PARISH NEWSLETTER

On Wednesday 12th November, Canon John celebrated a Service of Memories at St. Teilo’s. An invitation was sent out to all parishioners who have experienced a bereavement in the period, November 2024 – November 2025, and all family members and friends. The service was an opportunity for families to light a candle for their loved ones and to offer a personal prayer.

Remembrance Sunday Today is Remembrance Sunday. The 10am Mass will be a Requiem Mass to pray for those who have died in war. Canon will be taking part in the Act of Remembrance at the Whitchurch War Memorial at 10.45am. 10am Mass will be a little shorter than usual to enable Canon and any parishioners to attend the Act of Remembrance.

The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica This weekend, the Church throughout the world celebrates the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the oldest and highest ranking of the four major basilicas in Rome. The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, the official ecclesiastical seat of the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome. Therefore, we honour it as the Mother Church of the Universal Church as we honour the Pope as the centre of the unity of the one, catholic and apostolic faith. Given this papal link the Feast Day takes priority over the Sunday celebration when it falls on a Sunday.

Collection for Mary’s Meals Next weekend we shall be having our annual second collection for Mary's Meals campaign. Mary’s Meals is a registered charity serving a nutritious daily meal to some of the world's poorest children to attract them into the classroom where they can gain an education and a brighter future. We, as a parish have supported the charity since December 2023. There are 71 million primary school-age children out of school around the world; they have to work or beg to survive. A nutritious daily meal served at school not only satisfies a child’s immediate hunger, but it encourages children to attend consistently, improves their ability to learn and gives them better opportunities through education. It costs just £19.15 to feed a child for a whole year. Please give what you can.

Clothes donations for the SVP – This Weekend The Parish St. Vincent De Paul (SVP) Conference undertakes a monthly collection of clothing for the SVP Charity Shop. Clean, good quality clothing, books and toys are very welcome. Donations may be left outside the confessionals at the rear of St. Teilo’s this weekend. The clothes will be removed early on Monday morning, so please ensure that donations are brought to the Church by the end of the evening Mass this weekend or kept at home until the Second Sunday of December when we will have another collection Thank you from the parish SVP. Thank you from the parish SVP

November Dead List During the month of November, we will pray for the Faithful Departed at Mass every day. We will remember especially those included on the November Dead List in Church. Envelopes and sheets for your family’s Holy Souls’ list and your donation to the priest are available at the back of the Church. They can be handed in to the sacristy, dropped into the presbytery or placed in the collection plate. If you are unable to go to the Church, you can email your list of the deceased to whitchurch@rcadc.org

A plenary indulgence, applicable to the souls in Purgatory, is granted when you visit a church on November 2nd or 3rd (All Souls and the transferred day). While visiting the church or oratory, you are required to say one Our Father and the Apostles’ Creed in addition to having the other requirements for a plenary indulgence - the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin; have sacramentally confessed their sins (one confession will cover a number of indulgences); receive the Holy Eucharist; and pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. A partial indulgence may be obtained by visiting a cemetery and praying for the departed on any day from the 1st to the 8 th of November. The indulgence can be gained each day by visiting a cemetery between November 1 st and November 8th .

Monday is the, transferred, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. The Church gathers in solemn prayer for the souls in Purgatory and the Liturgy expresses this clearly. Mass is celebrated in purple and flowers are removed from the altar and sanctuary. There will be Mass on All Souls Day at St. Teilo’s at 10am and at Our Lady of Lourdes at 6pm. The Mass readings and prayers for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed – All Souls are on page 197 of the Parish Mass Book.

This weekend is World Mission Sunday. On this day the Holy Father calls us all to be Missionaries of Hope. Mission is the responsibility of the whole Church, and this global celebration of World Mission Sunday is a reminder that we are one family in Christ. This special day is our chance to be part of the love and solidarity to our brothers and sisters overseas. In offering our prayers, we join with missionaries everywhere, in communion and compassion to support them in spreading the Good News, and by giving a donation, we respond to Christ’s call to share our faith in Jesus so that all may experience God’s love. As we have recently held a Missionary Appeal for one of the Missionary societies in the parish, we will not have a second collection for this cause this weekend, but we can still pray along with the Holy Father for the work of the missions. You can watch the Holy Father’s message for today at: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-10/pope-leo-xiv-take-part-in-world-mission-sunday-videomessage.html If you would like to donate to the work of Missio you can do so via the Red Boxes or by clicking here: https://missio.org.uk/donate/