St Ann's

Pope’s Message for the 55th World Day of Social

Communications 2021 chose the theme

“Come and see” (John 1,46).

Communicating, encountering people

as and where they are.

World Communications Day 2021 will be celebrated on Sunday 16 May.

This year's full announcement can be read via this link: <https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2020/09/29/200929b.html>
Pope Francis’ message can be read via this link: <http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/communications/documents/papa-francesco_20210123_messaggio-comunicazioni-sociali.html>

The words “Come and see” are central to the Gospel. Before the Gospel is proclaimed, prior to words, there are "looks, testimonies, experiences, encounters and closeness. In a word, life." These words, from the Gospel of John (1, 43-46) were chosen by Pope Francis, with the subtitle “Communicating, encountering people as and where they are”. Here is the full Gospel passage: “The next day, after Jesus had decided to leave for Galilee, He met Philip and said, ‘Follow me’. Philip came from the same town, Bethsaida, as Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth’. Nathanael said to him, ‘From Nazareth? Can anything good come from that place?’ Philip replied, ‘Come and see’”.

A message from the Vatican accompanying the theme's announcement states: "In the epochal change we are experiencing, in a time that obliges us to social distance due to the pandemic, communication can enable the closeness that is necessary to recognise what is essential, and to truly understand the meaning of things”. "We do not know the truth if we do not experience it, if we do not meet people, if we do not participate in their joys and sorrows. The old saying “God meets you where you are” can be a guide for those engaged in media or communications work in the Church. In the call of the first disciples, with Jesus who went to encounter them and to invite them to follow Him, we also see the invitation to use all media, in all their forms, to reach people as they are and where they live". For more, please click this link: <https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-09/pope-francis-releases-theme-for-2021-world-day-for-communication.html>

For further information and resources, please see the Bishops' Conference website: <https://www.cbcew.org.uk/home/events/world-communications-day-2021/>
World Communications Day, the only worldwide celebration called for by the Second Vatican Council ("Inter Mirifica", 1963), is marked in most countries, on the recommendation of the Bishops of the world, on the Sunday before Pentecost.
On World Communications Day, we take up the command of Jesus to preach the Good News of the Gospel to the whole world. The Media Team at the Bishops' Conference in England and Wales lead the way with vital communications through their website, social media, mailings, videos and photographs. They aim to foster positive links with dioceses and press, helping to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and promote the Church in all areas of life. During the pandemic they have continued to be an invaluable resource, as the Church has collectively embraced digital mission. Please kindly donate on World Communications Day.

The River Does Not Divide Us: Pentecost Novena on the Care of Creation. All Catholics in England and Wales are invited to respond in prayer and action to the urgent climate change issues that we all face. The God Who Speaks team offers this Novena of readings and prayers drawn from the Bible and recent Papal teaching.
Between Ascension and Pentecost, the Scriptures tell us: “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers…” (Acts 1:14) while they awaited to be “clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49). We are invited to pray these nine days reflecting on the account of creation in the book of Genesis. This Novena can be used on its own or to complement the prayers and reflections of the global prayer movement - ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ with the Care of Creation theme. For the content of the Novena, please click here.

The Catholic Bishops of England Wales encourage Catholics to place Sunday Mass at the heart of their post-pandemic lives. The Bishops have issued a reflection on post-pandemic recovery and the challenges faced by the Church in encouraging people back to the Church and her Sacraments. The Bishops met for their spring plenary meeting from 19 – 22 April 2021. In a reflection titled The Day of the Lord, the Bishops praise families, parish communities and those who have worked tirelessly in hospitals, care homes, schools and prisons during these challenging times of ill-health, grief and isolation. The Bishops salute the leadership of our priests and express gratitude for the ‘immense efforts’ of those who have provided food for those most in need. Whilst acknowledging the creative and diverse methods of outreach during the pandemic – not least the live streaming of Mass – attention then turns to the post-pandemic world. The Bishops recognise that it is impossible to predict the pace at which we will emerge from the pandemic but state “what is clear is the challenge we face of bringing our communities and the practice of the faith to a still greater expression and strength.”

