Parish Groups

NB. All the group meetings and activities are suspended during Covid lockdown

CHOIR

The Choir sings at the 10.30am Sunday Mass and on special Masses (i.e. funerals and weddings). If you are interested in joining the Choir, please contact the parish.

SPIRITUAL GROUP

The Spiritual Group organises spiritual events in the parish, among them Days for Recollection and the Annual Wintershall Stations of the Cross pilgrimage in Bromley.

SOCIAL AND FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE

The Social and Fundraising Committee organises parish events (i.e. Parish BBQ, Quiz Evenings, Afternoon Teas for Elderly Parishioners, etc) during the year and also raises funds for the parish charity.

FINANCE COMMITTEE

The Finance Committee meets every quarter to assess the financial situation of the Parish and to approve future expenditure of the Parish. The current members are: Monsignor William Saunders, Jim Chester, Brian Taylor, Russell Sparkes, Jeanne Briggs and Nadia Galindo-Slim.

If you have anything that would like to be brought up in future meetings please do not hesitate to contact any of the members.

GUILD OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

An association, mainly of men (but also open to ladies) who have a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. They attend a monthly Holy Hour with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Guild Prayers and Benediction at 5.00pm on the first Friday of each month. The 10.30am Mass on the first Sunday of each month is also said for the Intentions of the Guild.

The Guild also assist at special Masses, where the Blessed Sacrament is processed within the Church. The Guild meets socially at Christmas and some times on other occasions.

CHILDREN'S LITURGY

Our Children's Liturgy Group gather in the Church Hall during the first part of the 10.30 Mass on Sunday morning. The Group is aimed at children from pre-school to First Holy Communion age and there are regularly more than 35 children in attendance. A team of parent volunteers read the gospel to the children, pray, sing and prepare craft activities and lessons which help the children focus on the day's liturgy and learn about the Church's year in a fun and accessible manner. The children join their families and the rest of the congregation in church just before the Offertory Procession in which they all take part. One Sunday each month we have a special Family Mass where all the children are present for the whole service, some doing the readings, bidding prayers and singing with the choir. We also hold Liturgy 'bring-and-share lunches' once a term, which are open to the whole congregation and are always well attended, joyful occasions. Further information and training is available on the Deanery Children's Liturgy Website.

If you wish to be part of the Children's Liturgy or help, please contact Jeanne Briggs and Joanna Clarke via the parish.

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS

Eucharistic Ministers (or to be more accurate Extraordinary Ministers of The Eucharist) assist at Masses with the distribution of the Blessed Sacrament under both kinds. They also take Communion to the sick and housebound within the Parish.

Members of the Parish are invited to become Ministers by the Parish Priest. After some initial local instruction they are required to attend a special Mass at the Cathedral, where they are accepted into the Ministry and receive a certificate of appointment.

Ministers are required to renew their vows once a year, usually on Maundy Thursday. They are also required to attend Days of Recollection as and when organised.

Ministers are provided with 4 monthly rotas which start in Jan, May and September. Special rotas are produced for Holy Week and Christmas after Ministers' availability has been ascertained.

READERS

Readers read the Epistle and Responsorial Psalm at most Masses and also compose and read the Bidding Prayers for Sunday Masses (including the Saturday vigil).

Any Parishioner may volunteer to join the Readers. Readers are requested to attend special events for them that are organised by the Deanery.

Readers are provided with 4 monthly rotas which start in Jan, May and September. Special rotas are produced for Holy Week and Christmas after Readers' availability has been ascertained.

COUNTERS

The counters are formed by a group of parishioners who work in pairs to count the weekly collections. For further information contact the Parish. With the Covid pandemic, we are not looking for volunteers at present for this role.

GIFT AID SCHEME:

The Gift Aid scheme is open to all income tax payers who wish to subscribe to the scheme. It is very easy to join, all that needs to be done is to fill in a form to send for approval to the Diocese and once approved a box of envelopes is assigned to the donor. The donor places it's weekly Mass donations in the envelope (the normal amount the donor usually donates, it doesn't have to be an additional amount). At the end of the fiscal year, the parish can claim back from the government £0.25 for every £1 donated. It's really a great way to help the parish without the donors needing to do anything additional or donating additional money. The donors money is worth more for the parish.

If you are an income tax payer and wish to join, contact the Parish Secretary at the numbers on the Welcome Page.