Due to limited capacity, please [REGISTER] first if you would like to attend SUNDAY Masses.
(Registration not required for Saturday or weekday Masses)
WEARING MASK OR FACE COVERING IN CHURCH IS COMPULSORY
If you are having trouble registering online, you can also call 020 8888 5518
We will continue live streaming our Masses for now so that those who are unable to attend can still join us online.
Dear Parishioners,
Last Sunday, we saw Peter approaching Jesus and asking: “should I forgive seven times”? He gave the remarkable reply, “not seven, but seventy seven time”. In today’s Gospel, we see God’s compassion, mercy and concern for us from a different angle.
Jesus said: The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. They would get a day’s wage that is a denarius. Since he was concerned about the harvest, five times in all, he went to get workers to make sure that his harvest would be gathered in at the right time.
What is this telling us about God and about Jesus his Son? God is always seeking us out. He is calling us, morning, noon and late in the evening!
And the other side of the coin is in the Prophet Isaiah – “Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near”.
What a beautiful combination – God seeking us and we seeking God. This must be a formula of success.
We need to make special note of God’s generosity. The last worker was paid a full days wage. Much more than he actually deserved! But this is how God’s goodness shows itself.
In this same context we see God’s generosity in creation and in the world around us. During this Season of Creation, we celebrate the gifts that God’s has given us; the food we can grow; the harvest we can reap and the many gifts God has given us … the gift of each other; the families we belong to; the friends who appreciate us. Good Stewards of Creation means that we value and treasure our world.
Pope Francis in his Encyclical, Laudato Si [Sec 207] says: The Earth Charter asked us to leave behind a period of self-destruction and make a new start, but we have not as yet developed a
Universal awareness needed to achieve this. Here I would echo that courageous challenge: ‘As never before in history, common destiny beckons us to see a new beginning … Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life’.
Every good wish, Fr Joe
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
It would be most helpful if we can have a few more stewards to share the task of ensuring that we can keep the church open and celebrate Mass safely.
Please contact the office or register online if you are able to spare an hour a week – we would really appreciate your support!
[Click here] to register as volunteer.
First Holy Communion programmes 2020-2021
If your child or someone you know would like to be prepared to receive First Holy Communion, forms are now available from the back of the church or on our website – please return the completed form to the office by Monday, 21st Sept. We are working out the details on how we can run the sessions in an effective and safe way, and would appreciate your collaboration in this process.
Sacrament of Infant Baptism
We will begin celebrating infant baptisms again this month and resume the preparation sessions for parents. If you would like to have your child baptised, please fill in a form (available online or from the back of the church) and contact the office.
Sacrament of Reconciliation / Confessions
Fr. Joe is unavailable for the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession for now due to health/safety reasons. We encourage all parishioners to make a heartfelt and sincere act of contrition instead during this time of the pandemic, until such a time where we can have the sacrament in the church again.
Sacrament of Marriage
There is possibility for a simple celebration for the sacrament of Marriage with a maximum number of 30 attendees. Please contact the Parish Office for more information.
Funeral Services
There is possibility for a simple requiem Mass with a maximum number of 30 attendees. Please contact the Parish Office for more information. Memorial Masses for those who have died during the lockdown will be arranged in due course.
Recently Deceased
We pray for all the faithful departed:
Anne Comerford
Etta Quinn
Anastasia Francois
Naomi Wright
May they rest in peace, and we keep their families in our prayers.
Tottenham Refugee Alliance
Thanks to your generosity, we have more than reached the £9,000 required by the Home Office to bring a refugee family from Syria or Iraq to safety. We now need more volunteers who will help with the following areas in order to settle them in Haringey or Hackney:
- housing (furniture and equipment for the house);
- education (local schools etc); health contacts (G.P.s, dental surgeries, A and E);
- welfare income (they get benefits automatically: where to claim);
- accessing employment and volunteering; and
- ESOL and interpreters.
TRA will organise any training or preparation needed. If you may be able to help in any of these (or other) ways, please give your name and contact details to any of the parish staff or e-mail westgreen@rcdow.org.uk . (Apologies if you offered to help some time ago and weren’t followed up – this time, volunteers are vital.)
