A Parish of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH
Holy Mass
Weekdays Tuesday - Friday 09.30
Saturday Vigil Mass 18.00, Sunday 09.00 & 11.00
Reconciliation available Saturday 17.00-17.30
Please check our weekly newsletter for any changes to the schedule
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . A time of being all over the place for Fr D this week and two requiem Masses to celebrate as well . . . . . At our 11.00 Sunday morning Mass last weekend Fr D celebrated the ‘Rite of Welcome’ for a toddler who will be baptised in June. The ‘Rite of Welcome’ is the front part of the baptism ceremony that used to be celebrated at the church door when parents brought their child for baptism. The Rite enables the community in which the child will be baptised to acknowledge that they are preparing to join the community. On Bank Holiday Monday Fr D had lunch with two former parishioners from Reigate his (first parish as a Parish Priest), one of whom used to be his cleaner. Lunch took place at a local hostelry and many, many old times were called to mind. Tuesday morning Fr D celebrated the first of two requiems this week and following this he went to the Tilt Cemetery to celebrate the burial. By the time that he returned home afterwards he thought that he was melting and quickly changed out of ‘the black’ and into shorts and a t-shirt. It still took copious amounts of drinking cold water from the fridge before he felt anything approaching human again. Wednesday morning saw another blistering day weather-wise and another requiem for Fr D to celebrate. This time after the service Fr D went off to Randalls Park Crematoria with the family afterwards. Once again he was overheating by the time he returned and the shorts and another t-shirt appeared, along with several bottles of water from the fridge. On Thursday Fr D did not have a Mass to celebrate in the Sacred Heart owing to the annual Jubilarians celebration down at Arundel Cathedral. This was an opportunity for all the clergy of the diocese to celebrate with this year’s Jubilarians 60, 50, 40, and 25 years of ministry as a priest in the diocese. After the Mass there was a photocall for the Jubilarians in the Cathedral precincts before a nice lunch in the Cathedral Hall, just along the road. Because there was a reasonable breeze on the day Fr D took his time driving home what he called “the scenic route” - involving no motorway driving at all. After Morning Prayer and Mass on Friday, Fr D had just a few bits to do for the newsletter this week before handing it over to Sarah in the Parish Office. In the evening he went out for a meal with two parishioners . . . .
There is a global debt crisis causing immense suffering for our brothers and sisters in low-income countries. Money that should be spent on healthcare and education is flowing out from countries that can least afford it. Complex factors have caused this crisis and now governments have an impossible choice between serving their people or paying their creditors. Often, they have paid their original debt back, but spiralling interest means they will never break the cycle. There are practical solutions are available. Please sign the petition at: www.cafod.org.uk/cancelthedebt
Grateful thanks to all those throughout the Deanery who helped to arrange and facilitate our shared time of Eucharistic Adoration. To prayer leaders, musicians, those who signed up, those who 'popped' in, and the clergy our appreciation. The fruits of this time we leave with the Lord and who knows maybe it is something we can do again.... Fr Simon Hall
If you ask a group of people how the apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit, some will say through tongues of fire while others will say that Jesus breathed on them. We get the first image from today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. The second image comes from John’s Gospel. How the apostles historically received the gift of the Spirit is less important than what resulted when the Spirit filled them. In both stories, the apostles changed from a group in hiding, fearful for their lives, to bold and confident proclaimers of God’s great works through Jesus. In the Gospel reading today, Jesus breathed on the apostles just as God breathed life into the first human. Like the readings from John’s Gospel that we’ve heard the last few weeks, Jesus is showing his friends that he is one and the same as God. Just as the first human came alive with God’s breath, so the apostles come alive in a new way when they receive the Holy Spirit. Before the coming of the Spirit, they were a fearful, closed group, hiding out, paralyzed to continue Jesus’ ministry of healing and teaching. Once Jesus came to them and offered them his peace and the gift of the Holy Spirit, they immediately transformed. Rejoicing replaced fear, and the willingness to move outward to minister to others replaced their desire for safety. After Jesus breathed on the disciples, he tells them, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” This verse is often interpreted as the origin of priests’ authority to forgive sins, but it applies to all of us. Jesus is pointing out the power we all have in choosing how we respond to hurt. When we forgive others, we not only free them from our anger and resentment, we free ourselves from carrying those emotions. On the other hand, if we retain someone’s sins by refusing to forgive them, we are holding ourselves bound by anger, resentment, blame, and hurt. We are just as much the prisoner in the relationship. Our refusal to forgive affects not only the offending person, but us, as well. Questions of the week • When have you had the privileged experience of watching someone else move from fear to courage? How did God/the Holy Spirit play a role in that? • When have you experienced freedom by being forgiven by someone? When have you been able to free someone else by offering forgiveness?
