MASSES AND OTHER INFORMATION
Please visit the Mass Times page for more information on Mass times and other events, or click here. Please note that there will be no Mass on Friday 22nd November. There will also be no Confessions on Saturday 23rd November.
PARISH OFFICE OPENING HOURS
The parish office opening hours are from 8.15am to 12.15pm Tuesday to Friday. Closed on Bank Holidays.
REFLECTION
This Sunday, the feast of Christ our King, brings us to the end of the liturgical year. We have travelled a long road since the first Sunday of Advent. Christ has been on that road with us as the invisible companion on our journey. Let us hope that during it, we have grown to know him better, to trust him better, and to love him better, so that today we can rejoice in calling him our King. Christ’s Kingdom is a very special one. It calls for special qualities. Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus does not rule as earthly kings rule. He has no palace, no throne, no crown, no army. Yet we give him an allegiance and loyalty which we would not give to any other person or institution on earth. Alone and unarmed, he stood before Pilate. Pilate had thousands of soldiers to call upon, but Jesus had no one. Yet, Jesus was incomparably the greater of the two. Jesus is the hope of the human race. He rules not by force, but by love. Lord Jesus, may your Kingdom come, and may you remember me on that day.
THE NEW LECTIONARY
The new lectionary comes into use on the first day of Advent this year (1st December). The Archdiocese of St Andrew’s and Edinburgh have published three YouTube videos on the Lectionary, which are useful for formation as to why the text has changed. The three videos are:
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Bishop Hugh Gilbert (Aberdeen) on “Introducing the English Standard Version”
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Fr Paul Denney on ”The New Lectionary”
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Fr Adrian Porter SJ on “Proclaim the Word in the Liturgy”
You can access information on the new lectionary here, or just access the videos here.
PARISH PILGRIMAGE
A short pilgrimage to Holy Island, Lindisfarne in Northumberland, is planned for 12th to 15th May 2025. Limited spaces are available, as travel will be by minibus. The price of £695 per person (£190 single supplement) includes 3 nights at the Lindisfarne Inn (www.inncollectiongroup.com/lindisfarne-inn/), with breakfast and dinner included, and minibus travel there and back. A quick response is needed as the hotel cannot hold places for long. If interested, please email contact@ourladyandstedmund.org.uk.
ADVENT OFFERINGS FROM THE CARMELITES
The Carmelite Priory at Boars Hill are offering a variety of online and residential retreats to provide an enriching experience this Advent as we await the Christ of God who comes to us at Christmas. Information and links for these are available here.
PARISH CAROL SERVICE
Do come along, and please do bring your children. This year we are inviting the children to dress up in nativity costume if they would like to.
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CIA CAROL SINGING
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The Church in Abingdon Christmas Carol Singing in the Market Place will take place on Saturday 14th December at 10am. All are welcome! For any further information please contact the CIA Administrator on 07896 860381.
SUSTAINABLE CHRISTMAS
Pick up a leaflet in church today and make a pledge for a simple, sustainable Christmas. There will be a box to collect the pledges in church during advent and we will present the pledges as part of the offertory gifts.
JOIN THE TEAM FOR CHRISTMAS DAY
For a number of years churches in Abingdon have welcomed people who would otherwise be alone on Christmas Day. This year on Christmas Day we will be inviting 60 people to have a two-course lunch for free with us at Peachcroft Christian Centre. We need a number of volunteers. If you would like to volunteer please email Christmaslunch24@peachcroftcc.org as soon as possible. The roles we need includes:
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Event Helpers (11.30am-4.30pm) - A variety of roles, from greeting guests, table service of food and drink, talking and eating with guests.
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AV operator (12pm-3.30pm) - On the day, support musicians and operate the AV. Broadcast the Kings Speech.
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Cleaning crew - Arrive at 3.30pm to wash up and tidy up the Church.
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Finance (Christmas Day attendance optional). Write the budget, keep records of income and expenditure.
Please continue to support the Abingdon Food Bank. However, please do not leave your contributions in our church. The collection points are at:
GIFT AIDING YOUR MONETARY DONATIONS
If you aren't doing so already, please consider gift aiding your donations – it makes them all the more worthwhile, because if you tell us that you pay tax in the UK, then we can claim back 25% from the Government - that's 25p for every £1 you give! You can do so by filling in the yellow form available at the back of the church or online on our website here. Thank you.
PARISH NEWSLETTERS
Items for the newsletter should be sent to the parish office (abingdon@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk) by the Wednesday of each week please. Copies are available in the church and on this website here. Please keep contributions as brief as possible and please take newsletters home with you. Thank you.
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DIOCESAN NEWS
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To keep up to date with the news of the Diocese and the Bishop please follow on:
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E- News: use the link here. (subscription service available)
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Facebook: @PortsmouthRC
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Twitter: @PortsmouthRC
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The Diocese website: https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/
If you would like to share news with the rest of the Diocese, please contact: communications@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
JOB VACANCIES IN OUR DIOCESE
All current vacancies in the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth can be viewed here.
PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
O God, my infinite Source and Eternal Guide, hear my fervent plea. In the depths of my soul I trust in your divine providence, for you call forth servants from among us to tend to your flock. I surrender my will to yours, imploring you to awaken hearts to your call. Stir the embers of devotion into a raging fire within those you have chosen. May they hear your voice amidst the clamour of voices, calling to their hearts. Make your appeal irresistible to their spirits. Let not fear or doubt stifle the call to vocations. Grant them the courage to step forward into the service you have in mind for them. My God, you are the potter, we are the clay. Mould our hearts to embrace the vocations you set before us. May we respond with a resounding ‘yes’ to the work of your hands, serving as beacons of your love and truth. Amen.
BISHOP'S MESSAGE
Last Sunday, a pastoral letter from Bishop Philip was read out at all Masses, about the bill before Parliament to legalise what they call 'assisted dying', but which he prefers to call it what it is: assisted suicide, helping someone to kill themselves. You can watch a video of the Pastoral Letter by clicking on the picture above, or you can read it here in full. Should you wish to use it, the template letter to send to your MP is available here.
MIDDLE EAST HUMANITARIAN APPEAL
The conflict in the Middle East is getting worse and the families affected need our help. Please donate today to the CAFOD-DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal and support our local Caritas partners in Gaza and Lebanon as they continue to provide essential food, water and shelter. You can donate here.
SERVICE OF RECONCILIATION
There will be a joint pastoral area Service of Reconciliation at 7pm at English Martyrs, Didcot on Thursday 12th December at 7pm, with an opportunity for individual Confessions.
CHANGES IN ADMISSIONS POLICY
Following advice from the Diocese and OCC, the school has made the following changes to their admissions policy, which you can read here:
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adapted the wording so that the policy aligns to guidance from the Diocese of Portsmouth more closely;
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when we measure the distance from the school to children’s addresses, we will now use a central point - the door to the main office - to measure from. Until now there have actually been two separate measuring points which is necessarily complicated for the size of our school;
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changed the over-subscription criteria slightly so that it is in line with diocesan guidance.
If you have any comments to make on this policy, please contact our school office on office@st-edmunds-rc.oxon.sch.uk. Alternatively, you can write to the school at Mrs Erika Kirwan, St. Edmund's Catholic Primary School, Radley Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 5PF. Please note that the consultation ends on 27th December 2024.
OPEN DOORS
Open Doors takes place on Mondays from 11am to 2pm in the Parish Centre and runs every Monday, except Bank Holidays. We offer tea/coffee, lunch and friendly conversation to anyone in the Parish or local community who is on their own or would like more company.
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We need more volunteers to help at our Open Doors sessions. If you can spare a few hours on Monday on a rota basis please contact Berny Pratt on 01235 525257.
CHILDRENS' MASSES - CALLING ALL FAMILIES
​We will continue holding a Children's Mass on the first Sunday of every month during school term-time. We hope to see many of you there! We will be celebrating our next Children's Mass at 10:15am on Sunday 1st December, which is the 1st Sunday of Advent. We will be asking children to help us with welcoming, the offertory procession, the collection and singing, and would also like some children to read the First and Second Readings (taken from the Lectionary for Masses with Children) and the Bidding Prayers. If your child would like to read a reading or prayer at this Mass then please email Fiona Semple at reception@st-edmunds-rc.oxon.sch.uk and she will send you the words so that your child can practise. Thank you in advance for your support!
ARE YOU IN NEED OR WANT TO HELP OTHERS?
For nearly two centuries the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) has been seeking and finding those in need and responding in love. As well as visits, we can offer practical and financial help where possible. We always maintain confidentiality. Our SVP members meet every fortnight on a Wednesday evening. If you are in need or know someone who is, do contact our parish SVP group via the parish office and we will see what we can do to help. Equally, if you would like to get involved in any way, please do contact us.
LITURGY WEBSITE AND UPCOMING COURSES
The Diocese now have a Liturgy website, which provides reflection, guidance and a chance to ask questions. You can access by clicking on the image above.
Abingdon Community Fridge fights food waste by redistributing surplus food from local businesses and members of the community. The Abingdon Community Fridge is open to all. For more information visit their Facebook page here, or email info@abingdoncommunityfridge.org.uk
They are located at Hadland Road Community Centre, OX14 3YH and open on:
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Mondays: 4.00-4.30pm
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Thursdays: 1.00-2.00pm
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Saturdays: 10.30-11.30am
NEW TO THE PARISH? OR CHANGED ADDRESS?
We warmly welcome all new parishioners who have joined our parish in the last year. Please do make yourselves known if you have not already done so, and also let us know if you would like to contribute to parish life in any way. If you have already registered with us, but have changed your address or contact details, please also let us know. Forms and other information are available on our website here to register. Forms and other information are also available in the porch at our church. You can view and download our welcome booklet here.