PARISH NEWSLETTER FOR ST. JOSEPH’S (MAIDENHEAD)
& ST. ELIZABETH’S (COOKHAM)
Holy Trinity Sunday of Easter, Year B
This Sunday is called Holy Trinity Sunday, and it is really the culmination of all we have been celebrating during the liturgical year.
Jesus comes into the world not simply to tell us that there is a God or indeed to tell us things about God. He comes into the world to bring us into the very heart of God so that we can know and love God and live in communion with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
This communion of divine love who lies at the centre of all reality teaches us that fundamentally all is good. In a world threatened by violence and terrorism, insecure in its very existence by global warming, today’s feast is most important for it teaches us that love not hatred is the real force in the world. It teaches us that that life not death is the calling of all that is, and it shows us that healing and community is our calling, not illness and isolation. This is fundamentally good news. You and I are meant to live in love, to be known and understood.
Today’s feast brings us to the very core of truth and life, the God of Holy Communion, who invites us into such communion.
Give thanks to the Lord for his presence in the Eucharist.
Father, Son & Spirit, enfold me in love, the love of your eternal life!
1st Reading: Deut 4:32-34, 39-40 The Lord himself is God in heaven above and on earth below: there is no other
Psalm 32 R/ Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
2nd Reading: Rom 8:14-17 The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we children of God
Acclamation: Alleluia, alleluia! xxx Alleluia!
Gospel: Matt 28:16-20 Baptise them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit
14 Jul 2024: St Joseph’s Church will be celebrating our 140th Anniversary. Save the date!
Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA)
We are all on a journey of faith, which is unique and personal, and yet a journey that we know is greatly enriched when we can come together and share with others.
Maybe you are a non-Catholic Christian accompanying your family to Church and now feel drawn to become part of this community of faith. Maybe your “roots” are in another religion, or in none. Maybe you are a Baptised Catholic but never received, as a young person, the Sacrament of Confirmation.
This programme is widely used in many parishes throughout the Diocese. RCIA is both a learning and teaching programme that aims to help those who would like to know more about the Christian faith from a catholic perspective and might be thinking about becoming a Catholic.
To be a full member of the Catholic Church you need to complete the process of Christian Initiation, which is when you have been Baptised, Confirmed and made your First Holy Communion.
The RCIA Programme will begin with the completion of the ten-step programme of the Alpha course run at Windsor. (Sept-Nov 2024). RCIA (Jan – April 2025). Talk to one of our priests.
Babies to Teens
- 25 May 4.30pm Final Confirmation session St Ed Pri Get Confirmation gifts from the Repository!
- 4 Jun Baptismal Course at St Joseph’s. For parents whose child is being baptised in M’head. Please meet one of the parish priests before attending.
- 9 Jun 9.30am FHC Final session + Party + Celebrations
- Fridays 8.45-10:45am Baby & Toddler Group in St Edmund Parish Centre (term time only)
- 11- 18 yr olds: St Vincent de Paul (SVP) Maidenhead is launching a new Youth SVP (YSVP) group for young people. If you are interested in finding ways to make a difference by helping those in need within our local community then we’d love to hear from you. Meet one evening a month starting in Sept 2024 to discuss ideas amd activities. The group will be supported by a member of SVP Maidenhead but what you do and how you do it will be largely up to you. Register: Hilda 07749 917 134. See also https://svp.org.uk/youth-svp.
REPOSITORY
Buy Confirmation gifts, cards, rosaries, candles, etc now!!
New Sunday Missal will be available in the repository from September! If you want to secure your early bird discount order, please put your name down at the repository or office, together with payment of £19.95 by 26 May. We regret we are unable to hold reservations without payment
Events in Church
- 23 May 2pm Rosary + 6pm Journeying together through Holy Scripture https://tinyurl.com/2hz5axvp
- 7 Jun 10am Healing Mass followed by a short awareness talk about the caring needs for people affected by dementia, and the impact on their social and family’s wellbeing. Talk will also cover benefits that you are entitled to after being discharged from hospital. Talk & hospitality sponsored by Heritage Healthcare
- 9 Jun 2.30-5pm, Bereavement Support Group St Edmund Campion Hall. Come for a cup tea & cake to talk or share with others who are also grieving
- 11 Jun 10.30am (after Mass) Talk by Fr Kevin MHM: We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision. Letter of Pope Francis for the Jubilee 2025
- 16 Jun Filipino Mass All are welcome!
