Bonus ball– Wed 24 July; no 24 D Lintern; Sat 27 July; no 3 – R Rayment Wed 31 July; no 30 – R Enright; Sat 3 Aug; no 31 VacantCollection – Holy Family - £286.37Headcorn - £114.95

MUSICAL EVENING – With music from the leading West End shows! On Saturday, 12 October – a date for your diary.

PILGRIMAGE TO SANTIAGO & FATIMA – Fr. Roy will be leading a 10 day pilgrimage next year from 14th to 23rd September 2020. The cost is £1095 which includes return flights, half board hotel accomodation, all transfers and transport, a guide, entrance fees and daily Mass. Deposit of £200 per person by 11th October please. For full details, brochure and booking form please see me, Dave Arnold.

PRAYERS FOR THE SICK – Please remember in your prayers all those known to us who are ill, especially Richard Martin, Ernie Carter, Win Donlon, Nora McLellan, Brigitte & Michael Aris, David Elphee, Rosemary Enright, Jean Driscoll, Daphne Newman, Cliff Bacon, Anne Stephenson, Maria Holas, Ade Madarikan, Jorge Leitao Esteves, David Holt-Goldsmith, Pauline Wilmot, Katie Venters, John and Eleni Cotton, Jeanette Kokkinos and Josie Phillips.

ANNIVERSARIES – Please pray for the repose of the souls of Noel Gorman, James Murphy, Caroline Bartlett, John Boyson, Frank Gunning, Florence Stanley, Roger Lynn, Kathleen Lenzie, Liz Fealey, Edward Fealey, Win Crank, Maura Vousden, Doris Child, Mr Bray, Harry Waters and Peter Cornelius.

PLEASE NOTE – The month of August is always a slack month because of holidays. We will continue to produce a newsletter but it might look rather empty!

Holy Family

Holy Family RC ChurchBicknor Road, Park Wood

Maidstone, Kent ME15 9PSTel: 01622 752637

Website: www.msrcparish.org.uk Priest – Fr. Desmond Mbidoakamaidstonesouth@rcaos.org.uk

St Thomas of Canterbury

19th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – Year C.

DATE HOLY FAMILY MASS INTENTIONSSat 10 Aug 6pm MASS Ron Window RIP

Sun 11 Aug 10:30am MASS Constantino Furtado RIP

Mon 12 Aug 9:30am MASS Sharon Redding RIP

Tue 13 Aug 9:30am MASS

Wed 14 Aug 7:30pm MASSST MAXIMILIAN KOLBEDolores Byrne – Thanksgiving

Thu 15 Aug 9:30am MASSASSUMPTION - BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Hilary Winter – Special Intention

Fri 16 Aug9:30am MASS10.00am

Roger Lynn RIPEXPOSITION

Sat 17 Aug 6pm MASS Marie Farrelly RIP

Sun 18 Aug 10:30am MASS Freda & Paul _ ThanksgivingConfessions on Saturdays 5-5.30pm before evening Mass.

ST THOMAS OF CANTERBURYSat 10 Aug 9:30am MASS Thu 15 Aug 9:30am MASS

12 NOON MASS E/F7.30pm MASS

Sun 11 Aug 9:00am MASS Fri 16 Aug 9:30am MASS E/F

Mon 12 Aug NO MASS Sat 17 Aug 9:30am MASS

Tue 13 Aug NO MASS Sun 18 Aug 9:00am MASS

Wed 14 Aug NO MASS Confessions after 9:30am Mass on Saturday

DID YOU KNOW ? – On the 29th March 2020, the Bishops of England are going to re-consecrate England to our Lady. During the course of 2018 to 2020 the statue of Our Lady from the Slipper Chapel at the Catholic National Shrine in Walsingham will be taken to every Cathedral in England for a three Day triduum of prayer, as part of the preparation for the re-dedication of England as the Dowry of Mary in 2020. See dowrytour.org.uk for full details.

THE GOD WHO SPEAKS: A YEAR OF THE WORD – The Bishop’s Conference have designated 2020 as “The God Who Speaks: A Year of the Word”to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Verbum Domini, Pope Benedict XV1’s Apostolic Exhortation on ‘The Word of the Lord’, and the 1600th anniversary Of the death of St Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin. During 2020 Dioceses across England and Wales will be celebrating and sharing God’s Word through a range of events and services. We are preparing a list of events and services that will take place in all three areas of our Diocese. The launch will be on 30th September 2019, the Feast of St Jerome.

DIOCESAN DAY FOR CATECHISTS – Saturday 28th September at St. George’s Cathedral. This day is for all the Catechists of the Diocese, including those involved in Children’s Liturgy and the RCIA process. The cost is just £10 which includes tea/ coffee and a sandwich lunch and will be met by the Parish. The day starts at 10.30am and ends with Mass celebrated by the new Archbishop at 4pm. Please see Fr Desmond or myself for full details.

CHURCH SOUND SYSTEM – WE MADE IT! THANK YOU. Ticket number 164 won the special hamper. Who is the lucky winner?

Please check your raffle tickets and let Dave Hanney or Denise know!

………………………………….£4415.94………………………….. £4400

MORNING OF RECOLLECTION – For Readers and Eucharistic Ministers will take place at Holy Family on Saturday 19th October 2019. Coffee at 9.30am then start at 10am to 1pm. The morning will be led by Canon Luke Smith who was the Parish Priest at St. Francis, Maidstone and is now at St. John’s Seminary Wonersh. It is a condition of your ministry that you should try and attend one of these days of recollection at least once a year.

DAY OF RENEWAL – Sat 7 Sept – at Aylesford Priory starting at 9.30am Rosary, 10am Praise, 11am teaching, 12.30 Lunch, Confession available, 1.30pm Praise, 2pm Healing, 4pm Mass of Thanksgiving, Fr Francis, Prior. The day will be led by the Cor et Lumen Christi Community. ALL WELCOME

DIVINE MERCY PILGRIMAGE – to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Simon Stock, The Friars, Aylesford Priory, ME20 7BX. Bank Holiday Monday, 26th August from 10am to 5pm led by Rt Rev Bishop Patrick Lynch SS cc Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark Diocese and the Marian Fathers.

RCIA – The new course for inquirers will begin on Tuesday 15th October, beginning at 7.30pm in the Presbytery. It will then continue on a fort- nightly basis culminating (hopefully) with the Sacrament of Initiation at the Easter Vigil on Saturday 11th April! Anybody who is interested in becoming a Catholic or even, just learning more about the Catholic Faith should contact either Fr. Desmond or myself as early as possible please.

“Priests have received a power which God has given neither to angels nor to archangels. It was said to them: ’Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you loose, shall be loosed.’ Temporal rulers have indeed the power of binding; but they can only bind the body. Priests, in contrast, can bind with a bond which pertains to the soul itself and transcends the very heavens. Did God not give them all the powers of heaven? What greater power is there than this? The Father has given all judgement to the Son. And now I see the Son placing all this power in the hands of men. They are raised to this dignity as if they were already gathered up to heaven.”(St. John Chrysostom)