Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

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Merciful Like the Father As we pray for the health of Pope Francis, we recall that it’s nearly 10 years ago that he declared the Year of Mercy. The theme of that memorable year was ‘Merciful like the Father’ – words of Jesus which appear in this Sunday’s Gospel (Lk 6:36), though the exact wording appears more clearly in other languages like Italian: ‘Be merciful (or compassionate), even as your Father is merciful.’ The Holy Spirit ever seeks to guide us towards a deeper understanding of God’s mercy, for he is our origin and our final goal.   For many, the word ‘father’ has negative connotations; how many deep wounds exist in families, how many have suffered from father figures, or others in authority? God knows this. He came to reveal what a true father is; human parents, however much they try, can never perfectly reflect God’s love and kindness. So God sent his Son, to show us in a human face what he is like. When Jesus says to the apostles, ‘Whoever sees me sees the Father,’ it is in response to Philip’s request, ‘Let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied’ (Jn 14:8–9). Let us see the Father: this sums up our deep-rooted desire, the most profound yearning of all human flesh, to set eyes on the One who made us (cf. Ps 99:3), who thought of us and chose us before the foundation of the world (cf. Eph 1:4), and who longs for us to be with him in perfect joy for ever: ‘he brought us to life with Christ – it is through grace that you have been saved – and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus’ (Eph 2:5–6). May this Jubilee Year centred on Hope draw us ever closer to the Heart of Jesus, for he himself is the Way to the Father. Fr Nigel Please pray for those who are sick: Vidal Geronimo, Megan Kemirembe, Claire Godinho, Eunice Van Vurren, Canice Carson, Laetitia Smith, Rolando Lirio, James Langan and  Theresa Chee.    Please pray for those who are recently deceased:  Delroy Dyall, Margaret Hewett and Marina Giraldi.   Please pray for those whose anniversaries occur at this time:  Lady Madeleine Clanmorris, Valentino Bertotti, Brigid & Joe Burke, Auriol Wheating, Herbert Rawson, Primo Morillo, Victor Santelices, Comte Gabriel de Lambilly, William Adams, Basma Khaliffe, Laura Brett, Alfred Hanoun, Aurora Diego, Canon Michael Richards, Michael McEvoy, Mgr Philip Sherrington, Bernadette Cullen, Lady Donatella Adams and Victor Orsi. Congratulations To the families of Zaya, Seth, and Francesca who were baptised on 8th February and to Jacob who was baptised on 15th February. May the Lord continue to bless your families with his grace, mercy and peace. Ash Wednesday - 5th March 10am Mass (with All Saints Catholic College pupils and choir attending) 7pm Mass (with Our Lady of Victories Choir) Ashes will be distributed at both Masses. Stations of the Cross - 7pm Fridays in Lent Join us for this traditional meditation on the Lord's Passion and Death on each Friday during Lent at 7pm. We Dare To Hope – Lent Faith Sharing Groups In this Jubilee Year when we are to be ‘pilgrims of hope’, the ‘We Dare to Hope’ resource features Sacred Scripture, Lectio Divina, Visio Divina, the wisdom of the Saints, prayer, and reflective questions. We will be providing two faith sharing groups. Group 1 will meet after the 10am Mass on Fridays in Lent. Group 2 will meet after the 6pm Mass on Saturdays in Lent. Please sign up using the sheets on the noticeboard at the back of the Church. If you are unable to make either of these times but still would like to have a copy of the resource booklet for individual meditation, then contact Fr Francis, in person or [email protected] Palm Crosses Please return your Palm Crosses from Palm Sunday 2024. These will be burnt to make ash for Ash Wednesday (5th March). Palms can be returned to the basket at the back of Church or through the letterbox of Clergy House (16 Abingdon Road). Our Lady of Victories annual St Patrick’s Party - Saturday 15th March This annual charity event will take place in the church hall on Saturday 15th March at 7pm. All money raised to supporting Christians in Bethlehem and Gaza. Irish music, dance, drink, buffet and prize raffle. Tickets Adult - £25.Children - (accompanied by an adult) £5. Please support this event to help our Christian brothers and sisters suffering today in the Holy Land. Buy your tickets in the Pauline Shop at the back of the church or call 07746847126 or in the Parish office. Jubilee 2025 Our designated Jubilee Church for the West Area of the diocese is St Gregory the Great, 447 Victoria Rd, South Ruislip HA4 0EG. Every Saturday: 10am Mass will be a Jubilee Mass, followed by Confession, Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction. More events to follow. https://www.st-gregory.org.uk/ Mass for Bereaved Parents A Mass for bereaved parents will be celebrated in the Cathedral by Bishop Paul McAleenan on Saturday 5th April at 2pm. Parishioners are welcome to attend this Mass. Flame 2025 - Saturday 15th March 2025 - OVO Arena Wembley A day gathering of 1000s of young Catholics aged from 14 – 21, with live music, talks, adoration and worship. More information on the special guests and music artists here: https://cymfed.org.uk/flame/ We have 5 tickets remaining, contact Fr Francis for more information: [email protected] Gift Aid and Planned Giving Weekly Offertory Envelopes We will shortly be ordering our offertory envelopes for the new tax year. 1.If you have been using your offertory envelopes then you will receive a new box for 2025-2026. There is no need for you to do anything. 