Fr Ashley and St Mark’s West Wickham

It has been announced today that Father Ray Brennan is retiring as Parish Priest of our neighbouring parish of West Wickham after many years of faithful service. He has been on our prayer list – please pray for him as he begins his retirement. The archbishop has asked me to become

Continue reading

A Sustainable Christmas

Christmas is the best time of the year for many, but the worst time of the year from an environmental perspective. On Christmas Day last year, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a programme, “Christmas Recycled”, which looked at how we could make Christmas more sustainable and less wasteful in the UK. They looked

Continue reading

Arrangements for Masses this month

As you know the week before last Father Steve had a bad fall at Aylesford Priory; he has had surgery and is recovering well but is on sick leave; and Father John goes back to Nigeria this weekend for his mother’s funeral. Our prayers are with Fr Steve; and we

Continue reading

Collection for asylum seekers and refugees this weekend

This weekend we have a collection of items for asylum seekers and refugees living at the London Catholic Worker community in north London. They are most in need of: tinned tomatoes, nuts, raisins, cheese, tuna, chilli sauce, rice, couscous, pulses, olive oil, cooking oil, vinegar, mayo, spices, sugar, sunflower seeds,

Continue reading

Fr Steve

Fr Steve had a very nasty fall when he was visiting Aylesford Priory on Wednesday. He has badly damaged the tendons in one leg and will require surgery to repair it. He is very grateful to those who are remembering him in their prayers. We do not know when he

Continue reading

St Edmund’s Christmas Shoebox Appeal 2023

We’re collecting shoeboxes for the Blythswood Shoebox appeal again this year. The charity has let us know that all the boxes we collect will be going to Ukraine. Shoebox leaflets, also available at the back of the church, can be downloaded HERE. Until 5 November – Please bring filled shoeboxes

Continue reading

Laudate Deum

As you know the World Synod of Bishops opened in Rome last Wednesday. Among those taking part is our own Archbishop John Wilson. At the same time the Holy Father published what is really a ‘follow up’ to his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’ which was about the care of creation;

Continue reading

CAFOD Update and Appeal

It was a joy to meet so many of you at our recent Parish Open Day and to have the opportunity to tell you about some of Cafod’s campaigns. Fix the Food System is a campaign running this year in support of local farmers in countries such as Bangladesh. For

Continue reading