The followers of Christ can be caught between valuing the commitment of life’s promises in marriage, and compassion for people whose marriages have broken up. Jesus values the commitment too: adultery is condemned as a sin against justice – of tampering in some way with the commitment made of one person to another. Why is this followed by a comment about children that they should come to him? Obviously from love for children, and also for love of the child inside each of us, the child of God that we all are. So for the child of God who is suffering through the breakdown of commitment, Jesus is saying to come to him, be welcomed into his arms and be blessed. While trying to value commitment in marriage and also in religious life, he is also reaching out to people who are in difficult, personal situations. We follow him in this, letting go of judgements about people’s relationships. We never know people unless we have walked in their shoes and at their pace. The church has tried in many ways to reach out to people who need care, protection and healing in Pope Francis’ Letter on the Family, The Joy of Love. In situations where there are differences in people’s attitudes, especially in the family, it is good to keep doors of communication open. This is the way towards greater love and healing, and allowing Jesus be part of every aspect of life. Many parents have been happy in later years that they kept lines of communication open with children whose lifestyles may have been different from theirs.
Think of a family relationship for which you are grateful.
Lord, may your love be upon us, especially in our commitments.
| First Reading | Genesis 2:18-24 | God intends man and woman to become one flesh. | |||
| Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 128 | R./: May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives. | |||
| Second Reading | Hebrews 2:9-11 | Jesus became fully our brother and a saviour for all. | |||
| Gospel | Mark 10:2-16 | “What God has joined together” and receiving the kingdom of God as a little child. |
| Sunday 6th October | 9:30am | Noel & Shivanthi Fernando | ||||||
| Sunday 6th | 9:30am | Daniel Bueno | RIP | |||||
| Sunday 6th | 11:15am | Daniel Bueno | RIP | |||||
| Wednesday 9th | 9:30am | Frank McSharry | RIP who died recently | |||||
| Sunday 13th | 11:15am | Sadie Mitchell | Birthday Remembrance |
| Thursday 24th October | 12pm | Cynthia Bateson | RIP. Funeral at St Edmund Campion |
| Saturday 5th October | Henry, son of Chris & Francesca | |||||
| Saturday 12th | Harry, son of James & Jenny | |||||
| Saturday 12th | Rose, daughter of Jack & Sammy |
HOUSE BLESSING: House blessings (also known as house healings, house clearings, house cleansings and space clearing) are rites intended to protect the inhabitants of a house or apartment. It is also there asking God’s protection and blessing upon each member of the family. In Christianity, house blessing is an ancient tradition dating back to the early days, that is usually performed by a priest who sprinkles holy water and blessed salt as he walks through every room of the house, accompanied by the occupants of the house, whilst praying for the occupants. If you would like your home/apartment/room blessed, then please contact one of the priests and a time and date can be arranged. The blessing ritual takes about 20 minutes, and it is lovely if all occupants of the home are present.
ARE YOU NEW TO OUR PARISH? Thank you for your interest in our parish. Whether you're just visiting us for a brief time, looking for a new parish home, returning to the practice of your Catholic faith or are interested in finding out more about the Catholic Church, we are happy to answer your questions, listen to your comments and help you in any way that we can. We are a parish of the Diocese of Portsmouth, and are a very vibrant community, made up of ‘old’ Maidenhead families and relative “newcomers” from all walks of life. We hope that you find our Catholic parish a caring community that is loving, welcoming and supportive of all. Our mission is to grow in the image of Christ through the Holy Spirit, to be formed by the Word and our prayer, to use our gifts to welcome those who are here and reach out to those who are not. We invite you to join us as partners in the mission. Together, let us get to know Christ better and to make Him better known. May God Bless you wherever you are and thank you for exploring our website and newsletter. Please stop by the parish office to introduce yourself! We would love to meet you.
FIRST FRIDAY: The First Friday of the month is traditionally a time when a priest visits a home to anoint anyone who is house bound, with holy oil, and to administer the sacrament of Holy Communion. The parish has several people on this list. If indeed, you or someone you know would like a visit from a priest, then please contact Fr. Liam, Fr. Ephraim Fr. Noah or Fr. Tom.
FIRST FRIDAY HEALING MASS These special Masses will take place on:
Friday 4th October 10am at St. Joseph’s; 7pm at St. Edmund Campion Church; 10am St Thomas More, Twyford
Friday 1st November 10am at St. Joseph’s; 7pm at St. Edmund Campion Church; 10am St Thomas More, Twyford
WHAT IS A HEALING MASS?
Healing Masses are opportunities to directly seek physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual healing. These Masses include a homily that is focused on healing, prayers of the faithful that are directly asking God to heal us, and prayers after communion that are prayed by the Priest to help facilitate greater healing in our lives.
The Mass is the most powerful way that we can seek healing as Christians. Jesus is present in the Mass through the Scriptures, through giving Himself to us in His Body and His Blood, and through our worship of Him. He is the one who heals us. The Mass helps to facilitate the healing that Jesus wants to give to all of us.
BAPTISMAL COURSE The Baptismal Course is available for all Parents whose child is being Baptised at either St Joseph’s, St Elizabeth’s or St Edmund Campion. The course is a 90 minute preparation and guidance. It is held at St Joseph’s the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm. The next meetings are:
DIOCESAN NEWSLETTER: The Diocesan Mailing is produced every week and contains news, training opportunities and events from around the diocese and wider Catholic Church. The weekly newsletter is designed to bring you the latest information and events, straight to your email inbox. We try to keep it short and sweet (though, occasionally we can't help but get carried away with a great story or a brilliant opportunity). Click or go to the following site to sign up: www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION FOR ADULTS (RCIA) We are all on a journey of faith, which is unique and personal, and yet a journey that we know is greatly enriched when we can come together and share with others. Maybe you are a non-Catholic Christian accompanying your family to Church and now feel drawn to become part of this community of faith. Maybe your “roots” are in another religion, or in none. Maybe you are a Baptised Catholic but never received, as a young person, the Sacrament of Confirmation. This programme is widely used in many parishes throughout the Diocese. RCIA is both a learning and teaching programme that aims to help those who would like to know more about the Christian faith from a catholic perspective and might be thinking about becoming a Catholic. To be a full member of the Catholic Church you need to complete the process of Christian Initiation, which is when you have been Baptised, Confirmed and made your First Holy Communion. The RCIA Programme will begin by attending the Rescue Project which is explained further on this newsletter and website, beginning in October for eight Tuesday evenings. Then that is followed by RCIA (Jan – April 2025). Talk to one of our priests. More information is online and on leaflets found at the entrance of the church.
PARISH COLLECTION Please continue to support your parish, its activities and outreach programmes by contributing to the weekly collection via the 'baskets' and/or Contactless. It is very positive that a lot of our parishioners, over the course of the pandemic, switched their contribution from cash to Bank Transfer.
NB: If you want to set up a direct debit or standing order (or even make a one-off donation) the account details are:
Account name: CDP MAIDENHEAD ST EDMUND CAMPION
Sort code: 30-93-04
Account number: 00882551
THE RESCUE PROJECT We are all shaped by stories. The choices we make, the way we live, the things we believe - the way we see life itself. But what if the story is different? The Rescue Project seeks to deliver this different story of the Gospels in a compelling and attractive way. Commencing Tuesday 1st October we will deliver an 8-week course, 7pm at St Edmund Campion Parish Centre, Maidenhead The intention is to further collaborate with parishes from Windsor and Ascot to bring this christen community closer together. The weekly format will include an optional evening (6.30pm) Mass, followed by the group welcome, prayer, a simple meal, music, a video and reflection. Aimed at all levels of faith from priest to non-faith, teenager upwards, The Rescue Project will be of particular interest to those seeking to join the Catholic Church next Easter, via the RCIA 25 programme. To assist with catering, please sign up at https://forms.gle/58LF4M5b32WmjuB46
MASS COUNT: Beginning the weekend of the 21st of September, for four weeks we will have our Mass Count. This happens in every Catholic Church in England and Wales, during last two weeks of September and first two weeks of October.
CAFOD’s Family Fast Day appeal – Harvest (Friday 4 October) Daniel, a young man in Democratic Republic of the Congo, is carving a better future for his family with carpentry skills he learned in a CAFOD-funded training centre. Give to CAFOD today and you’ll fund training, tools, equipment and safe spaces so more people like Daniel can learn new skills and fulfil their God-given potential. Use the envelope in church or give online at: cafod.org.uk/envelope. Please return your envelopes this weekend.
