Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Remember, Remember the Whole of November! Next Friday, 1st November, the Church celebrates the Feast of All Saints, honouring not just those formally canonised but all who have reached heaven, including (we hope) many of our own deceased loved ones and ancestors. C.S. Lewis wrote: “How monotonously alike all the great tyrants and conquerors have been; how gloriously different are the saints.” The more we get to know our heavenly friends, by praying to them, reading their writings and discovering their life stories (the “Universalis” app is a great resource for this), the more we discover how “gloriously different” they are from each other: the closer someone draws to God, the more their own personality shines forth, guided by God’s grace which builds on human nature to make it sparkle!   On Saturday 2nd November we remember the faithful departed on All Souls Day, praying particularly for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, that they may be speedily welcomed into Paradise. The Church prays for the dead in a special way in the month of November. This newsletter has Mass times for All Saints and All Souls Days, and indicates how you can include your deceased in parish Masses throughout the month. Also note that a plenary indulgence for the dead can be obtained each day from 1st to 8th November by visiting a cemetery and praying for the Pope’s intentions.   Fr Nigel   “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.” Please pray for those who are sick: Duncan Taylor, Laetitia Smith, James Langan, Theresa Chee and Pamela Faber.   Please pray for those who are recently deceased:  Therese Mary Matovu.   Pray for those whose anniversaries occur at this time:  Janet Texeira, Margaret Keenan, Joseph Taboada, Maureen Connor, Marcella Marzano & Egidio Lamberti. 1st and 2nd November All Saints Day: Friday 1st November: Holy day of Obligation Mass at 10 am & 6.30 pm.   All Souls Day:  Saturday 2nd November: Mass at 10 am and 6pm Meray Jacoub Meray received her First Holy Communion in our parish in May this year. She became sick during the time of the course and has since been regularly in hospital. Meray is on dialysis often for several hours a day and is ultimately in need of a kidney transplant. We ask firstly for your prayers for Meray and her family who are very worried at this time. We also ask you to consider how you might be able to assist Meray, with a renal (kidney) transplant, or some other supports, cards, letters etc. More information can be provided by contacting the Parish Office. Sacrament of Confirmation 2024 Sacramental preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation begins in January 2024, for those in Year 9 or above. Candidates can collect a registration form from Fr Francis after any Sunday Mass. BEWARE - SCAM EMAILS! Do not open any email ending “gmail.com” claiming to be from one of the priests of the parish, it will almost certainly be a scam! Genuine clergy emails always end with “rcdow.org.uk” - spread the word!  New Encyclical Letter from Pope Francis 'Dilexit nos – He Loved Us – will be Pope Francis’ fourth encyclical, and it comes at a time of profound global challenges.' Click here to continue reading this article from the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales. You can read the Encyclical letter here. Assisted Dying: News and Updates On 16 October 2024, Kim Leadbeater (Labour) presented the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2024-25 to Parliament, having been drawn first in the Private Members’ Bills ballot for the 2024-25 session. The full text of the bill has not yet been published, but its long title states it will “allow adults who are terminally ill, subject to safeguards and protections, to request and be provided with assistance to end their own life”. The bill’s second reading is scheduled for Friday 29 November 2024. News 1. Health Secretary Wes Streeting will vote against changing the law on assisted dying, the BBC has confirmed. 2. Assisted dying move defeated in Senedd vote (Wales Parliament) (BBC). Action:  Contact your MP before the vote on 29th November. Find out how here Resources: Living and Dying Well: Providing research and analysis of the evidence surrounding the 'assisted dying' debate. We aim to present readers with reliable information on which to form their own views. Book: The Reality of Assisted Dying: Understanding the Issues Mrs Mary Teresa McGloin RIP Requiem Mass - Wednesday 30th October at 2pm. May she rest in peace. Parish Readers’ morning on the new translation of the Lectionary Saturday 16th November 2024 - 11am  to 1pm Anyone wishing to become a parish reader also welcome to attend. Please contact Fr Francis for more information. Remembering our deceased loved ones in November The month of November is a time when we are invited to especially remember the memory of our loved ones who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. The November dead list envelopes will also be available for Masses to be offered during November for the faithful departed. Catholic Children’s Society Christmas Gift Appeal The Catholic Children’s Society is appealing for Christmas Gifts for local children and families facing a Christmas without presents, food or basic essentials. Note: Only brand new gifts and we are not able to collect gifts. Please bring your gifts to the parish office before Sunday 24 November 2024. Please see poster here for more details or visit www.cathchild.org.uk Schola Cantorum of Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School Faure Requiem marking the centenary of Faure’s death with music by Bach, Rheinberger and MacMillan. On Thursday 7 November at 7pm at Our Lady of Victories Church, Kensington High Street. Tickets £15 (£8) available at: scholacantorum.co.uk or use the link: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/DWSN  UPDATED: The Year of Jubilee 2025   Theme: Pilgrims of Hope Opening Mass for the Holy Year will take place in Westminster Cathedral on Sunday 29th December 2024 at 12 Noon. There will be opportunities to walk various pilgrimage routes including a new route within London. More details to follow. Pauline Books and Media The bookshop will be open from 9.30am to 12.30pm on Friday and Sunday.   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: Young Adult Group This is a group for people in their 20s and 30s and aims to build a community in the parish. More events will be coming soon. If there are any questions, please send us an email at: [email protected] or join our WhatsApp group using the QR code:  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.    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 at Noon with the prayer of the Angelus. 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