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Fundraising at Good Shepherd


This is the Justgiving site where you can contirbute to our parish finances.

You can use the code reader scan or the link below to make a contribution.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Good-Shepherd-Church-Downham


All churches are suffering financial hardship since the pandemic and now further exacerbated by our current economic climate.

You may not be a regular attender at Good Shepherd but have family links or fond memories of the church of your youth. Your parish is dependent on your generosity to continue serving our community.

Thank you for your support.

Latest News

Laetare Sunday.

Today we celebrate Laetare Sunday which falls 21 days before Easter Sunday. It is considered a day of relaxation from the rigours of Lent knowing that the Great Day of celebration is close at hand. The name derives from the opening words of the Entrance Antiphon, ‘Rejoice, O Jerusalem’. Traditionally, servants were allowed to return to the church of their baptism and give praise to God and they would bring flowers for the altars which were allowed in church for that day. They would then continue and visit mother at the family home bearing gifts from the larders of the houses where they worked. This might take the form of the simnel cake associated with Lent/Easter which contained fruits not used during the fasting season of Lent.

Next Saturday 

Mass for the Bereaved.

5th April at 10.30 am.

All are welcome to attend our Mass, where we give ourselves some space and time to remember our loved ones who are now with God.

It may be a parent whom we've been thinking about, who is a long-time departed,

or a child lost in miscarriage, or some other form of accident or illness.

It may be a spouse or a close friend whom we are still coming to terms with the loss.


With votive lights and music, we create a safe atmosphere where we can engage with our emotions and our pain.


Refreshments and a chat to follow at the back of the church.

Parish Activities during Lent.


Thursdays: Morning Prayer of the Church at 9.40 am


Thursdays: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass.


Fridays: Exposition and Benediction after Mass.


Fridays: Stations of the Cross at 7.30pm


Saturdays in Lent.



Saturday, 5th April: Mass for the Bereaved at 10.30 am.


Please click the link to register the young person attending the retreat:


https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=9JKa3g4HSkOYwRaMdLJsHhfpOE51Om9HlyINRP3WkBpUOE5VT01NSUg5M0pTMkdNMDNPT1JXTlhGWS4u

Inauguration of Holy Year Jubilee 2025

Seee link for latest.


Carlo Acutisto will be Canonized as First Millennial Saint in 2025


Pope Francis has announced that Blessed Carlo Acutis will be canonized as a saint during the Jubilee of Teenagers at the Vatican.

The canonization ceremony will take place on

Sunday,27 April 2025, at 10:30 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square.


See link for detaila


Jubilee Celebration at Aylesford Priory.

on Saturday 7th June 2025

From 10 am to 5 pm.

See link for further details.

Mass in Celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage, July 12th, at St George’s Cathedral.


If you are celebrating your 1st/10th/25th/40th/50th/60th + wedding anniversary this year,


please let us know as soon as possible, and no later than the middle of May,

providing the following details: your names in the format John and Mary Smith, your home address, your parish,

and the anniversary you are celebrating,

so you can receive an invitation from the Archbishop for the renewal of vows during Mass.

Spaces are limited.

Contact us at mflse@rcaos.org.uk As the title of your email, please write your parish location e.g. Clapham, Beckenham.


Marriage and Family Life South East

RC Archdiocese of Southwark

I am writing to you to ask you to urgently contact your MP regarding an important new development.

At half past midnight yesterday, the Committee of MPs responsible for scrutinising Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill completed its final session.

The Bill’s sponsor, Kim Leadbeater, promised meaningful scrutiny at Committee Stage and claimed her Bill would have the “strictest safeguards anywhere in the world”.

Unfortunately, proceedings at Committee Stage have shown these promises to be hollow.

Well over 300 amendments that sought to strengthen safeguards in the Bill and that would have protected vulnerable groups were rejected by Kim Leadbeater and other Bill supporters.

This included rejecting amendments that would have:

  • Explicitly protected people with Down’s syndrome, autism and learning difficulties under the Bill.
  • Prevented doctors from raising the topic of assisted suicide with patients unprompted, including children under the age of 18.
  • Prohibited assisted suicide in cases where a person has been encouraged or manipulated into a request or where a request has been made under “undue influence”, putting the victims of domestic abuse at risk.

These are just some examples of the over 300 amendments that Leadbeater and other Bill supporters rejected.

This decision to reject these amendments, which would have strengthened safeguards in the Bill and protected vulnerable groups, was an intentional choice.

This reveals a deliberate preference for a loose Bill, allowing for future expansion - something I am sure you are aware has happened with similar laws overseas.

As you may have seen,The Times has gone to print this morning with a very strong editorial that highlights the serious problems with the Bill. It calls on MPs to “kill this bill”.

TAKE ACTION

MPS must be aware of these serious problems with how Kim Leadbeater and her allies have conducted the Committee Stage of the Bill and the rejection of over 300 amendments.

It’s also really important that they know that you, as a constituent, are very concerned about this and that they must vote against the Bill at Third Reading.

We have launched an easy-to-use tool that makes it simple to email your local MP on this new important development.

Even if you have already emailed your MP asking them to oppose this Bill, it’s really important that you email them again with this new information, which we need to get in front of MPs now.

Please take action and click the button below to contact your MP now. It only takes 30 seconds.

Act now - Click here to contact your MP

After you’ve contacted your MP, if you have a moment, please take one more important step: encourage like-minded friends and family to do the same. Simply forward this email to them so they can take action too. Every email counts!

Best wishes,

Catherine Robinson
Right To Life UK

A Year of Hope: Introduction to the Jubilee Year


How can we respond to Pope Francis’ call to be “tangible signs of hope” in this Jubilee Year?

Find out by watching this inspirational event

find it and other Jubilee resources at cafod.org.uk/jubilee).

Featuring Fr Jan Nowotnik, Director of Mission at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales,

CAFOD Director Christine Allen and more.

Discover how we can act in faith and in love as pilgrims of hope this Holy Year.

You Can Help Your Marriage –Do you feel alone?

Are you frustrated or angry with each other? Do you argue … or have you just stopped talking to each other?

Does talking about it only make it worse? Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vi with a long'i') helps couples through difficult times in their marriages.

There is no group therapy or group work.

This programme has helped 10s of 1000s of couples experiencing difficulties in their marriage. For confidential information about Retrouvaille’, or to register for the next programme commencing via Zoom on …27 February to 2 March 2025

Call or text 0788 7296983 Emailinfo@retrouvaille.org.uk www.retrouvaille.org.uk


Help Shape the Future of Our Archdiocese

The Archbishop invites you to play a vital role in shaping the future of our Archdiocese.

In today's pastoral letter, he encourages everyone to reflect on the themes in the

 Called to Bear Fruit booklet


and participate in small group discussions over the coming weeks. Here's how you can get involved:


  • Form a group: Gather 4–12 people.
  • Choose your schedule: Discuss all six themes across six sessions or combine them into fewer meetings—whatever works best for you.
  • Share your insights: Submit your group's reflections via our online form or as a typed hard copy.


The more people who take part, the richer our understanding of the needs of our archdiocese will be.

Let's work together to shape our future! Thank you for your involvement.

Parish Initiative.

Click on Link to see our parish profile from last year's survey.

This is the first step in seeing our way forward.

Responses from Parish Groups.


Bereavement Group.

Tuesday after Mass Group.

Readers and Eucharistic Ministers

Sunday 11am Choir Group.


Responses to ‘Called to Bear Fruit’, from Downham Parish.


Group1.

Priorities to be addressed

1. Attract younger members to the Parish and hopefully the Choir- Means of achieving this.

2. Look at possibility of raising parish profile through the Internet.

3. Look at possibility of restarting refreshments after 11:00 am Mass – Ideally there would need to be a rota on this rather than rest on responsibility of one individual.

4. Recruit more members for Choir

5. Look to approaching First Communion and Confirmation Candidates parents.

6. Enquire if we can host Alpha, Sycamore or Mission/healing Groups.

7. Continue to support Bereavement Group.



Group 2.


Areas of Development going forward. Possibilities to explore if volunteers are willing to support.


1. Prayer Groups; Charismatic/ Healing/Scriptural


2. Pastoral Groups: Legion of Mary, SVP, Foodbank. Attentive to the poor in our midst.


3. Communication: Language barrier as all information only in English.

Newsletter/ internet communication.

Tea/coffee after Masses




Group 3.


1. Eucharistic Ministers engaging with home visits.

2. Involve school in music ministry.

3. Engage with recent parish survey results

4. Find volunteers to engage with children/young people initiatives.

5. More parish events



A Jubilee Year

is a special time dedicated by the Catholic Church

to reconciliation, conversion, and spiritual renewal.


During this year, the faithful can receive

plenary indulgences, participate in events and spiritual activities, and deeply reconnect with their faith.


As so many will not be able to travel to Rome to celebrate the Jubilee Year,

the Pope asks local Bishops to designate appropriate churches in each diocese

to be centres of pilgrimage where the many Jubilee Indulgences may be obtained.


See link for further details.

Details of all programmes,

listed above,

in the Headline menu.

First Holy Communion Programme.

Sunday Liturgy for Children

Sacrament of Confirmation

Discovering the Catholic Faith

Infant Baptism.

Latest Youth Network Newsletter

click on the link.


Saturday Retreats (13 - 17 years).

Youth Days (10 - 14 years).

Vocations to Priesthood, Diaconate and Religious Life.

See link for further details.

for children aged 3 years and above. 

contact the school on 020 8698 4173 or

www.goodshepherd.lewisham.sch.uk. 


Appeal for School Governors.


Governors have an important role to play in ensuring sure schools are run effectively.

They work as part of a team with the Headteacher and other staff

to provide a happy, safe, and thriving learning environment as well as an excellent education for all the children.

See link for details.

  Is your marriage under stress?!!

Retrouvaille :  A Lifeline for Married Couples.

See link for details


Do you wish to build a stronger marriage?

Worldwide Marriage Encounter.

See link for details


Building a Better Marriage in the Jubilee Year.

See link for events organised in the diocese.



For families and young adults:


The latest CELEBRATE resource which is ourLent Online Family Activity pack designed to support family faith life.

It is packed full of engaging activities, ways to pray, books to savour and films that both entertain and promote conversation in faith.

Parishes, schools and families can download their free Lent family activity pack here.

CELEBRATE also has a couple of events coming up:


See link for details.

Latest News

from

Archdiocese of Southwark.

See link.

Some Reflections in Light of the Synod on Synodality.

Summary by Archbishop John Wilson.

See link for details

Racial Justice and Social Inclusion


See Link for latest Newsletter.


Newsletter of the Commission for Promoting Racial Justice and Cultural Inclusion


December  2024.  Issue 12.


Jubilee Year 2025

Latest news on Jubilee Year 2025.

See link

Agency for Evangelisation and Catechesis

See link for latest newsletter.

Caritas in Southwark


Archbishop John Wilson challenges his diocese to respond.


Pope Francis reminds us,

 ‘Each individual Christian and every community,’

he says ‘is called to be

an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor,

and for enabling them to be fully a part of society.
This demands,’ says Pope Francis ‘that we be docile and attentive to the cry of the poor

and to come to their aid.’

(EG 187)

Latest  Bulletin   June 2024

See link.

See link for details.

Cafod Family Fast Day (Spring).

Total sent £500.

See link for details.

CSAN (Catholic Social Action Network).   

Do Justice Campaign.

The aim of the campaign is to encourage Catholic parishes and schools to discern the needs of their local communities in the light of the Gospel and to act with the skills and resources they have at their disposal to bring about a more just society.


See link for details

Called to be Peacemakers

A new document of the International Affairs department of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

A Catholic approach to arms control and disarmament.

See link for details.

Lewisham Council.


Lewisham Foodbank

Worrying about money

Better off Lewisham

click link for details.

Organisations supporting

Respect for Life and all of God's Creation.


December update on Assisted Suicide Bill and undecided MP's.

See link for details.

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Child

See link.

 

Life is a UK pregnancy support charity.

See link for details.

Pax Christi


Annual Report.

&

Latest Report.

See link.


Lenten  Edition

With the ESV translation of the scripture.

Price £1.


now available from the back of the church.

This is a useful little book (A5) which contains the daily Mass Readings.

Link yourself with the Universal Church in taking a few minutes,

on your way to work or during a break,

to unite with God's Word,

as it is received throughout the world on each day.


Available from the back of the church. Price £1.

Forthcoming Funerals 



A Day with Mary.

Saturdays during the year at varied vemues.

Press link for full list of engagements.

Catholic Papers and Magazines.

Click link for further details.

Escorted Pilgrimage to Knock & Co Mayo.

&

MEDJUGORJE IRISH CENTRE PILGRIMAGES.


See link.