Twenty Seventh Sunday Ordinary Time Year A

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It's not really stealing. Dear parishioners and friends,  Over time a society and its individuals can become blind to certain sins. It’s very subtle but we can easily start justifying things that are plain wrong, with a whole host of excuses and reasons that seem plausible enough. In an article for times2 (19th September) three writers each confessed to stealing. One justified their stealing as, ‘levelling up’ in response to a manufacturer selling smaller amounts of the same product for the same price. One responded to a company refusing to redeem out of date vouchers and decided ‘a noble act of revenge’ was to steal their gym towels instead. Whether it’s done because you can get away with it, like labelling your item for a lower priced one at the self-checkout, or because you feel owed in some way, that a big company will not notice and even factors in such losses, or a sense of injustice at the change in price, or the way you have been personally treated. It all leads to the same results, with varying degrees – stealing. There is a reason why we call them the 10 commandments and not the 10 suggestions. The tenants in our Gospel today, probably tried to justify keeping the vineyard and its produce, arguing that it was their hard work to maintain and cultivate the fruit and therefore theirs to keep.  Fr Francis Prisoners’ Sunday This Sunday is Prisoners' Sunday—the National Day of Prayer and Action for prisoners and their families. This is an important opportunity for us all to direct our thoughts and prayers to the needs of prisoners and their families, and those who work to support our brothers and sisters affected by the criminal justice system. More information can be found here and here. Photo Credit: ©Andy Aitchison. Schola Concert 17th October 2023 The Vaughan Schola of the Cardinal Vaughn Memorial school will sing a concert at Our Lady of Victories on the evening of Tuesday 17 October. The Duruflé Requiem and the Vierne Messe Solennelle. Organist; Iestyn Evans, Director; Scott Price, The Vaughan Brass Consort.   The concert is in aid of the charity Grief to Grace. It will start at 7pm. For tickets - £12/£6 concessions available at www.scholacantorum.co.uk Concert by CITY CHAMBER CHOIR Tuesday 31 October 2023 7pm at Our Lady of Victories. Music by 20th Century French masters, showcasing the glorious new Skrabl Grand Organ. Duruflé: Requiem | Villette: Tu es Petrus; Three motets | Poulenc: Salve Regina | Alain: Chanson à bouche fermée | Messiaen: O sacrum convivium £15.00 (£10.00 full time students only; under-12 free). Buy online from www.ticketsource.co.uk/city-chamber-choir or at the door. Sacrament of Confirmation Sacramental preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation begins in January 2024, for those in Year 9 or above. Candidates can now collect a registration form from Fr Francis after any Sunday Mass. Young Adult Event We are excited to announce another young adult event happening next Sunday 15th October! If you are interested in attending, meet us outside Mass after the 6pm Mass (around 7:10pm), and we will move towards The Scarsdale Tavern shortly after, located a 5 min walk away.   Alternatively, join us at the pub for a drink and a chat. This event is aimed at people in their 20s and 30s and aims to build a community in the parish. We are looking forward to seeing you this Sunday. If there are any questions, please send us an email at: [email protected] or join our WhatsApp group using the QR code: Coffee Morning We will have our coffee morning this Sunday 8th October after 10:30 am Mass. Everyone is welcome. Bring your friends and family to have coffee with us. It would be great to meet new family and friends. Nagorno-Karabakh The vast majority of ethnic Armenians have now been forced to leave Nagorno Karabakh as refugees. They leave behind ancient Churches, monasteries, towns and villages. What next? Dr Harry Hapogain, an international  lawyer and good friend to our parish, shares with us a paper he prepared for the Presidents of 'Churches Together in England' (CTE). The paper was delivered at Archbishop's House, Westminster on Wednesday 4th October 2023. Go to our website (https://cte.org.uk/). Paper copies are available at the back of the Church or the PDF version is here. CAFOD Family Fast Day appeal – Harvest Collection This weekend there will be a second collection for CAFOD. Please be generous so that more families can get the expert help they need. Use the envelope in Church or give online at cafod.org.uk A date for your diary Friends of the Holy Land present a Christmas Concert with the London Welsh Male Choir on 14th December 2023 at 7:30pm. More details to follow. See poster here.  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. 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]  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]