we remember Saint Teresa of Jesus, the 16th-century Spanish mystic, spiritual writer and reformer, who was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1970.  Her many spiritual writings have inspired thousands over the centuries, and her many foundations, in the reformed (discalced) Carmelite tradition, include our own nearest Carmel, at Notting Hill, from which we receive the hosts that we consume at Mass.

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On Friday we remember Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French mystic, who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart as well as the First Friday devotion.  So we have much reason to celebrate her.  

 

Saturday is the memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr from the late first and early second century.  He is particularly well known for the series of letters that he wrote to communities of  Christians, much as Saint Paul had done before him.  In his famous Letter to the Romans, he pleads with the Christians of that place not to stand in the way of his martyrdom, through misguided concern for his physical well-being, but to allow him to be thrown to the lions, as indeed he was.

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Sacramental preparation forms have now been received.  Many thanks to all who have submitted them.  Those who have registered for the RCIA are invited to attend a gathering in the Social Centre at 5pm this Sunday, 11 October, when plans will be made for the months ahead.  We hope particularly to see the Catholics who wish to prepare for Confirmation on this occasion, as a slightly different pathway will be proposed to them.  Classes for First Holy Communion and teenage Confirmation begin in the New Year.

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Requests continue to arrive at the Parish Office for Certificates of Catholic Practice, in connexion with school applications.  Parents are reminded that they should submit evidence of Catholic Practice, in the form of signed statements from the priests who celebrate the Sunday Mass you attend on each of three consecutive Sundays.  Postcards for this purpose are available at the back of the church.  In order to provide a certificate, we need the full name, as well as the date of birth and the postal address of the child.  The card include space for that information to be provided.  

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The rosary continues to be recited on weekday evenings in the Lady Chapel after the 6pm Mass.  Do please remain behind for this devotion if you can, as it is a most fitting way to honour Our Blessed Lady in this month of the holy rosary.  We ask her to intercede for us all as we progress on our journey of faith.