Welcome to the Parish of the Sacred Heart
The Parish of the Sacred Heart is an active Roman Catholic community within the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton for those living in the environs of Cobham, Stoke D’Abernon and Oxshott. Comprised of people from all walks of life, from different age groups and diverse cultures the Parish is an active community offering spiritual and pastoral support in the Catholic tradition. If you are thinking about coming to live in the area or are already in residence you are very welcome to join our community you can be assured of a welcome, being offered a wide range of spiritual and educational support. We also run a thriving Sunday school providing Religious Education for children from four to fourteen years of age and provides preparation for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation.
Live Stream Status - Normal Please check newsletter for Mass Times
Quote of the week
"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives
fully is
prepared to die at any time - Author unknown
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Our very latest news updates and information about Parish activities.
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . A time of being all over the place for Fr D this week and two requiem Masses to celebrate as well . . . . . At our 11.00 Sunday morning Mass last weekend Fr D celebrated the ‘Rite of Welcome’ for a toddler who will be baptised in June. The ‘Rite of Welcome’ is the front part of the baptism ceremony that used to be celebrated at the church door when parents brought their child for baptism. The Rite enables the community in which the child will be baptised to acknowledge that they are preparing to join the community. On Bank Holiday Monday Fr D had lunch with two former parishioners from Reigate his (first parish as a Parish Priest), one of whom used to be his cleaner. Lunch took place at a local hostelry and many, many old times were called to mind. Tuesday morning Fr D celebrated the first of two requiems this week and following this he went to the Tilt Cemetery to celebrate the burial. By the time that he returned home afterwards he thought that he was melting and quickly changed out of ‘the black’ and into shorts and a t-shirt. It still took copious amounts of drinking cold water from the fridge before he felt anything approaching human again. Wednesday morning saw another blistering day weather-wise and another requiem for Fr D to celebrate. This time after the service Fr D went off to Randalls Park Crematoria with the family afterwards. Once again he was overheating by the time he returned and the shorts and another t-shirt appeared, along with several bottles of water from the fridge. On Thursday Fr D did not have a Mass to celebrate in the Sacred Heart owing to the annual Jubilarians celebration down at Arundel Cathedral. This was an opportunity for all the clergy of the diocese to celebrate with this year’s Jubilarians 60, 50, 40, and 25 years of ministry as a priest in the diocese. After the Mass there was a photocall for the Jubilarians in the Cathedral precincts before a nice lunch in the Cathedral Hall, just along the road. Because there was a reasonable breeze on the day Fr D took his time driving home what he called “the scenic route” - involving no motorway driving at all. After Morning Prayer and Mass on Friday, Fr D had just a few bits to do for the newsletter this week before handing it over to Sarah in the Parish Office. In the evening he went out for a meal with two parishioners . . . .
There is a global debt crisis causing immense suffering for our brothers and sisters in low-income countries. Money that should be spent on healthcare and education is flowing out from countries that can least afford it. Complex factors have caused this crisis and now governments have an impossible choice between serving their people or paying their creditors. Often, they have paid their original debt back, but spiralling interest means they will never break the cycle. There are practical solutions are available. Please sign the petition at: www.cafod.org.uk/cancelthedebt
A usual the Diocese asks all Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist to renew their commitment to their important ministry on the feast of Corpus Christi. At present we only receive the chalice at the 09.00 and 11.00 Masses on Sunday so the renewal will take place at these two Masses on Sunday 7th June (Corpus Christi). Ministers will be asked to come and stand at the front of the sanctuary by Fr Daryl when they are required, renew their commitment and then return to their places in the congregation (except for those who are ministering at the Mass that day). Immediately after Mass those who have renewed their commitment are asked to go to the sacristy and sign next to their name.