They identify three groups of people they are seeking to reach:

a) There are the fearful and weary, anxious about coming into the enclosed spaces of our churches; those who have simply lost the habit of coming to church. Personal contact, clear reassurance, and sensitive invitations will all be needed.

b) There are those who will have reassessed their pattern of life and priorities. The practice of faith within the community of the Catholic Church may not be among those priorities. A gap may have opened up, or widened, between the spiritual dimension of their lives and any communal expression of that spiritual quest. They represent a particular focus and concern for our outreach.

c) There are those whom we might describe as the ‘Covid curious', those who have come into contact with the Catholic Church through our presence on the internet – a contact we may be able to develop through our continuing presence across diverse media platforms.

The greatest treasure is, of course, the sacramental life of the Church and at its heart, the Eucharist. “It is the Eucharist, the celebration of the Mass, that makes the Church; and it is the Church, in the gift of the Holy Spirit, which makes the Eucharist.

“At this moment, then, we need to have in our sights the need to restore to its rightful centrality in our lives the Sunday Mass, encouraging each to take his or her place once again in the assembly of our brothers and sisters. “We face the task of seeking to nurture the sense of Sunday as ‘a weekly gift from God to his people’, and something we cannot do without; to see Sunday as the soul of the week, as giving light and meaning to all the responsibilities we live out each day; to see the Sunday Eucharist as food for the unique mission with which we have been endowed.” For the original Statement, please click here.

Jesus made the crowds welcome and talked to them about the kingdom of God; and he cured those who were in need of healing (Matthew 4: 23)

Let us Dream: Easter reflections - The Spirituality Committee of the Bishops’ Conference has produced a series of reflections based on the Holy Father’s book Let us Dream for individual and parish use. The reflection can be accessed via this link: <https://rcstortford.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/6.-Let-us-Dream-_-EasterResource.pdf>.

Happy Easter! We are delighted and thank God in celebrating Easter. St. Ann’s parish thanks all members and visitors for your support, good wishes, cards and gifts. We wish all the blessings of the Risen Christ and a joyful Celebration of Easter! May the joy of the Risen Christ reign in your hearts and in your homes, bless & protect you today and always.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

638 "We bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this day he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus."⁴⁸⁹ The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ, a faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christian community; handed on as fundamental by Tradition; established by the documents of the New Testament; and preached as an essential part of the Paschal mystery along with the cross:

Christ is risen from the dead!
Dying, he conquered death;
To the dead, he has given life.

The empty tomb

640 "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen."⁴⁹³ The first element we encounter in the framework of the Easter events is the empty tomb. In itself it is not a direct proof of Resurrection; the absence of Christ's body from the tomb could be explained otherwise.⁴⁹⁴ Nonetheless the empty tomb was still an essential sign for all. Its discovery by the disciples was the first step toward recognizing the very fact of the Resurrection. This was the case, first with the holy women, and then with Peter.⁴⁹⁵ The disciple "whom Jesus loved" affirmed that when he entered the empty tomb and discovered "the linen cloths lying there", "he saw and believed".⁴⁹⁶ This suggests that he realized from the empty tomb's condition that the absence of Jesus' body could not have been of human doing and that Jesus had not simply returned to earthly life as had been the case with Lazarus.⁴⁹⁷

Twofold Paschal mystery 654

654 The Paschal mystery has two aspects:

by his death, Christ liberates us from sin;
by his Resurrection, he opens for us the way to a new life.

This new life is above all justification that reinstates us in God's grace, "so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."⁵²⁶ Justification consists in both victory over the death caused by sin and a new participation in grace.⁵²⁷ It brings about filial adoption so that men become Christ's brethren, as Jesus himself called his disciples after his Resurrection: "Go and tell my brethren."⁵²⁸ We are brethren not by nature, but by the gift of grace, because that adoptive filiation gains us a real share in the life of the only Son, which was fully revealed in his Resurrection.

