Announcements This Week

IMPORTANT: Please note that our permanent phone number is: 020 7603 0814

Music at 10.00 am Family Mass: There is now a button on the parish website, which allows parishioners to listen to and practice the Sunday hymns ahead of time.

Parish Picnic: TODAY Sunday 20^th September after the 10am Mass and continuing after the 11.30am Mass. All are welcome to join us on the Green. Please bring something to share (food and drink) and something to sit on. This will be an opportunity to get to know other parishioners a bit better and spend time together.

Talk by Fr Terry Tastard: You are invited to a Talk in Church, on Wednesday 23rd September at 6.30 pm (after 6.00 pm Mass,) to be given by Fr Terry Tastard (our former Parish Priest,) entitled 'How writing a book made me think again about the life and times of Jesus'. It’s about his new book, ‘Voices from the Fringe – Asking Who Jesus Might Be’. As the back of the book asks ‘How was Jesus seen by his contemporaries? How did ordinary people interpret what they saw and heard of him?’ A little later in the autumn we hope to follow this up by using some of the chapters in a weekly day-time Bible study group.

Thursday is the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham. Walsingham, England’s National Marian Shrine, is in north Norfolk. It dates back to the 11th century when the Lady Richeldis had a vision of Our Lady asking her to build a copy of the Holy House of Nazareth, where the Annunciation took place. Walsingham as a shrine of the Incarnation celebrates Mary’s joy and happiness in becoming the Mother of God’s Son. The shrine was destroyed at the Reformation, but restored in the early 20th century and is now a place of pilgrimage both for Catholics and Anglicans. Here at Holy Trinity, an icon of Our Lady of Walsingham is in the entrance way of our new pastoral facilities off our outer sacristy.

We have been delighted to have Fr Javier Rodriguez Calmaestra   staying with us this month, sharing fully in the life of the Parish. He is on Tuesday returning to Rome, where he is doing further studies in Church History. He is a priest of the Diocese of Cordoba, Spain. He writes:

What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. (Psalm 116: 12-13).   

At the end of these few weeks, I thank the Lord along with the psalmist for all the good I have received from you. It has been a true joy to experience the strength and love of a living family, which is what this parish is: part of the great family of God's children spread throughout the earth. I would like to thank Fr. Richard and Fr. Juan for their warm welcome—you made me feel completely at home. And to all of you. We often think the priest comes to teach or give many things. Nevertheless, you have been the greatest gift and I have learnt a lot from you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Holy Trinity Parish. As the psalm says, the only thing I can do is lift up the cup of salvation, keeping you in my prayers. And know that whenever we celebrate the Eucharist, in the living Christ, we will forever remain united.

Monthly Hour of Devotion: Saturday 3^rd October at 2pm. Dedicated to The Holy Rosary, followed by 30 minutes silent adoration and benediction. All welcome. Rosary after 9.30am Mass as part of the First Five Saturdays Devotion.

Talk on Magnifica Humanitas and AI Wednesday 30^th September at 7.30pm in the parish centre. Given by Bernard Dykes, IT professional, husband, father and parish catechist on the core themes of the Holy Father’s letter, risks surrounding AI in this new generation, faith, human value and hope for the future.

If you wish to request a Certificate of Catholic Practice for transfer to Secondary School please request a Priest Information Form from the Parish Office by email.

If your application is for primary school, do not request the Priest Information Form until after half term. Return the form into our letterbox once you have completed it. This form is not sent to the schools you are applying to, but will help Fr Richard or Fr Juan who will be signing the certificates. We will contact you once the forms have been received. 

Are you interested in becoming a Catholic? Several people have expressed an interest in joining this year's Rite of Christian Initiation Course (RCIA), which will begin on Wednesday 7th October. There is still time to apply to register! If you would like to join this course, please contact our priests or Therese (our Catechetical Co-Ordinator).

New QR code disks: We have begun to place QR code disks on the church benches, which you can use for your donations during the offertory. Please feel free to use your phones to scan the code and make your donation by card instead of waiting for the contactless machine in the porch to be available after Mass. If you are a UK tax payer, please use the gift aid facility to enable us to claim an extra 25p for every £1 you donate at no extra cost to you. Once you have registered as a gift aider you do not need to put any details in again when you use your card in the future.

Safeguarding Training for Parish Volunteers at Holy Trinity Parish, All volunteers are now required by the Diocese to undertake safeguarding training, or update it if you have done it a while ago This is to help us all play our part in ensuring the safety of children and vulnerable adults in all our parish activities. The training is not long, and is attractively presented. It can be easily accessed through:

https://training.catholicsafeguarding.org.uk/course/Westminsterarchdiocese.

The Level 3 Training, which is the one we need to complete, is the one which has a picture of the Cathedral as the course back drop. The training is online and can be completed within an hour. After completion, volunteers will immediately receive a certificate on line. We ask you to show it to our Parish Safeguarding Representative, by handing a copy of it into our Parish office, marked ‘To Holy Trinity Parish Safeguarding Representative.’

There is a New Parking Meter in the church porch where you can register your car and pay a reduced parking rate. Sadly, the council will not agree to free parking on Sundays but this meter will at least make the pay to park fee a bit less painful. Times are unrestricted, the 90 minute parking restriction does not apply.

Two new Contactless machines: Our new contactless machines in the porch are now ready to process your donations .Please use the gift aid facility if you are a tax payer as we will then receive an additional 25p for every £1 you donate at no extra cost to you. Simply follow the instructions on the tablet.

‘Arise’ A newly published book on the resurrection has emerged from our Parish! Based on a 50 Day Journey into the Mystery of the Resurrection, newly published by Sophia Press and written by one of our parishioners. The cost of the book is £15 and those who would like to purchase it can obtain a copy from the parish office.

Holy Trinity Cine Club: for children in Year 7 to Year 9, and  Year 10 to 12 on a Friday evening once a month. Quality ‘surprise’ movie followed by discussion and pizza. All are welcome, suggested donation of £5 towards running costs. Contact cineclubbg@gmail.com. See poster in the church porch.

Need a gift for someone who has everything? Why not book a Mass for their intentions? Masses can be booked in the parish office where you will also receive a beautiful card. Recommended donation £10.

Major Repairs to the stonework of the Tower and Spire of the Church are urgently needed. Protective scaffolding has been erected and a detailed programme of the works required is being drawn up.

Two new illustrated booklets are available as a kind of guide to our Church building here at Holy Trinity: 'The Stained Glass Windows of the Church', and 'The Church Carvings and Paintings.' Researched and written by our parishioner Christopher Road, augmenting the Parish History he has also written: 'Little Rome – The Story of Holy Trinity Brook Green'. The booklets are £5 each, and the Parish History is £12.50. They can be purchased during office hours from the Parish Office. You can also purchase a PDF version of the two booklets by emailing the parish office.

SACRAMENTS

Preparation for the Sacrament of Baptism: If you have a child for Baptism under 5 years old please email us for an application form. You will be contacted once the form has been received. A copy of one of the Catholic parents’ baptism certificate will be required.  Baptisms can only take place on Saturdays at 11am.