The fourth Sunday of Lent is sometimes called Laetare Sunday. Laetare is a Latin word that means “rejoice”. It is the hope of Easter just around the corner. We are on the way, but not there yet.
‘…….and I absolve you from your sins….’
The priest is the minister of the sacrament, not the author or source of forgiveness, he is acting in the name of Christ’s body. His function in the sacrament is simple, he is to forgive sins and reconcile sinners.
“Nowhere did Jesus express more beautifully what happens in the sacrament of Penance than in the parable of the Prodigal Son: We go astray, we are lost and can no longer cope. Yet our Father waits for us with great, indeed, infinite longing; he forgives us when we come back; he takes us in again, forgives our sins. Jesus himself forgave the sins of many individuals; it was more important to him than working miracles. He regarded this as the great sign of the dawning of the kingdom of God, in which all wounds are healed and all tears are wiped away. Jesus forgave sins in the power of the Holy Spirit, and he handed that power on to his apostles. We fall into the arms of our heavenly Father when we go to a priest and confess.” YOUCAT 227
Although God’s pardon is granted unreservedly, it carries the obligation to forgive others. “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us’. Fr Kevin
Lord have mercy, on me and on all who stray,
today and every day. Amen
| First Reading | Joshua 5:9-12 | The Israelites, free at last from slavery and humiliation in Egypt, enter the land of promise. | |||
| Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 33: 2-7 | R./: Taste and see the goodness of the Lord. | |||
| Second Reading | 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 | Christ’s aim and mission was to reconcile us with God. | |||
| Gospel | Luke 15:1-2, 11-32 | The vivid parable of the Prodigal Son, on the Father’s patient love. |
| Friday 4th April | 7pm | Richard Lega | RIP AN | |||||
| Sunday 6th | 9:30am | Noel & Shivanthi Fernando | RIP | |||||
| Friday 11th | 10am | Albert Topham | RIP |
| Friday 4th April | 12pm | Gloria Crocker, RIP. Funeral at St Edmund Campion Church. May her soul rest in peace. |
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.
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 is a 5pm Sunday evening Mass in St Joseph’s
LENTEN PENITENTIAL SERVICES FOR THE PASTORAL AREA:
As part of our spiritual preparation for Easter it is customary for all of us to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Our Lenten Season is a Journey, leading us through the Sacred Scriptures to understand who Jesus is and why he came into our world. As we enter into the most sacred week of the church liturgical year in a few weeks’ time (Holy Week), we have the opportunity to walk side by side with the Lord and receive this beautiful sacrament of God’s desire to be always united to us; he recognises our human frailty and weakness, and like the Father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, he sees us “while we are a long way off”; he comes out to meet us and embraces us in his loving forgiveness!
The sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated at the following days at times in our Pastoral Area.
2nd April at 7pm at St. Edmund Campion Church.
5th April at 11am at St. Edwards, Windsor.
9th April at 7pm, St. Thomas More, Twyford.
12th April at 11am, St. Joseph’s Maidenhead.
Wonderful opportunity to avail of this healing sacrament.
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.
MOTHER’S DAY: For many, Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate important women in our lives and the blessing from God that they represent. While not technically a Catholic or Christian holiday at its core, Mother’s Day is still an important day of prayer and reflection for many. We also recognise that Mother’s Day can be a challenging time for many. Our prayers are with those struggling with fertility issues, those who have recently lost their mothers, those who might not have the best relationship with their family or any others for whom it’s a difficult or traumatic day.
TIME: Spring is in the air, and Clocks go forward by one hour over the night of 29th/30th March.
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 CLASS Saturday 29th March, 4:30pm in St. Edmund Campion school, followed by Mass.
MAIDENHEAD SVP QUIZ Friday 9th May 2025 at St Joseph's Parish Hall with doors opening at 7:30pm for a 8:00pm start until 10:30 pm. Tickets are £5 per person and team sizes will be maximum 8 and adult only please. There will be a licensed bar and you are welcome to bring your own snacks. There will be prizes for the winning team plus a raffle and other games to participate in. All welcome. Tickets will go on sale from Saturday 22nd March after masses at St Joseph's and St Edmund Campion churches. Also from Peter 07976625813 (St Edmund Campion) or Siobhan (St Joseph's) on 07816445416.
ST EDMUND CAMPION NURSERY:
VOLUNTEERS FOR HOLY WEEK SERVICES
We are looking for readers and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist 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.
HOSPITALITY - Good Friday - Volunteers needed to run hospitality after Good Friday service– Hot Cross buns, tea/coffee.
- Easter Vigil Hospitality - Volunteers needed to provide hospitality after 8pm Easter Vigil on Saturday 19th April.
Please let the office know if you wish to take on either of these roles.
EASTER LITURGY Preparing the church for the Easter services in the period from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday and liaising with the Liturgy Group. Please contact Kathy on 07935937875.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH VOLUNTEERS Can you help out on Palm Sunday 12th/13th April and/or Saturday 19th April Easter Vigil Mass? We need help handing out Palm on Palm Sunday and processional candles at the Easter Vigil Mass. Please let the office know if you can help.
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.
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.
SAFEGUARDING TRAINING face-to-face Saturday 14th June 10:30am-12:30pm St Edmund Campion Parish Centre. The training is open to all those in recruitment for, or currently working in roles with children and/or adults at risk. Safeguarding training must be completed every 2 years. To book your place on this course, please email: office@stedmundcampion.org.uk
RED BOX HOLDERS - Spring edition of Mission Today is available now. Copies can be picked up outside the Parish Office and in the church porch.
CAFOD Lent Appeal - Thank you! Thank you for giving generously to CAFOD’s Lent Appeal. In troubling times for our world, your donations this Family Fast Day help people like Lokho in Kenya build a safety net and prepare for whatever comes. In giving to support our sisters and brothers, we are truly pilgrims of hope in the Jubilee year. Find out more at cafod.org.uk/lent
RECIFE CHILDREN’S PROJECT was a charity that was set up in Brazil in 1995, and supported by many of our parishioners through donations and direct debits. The charity has now closed, and they would like to return the money to the Parish of St Edmund Campion for us to use for the parish and the school. Before accepting the money back , we are notifying the parish of its return. If you donated to Recife and have any objection to this, then please contact the office via email: office@stedmundcampion.org.uk
SECOND COLLECTION 29th/30th March Clergy Training Fund https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/campaign/clergy-assistance-fund-second-collection-2025.
YOGA CLASSES Tuesday 11am – 11:45am The next Yoga class will be Tuesday 1st April 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 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.
LOSS AND BEREAVEMENT GROUP Sunday 13th April 2:30pm-4:30pm
PREPARING TOGETHER MARRIAGE COURSE 5th May 2025 - Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Wokingham, Berkshire RG40 2HE. For more information and to book a place www.marriagecare.org.uk.
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
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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