Sixth Sunday of Easter

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The Deacon as a Minister of the Word Dear parishioners and friends, During the rite of ordination, the Bishop hands the book of the Gospels to the Deacon saying: ‘Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you now are.’   A principal function of the Deacon is to join with the Bishop and the Priests in the exercise of the Ministry of the Word. The Deacon is expected to read, announce, and proclaim the Gospel at every Mass as part of his diaconal ministry.  It would be usual for a Deacon to be asked to preach at Sunday Mass on a regular basis. God Willing, after my ordination you will see and hear me taking on this role of preaching the Word of God at Mass.   This Ministry of the Word embraces assisting the People of God to grow in their knowledge of their faith in Christ and to express it in their family, professional and social lives. For this reason, a Deacon must give careful attention to catechesis at all stages of Christian living, and all phases of human development. Of course, the Ministry of the Word is lived out beyond the church building. The Deacon especially is seen as the herald of evangelising the culture in the modern world.   This focusses on the transmission on the Word in public life in places where public opinion is formed, and Gospel values are applied. These include social and health services or organisations promoting the rights of the family or the right to life. This dimension of the diaconal ministry is truly special. I feel privileged to be called to exercise the Ministry of the Word with you in this community of Our Lady of Victories.   I thank you for your ongoing prayers and support as I move towards ordination in July. Paul Hewitt Congratulations Congratulations to the family of Edward who was baptised on Monday 29th April. This community welcomes you and your family with great joy and assure you of our prayers. Holy Day of Obligation Thursday 9th May is the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. Mass will take place here at Our Lady of Victories at 10am and 6.30pm. At the Carmelite Church at 8.00am, 12.15pm, and 6.00pm. 'Where the Head has gone before in glory, the Body is called to follow in hope.' (Collect for the Ascension) Episcopal Ordination June 18 The Episcopal Ordination of Mgr. Jim will be on June 18th at 1200 Noon in Westminster Cathedral. Parishioners will be able to attend. If you would like a ticket for the Mass, please contact the parish office on tel:0207 937 4778 or email: [email protected]. The Mass will last about 2 hours. Pastoral Reflection on Gender by the Catholic Bishops Conference The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales have produced a pastoral reflection on the topic of gender, entitled ‘Intricately Woven by the Lord’. It can be found here. (Executive Summary here) It has been published just a few days after the Declaration ‘Dignitas  Infinita’ produced by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith which can be found here.   The Declaration concerns the broad foundations and issues of human dignity and comments briefly on questions of sex, gender and identity. The Pastoral Reflection by our bishops, concentrates on these particular issues of identity in the context of current debate and, of course, we see echoes in the recent Cass Report.   The approach taken in the bishops document recognises how the issues of gender identity are both widely debated and a point of distress and struggle for individuals and families.  OLV Synod Summary We invite all parishioners to take the summary of our Synodal Pathway listening experience. The booklet contains the themes and questions that emerged. We are having two follow up meetings in which we will receive the           contents of the summary, reflect on what the spirit is saying to us and begin explore future directions for our parish.   If you would like to attend these meetings please let us know by contacting the parish office.  The meetings will be on May 7th & May 14th from 7-9pm in the parish centre.   A+C—Art and Christianity Do you love art? Do you love Churches? Nourish your soul with more of what you love at artandchristianity.org. Art and Christianity seeks to foster and explore the dialogue between art, Christianity and other religious faiths. Join us: artandchristianity.org/membership Sycamore – Faith Formation Programme Sycamore is an informal course about the Christian faith and is relevant for life today. It gives you space to meet people and share ideas. Each session involves a short film and time for discussion. Everyone is welcome.   Sessions will take place in the parish centre at 7pm on Tuesdays, beginning on 21st May for 8 weeks.   For more information or to register your interest, contact Fr Francis:  [email protected] A Year of Encounter With a UK general election due sometime this year, politicians will be looking for our votes. We have a responsibility as Catholics to make sure that parties commit to tackling issues such as poverty and injustice. Raising our voices and contacting parliamentary candidates as a parish community will send a strong signal to those standing for election in our local constituencies. A Year of Encounter is a joint initiative between CAFOD and St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP), equipping Catholics to ask key questions of local candidates at the key moments. Please see cafod.org.uk/encounter for more information, including online sessions on Thursday 25th April and Saturday 4th May to learn more. How Beauty Draws Us Closer to God | Fr Patrick van der Vorst  7pm Friday 17th May 2024 | St Patrick's Church, Soho Square, London Fr. Patrick van der Vorst is a priest of the Archdiocese of Westminster, a former Director of Sotheby's Europe, and the founder of the evangelistic initiative www.Christian.Art. Fr. Patrick will explore how beauty elevates us to encounter the Divine, how the Church has historically sought to create art that facilitates this meeting, and how this can happen in our visually overstimulated world. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A and then refreshments will be available. 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/ 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]