Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

Come to the water, all you who thirst! Last summer, I signed up for the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes, my first time there with the diocese and first visit for over 20 years. It was a very blessed week - seeing so many happy faces, not least among the sick and those accompanying them - with many stories shared, hope renewed and signs everywhere of the universal Church at prayer and in the joyful service of others. It was lovely to meet some parishioners of Our Lady of Victories (you know who you are!) which meant I could spot a few familiar faces when starting here a few weeks later. Witnessing the young volunteers serving the sick and frail pilgrims with such generosity, was a real highlight; in these times when we often hear that our youth aren’t interested in religion, to see so many of them living their pilgrimage with such enthusiasm brings new heart to us oldies and reminds us that the Holy Spirit is at work in each generation.   The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on 11th February celebrates the wondrous event of the Mother of God appearing to St Bernadette at the Lourdes grotto. Her call to prayer and self-giving inspires us to strive for holiness, urges us to pray for peace and particularly for the sick, and hopefully will motivate many young parishioners to sign up for the next diocesan pilgrimage in July: they won’t regret it! Fr Nigel Please pray for those who are sick: 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:  Alan Sykes, Marina Giraldi and Jane Gertrude O’Hora.   Please pray for those whose anniversaries occur at this time:  Virginia Arendt, Anastasia Dowling, Ian McNaught Davies, Krystyna Witcomb, John Kelly, Kathleen Murphy, Christopher Senior, Grace Rochford, Mgr Kelleher and Hugh Rossi. Caroline Eyre RIP May she rest in peace. The funeral will take place on Wednesday 12th February 2024 at 11.30am. We send condolences to her family. There will be NO 10am Parish Mass or Exposition. Marriage Week 7-14 February 2025 Marriage Week celebrates the vibrancy of marriage as the basis for family life. For more information, visit: https://marriage-week.org.uk/ 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/ Racial Justice Sunday 2025 is the thirtieth anniversary of Racial Justice Sunday. It takes place next Sunday 16 February.  The theme this year: “Pilgrims of Hope: Our Journey Together Towards Racial Justice”. Reflections on racial justice from different contributors, prayers, resources (including resources for primary and secondary schools) can all be found on the CBCEW  website at: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/racial-justice-sunday/ Please note there will be a collection to support the work of the diocese in fostering racial justice after all Masses next weekend. Jubilee Volunteering Fair Saturday 8th March, 3pm - 5pm in Cathedral Hall, Ambrosden Avenue, London SW1P 1QW. To celebrate the Jubilee of Volunteering Caritas Westminster are inviting you to a Volunteering Fair. To find out more please visit https://caritaswestminster.org.uk/event/jubilee-volunteering-fair/ or email [email protected] Make Jubilee 2025 a rewarding year through volunteering! 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 10 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