MASSES AND OTHER INFORMATION

 

Please visit the Mass Times page for more information on Mass times and other events, or click here. 

PARISH OFFICE OPENING HOURS

 

The parish office opening hours are from 9am to 12.30pm Tuesday to Friday.

PRAYING FOR VOCATIONS

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We pray for young men and women; that God may give them the gift of understanding to discern their service in the Church, the priesthood, diaconate, or consecrated life; and for the gift of courage to follow His call. We pray that young people may know the personal love of the Lord for them, and respond with open and generous hearts. We pray for the ten seminarians in our diocese and for much needed vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Amen.

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You can find out more about how to DISCOVER, DISCERN and/or SUPPORT vocations here.

THE MONTH OF MAY

 

The month of May is the month which is especially dedicated to honour the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the Mother of the Church and therefore the example, as well as the guide and inspiration, of everyone who, in and through the Church, seeks to be the servant of God and man and the obedient agent of the promptings of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Paraclete, Advocate, and Comforter which Christ Himself sent to be our consolation in the sorrowful mysteries of life, our source of moderation in the joyful mysteries of life, and our added principle of exaltation in the glorious mysteries of life. Wherever there is faith there is the example of Mary, because, as the Scriptures remind us, she lived by faith. Mary is a bridge not a barrier to Her Divine Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and so we ask her to pray and intercede for us.

WHAT IS THE 'SUNDAY OBLIGATION'?

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Attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is the greatest of all privileges, sometimes referred to as ‘the Sunday Obligation.’

At the Bishops’ Conference in Cardiff last week, the Bishops voted unanimously to reinstate the ‘obligation’ on Catholics to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days. This will take effect on Pentecost Sunday (5th June).

‘This is the bread come down from heaven’ (John 6:58). A beautiful hallmark of the Catholic faith is the profound desire to participate in the Holy Mass and share in the Eucharist. We do so with deep gratitude and joy. The Eucharist gives the Church her identity – ‘The Eucharist makes the Church, and the Church makes the Eucharist.’ It enables us to worship Almighty God, to support each other on our journey of faith, and to be a visible sign of faith in the world. This hallmark is supported and strengthened by the precept that our fundamental Christian duty is to worship God by participating in the celebration of Mass. So, attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist sacramentally becomes our joy and desire and less of just an ‘obligation’.

PENTECOST RETREATS

 

The Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality at Boars Hill are running a Pentecost retreat, which you can join in person or online. To find out more and register, use the link here.

CHRISTIAN AID WEEK

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Christian Aid week  is 16 -21 May. There will be a Market Place Sale on Saturday 21 May (9am - 1.30pm) with cake, plant and book stalls. Items for sale can be delivered to the stalls on the day. There will be a limited House-to-House collection and envelopes for donations will be available on the stalls. You can also make a donation here.

SUNDAY MESSAGE

 

Please note that on the online version of our newsletter on our website, we will no longer be including the Sunday Message. However, you will be able to view a copy of it here each week.

SIGNIFICANT WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES MASS

 

Are you celebrating a 25th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th anniversary, or anniversary over 60 years? If so Bishop Philip would like to invite you to a Mass of celebration, which will take place at St Bede’s church in Basingstoke on Saturday 2nd July 2022 at 11am. It is a wonderful occasion to celebrate and witness to Marriage.

 

If you would like to come, please email Liz Murphy at anniversaries@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk If you do not have access to the Internet, please contact the Parish Office at St Bede’s and they will provide you with the form.

 

To help celebrate the occasion please could you provide a COPY of your Wedding photograph, you can upload it when you complete the form online. Alternatively, scan and send via email to the above email address.  If you have no access to the Internet you can post a COPY along with the completed form by post to the following address:  St Bede’s Parish Office, Popley Way, Basingstoke, RG24 9DX (Please mark the envelope Significant Wedding Mass)

SUMMER CAMP FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

 

The annual summer camp is run by The Dominican Sisters of St. Joseph and an experienced team of volunteers who have been running Fanning the Flame events for over 20 years. The camp is for young people aged 11 to 21 years, and it will take place again at the Priory this year from 15th -19th August. More information and booking forms can be found here.

DIOCESAN SYNOD REPORT

 

A copy of the final Diocesan Synod Report, which was presented to the Bishop during the recent Chrism Mass, was submitted to the Bishop's Conference of England and Wales for inclusion to the Vatican. You can read this report here.

CALLED & GIFTED

 

Do you know what spiritual gifts you've been given to help you live out your faith every day? If not, you're missing out on a source of spiritual strength that helps you be the person God intended you to be! The Called and Gifted discernment process is designed to help you learn what the spiritual gifts are and prayerfully discern which gifts the Holy Spirit has given you for the glory of God and the benefit of others.

 

For more information on the online process for group learning and discernment, please contact the team leader, Gerry Penfold by email: gpenfold@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

 

For information on how to book as an individual, please see here.

BIG PLASTIC COUNT

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The Big Plastic count is from16 - 22 May.

• Find out how much plastic you use/recycle/throw away over one week.

• Find out what really happens to plastic after it leaves your home. 

Find out more and join the exercise for the week beginning 16th May by signing up here. 

FOOD BANK

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The Abingdon Food Bank regularly need:

• tinned meat;

• sauces for rice – e.g curry, sweet & sour, etc;

• coffee;

• cleaning spray;

• j-cloths or similar;

• shampoo;

• shower gel for men;

• sturdy carrier bags;

• washing up liquid;

• cartons of long-life fruit juice;

• bottles of squash.

