Through the death and resurrection of his Son (God the Father) has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus understands that his death on the cross is salvific, this is clear from our understanding of the last supper, Jesus says, “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you. And “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.” Jesus understands that his approaching death will be a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins which will establish a new relationship (covenant) and reconcile God and humanity. The Pascal Mystery of Jesus will only be accomplished with his returning to the Father and the sending of their Spirit upon the disciples. The Spirit, the first fruits for those who believe, is sent among us and given to us, to forgive our sins. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the sign of God’s commitment to the freeing of his children from the burden of shame and sin we carry.
| First Reading | Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 | The covenant with Abraham, basis of Israel’s religion of trust. | |||
| Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 26: 1, 7-9, 13-14 | R./: The Lord is my light and my salvation. | |||
| Second Reading | Philippians 3:17-4:1 | Paul teaches the way of faithfulness. | |||
| Gospel | Luke 9:28-36 | Peter, James and John glimpsed the hidden glory of Jesus. |
| Saturday 15th March | 6:15pm | Winnie Ripley & Evelyn Quinn | RIP | |||||
| Sunday 16th | 9:30am | Robert Wilson Mitchell | RIP | |||||
| Sunday 16th | 11:15am | Kathleen, John & James O'Shea | RIP | |||||
| Tuesday 18th | 9:30am | Sunil & Reena | Thanksgiving | |||||
| Thursday 20th | 9:30am | Canon John McAuley | RIP AN | |||||
| Thursday 20th | 9:30am | Jane Lewis | SI | |||||
| Thursday 20th | 9:30am | Richard Lega | Birthday remembrance | |||||
| Friday 21st | 10am | Fr Declan O'Toole, MHM | RIP AN | |||||
| Saturday 22nd | 6:15pm | Margaret O'Donnell | RIP | |||||
| Sunday 23rd | 11:15am | Tony Hayes | SI |
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 or Fr. Tom.
FIRST FRIDAY HEALING MASS These special Masses will take place on:
Friday 4th April 10am at St. Joseph’s; 7pm at St. Edmund Campion Church; 10am St Thomas More, Twyford
Friday 2nd May 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
House Masses/Blessings: Father Liam is more than happy to celebrate a House Mass or a House Blessing for any family or group of families who would like it. If you are interested, then please email Father Liam or telephone the Parish Office.
Contact: If you wish to speak to Father Liam in confidence on any matter, please contact him for an appointment. He is always happy to visit your home if so desired. Email: lcummins@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk Telephone: 07776580596
Hospital: If you are going into hospital or know or someone that is, please inform the hospital chaplain on arrival. Please also let Father Liam know so that arrangements can be made for a visit. Please note that under the Data Protection Act, hospital staff cannot disclose patient information. We rely on Parishioners to keep us in the loop.
Housebound: If you know of anyone who is sick and/or housebound please let Ruth (Parish Office) or Father Liam know so that a visit can be arranged.
TRANSPORT TO MASS We are aware that some parishioners are having difficulty in finding transport for weekend Mass. If those parishioners could identify which Masses they would prefer to attend, then an effort will be made to organise a lift. Likewise, if you can offer a lift to fellow parishioners, who live locally to you, then we can match the needs on a register that will be held in the Parish Office. Any queries, please contact John Lynn 07931 292934
SAVE THE DATE SUNDAY 22nd JUNE 2025 Holy Family Parish of Maidenhead and Twyford Picnic & Open Air Mass
NEW MASS TIME From 9th March until Pentecost, there will be a 5pm Sunday evening Mass in St Joseph’s
SEDER MEAL 29th March in the evening at St Edmund Campion School This is a lovely opportunity to learn about the Passover meal and Last Supper and to enjoy a simple but celebratory meal with friends. We are able to offer tickets at £20 per head with thanks to Cowdery’s of Cookham who have subsidised the meat for the evening. Please bring cash for your ticket or pay via contactless machine in the church porch. Please note the Seder meal will contain nuts. We can arrange for a vegetarian meat substitute please let us know if you would like this option when purchasing your ticket. Any questions, please contact Deb 07766245144
Lent is a Sacred Season helping you slow down, seek still moments, and behold God’s presence with you in the everyday.
