Second Sunday of Lent (Year C)

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

You Will See the Glory of God! It may seem strange hearing the gospel passage of the Transfiguration during Lent. St Leo the Great (5th century) tells us: “The great reason for this transfiguration was to remove the scandal of the cross from the hearts of Jesus’ disciples, and to prevent the humiliation of his voluntary suffering from disturbing the faith of those who had witnessed the surpassing glory that lay concealed.”   Jesus went up the mountain – the place where God is encountered in Jewish tradition – taking his closest disciples with him. St Luke’s account highlights Jesus at prayer: “As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed.” (Lk 9:29). This recalls a psalm verse: ‘Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed’ (Ps 33:6). If we seek the Lord in prayer, his glory shines upon us, and we will not go away disappointed, if we seek him with sincere hearts.   When we switch off the noise around us we can hear God speaking to us more clearly. Today the Father’s voice comes from the cloud (a symbol of the Holy Spirit): “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” Striving to listen to Jesus, we encounter him as our personal Saviour; we learn from St Paul (Ph 3:21) that the Lord will “transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” - a glimpse of hope for the sick and those who bear heavy burdens. We are thus enabled to grow in faith, recalling the Lord’s words (Jn 11:40) to Martha and Mary upon the death of their brother Lazarus: “If you believe, you will see the glory of God!”   Fr Nigel Please pray for those who are sick: Vidal Geronimo, Estelita Risaldo, Claire Godinho, Eunice Van Vurren, Canice Carson, Laetitia Smith, Rolando Lirio, James Langan and  Theresa Chee.    Please pray for those whose anniversaries occur at this time:  June Brooks, Cardinal Hinsley, Fr Lionel Keane, Eufracia Guira, Javier Gonzalez, Canon Digby Samuels. Missio “Red Box” Appeal This weekend we are delighted to welcome a Mill Hill Missionary, Fr Joseph Balaswamy, who will be preaching at all Masses. Our parish has a long-standing tradition of supporting missionary work, particularly the Missio “Red Box” appeal. Thank you for your welcome and support of Fr Joseph and your response to his invitation. Extra Confessions for Lent The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available for half an hour before each Sunday Mass this weekend 15/16th March. Leaflets with an examination of conscience and guide on how to go to Confession are available on the stand beside the confessionals in the church. https://mcusercontent.com/a597c8b147389a9a4e1bce296/files/040571d6-a6d7-4bfb-bbf3-bc3f91084dae/Examination_of_Conscience_Beatitudes.pdf or: https://mcusercontent.com/a597c8b147389a9a4e1bce296/files/aa0375bc-f45b-e6a2-a3cd-90dd4923d683/Simple_Guide_to_Confession_web.pdf CAFOD’s Family Fast Day, Friday 14 March Please donate to our Family Fast Day parish collection to be a pilgrim of hope with CAFOD this Jubilee Year. Use the CAFOD envelope in Church, donate online at cafod.org.uk/envelope or call 0303 303 3030. Westminster Cathedral’s Great Cross: Two Sides, One Story Fr Patrick for his Christian Art website, has produced a video looking in detail at the Cathedral Rood. A perfect introduction to Lent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mcm-o3Bga0E ECUMENICAL LENT COURSE 2025 - THE NICENE CREED  Churches Together in Kensington & Chelsea - Churches Together in Notting Hill. This year, the course takes place on five Wednesdays in Lent, at 7.30pm, when we will study Navigating a World of Grace by Graham Tomlin, which is widely available on-line. See poster for details. Mass for the Sick Friday 21st March, 7.30pm (after Stations of the Cross) A special sung Mass for the Sick - with the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, for those with serious illness. Year of Hope - Allen Hall Seminary To Celebrate the Jubilee Year, Pilgrims of Hope and the 1700th Anniversary of Nicaea, the first Ecumenical Council, on Saturday 22nd March at 3pm there will be a talk at Allen Hall Seminary entitled: “Consubstantial with the Father: Christ our Hope”. It will be given by Canon John O’Leary, Rector of Allen Hall. He also teaches philosophy at the seminary and lectures on the doctrine of Creation and Eschatology at St Mary’s University. You are invited to stay for refreshments after