Parish News Archive

On Saturday 24th December, Christmas Eve, children are invited to join Michelle in the choir loft at 5.45pm to sing with the choir. Please bring water and bells!

Application forms for our 2023 Confirmation programme are now available at the back of the church. There will be a meeting for all young people of our Parish, in Year 10 or above, along with their parents/guardians who wish to enroll on the course on Wednesday 7th December at 8pm in the Parish Hall. A list of what you need to bring with you to this meeting is in the application pack.

Bishop Alan will lead the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes from 24 – 29 July; a time to pray at the Grotto of Our Lady and enjoy the opportunities of this experience.  You can book now on-line: www.tangney-tours.com/brentwood  For further information, please phone Cathy O’Connor, the Administrative Director: 01206 735623.

Bishop Alan will lead the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes from 24 – 29 July; a time to pray at the Grotto of Our Lady and enjoy the opportunities of this experience.  You can book now on-line: www.tangney-tours.com/brentwood  For further information, please phone Cathy O’Connor, the Administrative Director: 01206 735623.

A Parish Pilgrimage to our National Catholic Shrine in Walsingham is being arranged for Friday 13th May 2022. We will be travelling by coach. For anyone that is interested please write your name and telephone number on the sheet at the back of the Church or call the Parish office. More details to follow.

A volunteer group is being set up here at St John Payne, in conjunction with the Diocese of Brentwood and Caritas Brentwood, to raise funds and provide practical support for a refugee family, to be housed in Colchester. Anyone interested in becoming involved or finding out more is warmly invited to attend a meeting, chaired by Fr Dominic Howarth, on Saturday 7th May 2022 at 1.30pm, at St John Payne Catholic Church Hall, Blackthorn Avenue, Colchester CO4 3QD. Please email SJPRefugeeProject@gmail.com for more information

Havering Singers are performing Handel’s Messiah on Saturday April 2^nd at 7.30 pm. Conducted by Jonathan Rathbone with The Meridian Sinfonia.  Venue: St Peter’s Church, Gubbins Lane, Harold Wood, RM3 0QA. Tickets cost £15.00. Children under 17 – £6.00. Ticket Hotline: 01708 341265. Online – www.haveringsingers.org.uk

We are looking for volunteers to help assist in the running of the Confirmation programme which begins very soon. If you can help please contact the Parish office or see Fr Martin after Mass

Caritas Diocese of Brentwood are inviting people from the night of April 8^th to the morning of April 9^th, to join the 2022 Sponsored Sleepout; Raising awareness and money to help our local homeless charities and the Brentwood Catholic Youth Service. All information can be found at www.caritasbrentwood.org/sleepout or by emailing sleepout@dioceseofbrentwood.org

If you are 18+ and looking for an exciting gap year opportunity, then a year on the Walsingham House Team could be for you. Spend a year as a volunteer in a thriving young Catholic Community, working with thousands of young people from Essex and East London. We are looking for inspiring individuals who want to share their faith with other young people and are also looking to learn new skills, grow deeper in their own faith and enjoy a challenge. For more information please contact Joseph Beattie, manager of Walsingham House, by emailing josephbeattie@dioceseofbrentwood.org or calling 01277 373959. There is more information about our work on our website (www.bcys.net) and social media @Brentwoodcys

Our Bishop, Alan Williams, is making a Pastoral visit to the Parish on Wednesday 9^th February. At the evening Mass he will be Confirming some young people of our Parish.

Our next Youth Mass will be on Thursday 3^rd February at Brentwood Cathedral, Fr Paschal Uche will be presiding and Fr Michael Barwick will preach.  The evening starts at 6pm with pizza and refreshments in the parish hall, followed by a session run by Beth Warren from the charity Million Minutes.  Mass will then be celebrated at 7.30pm. The event is open to all young people in Year 9 and above. For more information please see www.bcys.net

The Bishop’s Certificate is designed to be an entry level qualification to help in the ongoing formation of adults involved in sacramental preparation or youth ministry in the Diocese of Brentwood. It includes both the development of practical skills & the deepening of theological knowledge. The course is online and taught through engaging, short videos with expert interviews. The course will begin on the evening of 24th February, with an introduction and welcome evening, held at Walsingham House at Abbotswick. For more information please see our website: https://bcys.net/bishops-cert/ or email your expression of interest to bishopscertificate@dioceseofbrentwood.org by Monday 22^nd February.

