A message from Fr Hector
LATEST UPDATE
Dear all,
I hope you and your families are keeping well and looking forward to the gradual lifting up of the restrictions from 8th March. We ought to bear in mind that we are still in lockdown.
Please find attached today's newsletter together with a Vatican document regarding Venerable Ignatius of Saint Paul, an English Passionist priest whose cause for canonisation is making progress.
If you would like to learn more about Venerable Ignatius of Saint Paul and some of the other Christians mentioned on the attached decree, you can visit these websites:
https://www.cbcew.org.uk/english-passionist-priest-on-course-to-be-declared-a-saint/
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Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales Pope Francis has approved the heroic virtues of Ignatius of Saint Paul who will now have the title Venerable. Servant of God Ignatius of Saint Paul, an English Passionist priest, was born George Spencer on 21 December 1799 in London, a son of the 2nd Earl Spencer. www.cbcew.org.uk |
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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On February 20, the Holy Father Francis authorized the Congregation f www.fides.org |
Today at Mass we have the Gospel of the Transfiguration from Mark. The Transfiguration is an amazing event in the life of Jesus and his disciples. This article below explores its significance.
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Why was Jesus transfigured? - Aleteia During Jesus’ life on earth he performed many miracles that were seen by large crowds. However, there was one miracle that he revealed only to a small group of his apostles, three to be exact ... aleteia.org |
Venerable Ignatius of Saint Paul,
pray for us.
With prayers and blessings,
Fr Hector Rouco, PP
Dear all,
I hope you and your families remain well.
Please find attached the Holy Father's message for Lent 2021. It may help us all to pray and reflect, especially on Ash Wednesday.
Tomorrow the ashes will be imposed as instructed by the Bishops and according to the attached guidelines from the Vatican:
Ash Wednesday on Wednesday 17th February marks the beginning of Lent when we call on the mercy of God and repent. To help your planning, I am attaching the Instruction which has been issued by The Congregation for Divine Worship and gives guidance for the distribution of ashes during the pandemic. The Instruction provides the wording to be used once when calling people to repentance, states the wearing of a face covering, and then describes the action, ‘The Priest takes the ashes and sprinkles them on the head of each one without saying anything.’ This method of distributing the ashes avoids physical contact and hence the sanitising of fingers between each person. The recommended method of distributing ashes is to do this outside the Church as the people leave. The priest, deacon, or minister should ask people to maintain social distance monitored by stewards, to bow low to avoid breathing on the minister and vice-versa, and then sprinkle ashes on the head of the person who should depart immediately. There will be good ventilation and this method will prevent the sprinkled ashes falling to the ground and being carried all over the church.
With best wishes for a Holy Season of Lent,
Fr Hector Rouco, PP
Dear all,
I pray this finds you all and your families well and safe.
Please find attached a Pastoral Letter from our Archbishop Vincent Cardinal Nichols for this weekend. Cardinal Vincent suggests that in the present Covid-19 situation the faithful of the diocese should celebrate Ash Wednesday at home in their 'support bubble' rather than in church.
You can also find attached to this email a brief service provided by the diocese to keep Ash Wednesday at home.
Bear in mind that Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation.
With prayers and best wishes,
Fr Hector Rouco, PP
Dear all,
I pray you are keeping well and safe.
Please find attached today's newsletter.
Today being St Valentine's Day you may be interested to read this article about the Catholic origins of this festivity: https://aleteia.org/2021/02/12/st-valentine-and-the-catholic-origins-of-february-14/?utm_source=parish_newsletter&utm_campaign=ParishTrust
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St. Valentine and the Catholic origins of February 14 St. Valentine, patron saint of Terni, Italy. In the Italian city of Terni, Catholics look forward to February 14 as the feast day of St. Valentine, their city’s patron saint, whose relics are ... aleteia.org |
With prayers and best wishes,
Fr Hetor Rouco, PP
Dear all,
I hope this finds you well and keeping warm. No break from the cold weather yet!
Please find attached information provided by Harrow Council regarding the Covid 19 vaccine and its rolled-out programme. It may be useful to you and people you know.
Tomorrow (Saturday) at 8:30am we are having the monthly deep cleaning of the church. Everyone is welcome. Please bear in mind that during the cleaning of the church we must all comply with the Covid-19 safety protocols.
This Lent starting next week with Ash Wednesday we will still have a number of pandemic restrictions, and online devotions and spiritual tools shall help us prepare ourselves better for Easter. Mary, one of our parishioners, has kindly pointed this resource to me. You may like to incorporate it into your Lenten practices:
Dear all,
I hope you are all keeping well and safe.
