Easter Card appeal

We need your help!

The families of St Margaret's church have been asked to create Easter cards for some of our housebound parishioners and residents in a local care home. We would like as many of the families and children to take part as possible, and it will be another activity to keep the children busy!

We have over 70 recipients and may have more in the next couple of days! Please first sign up for ONE recipient per family and I will be in touch if we need more. I know many of us have more than one child
but I suggest that it will be a good excuse to make our own Easter cards and then make an extra one for
the church together.

Here’s how to join in:

1. First sign up to a recipient using this link. It will take you to a sign up sheet.
   volunteersignup.org/M433D
   To sign up, just follow the instructions on the page. It will only take a few seconds to do.

2. Get creative and draw, collage or paint an amazing card no larger than A5 size when finished. Don’t worry if you have limited resources, as a pencil drawing on paper would be just as gratefully received! Try and keep it reasonably flat so not too much 3d stuck on as some cards will be posted.

3. Please write a Happy Easter message in your card from your family to your recipient. For safe guarding please only use your first names.

4. Put it in an envelope addressed with your recipients name

5. Deliver to Father Peter at the church presbytery by Wednesday 1st April.

6. Finally please email me at stmargaretschildrensliturgy@gmail.com to let me know you have delivered your card and I can check it off the list.

The cards will be delivered in time for Holy Week.

Happy creating and thank you for volunteering as it will bring some cheer to everyone.

Thank you
Natasha Taroghion Budd

Peter Cassidy Funeral

Please note that no non-family members are permitted to attend Peter Cassidy’s funeral. We will celebrate his life with a Memorial Mass once the present government arrangements of no gatherings or religious services have been lifted. The date of this Mass will be publicised in the newsletter and website.

#PrayForTheWorld

Dear Parishioners

Wednesday 25th March, on the Feast of the Annunciation, at 11am UK time (midday Rome), Pope Francis has asked us to join him in praying the Lord’s Prayer as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be followed on Friday at 5pm UK time (6pm Rome) with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with the Urbi et Orbi blessing. As Pope Francis explains, 'To the pandemic of the virus we want to respond with the universality of prayer, of compassion, of tenderness.' Please join in and please spread the word if you can through your social media, using #PrayForTheWorld.

Some of the below might be useful as well.

1.    The Cardinal continues to issue video messages which are posted on our website. These messages are posted prominently on the home page of our website and on social media. In case you have not seen it, today's message is available to view here: https://youtu.be/W5s_4EwRm4s

2.   We have been made aware of a number of scams linked to the coronavirus pandemic, ranging from fraudsters selling counterfeit products and phishing emails, to scammers knocking on the doors of vulnerable people offering to run errands for them or claiming they are there to test them for coronavirus. There is further information at this link https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51964507 Please be vigilant and please share this information with parishioners and neighbours.

3.   As a reminder, the list of parishes streaming or live-streaming Mass in our diocese can be found on our website:https://rcdow.org.uk/news/how-to-participate-in-mass-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/ If you are streaming Mass and your parish is not on the list, please do let us know, so we can add it to our list. Much of the feedback indicates that the faithful are grateful for the opportunity to participate in this way in the celebration of Mass. 

4.      There is also a growing list of prayers and online resources on our website that may prove helpful to parishioners. https://rcdow.org.uk/news/resources-during-mass-suspension/ If you have any other suggestions, please do let us know. Both this list and the list of streamed Masses have been added to all the microsites.

With best wishes
Fr Peter

Praying together in St Margaret’s

In this time of uncertainty in the world around us, prayer is one constant we possess as Christians.  If you would like someone to pray with you then please let me know and I will pair you up with another parishioner who will pray with you over the phone. There is nothing special about those of us offering to pray with you.
We are just ordinary parishioners who have some experience of praying with people and had some training.

Angie Keane Telephone 07717473160