Please pray for the souls of all deceased parishioners, family and friends
May God console their families. May the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace;
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Please pray for those whose Anniversaries occur at this time including….
- 2: Peter Whitehead, Bridget Reardon, Stefan Krok, Victor Rubtsov, Mary Louise Fanning
- 3: Richard Humphrey, Daniel Bradley, Catherine Francis Lynch
- 4: William Kavanagh, Rosemary Owen,
- 5: Sister M. Gertrude Claffey, Joan Regan, Nellie Maloney, Margaret Hickman, Phyllis Jane Lloyd
- 6: Michael John Newman, Lilliam Graske, George David Ball, Ralph Redsell, Alice Hilda Tracey, Joseph Fanning, Mary Frances O’Rourke
- 7: Cecilia Mary Hazell, Ronald Fleury, Victor James Long, Benjamin Westrap, David Westrap.
- 8: Con Cregan, James Cyril Upton, Canon Eamonn Mundy, John Joseph Mullen, Maria Martin, Sister Mary Vincent, Sarah Rayfield, Carmela Puglisi
- 9: John Vincent Joyce, John Joseph Mulholland, Louise Horry, Rose Taylor, Elizabeth Anne Rimmer, Marina Brenda Canton, Patrick Neeson, Baby Angel Jaques, Joseph Edward George Grant, Philip Anthony Murphy, Helen Ervin, Florence Wardle
May they rest in peace
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Sick/housebound Please contact the parish office and let us know of neighbours/family members who are unable to come to Church and would like to receive Communion or call 07405803862. We remember in our prayers those who are sick, housebound or in hospital & those who care for them. Please, when on admission in the hospital or care home, volunteer the information of your faith as you won’t be asked ordinarily.
Easter Offerings Envelopes are available for your Easter offering for our Priests at St John’s. We are ever so grateful.
Palm Sunday Today is Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week. Palms will be blessed and distributed at all masses.
Wednesday There is no midday Mass or Exposition on Wednesday as the Chrism Mass will take place at St George’s Cathedral at 11.30am. Mass at St John’s will be at 6.30pm.
Good Friday We welcome Bishop Paul Hendricks who will be joining us at 3pm for the Passion of the Lord.
Last weeks collections First collection: £1134.01, Church Maintenance £ 45.56. Thank you for your continued support and generosity.
Ladies group St John’s propose to start a group that meet at our parish. Please collect an information sheet at the back of the Church and consider supporting this new group.
Walk – Churches together This Good Friday there is a ‘Walk of Witness’ run by the Churches Together. They will start at St George’s Church at 10.30am and finish at Windmill Hill at 12pm. Information cards are at the back of the Church.
Precious Blood Following discussion at the Bishops’ Conference, and bearing in mind current guidance, it will be permissible to offer once again Holy Communion under both kinds (that is also from the chalice, receiving the Precious Blood.) from Maundy Thursday (6 April 2023) onwards. This practice remains optional. No one is obliged to receive Holy Communion from the shared chalice since Jesus Christ is received sacramentally, whole, and entire, under one kind.
Baptisms Application forms for Baptism are available from the back of the Church or the parish office. Families need to attend a talk before the baptism. Please phone or email the office if you wish to attend (Next session is 17th April).
Altar servers Rally at The Friars, Aylesford on May Day bank holiday 1st May. Mass will be celebrated at 11.30am. Everyone is welcome to attend especially our servers, families and friends. Altar servers are encouraged to attend with family and friends.
RCIA We welcome anyone who is searching or wants to review their faith or may be interested in joining the Catholic community, or wishes to be Confirmed. Please come to the Presbytery on Wednesdays at 7.30pm.
Nursery 2023 Would you like your child to start at St. John’s Catholic Primary School Nursery in September 2023? If your child will be 3 years of age on or before 31st August 2023 then now is the time to summit your application. We take children into our nursery after they have reached their third birthday, subject to places being available. In order to register your child for a place, you will need to complete a nursery application form, which is available to collect from our school office and is available to download from our school website https://www.stjohnsprimary.kent.sch.uk/Information/Admissions/ and once completed, have it countersigned by your Parish Priest. We will also need to see your children’s original full Birth Certificate and evidence of their Christian Baptism. Completed documents can be brought into the school office or emailed as a PDF document to admissions@st-johns-gravesend.kcsp.org.uk All applications received before the end of April 2023, will be considered for our next intake, which will be in September 2023.
Round Britain Sailing Pilgrimage – Celebrating STELLA MARIS’ 100+ years of service to Seafarers & Fishers. Please come and join skipper Russ Fairman & Crew in the Mass, celebrated by Fr Moses, with Deacon John Fogarty from Stella Maris, at St John’s church in Gravesend at 6pm on Saturday 6th May and at 08.30 on Sunday 7th May. Hospitality will be provided in the hall afterwards, hosted by Dcn John Fogarty, Stella Maris Port Chaplain, followed by a stroll down to see the boat off from the Pier if you would like to. This voyage of 2,200 miles over 10 weeks will stop in over 50 ports and holy sites around the UK, with as many crew changes, eventually returning to Portsmouth for a closing celebration at the Cathedral on Sunday 9th July. Parishioners are welcome to take part in the sailing, or any of the shoreside Gatherings – for more details, go to https://sailingpilgrimages.co.uk/stella-maris/ To apply for a sailing slot, please email sailing.pilgrimages@gmail.com To join a Gathering, please email info@stellamarismail.org
Sleep-Out Last Thursday 30th March, St John’s Catholic Comprehensive School’s Sixth Form will be giving up the warmth and comfort of their beds for the harsh elements, sleeping outside, to raise funds for the House of Mercy. Should you wish to donate to support of The House Of Mercy Sleep-out, please use this link to the Just Giving page. www.justgiving.com/page/stjohnshomelesssleepout-1678721497021
Come and Rest is a contemplative group that meets around the Word of God on Wednesdays 8-9pm. Click here for the zoom link.
Divine Mercy Chaplet The Divine Mercy Chaplet will be online at 3pm Monday – Friday. Please click here for how to join the online meetings as well as the prayers if you wish to say the Chaplet privately.
Dona Card Machine We now have a self-service card donation point. It accepts contactless and chip and pin donations for those parishioners who may find this more useful than cash. We will try and have someone with the machine at all masses to help with any enquires about making donations this way.