THE HOLY SEASON OF LENT: What is Lent? Lent, the solemn 40-day period before Easter, holds profound significance in the Catholic Church and other Christian traditions. Starting on Ash Wednesday and concluding on Holy Thursday, it is a season of penitence and preparation. The three traditional pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Through the three pillars of Lent we journey to develop a closer relationship to God. The 40 days of Lent should be filled with reflection, service and prayer. Lent is an invitation to reflect, repent, and renew one's commitment to living a life of faith, ultimately leading to the joyful celebration of Easter. This year 2025, Lent began on Ash Wednesday, March 5th and concludes on Holy Thursday, April 17th. The evening of April 17th, we begin the Holy Season of the Easter Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, Easter Sunday.
DAILY READING Something for Lent: to read a bit of the gospel every day. Pray your own favourite gospels. Read the gospel to the children. We look to the word of God to build us up as God’s children and community and find strength to use all in the service of God and others in love.
PENITENTIAL SERVICES: The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated in our parishes in the coming weeks.
Wonderful opportunity to avail of this healing sacrament.
National Novena to St Joseph 10th – 18th March in St Joseph’s Church
The Feast of St Joseph is celebrated on the 19th March. Mass Times: Mon-Sat: 10am; Sun: 11am and 5pm. There will also be daily evening prayer in Church at 7pm. If you wish to fill in a petition during the Novena, you can find petition slips in the church. Just place your petition slip in the petition box with any donations. Please join the Mill Hill Missionaries in this important novena
SIGNIFICANT WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MASS Saturday 21st June at 11am St Bede’s church in Basingstoke. Are you celebrating a 25th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th or anniversary over 60 years? If so, Bishop Philip would like to invite you to a Mass of celebration. This will be followed by a buffet lunch. It is a wonderful occasion to celebrate and witness to Marriage. Please contact the parish office or send an email to anniversaries@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk to request a form for you to complete and return. To help celebrate the occasion please could you provide a COPY of your Wedding photograph, you can upload it when you return the form. Again, if you have no access to the internet you can post a COPY along with completed form by post to the following address: St Bede’s Parish Office, Popley Way, Basingstoke, RG24 9DX
LENTEN PROJECT 2025 (March 5th to April 17th): This year we are concentrating our effort on supporting the following 4 local charities:
There will be second collection each weekend at the end of Mass and other concerts and activities throughout this season. Please support such good charities and causes.
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
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Saturday 15th March 5pm at St Edmund Campion Church
SVP MAIDENHEAD are in need of adult and children bicycles for the asylum seekers. If you upgraded any bikes over Christmas, please consider donating your old bike to us. For more information, please contact the Parish Office. We are still collecting clothes, toys and toiletries. Please check the SVP noticeboard for meeting dates and other updates.
ST EDMUND CAMPION NURSERY:
VOLUNTEERS FOR HOLY WEEK SERVICES We are looking for readers for Maundy Thursday (17th April), Good Friday (18th April) and Easter Vigil (19th April). We also need volunteers to have their feet washed on Maundy Thursday - The Feast of the Last Supper (6 males & 6 females, any age). Sign-up lists can be found in the porch as of the weekend of 15/16th March.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
LENTEN SOUP LUNCH every Thursday during Lent, 12pm-2pm in the Parish Centre. If you are able to contribute a pot of soup, home baking, bread or butter, please contact Ruth in the Parish Office. All money donated will go to the Lenten Project.
REPOSITORY Please see our repository for St Patrick’s Day cards and badges, Mother’s Day cards, Easter cards, First Holy Communion and Confirmation cards. There are also Mass cards for different occasions. Cash payments in the box on the wall please or via Dona Contactless machine.