DIOCESAN FORMATION DAY FOR READERS St Bede’s Church/Hall, Basingstoke Saturday 19th October 10.30 am to 2.00 pm led by Fr. Anthony Fyk, the Director of Liturgical Formation. The purpose of their biblical formation is to give readers the ability to understand the readings in context and to perceive by the light of faith the central point of the revealed message. The liturgical formation ought to equip the readers to have some grasp of the meaning and structure of the liturgy of the word and of the significance of its connection with the liturgy of the eucharist. The technical preparation should make the readers more skilled in the art of reading publicly, either with the power of their own voice orwith the help of sound equipment (55).” If you are a reader at Mass, regularly or occasionally, this day is for YOU! Registration for the Day is by email: liturgy@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk.
FR EPHRAIM’S 60th BIRTHDAY SUNDAY 6th OCTOBER 12pm-3:30pm - you are invited to celebrate Fr Ephraim’s 60th birthday after 11am Mass in St Joseph’s Parish Centre. Please join him for this celebration.
TODDLER GROUP Every Friday in termtime, 8:45am-10:45am in the Parish Centre.
YOGA CLASSES Tuesday 11am – 11:45am. Everyone is welcome. No charge for the class, just a small donation to charity if able. For more information contact Rachel: wellhappyyoga@gmail.com or the parish office.
MUSICAL & OPERA NIGHT Saturday 9th November Four professional opera singers, with piano accompaniment, will perform a mixture of Arias and songs from Musicals at the 35th Annual evening organised by the Catenians. Interested but not sure what it’s like, please take a look at this promotional film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXUWrbuRs6I. Profits from the event go to The Lifestyle Club (a charity supporting people with diabetes). This event takes place at Clare's Court School ,Maidenhead at 7.30pm on Saturday 9th November. Tickets £28 pp with 'early bird' price of £24 pp if bought before 30th September. Tickets available from Jonathan Holder via manorcott@outlook.com or ring 07740 430599.
LOSS AND BEREAVEMENT GROUP Sunday 13th October 2:30pm-5pm in the Parish Centre.
QUENCH BOOKSTALL 9th/10th November after Mass on Saturday & Sunday
GIFT AID: If you have a standing order or direct debit donation to the Parish and gift aid your donation, please complete a new Gift Aid form. These will need to be completed for all existing Gift Aid Declarations. New Direct Debit and Gift Aid forms are available in the church porch and in the drawers outside the Parish Office. Please return all completed forms to the Parish Office. Thank you to everyone who has completed a form over the last few months.
DONA CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS are now available in the church porch. You can Gift Aid your donation to the church and Second Collections. You only need to put your details in once and all future donations using the same card will be Gift Aided. Donations, Repository, Candles, Mass Intentions can all be paid for using the machine– just select the option on the screen.
WELCOME A very warm welcome to all parishioners and visitors who join us, whether in our Churches of St. Joseph’s, St. Elizabeth’s, St. Edmund Campion or via the live-stream. If you are new to the area, please register as a member of our Parishes. The parish offices are situated at St. Joseph’s Church, Cookham Road and St. Edmund Campion, Altwood Road. Carolyn or Ruth can send you a soft copy of the registration form if you so wish, or pick up a hard copy at the church. The parish office details are available on the website and in the church porch.
CHILDREN’S SUNDAY LITURGY 9:30am Mass Children from the age of 4 can attend. Please put your child’s name on the register as you go into the church.
CONFIRMATION (2024) CERTIFICATES are ready for collection from the Parish Office.
HOSPITALITY ROTA NEEDS YOU!! Looking for 2 people to take on one of the slots in the 9.30am hospitality rota please. Full guidance will be given and its really great way to get to know others in the parish; its an hour of your time every 8 weeks or so. Email dkryder897@aol.com if you're interested.
If you have taken home any tea towels or crockery from the Parish Centre, please can you return them ASAP.
REPOSITORY Please see our repository for Christmas cards, diaries, birthday cards & Mass cards for all occasions. Cash payments in the box on the wall or via the Dona contactless machine (minimum £1 payments).
