Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

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New Beatitudes Dear parishioners and friends,  Several years ago, Pope Francis while on a pastoral visit to Sweden, spoke of a need to ‘confront the troubles and anxieties of our age with the spirit and love of Jesus’. He followed up this statement with 6 new beatitudes, although they are not replacements for the beatitudes of Jesus. They are, however, more focused issues in our present age. "Blessed are those who remain faithful while enduring evils inflicted on them by others and forgive them from their heart. "Blessed are those who look into the eyes of the abandoned and marginalized and show them their closeness. "Blessed are those who see God in every person and strive to make others also discover him. "Blessed are those who protect and care for our common home. "Blessed are those who renounce their own comfort in order to help others. "Blessed are those who pray and work for full communion between Christians." The first of these really resonates with today’s Gospel, because there is always a desire in us to make known how much we have been wronged and hurt by another person. At some level it is a reaction against an injustice, a sense of fairness and wanting to be treated as we treat others. Yet, there is great virtue in a Christian who endures suffering and forgives the perpetrator. Next Sunday, in the continuation of Matthew’s Gospel, we’ll hear exactly how many times we are expected to forgive those who wrong us and an example of how a servant who is forgiven much, then himself refuses to forgive a fellow servant. Fr Francis  Welcome Back to all our Parishioners A very warm welcome back to all our Parishioners.  We hope that you have had a restful and refreshing break. 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. Registration for the Sacraments of First Confession and First Holy Communion. Parents of children who will be in Year 3 in a Catholic School in September, and who REGULARLY attend Mass here in our parish, should contact Sr Maureen McNamara for registration. A copy of their child’s Baptism Certificate will be required.  Children attending non-Catholic schools join a pre-Sacramental class for a year when they are in Year 2 prior to the year when they will be part of the First Communion programme (Year 3). These families must also be parishioners attending Mass here regularly.  Registration contact is Sister Maureen McNamara, at [email protected] and a copy of the Baptism Certificate is also required. 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] Young Adults Meeting after 6pm Mass  If you are interested in meeting up with fellow Catholics in their 20s and 30s with the aim of building a young adults’ community in the parish, we look forward to meeting you. In particular if you are new to the parish, please come and say hello. If there are any questions or to find out when our next meeting will take place, please send us an email at: [email protected]. Christian and Nikita   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]  Conflict in Nagorno-Karabah. A plea for prayers and action You will find here, and at the back of the Church, copies of a letter addressed to our Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street from the Primate of the Armenian Church in the UK & Ireland. The letter focuses on the plight of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, and it has been endorsed by a number of religious leaders as well as by Churches Together in England. Our Armenian neighbours have reached out to us to ask for our prayers and voice. Please do read the letter. In weeks to come we will share with you more information about the evolving crisis in the South Caucasus.   As a friend wrote recently: “As Martin Luther King once said, and I paraphrase, what Armenians will remember most is the silence of their friends. I am confident you do not necessarily wish to be a silent friend.” Visit us at  Website: http://www.epektasis.net You-Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MyEpektasis3 For more background information on the situation in Nagorno-Karabah here is an article adapted from Dr Harry Hagopian’s Intuitive Reactions: Where is Nagorno-Karabakh?! 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]