Important Notices

OPENING OF ST. ANN’S CHURCH.

Saturday - Mass 10:00am, Vigil Mass 6:00pm

Sunday – Mass 10:30am

Monday to Friday - Mass 10:00am

If you are coming to St. Ann's Parish, please read the following important instructions:
- Face coverings are mandatory in Places of Worship. Parishioners and visitors who are attending our parish must wear a face covering unless they are exempt from doing so (for a list of exemptions, see the Government’s guidance: <https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own>.
- Please be aware that hygiene/social-distancing measures remain in place. Maintain social distancing at all times.

Entry to the church is by the main door of the church nearest to Kingston Hill.
Exit from the church is by the side door nearest to the car park.
To help us keep the church sanitised, please bring with you a cloth and cleaning agent, and carefully wipe surfaces that you have touched before leaving. Otherwise, sanitising wipes are available for your use at the back of the church. Please throw wipes away in the bin by the exit as you leave.
Toilet facilities are not available.
Please make a donation to help cover our costs in the box as you leave the church or via the different ways explained on our website.
When arriving at and leaving the church please do not congregate in the forecourt or at the car park.
On entering the church there will be instructions about hand-sanitisation and kindly use hand gel.
Please observe the one-way system around the church and respect the personal space of others so that everyone feels safe.
We are also obliged to record the contact details of those who come to the church with the time and date and keep those records for 21 days, in order to comply with government guidance for their “Test and Trace” service.
An NHS Test and Trace Form can be completed at home and handed to stewards on arrival at St. Ann’s Parish. Please print the following section:

Name:

Mobile number:

Email:

Other phone number

Postal address:

DATE AND TIME:

Mass Intentions for week commencing 16^th May 2021

Sat 15^th	10:00am 6:00pm	Vigil of 7th Sunday of Easter (B)	Privite Intention People of the Parish
Sun 16^th	10:30am	7th Sunday of Easter (B) World Communications Day St Simon Stock	Flavian D'Souza
Mon 17^th	10:00am	Feria	Clergy & Religious Chris Deveroux RIP
Tue 18^th	10:00am	St John I, Pope	Martin Darby
Wed 19^th	10:00am	St Dunstan	Marian Nash RIP
Thur 20^th	10:00am	St Bernadine of Sienna	Renata's Intention
Fri 21^st	10:00am	Sts Christopher Magallanes & Comp.	Rev. Fintan Phelan
Sat 22^nd	10:00am 6:00 pm	St Rita of Cascia Vigil of 7th Sunday of Easter (B)	Alvaro Maccioni People of the Parish

Please find the QR Code Poster of the Test and Trace App for St. Ann’s RC Parish in the Porch. The government introduced a new Test and Trace App on 24th September 2020. Parishioners who downloaded this App on their mobile phone and registered with their QR code can register their attendance at a particular place. Should a person receive a positive Covid test the App will be used to contact other attendees and provide them with necessary instructions. The use of this system is not compulsory for churches; however, it is strongly recommended.

For a Message from the Government, please click this link: <https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november>.
Guidelines from the Bishops Conference of England and Wales: <https://www.cbcew.org.uk/home/our-work/health-social-care/coronavirus-guidelines/four-week-lockdown-in-england/>.
For the Update on Covid-19 and the Vaccination from the Bishops Conference of England and Wales, please click here.

