Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

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The Offertory: Part 6 Dear parishioners and friends, Once at the altar, the priest offers prayers which bless God for the bread and wine. The Offertory prayers, ‘Blessed are you…’, have Jewish origins and are based on the Berekoth prayers used during the Sabbath meal Kiddush. The deacon or priest at this point also pours wine and a little water into the chalice, while reciting a prayer that the people may share in the divinity of Christ, who shared in their humanity. After offering the chalice of wine and praising God for it, the priest makes a profound bow to the altar and recites quietly a prayer that God will receive the sacrifice. The priest prays ‘in his own name, asking that he may exercise his ministry with greater attention and devotion’. This particular prayer is based on the one offered by Azariah in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:39). The priest then washes his hands at the side of the altar to express his desire for interior purification.   After inviting the people to pray that God will find their sacrifices acceptable, ‘Pray brothers and sisters…’, the priest prays the Prayer over the Offerings. This prayer usually prepares for the Eucharist Prayer by indicating the purpose for which these gifts have been brought. It is directed to God and often thanks God for these gifts which we offer to Him, but actually recognising that God himself has provided everything, including Jesus and these gifts of bread and wine. So, in essence we’re offering them back to God, even though it was God who gave them to us in the beginning. The whole Mass is a thanksgiving of the Son to the Father. The word itself, Eucharist, ‘eucharistia’ in Greek, means thanksgiving. A message to parishioners for Holy Week For those going away, safe travel and a happy Easter. For those staying and any visitors to our parish, we look forward to celebrating the liturgies of Holy Week with you. Holy Week Mass Times 23/24 March               Palm Sunday Mass (6pm Sat, 9,10:30,                                                                 12noon and 6pm Sunday). Palms will be                                                                blessed at all Masses. 25, 26 & 27 March       Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday Mass at 10 am   26 March      Tuesday Chrism Mass at Westminster Cathedral at 12 noon    28 March         Maundy Thursday No Morning Mass Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 8 pm Watching at the Altar of Repose until 11 pm   29 March    Good Friday (Day of Fasting & Abstinence) Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 3 pm   30 March      Holy Saturday Easter Vigil at 8 pm    31 March     Easter Sunday Masses at 9 am, 10.30 am and 12 noon Easter Offerings The collection on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday are the two main sources of income for the priests. Clergy income is derived from the Christmas and Easter Offerings as well as Mass Stipends and offerings from baptisms, wedding and funerals. This is paid into the parish and then distributed to the clergy. These offerings can also be gift aided. Thank you. Vocations Days  'Come and See' Men who are interested in exploring vocations to the priesthood or the permanent diaconate are invited to come along to the Vocations Team’s 'Come & See' Vocations Mornings on one of the following days: COURSES, RETREATS AND EVENTS Sat 20th April, 10am-2pm at Our Lady and St Vincent Church Hall, 243 Mutton Lane, Potters Bar EN6 2AT; Sat 1st June, 10am-2pm at Our Lady's Hall (the undercroft) at Our  Lady of Lourdes Parish, Rothamsted Avenue, Harpenden AL5 2DB. Refreshments and a light lunch will be provided. To find out more and and to register attendance at one of the days, please contact: Canon Roger Taylor, Vocations Promoter, at                [email protected] or Deacon Adrian Cullen, Director Permanent Diaconate at [email protected] or call 07961 594725.  Lourdes Pilgrimage 19th- 26th July 2024 Registration for the Westminster diocesan pilgrimage led by Cardinal Vincent Nicholas is now open via the application form on https://rcdow.org.uk/pilgrimages/lourdes/ or by contacting the Pilgrimage Office on 020 7798 9173. Options to travel by plane, train or coach are available and there are many volunteering opportunities for those wishing to serve. All applications to join this year’s pilgrimage need to be submitted by Tuesday 30th April.   Watch the Cardinal's personal invitation to Lourdes here:  https://fb.watch/q_m4esnHX4/ Annual Mass of Thanksgiving for the Sacrament of Matrimony Westminster Cathedral, Saturday 25th May 2024 at 2:30pm. The Cardinal is inviting to this Mass all couples in the Diocese, who are celebrating their 5th 10th, 25th, 30th, 40th, 50th and 60th (and every year over 60) wedding anniversary of Catholic marriage in 2024. If you are celebrating an anniversary, please give your parish clergy the following details: husband and wife’s names, wedding date, full postal address and email (or telephone number, if no email). 2024 Encounter Festival In June this year we have our 2024 Encounter Festival - a weekend retreat where young adults can experience a deep Encounter with God and do so with friends. Fill out the RSVP to reserve your place (There are limited  residential tickets available - payments to be taken at a later date). https://forms.gle/vtTipvQs6vuZhPnA9   Here are some promo videos for you to watch to get more of an idea of the Encounter Festival  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yz6ByrFKYL8  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 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. 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]

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