CAFOD Lent Appeal – Family Fast Day collection 14th March Please donate to our Family Fast Day parish collection and be a pilgrim of hope with CAFOD this Jubilee Year. You’ll be supporting communities experiencing the impacts of war, poverty and climate change to find solutions and hope. Use the CAFOD envelope in church, donate online at cafod.org.uk/envelope or call us on 0303 303 3030. You can also text CAFODLENT to 70085 to donate £10.
CATECHISTS LENT DAYS OF PRAYER, FORMATION AND NETWORKING The Vicariate for Evangelisation will be hosting three online events during Lent for Catechists across the diocese. These events offer a chance to connect with other catechists, share experiences, and find inspiration to hand on the faith in our parishes. Each event will begin at 7:30 PM and last for one hour. Catechists can choose from the three events based on their area of catechesis:
Thursday 13th March (Children’s Liturgy and First Holy Communion)
Thursday 20th March (Marriage Preparation and Baptism)
Thursday 3rd April (Confirmation and RCIA)
To sign up for these events, please go to https://forms.office.com/e/VkCdj1SWzA.
BISHOP’S CALL FOR FELLOWSHIP Bishop Philip Egan in his Pastoral Letter for Lent has encouraged Catholics to join organisations such as the Catenians. His sixth Holy Habit is to encourage us to join a small group for formation, prayer and fellowship. To quote Bishop Egan “ Christianity is not about me and God; it’s also about ‘we’ and God…. We are called to be in relationship with like-minded people and thus to live in communion with the Lord in mission…… I want therefore to encourage everyone … to belong to a Catholic .. organisation – whatever you fancy… It might be a network or an association, such as the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Catenians, …. a men’s group, a women’s group, a youth group.” The Catenians are a male Catholic group whose motto is Strengthening family life through friendship and faith. Catenians meet monthly for a meal, have an active social life with their wives and families and give support to their parishes and communities. Members are drawn from all walks of life and have a wide range of differing talents and experience. If you think this may be of interest, please contact Jonathan Holder on manorcott@outlook.com for further details.
YOGA CLASSES Tuesday 11am – 11:45am The next Yoga class will be Tuesday 18th March 11am. 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.
LENTEN PROJECT CONCERT SATURDAY 22nd MARCH 7:30pm in the school hall, performed by musicians from the 9.30 music group. Songs and music from the last 60 years. Tickets £10 including bread and cheese supper. Please bring your own drinks. To reserve tickets please speak to musicians after Mass or text Mary on 07745 347984
TODDLER GROUP Every Friday in termtime, 8:45am-10:45am in the Parish Centre.
LEGION OF MARY GROUP Fridays 6pm in St Joseph's Church contact Fr Ephraim 07785 727951 or Thereza 07878117907
JUBILEE YEAR RECONCILIATION SERVICE 13th April 3pm at St Joseph’s Church, followed by refreshments in the Hall
QUENCH BOOKSHOP Quench will be present over the weekend of 15th/16th March for the purchasing of books and religious artifacts, and especially for First Holy Communion items.
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.
MISSALS Please email office if you want to pre-order the CTS Daily Missal available in May. £70 with Sunday, £55 weekday readings only
VOLUNTEERS: From Sunday 8th December 2024, subscribers to the Update Service will be emailed 30 days before their renewal date to ask if they wish to stay subscribed. Renewal dates are based on original joining dates. DBS advises volunteers to check that the email address attached to their subscription is linked to the individual who is subscribed. The renewal email will ask volunteers to access their Update Service Account and confirm that they wish to continue with the service. For those who confirm, this request will be repeated annually. If no confirmation is made, their volunteer subscription will automatically be cancelled. Volunteers who do not renew their subscription will not be able to keep their DBS certificate(s) up to date and organisations will not be able to check them. They will need to reapply for a DBS if they need one in the future. If you are a volunteer that is subscribed to the update service, please check that the correct email address is linked to the subscription service.
REPOSITORY Please see our repository for cards & Mass cards for all occasions. Cash payments in the box on the wall or via the Dona contactless machine (minimum £1 payments).
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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