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 February when we will have another collection. Thank you from the parish SVP.
The number of knitted and crocheted blankets we hold has been vastly reduced as these items were donated to families/schools who are part of the Parish Reaching Out Initiative. The group are looking for knitted or crocheted squares, measuring 6" by 6", to make up blankets. If any parishioner can help, it would be really appreciated. Should there be any adventurous crafter that can produce completed blankets theses would also be really welcome. Wool, hooks and needles can be provided by the group. Please leave any blankets or squares at the back of the Church after any of the Sunday Masses.
Did you receive any unwanted toiletries this Christmas? If so, we’d be grateful for your donations to support those in need. Items such as soap, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, toothpaste and deodorant are always in demand. Please drop off your donations in the usual place at the back of both churches. Thank you for your continued generosity in helping those in our community.
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) is holding its annual White Flower Collection this weekend. Please be as generous as you can to help the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, to defend unborn babies and their mothers. The success of the White Flower Collection is founded on the compassion and generosity of faithful churchgoers in parishes across the United Kingdom. SPUC is grateful for the unapologetic defence of unborn babies and vulnerable people that the teaching of the Catholic Church provides. At St. Teilo’s you are able to make a donation using your credit/debit card at the Electronic Donation Station at St. Teilo’s or online at https://donate.mydona.com/st-teilo-our-lady-of-lourdes .
Readers and Eucharistic Ministers are needed for the Christmas Masses at St. Teilo’s. If you are able to volunteer, please add your name to the list at the back of the Church for the Mass(es) you will be attending.
Thank you to all our parishioners who have been donating to Missio-Mill Hill Missionaries, either through the Red Box, or directly by bank transfer or cheque. Our Promoters have been out and about this month collecting boxes before the year ends. If your red box has not yet been picked up, and you wish it to be emptied, please phone Peter Jones on 07594693054. Thank you.
This pocket-size booklet of prayers and reflections for Advent and Christmas is now available at the back of the Church, ready for the start of Advent. Archbishop Mark O’Toole has written a foreword to the booklet and recommends it as an aid to prayer. Why not sit quietly with Walk with Me for a few minutes each day? Walk with Me costs £1 per copy, the money can be put in the Piety Stall box at the back of the Church or by selecting Piety Stall on the electronic donation machine.
The fund raising of the Christmas Fayre, Parish Quiz and Bingo evening raised £901 which will be donated to Mary’s Meals. A huge thank you to the organisers and to all the parishioners who took part in each event. The Christmas Raffle will begin next weekend to add to this total, please be generous.
On this great Solemnity of Christ the King, the Church celebrates World Youth Day. His Holiness Pope Leo has written a message to all young people to help them to mark this day. The theme this year is “You also are my witnesses, because you have been with me” (John 15:27). Pope Leo reminds all young people that he would like them all to focus on two aspects of witness: their friendship with Jesus, which we receive from God as a gift, and their commitment to be builders of peace in society. The Full Text of the Holy Father’s message can be read here: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/messages/youth/documents/20251007-messaggio-xlgmg.html
This weekend we shall have our annual second collection for the Mary's Meals campaign. There will be a retiring collection for Mary’s Meals at all Masses this weekend. You can also donate to Mary’s Meals using a debit or credit card at the Electronic Donation Station at the back of St. Teilo’s or online at https://donate.mydona.com/st-teilo-our-lady-of-lourdes 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.
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.
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/
Christmas Fayre - early notice! Although there are still 12 weeks until Christmas, our Annual Fair is just 6 weeks away. This year the Fayre will be held in St. Teilo’s Hall on Saturday, November 7th beginning at 10.45. If anybody is interested in having a table to sell items at the Fayre, please contact Carole on 07747562847
Canon John is a member of the interview panel for the Archdiocesan Selection Panel for those who are exploring a vocation to the Permanent Diaconate in the Archdiocese. The panel is meeting from 9am until 1pm on Saturday 11th October , so there will be no morning Mass or confessions that day.