Current Newsletter
THE 11th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
15TH June 2008
CALENDAR
Monday - St Richard of Chichester
Thursday - St Romuald
Friday - St Alban
Gospel Reflection: Relationship is Key
In a recent reality show, The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, visited a family in Hull to help them change their lifestyle. By their own admission the family had grown out of shape thanks to poor diet and smoking. It would have been easy for the Duchess to swan in and impose a strict diet and a gruelling fitness regime, but she didn't do any such thing. Instead, the Duchess spent a lot of time building a relationship with each family member finding out what made each of them tick, and identifying the obstacles that were preventing change. Any good counsellor will agree that issuing someone with a list of do's and don't is rarely helpful. Key to helping someone change is relationship.
In today's gospel Jesus encourages his disciples to go out amongst the people to seek out the lost and remove the obstacles between them and God. He didn't send out the disciples in a spirit of judgment, but a spirit of empathy. Empathy and relationship are key to being able to help someone. Jesus was able to change people's lives simply by the way in which he was able to relate to them and he asks us to do the same.
So how do we respond to Jesus' command to share what we have learned? Do we try to impose our views on others whether they like it or not, or do we take time to gain genuine and sensitive insight .... to make relationship key.
THE CARDINAL'S REQUEST
In response to the Cardinal's wish that we make one day in June a day of Prayers for Vocations we will do this in Hampton next Sunday. On Sunday 22nd June we will have prayers at each mass for this intention. At 4.00pm there will be 30 minutes of prayer concluding with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
SAINT THOMAS MORE - JUNE 22ND
In 1534, Sir Thomas More, with his close friend Bishop John Fisher of Rochester, refused to render allegiance to the King as "Head of the Church" and was imprisoned in the Tower of London
Fifteen months later, and nine days after Fisher's execution, Thomas More was himself tried and convicted of treason. He told the court that he could not go against his conscience and wished his judges that "we may yet hereafter in heaven merrily all meet together to everlasting salvation." He was then condemned to death for his " stubborn defiance of his King's majesty." When he came to the scaffold, he told the crowd of spectators that he was dying as "the King's good servant - but God's first."
Thomas More was beheaded on July 6, 1535 and, with Bishop John Fisher, was canonised just 400 years later in 1935.
Back from Lourdes of 150 years !
A truly memorable visit by fifteen of us from St. Theodore's concluded on Friday evening. The crowds in the town were huge of course and are set to increase dramatically as summer goes on to the arrival of Pope Benedict in August. The weather may have been kinder but the atmosphere was as it always is. (-able to elicit prayers from the driest of hearts!!) Fr.B
TABLETOP SALE
Please come along and support the Table Top Sale in the Parish Centre on Saturday 21st June from 10-1pm. Their will be tables supporting the Street Children of Columbia, the youth of our parish travelling to Sydney and our own Church funds. On sale will be cakes, preserves, bric a brac, books, stationery, toiletries and handicrafts.
Women's Fellowship
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 26th June at 8pm. in the Parish Centre. There will be a discussion about the Annual Meal planned for Friday 18th July, so please come prepared with ideas on what you would like to do.
Any queries please call Betty O'Leary on 
020 8979 7993.
'The Missionary Vocation'
A talk by Fr Giuseppe Cardomone for young adults aged 18-38 considering their calling in life. In the Hinsley Room (half way down Morpeth Terrace, at Westminster Cathedral) on Friday 27th June at 7.30pm.
For further details visit www.free2become.org or call 01277 373848'.
World Youth Day Sponsorship
Thank you to everyone who has paid their sponsorship money to date. If you have not paid please put the money in an envelope and hand to Fr. Bernard. Thank you all for your generosity and continued support.
Siobhan, Natasha, Emily, Pippa & Joe
THE MARTYRS WALK - Saturday 21st June
A walk through London remembering the witness once given in its streets by those we call the English Martyrs will begin at Tower Hill (EC3N 4DJ) at 11.00am.
The walk will soon progress to Greyfriars and St. Patrick's, Soho and then to Tyburn Convent by Marble Arch for mass at 5.30pm.
See notice board for further details.
"CELEBRATING DIVERSITY"
Summer Conference 27 or 28 June 2008
The Diocesan Agency for Evangelization stages talks and workshops recruiting for the Catholic Association for Racial Justice with meetings at London Colney Pastoral Centre and at St. Charles Square VIth Form College.
See the Notices in the Church for more information.
Bookings to:-
www.rcdow.org.uk/evangelization
or call 020 7798 9150
CAFOD and the Burmese Appeal
The Organization's appeal in the time of International Emergencies is currently directed towards Burma and China. Donations placed in the CAFOD Box in the porch will be earmarked specifically for that cause and forwarded at the end of this month. Many thanks for your generosity
Click here to download this weeks Newsletter in PDF format. Click here for last newsletter.
You may need to download and install a free application called Adobe Reader to open these files
Click here to view archive of previous Newsletters