For the Few. Flower arranging Joan Nash. Sunday Friends Rob Andrews and Maria Gaige PARISH GROUPS UPDATE

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1 St Michael s News September 2015 Parish Groups Page 7 PARISH GROUPS UPDATE Sunday Friends Rob Andrews and Maria Gaige After our summer break it s nice to welcome back so many children to their regular 9.30am Sunday children s Mass. As always, Sunday Friends encourages and warmly welcomes new children to come through to join us, so parents if your child hasn t come through to join us yet, now s the time. It s so easy, you simply turn up to the Sunday 9.30 am Mass with your child, or children, and at the start of Mass, Monsignor Jim will invite the children to walk through to Sunday Friends under the safe supervision of the Sunday Friends team. Sunday Friends is aimed at children, aged from four years old, through to until they make their First Holy Communion. All our directors and all our helpers have been DBS checked and approved by the Diocese of Westminster, with I m very pleased to say more helpers being added to our ranks thus ensuring Sunday Friends has a future and can continue. We help and encourage the children to explore and understand their faith, we strive very hard to bring the Gospel stories to life for the children, and to help to strengthen their faith. Our aim is to stay true to the Gospel stories, but present them in a child friendly way, so that the children understand the story, and then understand the message behind the story. So what can parents do to help us? Top of the list is: Bring your child to the children s Liturgy to join their Sunday Friends. The children enjoy learning about the Gospel stories through Sunday Friends. Parents please note, you are more than welcome to bring your child into the Parish hall but then you must leave them with us and return to church, the reason for this is child safety. New helpers most welcome: We are always actively looking for new helpers, so please feel free to volunteer your help; you will be made to feel most welcome! Our helpers are timetabled to help us on average once every six weeks, the more helpers we have to support our children the better. If you would like to know more, or if you would like to join us, please ring either: Rob Andrews on or Maria Gaiger on Or simply give your details to a member of the Sunday Friend team. Flower arranging Joan Nash I m using this opportunity once again to appeal for more flower arrangers so that we can carry on the practice of having flowers in the church on a regular basis. For a variety of reasons quite a few have had to leave recently, so this is a cry for anyone who has a couple of hours to spare every four weeks or so. No experience is necessary as you will be on a rota with someone experienced who will guide you through the process. My appeal is primarily to the younger generation to pick up the baton as so many of us already belong to the older age group and have our limitations! We usually do the flowers on a Friday morning, but they can be done in the afternoon or even the evening whateverr fits in with your team. Do please ring me iso that we have a chat about it For the Few We stand in perfect silence, thinking of the past, trying hard to understand the way the World was then. A tear or two are falling, for those who met their last and sympathy is shed for those who lived through that mayhem. We were not there, we did not fall, we just stand quietly by. History and memory engulf our sad dark thought and all the pain we feel once more, we should not now deny but can a prayer or perhaps a hymn, relive that battle fought? Time was when, those few good men, died for many more and so it was with bravery they stood their ground and fell, with love still, clinging to their hearts so none would now ignore and all was lost upon the wind like leaves in Autumn dwell. The truth is written for all to see, this waste, this tragedy. A gift for those who live in peace. Their lives, were offered free. To ensure the young would gain, from good will and democracy and all that hurt was then repaired by this deathly remedy. Roger Houlding

2 Page 8 St Michael s News September 2015 Redcaps Dancing the Night Away (Continued from front page) From a Redcap fundraising perspective, this was the best event by far, raising a massive 1000 towards the fund. The parish has been magnificent in their support for our youngsters as they prepared for their pilgrimage to Lourdes. Below is a summary of the money raised by the parish for our Redcaps: With a packed hall, the evening began with some line-dancing for which nearly everyone got up for. Inhibitions were left at the front door as everyone enjoyed the music which involved both line-dancing and freestyle. As no experience was required, nearly everyone participated making the evening enjoyable and memorable. Parish Fundraising Money Raised Line Dance Raffle (New Year s Eve 2014) Antiques Fair - Tombola Stall Quiz Night Donations Cake Sale Country & Western , Thank you once again for your prayers, generosity and support, without which none of this would be possible. St Michael s Redcaps The food was purchased from Wimpy who specially provided the Southern Fried Chicken & Chip supper for the occasion, as it is not available at their restaurants. The phrase Wimpy Special was affectionately coined by some on the night. Pender s Project: Update Over the last few months you as a congregation have taken the upper hand and stepped forward to help contribute to this cause. The Ferdananz family entertained us with a Goan evening with food music and of course dancing! Also Mary and Frances Bowe completed a sponsored walk in and around bushy park, we hope those legs have recovered! Please continue to come up with your own ideas of fundraising and make a difference. During the next few months we shall be hosting a few events for families and adults. Do support us in this.. Please do continue to buy a brick (envelopes are in the narthex) as this is one way of continuing your support to this good cause and remembering your friends and family in a spiritual way. Tina Gale and Nicola Deeks