Please find attached today's newsletter together with a letter from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government signed by Lord Greenhaigh, Lord Bethel and Nadhim Zahawi MP
Bishop John Sherrington wrote in his email accompanying the letter: This statement shows that the Government acknowledges our contribution to society during the pandemic. This change of heart has occurred because of the ways in which we have witnessed to the care of people, both in service and safety in our churches. Thank you for all that you have done to ensure that the parishes have continued to serve all people, especially the poorest and the most vulnerable, and the ways in which you have made our churches safe places for prayer and communal worship. Thank you to the teams of stewards and cleaners.
With prayers and blessings,
Fr Hector Rouco, PP
Dear all,
I wish you a happy feast day. May Mary and Joseph bring us always to the Father through their intercession.
On this link you will find a reflection and an explanation of the significance of today's feast: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2020-01/sunday-reflection-vatican-news3.html
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Introduction: This feast commemorates how Jesus, as a baby, was presented to God in the Temple in Jerusalem.This presentation finds its complete and perfect fulfillment in the mystery of the passion, death and Resurrection of the Lord. The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is a combined feast, commemorating the Jewish practice of the purification of the mother after childbirth and the ... www.vaticannews.va |
At the moment a number of our parishioners are having or expecting to have the Covid-19 vaccine. People may have questions about moral issues regarding the origin and the manufacturing of some of the vaccines. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has issued a statement clarifying the position of the Roman Catholic Church in this matter. See it attached.
With prayers and best wishes,
Fr Hector Rouco, PP
Dear all,
I hope you and your families are keeping well and enjoying the beautiful sight of snow.
Please find attached today's newsletter together with a note form the Vatican regarding the Sunday of the Word of God.
With prayers and blessings,
Fr Hector Rouco, PP
Dear all,
I hope that you are well and keeping to the present restrictions, especially about staying at home. It is entirely your responsibility to disregard the Government's advice to come to Mass and I pray that nobody -including myself- pays the price for you doing so.
Of your charity, please pray for the repose of the soul of Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow who passed away earlier this week. May he rest in peace. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2021-01/archbishop-of-glasgow-dies-age-70.html
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By Vatican News staff reporter. The Archdiocese of Glasgow has announced the death of its Archbishop, Philip Tartaglia. In a statement on Wednesday, the Archdiocese said, “It is with the greatest sorrow that we announce the death of our Archbishop.” www.vaticannews.va |
If we are still allowed to celebrate public liturgies on Ash Wednesday (17th February), the rite of ashing will take a different form. Please see the attached note from the Vatican.
Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI have already been vaccinated against COVID 19. Let's see when it is our turn! https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-francis-benedict-xvi-covid-19-vaccine.html
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By Vatican News. The vaccination campaign against Covid-19 in the Vatican which began on Wednesday continues with both Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI receiving their first doses of the vaccine. www.vaticannews.va |
With prayers for your health and safety,
Fr Hector Rouco, PP
Dear all,
I hope this finds you all well and looking after yourselves and the people you love.
Please find attached the parish newsletter together with a reading plan for the Gospel of Mark. As we celebrate the Sunday of the Word of God next weekend and we are having the Gospel of Mark most Sundays during Year B, it may be an idea to become more familiar with the message that Marks puts to us.
This article from Aleteia gives us some insight on the 3-year liturgical cycle.
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Here is a quick guide to understanding the three-year cycle of Sunday readings at Mass. Prior to the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church had a yearly cycle of readings ... aleteia.org |
With prayers and blessings for a safe lockdown.
Dear all,
I pray that you and your families are well during this time of lockdown.
Please find attached today's newsletter together with a 'blast from the past.' John O'Brien has kindly given me a copy of a paper cutting he has kept from the time when the Parish Hall was built and blessed. Would you recognise the faces on the picture? If so, please let me know who they are.
Note that during the present lockdown:
- Confessions are suspended until further notice
- Baptisms are suspended until further notice
- No homily at weekday and Sunday Masses
- The Saturday 4:30pm Mass has been cancelled
- Tuesday Mass will be without a congregation; the church will remain closed
- Depending on the availability of stewards/ cleaners we may have public Mass or not, either by schedule or if necessary there will be last-minute cancellations.
You may like to read about the Pope's Angelus message for today's feast. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-01/pope-angelus-baptism-lord-catechesis.html
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Pope at Angelus reminds us to cherish our baptismal identity - Vatican News It is striking, he said, that the Lord spent most of his time on earth living an ordinary life, without standing out. “It is a fine message for us: it reveals the greatness of daily life, the importance in the eyes of God of every gesture and moment of life, even the most simple and hidden,” he said.. After these 30 years of hidden life, the Pope continued, Jesus' public life begins with ... www.vaticannews.va |
Keep safe and well. We must make it possible.
