Parish of St Teresa of Avila, Ashford
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark
COVID-19 GUIDELINES UPDATE
UPDATED on 27th November 2021
- Please use QR code and sanitise your hands at the entrance to the church.
- Please wear a face cover at all time, unless you are medically exempt, in which case please sit in the less crowded part of the church if possible.
- Please consider keeping social distance from other visitors.
- Holy Communion will continue to be given on hand. Should you wish to receive on tongue, please come at the end of the queue and directly to the priest.
- We will make sure the church is clean and sanitised regularly, but please mind it is still a building site and some areas may have to be excluded for the public use.
The Christmas season can be so busy, sometimes out of control busy. But as believers, we must be striving for the complete opposite. We want this time of year to be focused on strengthening the faith and love in our family and church community, by having quiet reflections and celebrating meaningful traditions.
The main way we can re-focused the month of December around Jesus and the miracle of Christmas is through ADVENT. Advent is marked by four Sundays before Christmas. It is defined as a time of “coming into place or arrival”; the time for joyful expectation in silent listening of the Word of God, preparing us for Christ coming; the one at the end of our life, and the one at Christmas. Advent is simply taking time each day to prepare the space for Jesus in our life.
Let us use all the opportunities to deepen our faith, and let us ask God to guide us more deeply into the beauty of Advent.
ST TERESA’s ADVENT PROGRAMME
CANDLELIGHT RORATE MASSES on Wednesdays and Fridays (1st, 3rd, 10th, 15th, 17th, 22nd December) at 6.00pm with a serious of reflections as our Parish Advent Retreat.
CONFESSIONS, available from Monday to Saturday after the 10.00am Mass.
PARISH RECONCILIATION SERVICE on Tuesday, 21st December at 7.00pm.
BISHOPS STATEMENT
During the pandemic, public worship was suspended for a time and there have been restrictions on parish life. As a result, people have been exploring other ways to practice their faith including Spiritual Communion via live streaming.
As people begin returning to more regular patterns of parish life and following the first face to face meeting of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales in Leeds, the bishops have issued the following statement about the importance of honouring Sunday:
Honouring Sunday
As the Synodal Pathway of listening and discerning unfolds, we the bishops of England and Wales, are paying particular attention to the hopes and fears, the joys, and anxieties of all who are sharing their thoughts and feelings with us.
Read MoreSYNODAL CHURCH
The Holy Father has called for the Synodal Process to begin in the Dioceses of the world on 17th October 2021. It’s not a novelty! It was the way our Holy Mother Church worked throughout the centuries. The word ‘synod’ comes from two Greek words ‘sun’ meaning together and ‘hodos’ meaning way. The English word synod therefore mean making our way tougher, journeying together along the way, united in Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life. Now a new synodal process is about to begin, a journey in which the whole Church is engaged around the theme: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission.”
The Synodal Process in the Archdiocese of Southwark
At heart, the Synod is about listening to the Lord and then sharing and listening with each other about how we are to fulfil the mission entrusted to us by Christ. The process is intended to be as inclusive as possible in our parishes and communities, and to include schools and other Catholic groups wherever possible.
Key documents from the Synod Office in Rome can be found at: www.synod.va/en.html
Resources prepared by the Agency for Evangelisation and Catechesis, together with a Frequently Asked Question document from the Bishops’ Conference: http://www.cbcew.org.uk/synodal-church/
Alongside the parish and diocesan process, it is also possible for anyone to make a direct contribution. This can be done via: synod@rcaos.org.uk or via post to Synod Submissions, c/o Archbishops’ House, 150 St George’s Road, SE1 6HX.
See the Pastoral Letter of Archbishop John Wilson …
Read MoreEASY FUNDRAISING
Did you know that whenever you buy anything online-from your weekly shop to your annual holiday-you could be raising free donations for St Teresa of Avila Church Roof Fund with easy fundraising. There are over 4,000 shops and sites on board ready to make a donation-including eBay, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S-and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds.
Simply click the link below:
www.easyfundraising.org.uk/
Every time you shop online go to easy fundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping. After you have checked out, the retailer will make a donation to St Teresa of Avila Church Ashford Roof Fund at no extra cost to you whatsoever. There are no catches or hidden charges and we would be really grateful for your donations.
How to book a Mass?
Masses can be celebrated for deceased members of family or friends, thanksgiving, anniversaries, vocations, for the sick and for any particular need. If you would like a Mass said please fill in the Mass envelope at the back of Church and give it to a priest or drop it into the Parish Office.
NOW YOU CAN BOOK A MASS WITHOUT LEAVING HOME
Simply call us or email us about the availability. We will confirm and send you the DONATION link.
There is also an old tradition of Gregorian Masses. Gregorian Masses are a series of Holy Masses traditionally offered on 30 consecutive days as soon as possible after a person’s death. They are offered for an individual soul. The custom of offering Gregorian Masses for a particular soul recognises that few people are immediately ready for heaven after death, and that, through the infinite intercessory power of Christ’s sacrifice, made present in Holy Mass, a soul can be continually perfected in grace and enabled to enter finally into the union with the Most Holy Trinity – our God, Who is Love Itself.
Just to avoid confusion, Gregorian Intention is not a Mass said in the Old Latin Rite but 30 consecutive Masses offered for one soul and must be said each consecutive day.
History of Gregorian Masses.
Gregorian Masses take their name from Saint Gregory the Great, who was sovereign Pontiff from 590 to 604. St. Gregory the Great contributed to the spread of the pious practice of having these Masses celebrated for the deliverance of the souls from purgatory. In his Dialogues, he tells us that he had Masses on thirty consecutive days offered for the repose of the soul of Justus, a monk who had died in the convent of St. Andrew in Rome. At the end of the thirtieth Mass, the deceased appeared to one of his fellow monks and announced that he had been delivered from the flames of Purgatory.
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Parish of St Teresa of Avila, Ashford 