the talk, then enjoy a tour of Allen Hall with an explanation of its rich history starting at 5pm. You are also most welcome to join the Allen Hall community for Vespers at 5:30 pm. This will end with devotions to the Douai Martyrs - including veneration of St Cuthbert Mayne’s relic. The evening will finish at about 6 pm. Just coming for the talk is fine. To help plan for numbers, please register to attend by emailing: [email protected]. Allen Hall is located at 28 Beaufort Street, Chelsea SW3 5AA (on the site of St Thomas More’s House). Buses 19, 49, 319, 345 stop practically at the front door and nos. 11 and 22 stop close by on the King’s Road. The Victorious Word Podcast Each Sunday during Lent a new episode of The Victorious Word podcast will be released, hosted by Charlie Brown and featuring Fr Nigel and Fr Francis. In the podcast they will share their thoughts on the upcoming Sunday Mass readings, to help get the most out of our Lenten journey. Walk with us as we explore and meditate upon the deep spiritual riches of this great season of Lent. You can access the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, from your smart speaker, just search for ‘The Victorious Word podcast’. Episode 1 and 2 are available now and Episode 3 will be released on Sunday evening. Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal 2025 This Holy Year invites us to be ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. We invite you to consider supporting work being done in the Diocese of Westminster to bring hope into many lives. Your contributions will help fund vital projects across our               Diocese, including Youth & Evangelisation, Social Action, Marriage & Family Life, and Catholic Education Initiatives. His Eminence, Cardinal Nichols,   extends his heartfelt thanks to all who give what they can to this meaningful cause. Donation envelopes are available today, and you can also contribute online. Thank you for your kindness and support. Bach’s St John’s Passion: Cathedral, 18th March  As part of their Lenten devotions, Westminster Cathedral Choir will perform again Johann Sebastian Bach's retelling of St John Passion. The event will take place on Tuesday 18th March 2025 at 7.30pm at Westminster Cathedral.   J.S. Bach's setting of the Passion story was first performed in 1724 and has since become a popular staple of the season of Lent.  Bach deliberately crafted the Passion to enable the congregation to reflect more profoundly on the story of the arrest, trials, death and burial of Jesus. It is a perfect spiritual preparation to the Holy Week. We are delighted to invite you to join us for this devotional performance by our world-famous Choir directed by Master of Music, Simon Johnson, accompanied by a period Baroque Orchestra and joined by outstanding soloists: James Gilchrist and William Thomas. This is a wonderful chance to hear the Cathedral’s superb choir performing one of the greatest pieces of Easter music ever written. As a way of encouraging as many as possible from our parishes across the diocese to benefit from this spiritual preparation to the Holy Week in the Jubilee Year, we would like to offer you and your parish team an opportunity to buy your tickets at a discount of 30%.    Discounted tickets are available at the following link, using the password below. Click Enter Offer Code and type the code: SJP30 Lourdes Pilgrimage: 25th July - 1st August 2025 Registration for the Westminster diocesan pilgrimage led by Cardinal Vincent Nicholas is now open via the online form at https://pilgrimages.rcdow.org.uk or by contacting the Pilgrimage Office on 020 7798 9173. Options to travel by plane or train are available and there are many volunteering opportunities for those wishing to serve. Deadline to register: Wednesday 30th April. Governor Opportunity at St Charles St Charles Sixth Form College in North Kensington  is appealing to Catholic members of our community who can dedicate  5hours for meetings, either in person each term  to support our vision, please get in touch with Sue Jacobs  the clerk at [email protected] or Margaret O’Riordan on [email protected] See flyer for more information. 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. Copies of the stations meditation will also be made available at the first station for individuals or families to use during Lent. 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/ 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