Newsletter: Divine Mercy Sunday (2nd Sunday of Easter C)

Pope Francis prayer card
A prayer card for Pope Francis will be available soon, but in the meantime, please download a copy of this by clicking on the link below.

Please note the job opportunity available:

Job opening: Parish Administrator role at St Margaret's Church
Are you a well-organised, warm-hearted individual with a passion for community and a calling to serve the Church?

Would you, or someone you know, like to work as Parish Administrator for St Margaret’s? 

This is a wonderful opportunity to play a key role in the day-to-day life of our vibrant parish - working closely with Fr Peter, the Parish priest; volunteers and parishioners to ensure the smooth running of parish administration and pastoral activities.

Please apply online through the Diocesan website (closing date 7th May): 

https://jobs.rcdow.org.uk/parish-administrator-st-margaret-on-thames/ 

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To watch the live-stream for Mass at 10.30 am please click here.

To download a copy of the Page please click on the button below.

Following on from my message yesterday evening , Mass on Saturday 26th April will be at 12.00 noon rather than 10.00 am. This will enable those who wish to, to watch Pope Francis’s funeral on TV at 9.00 am local time.

Please also note that the church will be open on Friday evening for prayer and Holy Hour from 8.00 pm if you would like to come and pray.

Father Peter

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis who died early this morning.

We give thanks for his Petrine Ministry and mission to bring the Gospel to the world.

The 10.00 am Mass at St Margaret’s on Saturday 26th April will be said for the repose of his soul.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

Father Peter

Newsletter: Easter Sunday C

Easter Message
When Shakespeare’s Hamlet declared that ‘the times were out of joint’ he was referring to his own family’s travails yet the expression intimated more wider concerns, the collapse of an existing social order. So, the expression has come to characterise every historical age, those ages in mythical time and those in history.

Today the expression explains the ubiquity of armed conflicts around the globe and the economic and social chaos of the present moment. Wherein does hope lie? Does hope come from above, the world of good ideas or from below, the dusty earth?

Spring points to the answer, below, because out of barren earth or from seemingly dead twigs, new plant life is emerging. Seeds, planted in the parish allotments, are emerging into rain and sunshine; newly formed buds on the wisteria and vines in the parish garden point to new life from within the earth and from below.

Capturing botanical exuberance of new plant life, the hymn ‘As the new blade riseth’ connects this exuberance to the Resurrection. Jesus having died on the Cross, buried in the tomb, rises into new life. Jesus carrying the principle of divine life, the Holy Spirit. This ‘new life’ made possible by the action of God is expressed through His body. What the Church celebrated at Christmas in a collective act of hope now becomes real at Easter.

Sharing in Jesus’ bodily Resurrection starts now and so provides the foundation for life that means more than just reacting to the times. Here lies our true hope.

May I wish you all a very joyful Easter.
Father Peter

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To watch the live-stream for Mass at 10.30 am please click here.

To download a copy of the Easter newsletter please click on the button below.