2. If you have not used your envelopes at all in 2024 then we will not order a new box for you. You will need to request a box for the new year.  3. If you do not have offertory envelopes but would like to start using them, then please complete a planned giving form that is available at the back of the church. Alternatively you can send an email requesting offertory envelopes to [email protected]. Please include your name and postal address in the email.   Gift Aid Donations If you currently Gift Aid your donations, please let us know: a. If your name or address has changed; or  if you are no longer eligible for Gift Aid (i.e. you are no longer a UK taxpayer). Annual Mass of Thanksgiving for Matrimony at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday 17th May 2025 at 2:30pm   The Cardinal invites couples in the Diocese celebrating in 2025 their 5th, 10th, 25th, 30th, 40th, 50th, and 60th (and any year over 60) wedding anniversary of Catholic marriage. Please give your parish these details: husband and wife’s names, wedding date, number of years married, postal address, email (or phone number, if no email). Parish Pilgrimage to Walsingham – Jubilee Celebration: 7th June 2025 Mark your diaries for Saturday, 7th June 2025, as our parish embarks on a special day-pilgrimage to Walsingham, the ancient National Shrine lovingly known as “England’s Nazareth”.           This pilgrimage is a unique opportunity to celebrate the Holy Year Jubilee proclaimed by Pope Francis, a time of renewal, grace, and deepened faith. Please register your interest with the parish office as soon as possible but expect an early start from 7.30 am. For a commitment, we are requesting  £10 deposit. Donation: using the reference ‘Walsingham’: Bank: HSBC, 69 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5EY Sort Code: 40-05-20 Number: 61263714 Or in cash, or cheque  Account: Our Lady of Victories, Kensington Pauline Books and Media The bookshop will be open from 9.30am to 12.30pm on Friday and Sundays.  The shop will reopen on Friday on Jan 18th.The contact number is 07561 456074. Young Married Couples Group Are you a young married couple seeking to build friendships and desiring to connect with other young married couples? Well, a young married couples group is present in our parish. The purpose of the group is to offer support and foster friendship and connection among the many young married couples present in our parish. The ideal age range of the group is under 40. The group meets every month to socialize and foster communion and support. Among the different activities offered are meals together, trips out, games nights and social exercises. If you’re interested in attending, please email Steve and Annie Caprio at [email protected]. You can also join our Whatsapp group using the QR code below:  Welcome to all our Parishioners If you are new to the parish, please come and say hello and complete the parishioner registration form which can be found on our website:  https://www.ourladyofvictories.net/support.html Here you can also find further information on all our parish activities. Weekly Mass Schedule Monday to Friday - 10.00 am Saturday - 6.00 pm Sunday - 9.00 am, 10.30 am, 12.00 pm and 6.00 pm.    All our Masses are live-streamed from our website.  Please note: the sanctuary and first five pews are livestreamed 24/7. All the celebrations of Mass are recorded. The recordings are kept securely for 28days, after which they are deleted.   Eucharistic Adoration and Confession On Wednesdays, after the 10am Mass, there is Eucharistic Adoration. This is an opportunity to spend some time in prayer before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. A priest will be available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation from 10.30 to 11.15am. Adoration concludes with Benediction and the Angelus at Noon. Confession also available every Saturday from 5 to 5.45 pm. Parish Team: Fr Nigel Woollen (Parish Priest) Fr Francis Thomas (Assistant Priest) Rev. Paul Hewitt (Permanent Deacon)  Sr Maureen McNamara rsm (Sacramental Programmes) Mrs Rachel Mulira (Parish Secretary) Our Lady of Victories 16 Abingdon Road London W8 6AF 020 7937 4778  [email protected] Support our Parish Financially here