16 Jun Bake Sale by SVP M’head. St Edmund Campion Parish Centre, after 9.30 & 11.15 Masses. All baked goods contribution greatly appreciated! Get cake for Father’s day! Proceeds will go to SVP M’head - 22 Jun 10am Tabletop sale £10 a table. Book a table by emailing: [email protected] More info here: https://stjosephsparish.co.uk/the-vision-group/!
- 14 Jul 2024 St Joseph’s Church will be celebrating our 140th Anniversary Save the date!
- 23-30 Aug Lourdes Pilgrimage Contact Fr Tom: 07908213034 to find out more
- Weekly Badminton (Mondays 7.30pm) & Taichi (Weds 5pm) in Hall. All levels welcome! Contact Peter 075477 42578 if attending for first time.
Church Noticeboard
- Bishop’s pastoral letter can be found in the church and website.
- TALENTS Challenge A huge Thank You to everybody who has taken part in this Challenge. Many of the envelopes and the proceeds have been returned, with amazing results! We are awaiting the return of 11 x £10 & 12 x £5 envelopes – please return them to the office/ Vision Group/ after Mass soonest so we can bring this fundraising initiatives to a close!
- SVP is seeking new packs of underwear, socks and (M size) adult summer clothes for new asylum seekers. Please drop donations off at the Sacred Heart altar in church. Can you host homeless refugees? Please contact us on 07749 917134 to find out more
Magazine We need writers, contributors, photographers for our upcoming Parish Magazine. Please contact the office if you’re interested in helping or advertising!
We have a TWO contactless machine that will accept Gift Aid! You only have to input your details ONCE and ALL future donations with the same card will be Gift-Aided!
To reduce repeating information in the printed newsletter, we have printed hand-bag/ wallet-friendly information packs and placed them at the entrance/exits of the church. Please keep this with you for future reference. Thank you for helping us save the environment by reducing paper waste!
Walks and Talks
- 6 Jun 7.30-9pm Life in the Spirit’ course via Zoom starts. 7 sessions + session at St Bede’s Church in Basingstoke on 29 Jun 9.30am-1pm. Tea and coffee provided afterwards, bring packed lunch. Register: https://tinyurl.com/47bjt6z8
- 8 Jun Pilgrimage to Walsingham Optional Holy Mile Walk at 3pm from Slipper Chapel. Tickets for coach at £30 each, leaving 6:45am from Our Lady of Peace (Slough), and 7:00 AM from St. Ethelbert’s . To book: Edward 07802 753575 / Natty 07397 149269 / Martha 07789 443517
- 15 Jun 8.30am Catholic Miracle Rally with Miracle Healing Service at 7pm. Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ. See www.tinyurl.com/3dwn8rd7
Can you help?
Marriage Care is a Catholic organisation specialising in relationship support. We are looking for Marriage Preparation Course Facilitators to prepare couples for the Sacrament of Marriage (full training is provided for this role), Qualified Relationship Counsellors to support couples in distress and Trustees to provide governance and strategic direction for the organisation. For more information please visit: www.marriagecare.org.uk or email: [email protected]
partnered with market-leading solicitors and will-writing providers to offer a basic simple or mirror Will for free. In-person, online or by phone. There is no obligation to leave our Parish a gift in your Wills. https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/support-our-work/make-your-free-will/
Inspire and empower children & young people in your local Catholic schools by delivering an assembly or a workshop. CAFOD will provide training and all resources. Contact Jo Lewry [email protected] or phone 07710 094447 for more info.
There are new arrivals at the local asylum seeker hotel and we need the following: new packs of underwear, socks, summer clothes in medium size for women and men. If you can help please drop any donations to Sacred Heart altar in church. We are also always looking for hosts for homeless refugees. If you would like to talk about what might be involved in hosting please contact us on 07749 917134.