With prayers and best wishes,
Dear all,
Happy Feast of the Epiphany! I hope you are keeping safe and looking after yourselves.
Find attached the homily of Pope Francis for the Epiphany last year.
Below you can find an email sent to the Harrow Community Leaders by the Harrow Council Leader Cllr Graham Henson. I hope this update helps us become more aware of the present situation. It is interesting what the Council Leader writes about the places of worship, in bold in the original text.
I had a lovely surprise this morning. Bernadette, one of our parishioners, made an altar linen set that apart from being stunning, could not be more appropriate for today's feast. See the picture below. I already used the linen at Mass this morning. A big thank-you to Bernadette!
I would like to finish with today's solemn blessing:
May God, who has called you out of darkness into his wonderful light,
pour out in kindness his blessing upon you
and make your hearts firm in faith, hope and charity.
Amen.
And since in all confidence you follow Christ,
who today appeared in the world as a light shining in darkness,
may God make you, too, a light for your brothers and sisters.
Amen.
And so when your pilgrimage is ended, may you come to him
whom the Magi sought as they followed the star
and whom they found with great joy, the Light from Light,
who is Christ the Lord.
Amen.
And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit come down on you and remain with you forever.
Fr Hector Rouco, PP
Dear all,
I hope you and your families are keeping well in the present challenging circumstances.
Please find attached this Sunday's newsletter together with the Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the Celebration of the 54th World Day Peace (1st January 2021) entitled A Culture of Care as a Path to Peace.
With blessings and best wishes for a happy, healthy and safe New Year,
Dear all,
I pray this finds you and your families well on this rather cold last day of the year.
Today I celebrated Mass without a congregation in thanksgiving by the people of the parish. It has been a difficult year on many fronts but we have also experienced the grace of the Lord and the friendship and support of a number of people and groups. The Mass is already online should you like to watch it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8g9KnZLc2s
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31.12.2020 www.youtube.com |
Please remember that we are having a second collection this coming weekend in aid of the Catholic Children's Society. It would have been unwise to leave baskets next to the crib as it was the case in the past for fear of COVID 19 spread. You can find information about the mission of the Catholic Children's Society on their website: https://www.cathchild.org.uk/
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Home | Catholic Childrens Society The Catholic Children’s Society supports disadvantaged children and families across London, Hertfordshire and the South East. We work with individuals of all faiths and none; our sole aim is to help those in greatest need. www.cathchild.org.uk |
With blessings and best wishes for 2021,
May the God of infinite goodness, who by the Incarnation of his Son has driven darkness from the world and by that glorious Birth has illumined this most holy day, drive far from you the darkness of vice and illumine your hearts with the light of virtue.
May God, who willed that the great joy of his Son’s saving Birth be announced to shepherds by the Angel, fill your minds with the gladness he gives and make you heralds of his Gospel.
And may God, who by the Incarnation brought together the earthly and heavenly realm, fill you with the gift of his peace and favour and make you sharers with the Church in heaven.
With prayers and best wishes,
Dear all,
I hope this finds you and your families well, and that you all enjoyed a peaceful and safe Christmas Day.
I would like to share with you a delightful video of Christmas music that the children from St Bernadette's School made this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDy8hYmJ-QU&feature=youtu.be
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St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School & Nursery Christmas DVD 2020 www.youtube.com |
Please note that there was a mistake in the Christmas Mass times programme. The morning Mass on Saturday 2nd January (first Saturday of the month) will be at 9:15am, not at 8:30am.
With best wishes for the Christmas Season,
Fr Hector Rouco, PP
Dear all,
I pray that you are all keeping well.
Please find attached today's newsletter and also a thank-you letter from St Luke's Hospice.
If you would like to learn more about the work of the SVP in preparation for the second collection next Sunday, I invite you to check their website: https://www.svp.org.uk/
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Our volunteers tackle poverty in all its forms by giving practical assistance to people in need. Call 07587 035 121 during office hours if you need help. www.svp.org.uk |
Fr Hector Rouco, PP
Information from All Saints Parish
These short videos from religious leaders from different churches in England and Wales, including our Archbishops Vincent Cardinal Nichols, remind us of the importance of prayer at present and encourage us to keep our spiritual lives active.
Contact Details
All Saints Church - Kenton Road, Kenton, Harrow, HA3 OUQ
Telephone : 020 8204 3550
Parish Website : http://parish.rcdow.org.uk/kenton/