3 St Michael s News September 2015 Confirmations Page 9 Come Holy Spirit On Saturday 13 June, 27 of our young people were confirmed here at St Michaels by Fr Chris Vipers, Episcopal Vicar of the Diocese of Westminster. All the candidates requested this sacrament by writing to Mgr Jim at the end of last year and preparing for it by attending classes, between March and June. This 3rd sacrament completes their initiation into the Catholic Church. Clive De Souza (Confirmation Catechist) CHRISTMAS IS COMING! Yes I know it s a long way off but just in case you are really well organised, can we remind you that we will soon have a lovely variety of Religious Christmas cards, cribs and calendars on sale in the repository - in fact our Church Art Calendars are on sale already at 95p each - please support the repository and your parish especially as we have more local competition this year, close by and in so doing remind people of the true meaning of Christmas. The Repository is open after all Masses on Saturday and Sunday and on Tuesday and Friday mornings - there will also be goods on sale in the narthex and at the Antique Fayre -details to follow. Thank you for your continued support. Patricia Gillespie and all helpers

4 Page 10 St Michael s News is always looking for interesting and diverse articles, so if you would like to contribute a piece to the next edition in as many or few words as you wish, please do so. You can remain anonymous if requested and you can be any age. The copy deadline for the next edition is 23rd December. Tea and cakes after 9:30 am Mass Why not help out and join our rota. Contact Margaret Friend on: Volunteers Needed Now! St Michael s Repository......stocks a variety of cards and gifts for all occasions, including Mass Cards, Sympathy Cards, Birthday Cards, Get Well Cards and Baby Cards. The Repository is open after all weekend Masses and on Tuesday and Friday mornings. Parish Priest Mgr James Overton St Michael s Catholic Church, 112 Clarendon Road, Ashford, Middlesex TW15 2QD. Telephone: ashfordp@rcdow.org.uk Web: ashford Parish Secretary, parish registration, baptism enquiries and hall bookings contact: Shenda Holmes on Office Hours: Monday Friday (not Thursdays), 9.00am 1.00pm. St Michael s News September 2015 Parish Contacts PARISH CONTACTS Altar Servers Heather Nolan Ashford Hospital Chaplain Frances Castledine Charismatic Prayer Group Frances Castledine Choir Sheila Nolan Church Cleaning Carla Diton Church Flowers Joan Nash Church Gardens Gavin Boyle Churches Together Demetri Pavia Collection Counters Kathy Lee Confirmation Preparation Clive De Souza Finance Committee Chris Derby First Holy Communion Prep. Sarah Davies / Maria Gaiger First.communion@aol.co.uk Followers (8-14yrs) Colin Berkeley Folk Group Owen Williams General Intercession Writers Tess De Souza Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion Tess De Souza Fundraising Committee Anna Hogan Housebound and Sick Parishioners Gavin Boyle Ladies Circle Maysie Boone Missio (formerly APF) Maureen Meek Organist Sheila Nolan Parish Council Godwin Pullicino Pastoral Committee Amy James Readers Tess De Souza Repository Patricia Gillespie Safeguarding Children & Vulnerable Adults Joan Conlon Sunday Friends (4-8 yrs) Rob Andrews Maria Gaiger St Michael s News Julian Game St Michael s School Anne Bulfin Transport Gavin Boyle Weekly Newsletter Shenda Holmes CALLING ALL PARISH GROUPS Give us your news! or ashfordp@rcdow.org.uk

5 St Michael s News September 2015 Classified Page 11 ARCHITECTURE - E ASHFORD HELPING HANDS A voluntary organisation established in (0) enyi@architecture-e.co.uk Can we help you? We offer help with essential transport and also light housework, minor household repairs, accompanying on medical appointments, shopping, collecting prescriptions, dog walking, light gardening, letter writing, form filling and visiting elderly, disabled or housebound clients. If we cannot help you we may be able to direct you to an organisation which can assist you. or Can you help us? Ashford Helping Hands is run by volunteers and are always looking for more volunteers to man the telephones or to drive clients. Please telephone for more information Dates for the Diary: First Holy Communion Application Forms are now available in the narthex. Please return completed forms by 31st October Our Lady of the Rosary, Staines Flower Festival. To celebrate their 125th anniversary, Our Lady of the Rosary is holding Flower Festival on Friday, 2nd October 3.30pm pm; Saturday, 3rd October 10.30am pm; Sunday 4th October 12 noon pm. All are very welcome. Local hospital visits If anyone in your family is in hospital and would like a Hospital Chaplain to visit them, please contact Frances Castledine for Ashford Hospital on or the Chaplain s Office for St Peter s Hospital on Hospital Chaplains will only know if one of your family is in hospital if you inform them. Oremus The Best Things in Life are FREE This magazine is now a FREE publication! And it is our hope that it will continue to be so for many years to come. Everyone who now visits Westminster Cathedral, be they worshipper, pilgrim, wanderer or tourist, is most welcome to take home a copy of its official magazine. For more information and how to subscribe * please call Oremus: or go to Gift Shop On Line: cathedralshop.co.uk and click on Subscriptions. *A small postal charge is made to subscribers.

6 Page 12 St Michael s News September 2015 Classified We are very grateful to our advertisers who enable us to distribute the magazine free to our parishioners. If you would like to advertise your business in our magazine, please telephone: or ashfordp@rcdow.org.uk Muggeridge & Hills General Building Carpentry and Decorating - Ashford For a quality job by a qualified tradesman Phone Martin on for a free estimate NEXT ISSUE Dec Copy deadline 13 Dec Printed by Colormax, 10A Woodthorpe Road, Ashford, Middlesex TW15 2RY Tel: