St Joseph's Catholic Church, Wealdstone and Harrow Weald

We welcome the Salvatorian Superior General Father Milton Zonta and Father Stijn Van Baelen our General Mission Secretary who are making the General Visitation of the British Province of our Society. They will celebrate the 11.00 & 12.30 masses on Sunday 11th May and be available after masses to talk to parishioners.

Bishop Arnold will be with us this week to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation on three separate occasions (12th, 14th & 15th May). We congratulate our 102 candidates as they receive this most important sacrament and we wish them well as they begin their lives as adult Christians in the Church. We thank Mark Davoren, our catechist, for all the good work that he has done with the candidates as they have prepared very thoroughly for this sacrament.

This weekend we are coming to an end of the Growing in Faith fundraising campaign. There will be a special appeal at all masses for those who have not yet made a pledge. We are well on our way to achieving our target and hope that this will give an excellent start to our plans to build a new parish hall, offices and house for the priests.

We express our deepest thanks to all who have already made a pledge; their contributions will make a great difference to the life of our parish in the coming years.

St Joseph’s Parish has now begun the Growing in Faith fundraising programme which is gradually being unfolded across the Diocese.

We will be hearing more about it in the coming weeks and how it will impact on every parishioner in one way or another.

Our parish project is an ambitious one, it is to rebuild the priest’s house and bring the parish offices and the construction of a new parish hall all on one site. It will require a lot of sacrifices and much hard work but it will greatly enhance our facilities and be a real asset to the parish.

Christmas Eve

Children’s Mass 16.00

First Mass of Christmas 18.00

Carols & Readings then Midnight Mass 23.15

Christmas Day

Masses at 8.15, 9.30, 11.00 & 12.30

Please note no evening mass on Christmas Day

Brother Paul Harris will be ordained to the Diaconate by Archbishop Vincent Nichols on Saturday 7th December at 12.00. All Welcome.

We regretfully inform parishioners of the death of Sister Helen Carroll OP who died in Bexhill on 30th September of a heart attack. Her funeral will be at Rosary Priory, 93 Elstree Road, Bushey, WD23 4EE at 11.00 on Wednesday 9th October. Sister Helen was parish catechist at St Joseph’s for a number of years. May she rest in peace.

The mechanism controlling the Church Bell burnt out recently. It has now been replaced and the bell will now ring for the Angelus daily at 12.00 and 18.00. It will also toll for five minutes before each of the Sunday masses.

The unclean spirit in Sunday’s Gospel gives Jesus the title “The Holy One of God.” This reminds us of the utter holiness of Christ and the call given to each one of us to emulate him in this vital area of our lives.
Many people would say that the greatest achievement of the Second Vatican Council was its insistence on the need for personal holiness by every member of the Church. This is as relevant today as ever it was; perhaps even more so since the modern world frequently distracts us from focussing on God. It is a particular challenge to our young people since the earlier we commit ourselves to holiness the more we can achieve. Continue reading →

Pope Benedict on his visit to England in 2010 took time to directly address the young people of our communities in his ‘Big Assembly’.  He eloquently summed up the distinctive mission of Catholic schools when he set us the challenge that a good Catholic school “should help all its students to become saints.” Continue reading →

Catholics: A new BBC Television series which explores what it is like to be Catholic today.
The Catholic Church in the Diocese of Westminster is set to feature in a new series of three films to be shown on BBC 4 Television in February and March 2012. Continue reading →

A few years ago it used to be fashionable at this time of the year in certain circles to say to people “Have a happy Lent!” This was not something I ever liked very much, because I think that it made the penitential season of Lent sound just like Easter which really is the proper liturgical season for rejoicing. Continue reading →

Last Tuesday afternoon I got a call from the Sun newspaper telling me that the Anglican Vicar in my former parish of Thornbury near Bristol had been stabbed to death at the door of his vicarage and asking for my comments. You can imagine I was completely taken aback by this. Continue reading →

The Governors are pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Paul Kassapian as Head Teacher of the Salvatorian College with effect from the beginning of the Autumn Term. Mr Kassapian is currently the Deputy Head Teacher of St Joan of Arc School in Rickmansworth, he succeeds Mr Andrew Graham who will be retiring at the end of the Summer Term.

Allen Hall, the Westminster Diocesan Seminary, featured in an hour long BBC4 TV programme on 23rd February 2012. It was the first in a three-part series entitled Catholics. It mainly focussed on the seminarians who were ordained to the priesthood last summer and gave a very good overview of life in the seminary.

Our own Salvatorian scholastics normally study as external students at Allen Hall for their first two years of philosophy before going on to the Jesuit-run Heythrop College for three years of theology. Currently Brother Lewis Linehan is in the first year at Allen Hall.

An article is available here.

We share the joy of Cam Sheehan and Derek Barnett both pictured above with Archbishop Vincent Nichols after the Rite of Election in Westminster Cathedral on Sunday 26th February 2012. Cam is being received into the Church and Derek will be Baptised at the Easter Vigil Ceremony at St Joseph’s.

At Masses this weekend, we receive a Letter from Archbishops Vincent Nichols and Peter Smith on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. It is a statement of our Catholic faith about marriage and issued in the light of the forthcoming consultation by the Government on changing the legal definition of marriage. Continue reading →

On Sunday 25th March at 11.00 mass Bishop John Arnold will present Tom Kinsela with the Benemerenti Medal in acknowledgement of his long and exemplary service to the parish. Currently Tom is chair of the parish council.

The Parish Council met together with other interested members of the parish to discuss the question of the organ on Wednesday 21st March. Brother Paul Harris presented a paper which gave an in-depth explanation of the problems with the existing organ and outlining the options before us. Continue reading →

Tom Kinsella receieves the Benemerenti medal from Bishop John Arnold on Sunday 25th March for his long years of service to St Joseph’s Church, Wealdstone.

Our Confirmation candidates were wonderful on Sunday. Many turned up at 8 a.m. to set up for a coffee morning – noble indeed on the day the clocks went forward and they lost a Sunday morning lie-in. They brought a staggering range of cakes and biscuits. With great good humour, they did all that was asked of them, and more, preparing tables, sorting goods, making and serving drinks, washing crockery and generally making sure all who attended enjoyed their hospitality. Continue reading →

The painting above by Fra Angelico is entitled ‘Noli Me Tangere’ which means ‘Do not touch me.’ These are the words the Risen Christ spoke to Mary Magdalene when, after at first mistaking him for a gardener, she suddenly recognised him. Continue reading →

Once there were two monks who sat together, reading out of a very old book. The book said that at the end of the world there would be one place where heaven and earth would meet and the kingdom of God would begin. So the two monks decided to go in search of that place and not come back until they had found it. Continue reading →

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday, it is a day on which we pray for the Bishops, Priests and Deacons in the Church and on which we pray especially for more vocations. In particular it is important to pray for those discerning where God is calling them in life that he gives them the insight and courage that they need to make the right decision. Continue reading →

The Gospel this Fifth Sunday of Easter uses the symbol of the vine and the branches to describe the intimate union between Christ and the believer. Simply put, to be a Christian is to live united with God in Christ, expressed in our love for God and others. Continue reading →

“If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love,” so says Jesus in today’s Gospel. This sounds a bit odd at first glance. It is like a parent saying, “If you do what I tell you only then will I love you.” Continue reading →

We congratulate those Confirmed at St Joseph’s this year.

15th May 2012

16th May 2012

We need to increase the numbers of Readers, Eucharistic Ministers and those who bring up the offertory gifts as the responsibility for these roles is falling on only a few parishioners. The aim is to ensure as wide a representation as possible and to have a rota that can be spread over a number of weeks.
These are important ministries and sharing in them will help to enrich your faith. If you would like to serve in one of these capacities please sign the lists on the Church
noticeboard. We will draw up rotas for implementation in September.
Please note when serving as a Reader or Eucharistic Minister it is not necessary to be part of the entrance procession. Training for these ministries will be arranged in
September.

There will be a concert given by Harrow Apollo Male Voice Choir featuring Philomena Brothers in aid of our Church Organ Fund, here at St Joseph’s on Sunday 30th September at 15.00. Tickets £10 (including light refreshments). See notice board for details.

A Series of Talks

13th November         God the Father        by Father Alex McAllister
20th November        Jesus Christ              by Father Francis Waters
27th November         Holy Spirit                by Bob Livingstone
4th December            The Church              by Brother Paul Harris
11th December          The Last Things       by Father Auson Kamugisha

19.00 in the Hut (191 High Road, Harrow Weald)

ARCHBISHOP’S HOUSE
WESTMINSTER, LONDON SW1P 1QJ

30 December 2012
Feast of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

My brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ

Today’s Feast is a moment in which to rejoice again in the vitality and importance of the family. Indeed this is a time in which to speak up for marriage, between a husband and wife, as the heart of the family. Continue reading →

The class notes can be accessed here:

First Session

Second Session

Third Session

Fourth Session

Fifth Session

Seventh Session

Eighth Session

Reconciliation & Annointing of the Sick

Eucharist

Marriage

Ordination

This weekend Bishop John Arnold will be making his visitation of St Joseph’s. He will preach at the masses and will be available afterwards for anyone to talk to. The Bishop will also be meeting in the Hut the Finance Commission at 14.00 and the Parish Council at 14.30.

We congratulate Pope Francis on the day of his installation as our Holy Father and we pray that he may have a most fruitful ministry in the Chair of Peter.

We are currently conducting a census of the parish so that we have up to date records in the Parish Office. Please take a form and when completed drop it into the Parish Office or give it to one of the clergy. Even if you have filled in a similar form in the past it is important that you complete this one so that the details we hold on you are up to date.

We congratulate Brother Paul Harris who will be making his perpetual profession of vows at 10.00 Mass on Saturday 7th September.

The profession of religious vows is not so frequent as it once was and these days it takes a lot of courage to commit oneself to God for life in a religious order. So it is very heartening for us to welcome Brother Paul definitively into the Society of the Divine Saviour. He makes his vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and by doing so commits himself for life as a witness to the values of the Kingdom of God.

Brother Paul continues his studies for the priesthood at St Mary’s College, Oscott, Birmingham and he will be ordained as a deacon at Christmas time and hopefully to the priesthood next summer.

He has already made a great contribution to the life of St Joseph’s Parish especially through his skills as an organist. We have valued his expertise and his ability to improve the liturgical life of the parish.

Please keep Brother Paul in your prayers as he continues his journey to the priesthood.