Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Keeping up appearances Dear parishioners and friends, Appearances are still more important in many places and cultures even today. It is for so many more important to be seen to be honourable than actually to be so.      The parable in this Sundays Gospel Matthew Ch 2:v 28-32, teaches us that promises or appearances can never in the end be a substitute for deeds. Faithfulness is one of the greatest virtues and necessary things in life. But faithfulness is costly.    There can be little fulfilment  for one who gives their word but fails to honour it. It is often said we are as good as our word.  If that is so then I need to ask myself; how good is my word?   “The person who makes a vow or promise makes an appointment  with themselves at some distant time or place.”   Mgr Jim Sacrament of Confirmation Sacramental preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation begins in January 2024, for those in Year 9 or above. Candidates can now collect a registration form from Fr Francis after any Sunday Mass. Young Adult Event We are excited to announce another young adult event happening next Sunday 15th October! If you are interested in attending, meet us outside Mass after the 6pm Mass (around 7:10pm), and we will move towards The Scarsdale Tavern shortly after, located a 5 min walk away.   Alternatively, join us at the pub for a drink and a chat. This event is aimed at people in their 20s and 30s and aims to build a community in the parish. We are looking forward to seeing you this Sunday. If there are any questions, please send us an email at: [email protected] or join our WhatsApp group using the QR code:  Coffee Morning We will have our coffee morning this Sunday 1st October after 10:30 am Mass. Everyone is welcome. Bring your friends and family to have coffee with us. It would be great to meet new family and friends. We need new members to set up, serve and tidy up afterwards, we aim for a  30-45 minute session. If this is for you, please make yourself known to the team. Condolences To the Dooley family our longstanding parishioners. On the death of Patrick Dooley whose funeral will take place in Waterford Ireland. A memorial service will be held at 1pm for him on the 14th October. Jesu Mercy, Mary Pray. Nagorno-Karabakh. A plea for prayers The guns have fallen silent. Now there is mass movement of reluctant refugees. A fear of ethnic cleansing and of further violence has caused ethnic Armenians to leave their homes and churches. Pray that this is not the precursor to a greater conflict the South Caucasus and the region.   Bishop Hovakim Manukyan the primate of the Armenian Church in  the UK and Ireland  makes this plea: “Unfortunately, Azerbaijan will start purges and arrests of people. I am very afraid of what might happen to those Armenians who remain in Artsakh. I call upon my friends, clergy of sisters Churches, and people of goodwill to raise their voices and demand the immediate release of all prisoners of war and abducted people"   For a better understanding visit: Website: http://www.epektasis.net   You-Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MyEpektasis3 Diocese of The Armenian Church – of the United Kingdom & Ireland CAFOD Family Fast Day appeal – Harvest Collection. Harvest Fast Day: Friday 6th October: CAFOD Family Fast day collection: Sunday 8th October. Dr Nasha’s mobile medical clinic gets life-saving help to where it’s needed most, fast – so when her team arrived in Meera’s village in Pakistan after it had been destroyed by flooding, Meera rushed to the clinic to get her children the treatment they needed. Donate to CAFOD today so that more families can get the expert help they need. Use the envelope in church or give online at cafod.org.uk  Welcome to all our Parishioners If you are new to the parish, please come and say hello and complete the new parishioner registration form which can be found on our website:  https://www.ourladyofvictories.net/parish-registrationfinancial-support.html Here you can also find further information on all our parish activities. 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]  Leaving a Legacy In the last year, the parish has received a number of legacies from parishioners who have remembered the work of the parish in their wills. Please pray for the repose of the souls of those parishioners. They will be remembered in our annual donors Mass. Please consider remembering the parish in your will. See the leaflets at the back of the Church or call 0207 798 9375 or email [email protected] Pauline Books and Media The Sisters of the Pauline run their shop in the repository at Our Lady of Victories Church from Tuesday to Friday and Sunday from 9am to1pm. The contact number is 07561456074.  OLOV LATEST NEWS GIFT AID DONATIONS:   Dear Parishioners:   We have worked with our colleagues in the Parish Support Team towards procedures for processing the Gift Aid from contactless donations through the Dona provider. When signing a Gift Aid declaration on the device, you will also be asked if you would like your previous contactless donations to be Gift Aided.  Further, as entering a Gift Aid declaration on the device can take a couple of minutes, we want to help reduce the amount of time you may spend on the device, and reduce the queue for it. Leaflets have been created and placed at the back of the church and on the notice board. These contain a QR code that will enable you to use your smartphone to make your Gift Aid declaration. You can also access the Dona portal and leave your donation by simply scanning the underneath QR code: You can also donate securely by debit or credit card by clicking on the button created at the section end.   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.    Eucharistic Adoration and Confession On Wednesday's, after the 10am Mass, there is Eucharistic Adoration. This is an opportunity to spend some time in prayer before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. During that time a priest will also be available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Adoration concludes at Noon with the prayer of the Angelus. Confessions are also available every Saturday from 5 pm to 5.45 pm.   Please do keep an eye on the website: www.ourladyofvictories.net which will be updated weekly.  Mgr Jim Curry & Fr Francis   Our Lady of Victories 16 Abingdon Road London W8 6AF 020 7937 4778  [email protected]