If you want to donate directly to SVP for helping refugees who are facing homelessness & destitution, you can do so via CDP Maidenhead St Josephs Church Ac 00882667 / 30-93-04. Please include your full name and “+SVP” so we can earmark your contribution.
A steering group of religious and other groups are trying to establish three new initiatives under the auspices of the Brett Foundation. One is temporary hosting for refugees through a Gift-a-Room scheme. The second is a temporary Winter homeless shelter for all rough sleepers.The third is a Drop-in Centre to provide basic support for all people living on the streets, such as food and shower facilities. We are asking for any or all of:-
*Offers of a room for a refugee for up to two months – references will be taken for both host and refugee and a mentor provided to help both with any issues
* Volunteers to help with the homeless shelter for all rough sleepers for a variety of tasks, such as cooking, cleaning up, welcoming people and/or occasional overnight stays either once a week or once a month
* Volunteers at the Drop-in Centre for all rough sleepers for tasks such as making teas/coffees and making guests feel welcome either once a week or once a month.
We have created the following material to explain the schemes on The Brett Foundation website: there is a full page devoted to each of the streams, as well as an introductory page with links to each of the streams: https://www.brettfoundation.charity/homeless-project
This is a link directly to the Gift-a-Room scheme: https://www.brettfoundation.charity/homeless-project/gift-a-room-scheme
If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate call us on 07749 917134
appeal for volunteers. Would you enjoy meeting and helping all kinds of people on Saturday and pay-day Friday nights? Come try a taster session around Maidenhead town centre with a small friendly group. Contact: [email protected] or see facebook.com/maidenheadstreetangels
RESOURCES
Magnificat: This is one of the best publications around for following scripture readings for daily Mass and every Sunday. There are also many interesting articles to help you in your spiritual life. If you would like a copy please get in touch with the Parish Office to arrange. We can leave in the sacristy or post out to you. The Magnificat is only £5 per month.
Day by Day: Available in the church at all times. Please leave the £1 in the candle box.
Library: We have a parish library located in the corridor of the Parish Centre. This is dedicated to Theology/Religious books. Please feel free to borrow/swap.
St Joseph’s Church Repository: is open after 11am every Sunday. We have lots of cards, candles, rosary beads, statues and many more religious gifts on sale. If a Sunday does not suit to visit, then please phone the office on 01628 783988 and we can arrange a time that best suits.
Vacancies: We currently have some exciting opportunities across the Diocese for an Estate Manager, IT Manager, Choral Director, and Parish Administrators.
All vacancies posted here.
Other information and links
Rosary Group via Zoom every Thursday at 2pm (See here for joining instructions) ►
Last session for December will be on Thursday the 14th of December at 2pm
Rosary will resume on Thursday the 11th January 2024 at 2pm
Missio If you have a Red Box which is ready to be emptied, please bring it in over the coming weeks.
If you’re away from your church or the Diocese, you can still keep in contact with all the latest news from the Bishop or the Diocese via: E- News (subscription service available)
Twitter @PortsmouthRC
Facebook @PortsmouthRC @StJoMaidenhead
Are You New To Our Parish?
Thank you for your interest in our parish. Whether you’re just visiting us for a brief time, looking for a new parish home, returning to the practice of your Catholic faith or are interested in finding out more about the Catholic Church, we are happy to answer your questions, listen to your comments and help you in any way that we can. We are a parish of the Diocese of Portsmouth, and are a very vibrant community, made up of ‘old’ Maidenhead families and relative “newcomers” from all walks of life.
We hope that you find our Catholic parish a caring community that is loving, welcoming and supportive of all. Our mission is to grow in the image of Christ through the Holy Spirit, to be formed by the Word and our prayer, to use our gifts to welcome those who are here and reach out to those who are not. We invite you to join us as partners in the mission. Together, let us get to know Christ better and to make Him better known. May God Bless you wherever you are and thank you for exploring our website and newsletter. Please stop by the parish office to introduce yourself! We would love to meet you.
Code: SI: Special Intention, RIP: Rest in Peace, A: Anniversary, FM: Foundation
We would like to get the newsletter distributed on time and are grateful for understanding in the deadline for submissions of announcements and mass intentions. Please send all contributions no later than Thursday 10am.