Fr Martin would like to thank everyone who helped in anyway to prepare for Christmas – church cleaners, altar servers. choir, musicians, flower ladies, crib builders etc.  It was truly a wonderful Christmas celebration.  Also a big thank you to everyone for their most generous Christmas offerings, plus cards and gifts.  God Bless You.

The government has said it is mandatory for everyone from the age of 12 to wear a face covering in Churches. Therefore, we ask everyone to wear a face covering in Church and to sanitize their hands as they come in.

Many thanks to those who have donated to the crib offerings so far. A reminder that the money will go to the Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society.

The SVP are looking for volunteer drivers to help deliver the food we collect at St Mary’s to the Rainham Foodbank depot. If you can help, please contact Paul on 07778 031489. Thank you.

On Monday 20th December 5pm-6.30pm all children are invited in to the Church for choir practice in preparation for the Christmas Eve Mass.

There will be a meeting for all young people of our Parish with their parents / guardians who wish to be Confirmed and are in Year 10 and above. This will take place on Monday 6th December at 8pm in the Parish Hall. There will be an enrolment Mass on Saturday 11th December at 6.30pm. We look forward to seeing you all.

To make an application to St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, you will need to complete a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) which is returned to the school and complete the on-line local authority form. The closing date for September 2022 admissions is 15th January 2022. Please visit our website at www.stmaryscatholicprimaryschool.co.uk and click on ‘Admissions’ for further information, relevant documents and to view our virtual tour. For those people who do not have access to e-mail, we will also accept completed application forms brought into school on the following dates only:

Monday 6th December 2021 9.30-11.00am Parish Hall
Friday 14th January 2022 9.30-11.00am Parish Hall

Reception Intake: Father Martin will be available to sign the Certificate of Catholic Practice in the Church on Friday 26th November 3.30pm-5.30pm, Saturday 27th November 7.15pm-8.30pm, Saturday 4th December 7.15pm–8.30pm and Monday 6th December from 3.45 – 5.30pm. Please bring your child with you, along with their Baptism certificate and proof of your address.

Thanks to everyone who came along to the recent registration evening & signed up from Year 8, some Year 9’s & 10’s & even a few Year 11’s. We will get underway now with preparing the membership lists & cards, & helpers’ rota. The start date is likely to be the 2nd Friday in January ’22, but the exact date tba in the new year.
We will run another registration evening for the current year 7”s (Year 6 Summer 2021 leavers) in due course soon (date again tba) to bring our membership up to full capacity. Details of what is needed for them to register include: £3 cash fee & 2 x passport type photos – note: they don’t need to be passport photos, just that size, & be a headshot of the youngster). Application forms will be given to you at the registration. Due to Covid, we are playing ‘catch-up’. Any Late registrations will be dealt with after all other applications have been processed & a waiting-list will be set-up if numbers dictate.

Celebrated on the Feast of Christ the King, this is a day to recognise and celebrate young people as a gift in the Church and so, as we have for many years, we will be inviting speakers to visit as many parishes as we can reach to share their experiences of the Brentwood Catholic Youth Service and being a young person in the church.

We are recommencing choir practice on Monday evenings at 8 pm in the church from 15 November. We are also welcoming new members to join us as we prepare to sing at Mass during Advent and for the Christmas vigil Mass.

Is on Tuesday 2nd November. There will be Masses said at 9.15am and 7.30pm on this day. The Envelopes for the Holy Souls will be available at the back of the Church from this weekend for you to write the names of your loved ones. Envelopes will be placed on the altar and prayed over during Masses in November.

On Sunday 7th November, St. Mary’s school will be holding a musical fireworks event. Gates open at 5pm with food and drink available and the fireworks start at 6pm. Tickets are available on the school playground before and after school. For more information email ptaatstmarys@outlook.com.