• long-life milk

Please do not leave items in our church! The food donation points and opening hours are shown below.

GIFT AIDING YOUR MONETARY DONATIONS

 

If you aren't doing so already, please consider gift aiding your donations – it makes them all the more worthwhile, because if you tell us that you pay tax in the UK, then we can claim back 25% from the Government - that's 25p for every £1 you give! You can do so by filling in the yellow form available at the back of the church or online on our website here. Thank you.

MARY'S MEALS - PRAY IN MAY

 

Mary’s Meals has been built on a foundation of prayer and the many little acts of love from those who support them. They are inviting churches across the UK to join them in prayer to celebrate the wonderful work of Mary’s Meals and give thanks that together we are now reaching more than 2 million children with a nutritious meal in 20 countries every school day. This year they have also created prayers for children and will be inviting church schools to join in with the campaign. More information is available here.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION / CONFIRMATION

 

46 children are due to make their First Holy Communion on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th June, and 18 young people from our parish will be confirmed on Friday June 24th at 7pm at English Martyrs Didcot. Please keep the children, young people, their parents and the Catechists in your prayers.

BE PREPARED

 

We may not like to think about it, but it is a fact of life that one day we will leave this world! Does your family know of your wishes? Do they know that you would like a Catholic funeral? Do take a little time to think about it and be prepared. Make sure it is easy for your family to find your wishes. You may also like to use the short form called 'Instructions relating to my death and my funeral', which is available on the table at the back of the church or can be downloaded here. You can also find a lot of useful information on the Bereavement Support page of our website here. If you would like bereavement support, please do contact us via the parish office.

LET US PRAY

 

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, for the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, and the reunion of all Christians.

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Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith. I trust in you: strengthen my trust. I love you: let me love you more and more. I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow. Guide me by your wisdom. Correct me with your justice. Comfort me with your mercy. Protect me with your power.

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Lord, enlighten my understanding, strengthen my will, purify my heart, and make me holy. Help me to conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity, apathy by fervour. Help me to forget myself and reach out toward others. Amen.

HELPING THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE

 

Caritas is coordinating the Diocesan response to the situation in Ukraine and you can find out a lot more about what you can do to help them by visiting the Caritas website here. 

FINDING INFORMATION

 

We have several sources of information in our parish, and it is not difficult for us to seek them out:

• Read the weekly newsletter – available in printed form in our church or electronically on our website.

• Visit our website regularly, where you will find information and more news (www.ourladyandstendmund.org.uk).

• Take a little time to look at what is available in the porch and on the table at the back of the church.

• Be part of our parish community – speak to each other, join in activities and contribute your skills.

POVERTY CHALLENGE

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Following the pandemic, many households now also face new hardships as prices rise. Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) has released a new booklet to increase awareness of Catholic Social Teaching on poverty, and to inform local responses. You find more information here and download a copy of the booklet here.

UPCOMING COURSES

 

The diocesan Formation for Mission team will be offering a couple of online courses for adults, to help them discover, understand and live their Baptism and Confirmation.

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• What is Baptism and what does it do?

If you have been baptised as a child, you have received then the most amazing gift: God's own divine life, without being able to understand it all at the time. After Easter, we are offering a 6 weeks course to revisit the sacrament of baptism. This course is open to everyone who wants to know more about the essence of Christianity, what it means to be baptised and how to understand and live God's gift of grace given to us in baptism. This course will take place on Tuesday evenings from 7.00 to 8.30 pm, from the 26th April to the 31st May. You can register for this course here.

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• Where is the Holy Spirit in my life?

In the midst of the various challenges of life, we can feel overwhelmed and alone, with a sense of isolation and lack of direction. Yet we are never alone! In a 6 sessions course, we are going to reflect together on the sacrament of confirmation and on the action of the Holy Spirit in our life. The Holy Spirit is our constant companion, the giver of all the gifts necessary to our life with God and with each other as we grow in holiness and charity each day. Join us to discover who He is and what He does for us. This course will take place on Thursday evenings from 7.00 to 8.30 pm, from the 28th April to the 2nd June. You can register for this course here.

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• Workshop for readers

The Team is also offering a couple of online workshops for parish readers:

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Workshop 1 offers a general and brief introduction to the Liturgy of the Church and a more specific overview of the Liturgy of the Word at Mass, as well as an overview of the practical skills required for reading in church.

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Workshop 2 offers a general introduction to the Bible and a group study of a specific reading, using the 4 senses of Scripture, to equip parish readers so as to prepare and understand the depth of  the texts they read.

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A diocesan certificate is awarded on completion of the two workshops and of a reading practice with a diocesan listener.

The workshops will take place on Saturdays 18th and 25th June, from 10am to 1pm. You can register for this course here.

THE PARADOX OF ABUNDANCE

 

Over 800 million people go hungry each day. Yet the world produces over 4 billion tonnes of food and we only need 3.7 billion tonnes to feed everyone. From all this food produced, a third is wasted. St John Paul II called this ‘the paradox of abundance.’ Clearly the currently global food system is not working. But as Pope Francis said, "Each of us has a role to play in transforming food systems for the benefit of people and the planet." Let’s respond to his call! CAFOD’s new campaign is called Fix the Food System. See here for more information, including an invitation for parish groups to learn about the impact of our food with our Fix the Food System: a 7-station journey resource.

NEWSLETTERS

 

Items for the newsletter should be sent to the parish office (abingdon@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk) by the Wednesday of each week please. Copies are available in the church and on this website here. Please keep contributions as brief as possible and please take newsletters home with you. Thank you.