For those who have registered for this year’s confirmation programme. This initial session is entitled – Getting Started and a timetable and resources will be given out during this session as well as explaining the programme. The sessions will take place in the presbytery. Please ensure you arrive promptly so that the classes can start on time. Thank you.
For those who have registered for this year’s programme the first meeting for parents and children will be Saturday 26th September promptly at 10.30am immediately following morning Mass which parents and children should attend please.
Dear Parishioners,
The parish website is updated with the Mass times and weeky newsletter for this week, Fr. Jose’s weekly message, and church notices.
Today Is Education Sunday. The second collections are for the Catholic Education Service (CES) which acts on behalf of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference to support Catholic education.
A pastoral letter on the occasion of Education Sunday from Archbishop of Southwark the Most Rev. John Wilson, is available at https://rcaos.org.uk/diocese/archbishop-john-wilson/archbishop-wilson-s-letters/
Next week is Evangelii Gaudium (Home Mission) Sunday. The second collections provide the bishops of England and Wales with resources to support Home Mission, the spread of the Gospel in our own country.
Coming up on 27th September is our Harvest Thanksgiving celebration. We take this opportunity to invite parishioners to make offerings and donations to be blessed after Mass before distribution to those in our community.
Have a great week!
Fr. Jose
Dear family members and friends: Today’s responsorial psalm reminds us, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and rich in mercy.” It is this nature of the Lord that urges Him to forgive. Jesus teaches us a very good lesson about our behaviour towards others, especially to those who do to us something wrong. We have to forgive them. There is no limit for forgiveness. It is an act of love. The parable of the wicked servant who did not forgive his fellow servant is a good warning to us about the need to forgive others because we have received forgiveness from the Lord several times. Let us practise this forgiveness in our family, workplace, community and also in all our relationships. Thus, we will be fulfilling the commandment of the Lord to love one another. Amen.
Fr. Jose
Dear family members and friends: In today’s Gospel Jesus deals with a very crucial matter: how to deal with a person who does something wrong in the community of believers. There is a chance of some personal conflicts within the community. The basic attitude we should have is one of peace, healing and restoring the broken relationship. Jesus speaks about various steps. The first one is to talk privately to the person concerned. Many problems can be solved by this. If not settled, the second step is to talk in the presence of two or three witnesses. If it is not still solved, then bring the matter to the church. Church includes the presence of Jesus and it has the moral and spiritual authority to decide what is right and wrong. Jesus gives a special authority to the church to bind and lose. As part of the church let us try not to get into conflicts and if anything happens reconcile at the earliest. Amen.
St. Simon Stock Catholic Church 
You must be logged in to post a comment.