REGISTRATION EVENING in the Parish Hall on Tuesday 2nd November. One parent or carer only (no need for youngsters yet) can come at any time between 7:30pm & 9:30 pm & be prepared to register the same evening! (The forms you need will be given to you on arrival). To register, there are some things you MUST bring – £3 cash & 2 x passport type photos (note: they don’t need to be passport photos, just that size, & be a headshot of the youngster).This first intake back of Youth Club will be for previous members in years 9 & above who wish to re-join (they still need to be registered by a parent/carer) & also all former St. Mary’s pupils who are now year 8’s. PLEASE NOTE: there will be a separate registration evening in 2022 for St. Mary’s Leavers who are now year 7’s & who we hope to start after Spring ‘ 22. Due to Covid, we are playing ‘catch-up’. Late registrations will be dealt with after all other applications have been processed & a waiting-list will be set-up if numbers dictate.

For any First Holy Communion or Confirmation Catechists, children’s liturgy or youth leaders, we will be holding our annual Catechist Training and Resources Day at Sacred Heart of Mary School in Upminster. There will be many wonderful workshops, speakers and resources available on the day and you can see more information on our website www.bcys.net. It is always an incredibly popular and inspiring day attend. See flyer for this event!

The next Thresholds of Hope Questions take place by Zoom on Sundays 31st October and 7th November 4.00 – 5.00 p.m.: What does it mean to talk about morality? These talks will be given by Fr Martin Boland, Dean of Brentwood Cathedral. To join this meeting go to Events at www.thresholdsofhope.co.uk

Open to any young people in year 9+, this one day event will at our beautiful retreat house just outside Brentwood. You will be inspired to think about how you can change your future after a talk from John Pridmore, former East End Gangster, motivated to take action against the Climate Crisis with workshops from Leila Bousbaa and challenged physically on the climbing wall, bungee run and assault course! Book online at www.bcys.net now for just £20 for the whole day! See flyer. If you are a catechist or youth leader and would like to bring a group, please email gabriellafusi@dioceseofbrentwood.org.

If your child and your family are known to Fr Martin and the child is from a Catholic family who attends Mass regularly either on a Saturday evening or Sunday morning, please come and see him along with your child during the dates and times below where he will issue a Certificate of Catholic Practice.  Fr Martin will need to see the child’s Baptism certificate, First Holy Communion certificate and proof of address in order to issue the Certificate of Catholic Practice. The remainder of the application should be completed directly with the school or Local Authority as usual.  If your child and your family are not known to Father Martin and do not attend Sunday Mass, please do not go to Father Martin, instead, simply complete the forms required and return them directly to the school.

For Secondary school forms, Fr Martin will be available Friday 15^th October 3.30pm – 5.30pm and Saturday 16^th October 7.15pm – 8.15pm. 

The dates for Primary School forms will follow in due course.

The BCYS invites all young people from around the Diocese to join us on Thursday 7th October, Brentwood Cathedral from 6pm where we will provide a meal, before we begin a FREE music workshop and performance from the incredible One Hope Project! This will be followed by monthly Youth Mass at 7:30pm, celebrated in the Cathedral where we will have invited Fr Paschal Uche to preach. More information on our website www.bcys.net, there is no need to book but please do let us know if you would like to bring a group by emailing gabriellafusi@dioceseofbrentwood.org. See flyer.

Help Needed: Could any knitters or crocheters contact Jane Tatam on 07415 602774 to help with a new Parish project. Any donations of wool would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

We are looking for volunteers to help look after our Parish gardens and parking area. We hope this will be on a monthly basis. Please speak to Father Martin or contact the Parish office if you can help.

There will be a meeting for all young people of our Parish with their parents / guardians who wish to be Confirmed and are in Year 11 and above from this September. This will take place on Wednesday 15^th September at 8pm in the Parish Hall. We look forward to seeing you all.

All children who have made their First Holy Communion are invited to become Altar Servers. There will be two training practice sessions in the Church at 9.30am on Saturday 11^th and 18^th September. Each session will last about 1 hour. Children will need to be accompanied by a parent / guardian.