TRANSPORT HELP: Can you help with transport in Maidenhead to 9:30am Mass and back after 11:15am Mass? Please let the Parish office know if you can be of assistance.
RED BOXES It’s time to empty your red boxes. Please bring yours to the church and give to Lousie Jennings or Barbara McWalter at 11:15am Mass or hand them into the Parish Office. There are a number of boxes for collection in the church porch. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
PARISH COMMUNICATION We have reduced our newsletter to one two-sided A4 sheet. In order to make sure you are receiving up to date communications, please consider signing up to receive information by email. Parishioner registration forms are available in the church porch and in the drawers outside the Parish Office – please complete one and return it to the Parish office.
SCHOOL PLAYGROUND The Reception area playground is not for use at the weekends. Please make sure that children are not entering this area before or after weekend Masses. The staff prepare the area on Friday afternoon so that it is ready for learning on Monday morning. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
FOOD IN THE CHURCH The church is cleaned every Friday afternoon. Recently there appears to be a lot of food debris on the Church floor after weekend Masses. If you or your child needs to eat during Mass, can we request that you please use the Parish Centre. Thank you for your cooperation.
FOODSHARE Are you an NHS, Emergency services or a Blue Light worker. Foodshare is now operating a shop, so if you're struggling to make ends meet, for a cost of £10 per visit you can "buy" a trolley of food. Call 01628 262711 for fast and fuss free support.
VACANCIES - For job vacancies in the Diocese please see Diocese website https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/
We have activities planned for later this year and would be happy to hear from you if you would like to get involved or have an idea of your own. Please contact Sarah Bowden (bowden.sarah@googlemail.com).
LIBRARY We have a parish library located in the foyer of the Parish Centre. One bookcase is dedicated to Theology/Religious books, another bookcase to Fiction/Non-Fiction and a third smaller bookcase to children's Bibles/Bible stories etc. Please feel free to borrow/swap.
If you would like to donate, we can only accept books that are in excellent and clean condition. Thank you and enjoy.
FOODSHARE We are a collection point for Foodshare. Our collection area is just inside the porch doors, but if you leave food outside, out of hours (in a bag or other covering) the building is regularly checked. Foodshare are currently really in need of tinned vegetables and tinned meat, amongst all the regular donations.
APPOINTMENTS If you wish to speak to Fr Liam, Fr Ephraim, Fr Tom or Fr Noah in confidence on any matter, please contact either one for an appointment. They are happy to visit your home if so desired, adhering to social distancing guidelines.
HOUSEBOUND If you know of anyone who is sick and/or housebound, please let Ruth (Parish Office), Fr Liam or Fr Ephraim know so that a visit can be arranged.
FOR PRACTICAL PURPOSES, FOR THE COMING MONTHS
Father Ephraim and Fr Noah are the ‘link people’ for pastoral matters concerning the parish of St. Joseph’s and St. Elizabeth’s. They are also chaplains to St. Mary’s school.
Father Liam will be the ‘link person’ for the parish of St. Edmund Campion and will be chaplain to St. Edmund Campion school.
Fr. Ephraim, Fr. Noah and Fr. Liam are on call each day and will serve our community as best they can. You can call either of them on their mobile numbers, contact them via email or visit them at St. Joseph’s Presbytery.
THE WELCOMING MINISTRY (Mass Rep) is dedicated to helping all parishioners and visitors enhance their worship experience at Mass by making them feel welcome and included in our Eucharistic celebration, helping them connect with our parish, and participating in the numerous ministry opportunities offered at St. Edmund Campion. The Mass Rep is the ‘overseer’ in ensuring that the various ministries during Mass are fulfilled. Further, they are there to help you with any queries.
We thank our mass reps:
6:15pm Saturday: Reena K. 9:30am Sunday: Elvira E-M 11:15am Sunday: Julie C.
ADMISSION INTO ST EDMUND CAMPION SCHOOL AND NURSERY is based on Mass attendance for some categories. In our parish, we have an attendance card available from the table in the church lobby. Every time you come to Sunday Mass please get your card stamped. For information on the current Admissions Policy see the school's website, www.st-edmund.org.uk.
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