Fr. Aaron Writes :3rd April 2022

Dear Friends,

This weekend we celebrate the beginning of Passion-tide, where we veil the crucifixes and other images and statues as we begin to sharpen our minds on the forthcoming celebrations of Holy Week. May this be a time of intensified prayer and penance as we prepare for the feasts of our salvation.

We can continue to support our brothers and sisters in Ukraine by donating to CAFOD, which will help the sister charity CARITAS UKRAINE

and theUKDisasters Emergency Committee to help hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflict in the country. To find out more, please visit www.cafod.org.uk.

You can also help via Aid to the Church in Need: www.acnuk.org and give to the Ukraine Emergency Appeal. Their website gives details of

how your generosity helps the local church in Ukraine. Our money goes a lot further in Ukraine, so you can help the local diocese buy what

they need for their people.

TIME – TALENT – TREASURE

Planned Giving Drive - Weekend Four - My Parish Commitment

A big Thank You!

“...for who am I and what is my people, for us to be able to volunteer offerings like this? – since everything comes from you and we have given you only what you bestowed in the first place.” - 1 Chronicles 29: 14-16

Thank you for taking part in our ‘Planned Giving’ appeal last weekend and for your patience over the last three weekends as we embarked

together on our Stewardship & Planned Giving journey. I have been overwhelmed and humbled by your commitment to our parish and by

your generous responses to sharing your time, talent and treasure with us. Thank you!

We received over 150 of each of the volunteer and pledge forms and we are now working our way through all of the forms that you so kindly completed. Once we have completed this exercise, we will be in touch with you to acknowledge your individual offers of volunteering and your pledges and to provide any additional items that you’ve requested, e.g. donation envelopes.

If you missed signing a form last weekend and would like to give to the parish by standing order, use donation envelopes, or set-up Gift Aid, please complete a pledge form at the back of the Church today and post it through the Presbytery letterbox. The form is also available on the Parish website and is included in the electronic version of this Newsletter.

Once again, thank you for all that you do. Please keep our parish in your prayers.

Palm Sunday – This year we will be able to resume the procession before the 10am and 11:30am Masses. At the other Masses, we will gather outside the front of the church for the blessing of palms.

Chrism Mass – Our Altar Servers have been asked to be the principal servers at this special Mass with Bishop Richard and all diocesan priests, deacons and religious. Do come along to Arundel Cathedral on Wednesday 13th April at 6pm; it is a wonderful diocesan family event, where the Holy Oils to be used in all parishes are blessed and the priests make a renewal of their promises made at their ordination.

Easter Services – these will be announced in next week’s Newsletter; a pamphlet should also be produced for you to keep and distribute to others.

Lenten Devotions - Stations of the Cross take place on Fridays in the morning before Mass, and in the evening. Confessions are restored to 5:15pm before the Saturday evening Vigil Mass.

Lent Confessions – Our parish Lenten Confession service will be on Monday 11th April at 7pm, at the beginning of Holy Week. We will be

joined by a number of priests from the deanery to help us on our penitential path to holiness.

Parish Finance Committee Meeting – This will take place on Monday 4th April at 7pm in Rooms 2/3 of the Hall. We will primarily be reviewing our Stewardship & Planned Giving drive.

PPC – Parish Pastoral Council – A sub-group meeting took place a fortnight ago to take forward proposals for Life-long Formation in the

parish. A very fruitful conversation took place and we will meet again this Tuesday 5th April at 7pm in the Hall, to focus on new schemes of formation for the parish in the year ahead.

Face Coverings – With the end of COVID legal requirements, it is a personal choice whether to wear a face covering in Church. Please respect the decision of those who continue to wear masks and those who do not.

With my very best wishes and prayers for you all,

Fr Aaron