Mass attendances last Sunday were 1006.
Sunday 15/4/12	Second Sunday of Easter (B) 6pm – O’Connor Family RIP 9.15am – People of the Parish 11am – Stewart Lowe RIP (Lowe Family)
Monday 16/4/12	Feria 9.30am – O’Flaherty Family RIP
Tuesday 17/4/12	Feria 9.30am – Bill O’Riordan RIP
Wednesday 18/4/12	Feria 9.30am – Mary Webb RIP
Thursday 19/4/12	St Alphege, Bishop & Martyr 9.30am – Daniel Carrigan RIP (Gwen Carrigan & Family)
Friday 20/4/12	Feria 9.30am – Hugh & Mary O’Donnell RIP  (Deirdre Marshall)
Sunday  22/4/12	Third Sunday of Easter (B) 6pm – Tony Huntington RIP (Howell Family) 9.15am – George & Irene Hilborne RIP (The Huntingtons) 11am – People of the Parish

Today’s first reading – from the Acts of the Apostles, written by St. Luke - gives us a wonderful (but probably idealistic) picture of how the first Christians lived.  Everyone was united, all possessions were held in common and nobody went in need of anything.

We carry on the Lord’s work today. Thanks to those of you who have brought in food for the Orpington Foodbank.  Hopefully nobody in the borough will go hungry.  But our concern is not just for the immediate area.

The LiveSimply group is collecting discarded children’s shoes for the Shoe Rafiki project .  Please bring in any unwanted shoes and trainers and place in the wheelie bins which you will find at the back of the church next weekend (22/23).  They will be sent overseas for children who have no shoes at all.  Thank you.

Please support this; no child should be without shoes.  But there’s more:

Today we welcome William Johnson who will be appealing on behalf of the St. Barnabas Society, which gives financial support (and sometimes housing) to ministers of other churches who become Catholics.  In doing so they are giving up their livelihood and home and face an uncertain future.  Most have a wife and children to support.  I am personally grateful to the Society for its support when I became a Catholic and I know you will be generous in your response to the appeal. (As you may know, many (but not all) such ministers go on to become Catholic priests.)

So may the Lord bless us all as we support people with very different needs.

A massive thank - you (again) for Holy Week and Easter Day - and special thanks to Tim (organist) and Dominic (choirmaster) for their sustained hard work throughout Lent with the singers.  They achieved great results with the choir and added immeasurably to the atmosphere of worship.  Thanks also to all the singers (including the folk choir) for their work and commitment.

Castle Cycle Challenge- please support Flavio (Iorio) and daughter Simone who will be cycling to raise money for (among other things) the Knights of St. Columba (sheet on porch board.)

Finally, many thanks for your generous Easter Offering (your personal gift to your parish priest- see top of printed Briefly).  It is greatly appreciated.

Confirmation Retreat: Monies and forms to presbytery TODAY please.

Monday:

Confirmation Group at 7pm.

Eucharistic Ministers at 8.30pm (Hall).

Wednesday:

Library group (8pm in presbytery -281A).

Thursday:

Mission and Planning Team (MaP) -meeting room - 7.45pm.

Saturday:

‘Lyra’ – Four professional singers from St. Petersburg.  7.30pm in church (free but retiring collection).  A great evening with highly talented singers! Not to be missed! (ends approx. 9pm and is suitable for older children 7+). Their third appearance here.

Next Sunday second collection for Maintenance and Refurbishment Fund - we are nearly there with funds for the hall roof - but please keep giving!!

Next Sunday also:  Taizé service at 5pm.

Advance Notice :

Monday April 23rd Meeting for all readers (new and present) at 8pm in the hall.  Would readers please make this a priority.

(If anyone would like to offer for Reading or Eucharistic Ministry please sign list on porch table, thank you.)

Wedding Anniversaries:

If you are celebrating a significant one this year (i.e. 1, 10, 25 etc......) you are invited to renew your vows on June 16^th at a special (afternoon) Mass in the cathedral - please sign list in porch and you will receive an invitation.

There are lots of new notices in the porch.  Do read them!! There might just be something for you..... Mums and Dads...please take the Day by Day (Junior and Infant) for your children.....also the Pilgrim (newspaper).

Every blessing to you for this second week of Easter, Fr Bryan.