Live streaming of Masses and Services

Even though the church is now open, streaming of daily weekday Masses and weekend Masses will still continue to be available via Facebook and YouTube, and all previous Masses are archived in these channels:

YouTube: St Ann's RC Church Kingston Hill:
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkyb_uFxVSdr2Q9ElvGJONQ>.
Facebook: St Ann's RC Church Kingston Hill:
<https://www.facebook.com/St-Anns-RC-Church-Kingston-Hill-100834058346038>.
You may visit the following sites:
- The National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham’s live-streaming service at <https://www.churchservices.tv/walsingham/archive/recordings>.
- Several Parishes in the Archdiocese of Southwark live stream Mass: <http://www.stanns-kingstonhill.org.uk/docs/ASOUTHWARK.pdf> or <http://www.rcsouthwark.co.uk/>.
- Sacred Heart from Cork especially Fr. Tom’s reflection every evening at 7:00pm <https://www.mscmissions.ie/spirituality/sacred-heart-live-services/>.
- More live-streaming services can be found from the CBCEW website: <https://www.cbcew.org.uk/home/our-work/health-social-care/coronavirus-guidelines/live-catholic-mass-online/>.

Parish Business

Please kindly read the letter to Parishioners and Friends of St. Ann’s Parish which can be found via this link.
For the Current Newsletter, please click here.
For home learning on the subject of our Catholic Faith in relation to Science and other fundamental issues, please click here. This facility is to be used in conjunction with our Diocesan Centre for Catholic Formation’s resources.
VOLUNTEERING & CHARITABLE WORK:
- We have previously brought your attention to the needs of our neighbours to whom we should respond by all the means open to us. I would like to thank specially all of you who are already volunteering to help the needy by providing company by telephone, by doing or delivering shopping and/or medicines. There is a continuing need to donate to the food banks and we would urge you to support Kingston Foodbank via their website at https://localgiving.org/charity/kingstonfoodbank/ or your local Foodbanks.
- At St. Ann’s Parish we are always grateful to hear from anyone who is willing to help us out, either remotely or in person, with our Masses or who would be willing to volunteer as a steward at the start of Mass or to oversee the church during other liturgies. Please do contact us and let us know if you would be willing to help or see Father Michael at the end of Mass.
To make Donations to St. Ann’s RC Parish:
- There will be an opportunity to give to the Parish through a static collection box or contactless machines as you arrive and leave the church.
- St. Ann’s Gift Aid Form: <http://www.stanns-kingstonhill.org.uk/docs/GiftAidMandate2018.pdf> and Standing Order Form: please click here.
- To donate to St. Ann’s Parish, please find bank details by clicking here.
- Donations towards the Church can be made via this link.

Current affairs

Statement from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales on the Publication of the IICSA Report

https://www.cbcew.org.uk/statement-on-the-publication-of-the-iicsa-report/>.

The Roman Catholic Church Investigation Report, November 2020. A report of the Inquiry Panel - Professor Alexis Jay OBE, Professor Sir Malcolm Evans KCMG OBE, Ivor Frank and Drusilla Sharpling CBE: <https://www.iicsa.org.uk/publications/investigation/roman-catholic-church>.

For the prayer by St. John Henry Newman recited daily by St Teresa of Calcutta and the Missionaries of Charity after Communion, click here.

For the Prayer Campaign to Conquer the Virus, click here.

SAFEGUARDING

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child or adult at risk, do not delay in contacting the police, using 999 if a child or adult is believed to be in immediate danger. It is the policy of the Catholic Church in England and Wales to report all allegations of abuse to statutory authorities, regardless of whether the abuse occurred recently or in the past, or whether the accused person is living or deceased: <https://www.csas.uk.net/contact-us/>.
If you are in any role within the Catholic Church in England and Wales, you must refer allegations directly to the safeguarding office for your diocese or religious congregation, or directly to the Police. If you are a member of the public, please refer allegations directly to the police and also to the safeguarding office in your diocese.
You can contact the Archdiocese of Southwark Safeguarding Office by telephoning 0207 261 1606 or via email at safeguardingoffice@rcaos.org.uk. The safeguarding representative for St. Ann’s parish is Mrs Anne King and she can be contacted via 02085468732 or <annedking@aol.com>.