OUR PARISH SUPPORTS THE COBHAM AREA FOODBANK Please can you help local people in crisis by purchasing items on the list below and placing them in the Foodbank’s collection point in the narthex when to come to Mass at the weekend?
Parish Priest Notices
Important items highlighted by Fr. Daryl. These will contain news elements & important requests
For administration purposes, it is necessary to cleanse the Euro Car Park database of Registered Parishioner Cars. The last time this was done was in 2021. In the next few weeks, the system will have an ‘auto-purge’ so that all vehicles that are currently registered but have not used in the car park for the last six months will be purged from the system (ceasing to be ignored by the cameras). If you are a Registered Parishioner and have a car that you wish to remain on the system, that you have not used in the last six months – please contact the Parish Office ( cobham@abdiocese.org.uk ) to have the vehicle re-registered. Thank you
11.00 SUNDAY MASS COFFEE Rota Currently we are looking for parishioners (especially those who use the 11.00 coffee session) to consider becoming new members of the Coffee Rota (like any rota, the greater the number of volunteers the less often the same names crop up). This role is ideal for younger families to take part in as well as others (married or single).
Grateful thanks to all those throughout the Deanery who helped to arrange and facilitate our shared time of Eucharistic Adoration. To prayer leaders, musicians, those who signed up, those who 'popped' in, and the clergy our appreciation. The fruits of this time we leave with the Lord and who knows maybe it is something we can do again.... Fr Simon Hall
If you ask a group of people how the apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit, some will say through tongues of fire while others will say that Jesus breathed on them. We get the first image from today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. The second image comes from John’s Gospel. How the apostles historically received the gift of the Spirit is less important than what resulted when the Spirit filled them. In both stories, the apostles changed from a group in hiding, fearful for their lives, to bold and confident proclaimers of God’s great works through Jesus. In the Gospel reading today, Jesus breathed on the apostles just as God breathed life into the first human. Like the readings from John’s Gospel that we’ve heard the last few weeks, Jesus is showing his friends that he is one and the same as God. Just as the first human came alive with God’s breath, so the apostles come alive in a new way when they receive the Holy Spirit. Before the coming of the Spirit, they were a fearful, closed group, hiding out, paralyzed to continue Jesus’ ministry of healing and teaching. Once Jesus came to them and offered them his peace and the gift of the Holy Spirit, they immediately transformed. Rejoicing replaced fear, and the willingness to move outward to minister to others replaced their desire for safety. After Jesus breathed on the disciples, he tells them, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” This verse is often interpreted as the origin of priests’ authority to forgive sins, but it applies to all of us. Jesus is pointing out the power we all have in choosing how we respond to hurt. When we forgive others, we not only free them from our anger and resentment, we free ourselves from carrying those emotions. On the other hand, if we retain someone’s sins by refusing to forgive them, we are holding ourselves bound by anger, resentment, blame, and hurt. We are just as much the prisoner in the relationship. Our refusal to forgive affects not only the offending person, but us, as well. Questions of the week • When have you had the privileged experience of watching someone else move from fear to courage? How did God/the Holy Spirit play a role in that? • When have you experienced freedom by being forgiven by someone? When have you been able to free someone else by offering forgiveness?
Our month of prayer for priestly vocations continues this weekend, with people across our diocesan community of faith asked to pray for a spirit of sacrifice, so that greater numbers of men might respond generously to God’s call to celebrate the sacrifice of the Mass. As members of the Church, we each have a vocation to build up God’s Kingdom. This call requires us to listen closely to God in prayer, and watch for the signs of His action in our lives. God calls each person in a slightly different way; speaking through a personal relationship with Him, through the circumstances of your life and the people of God, and through the Church’s hierarchy. Copies of the ‘Month of Prayer for Vocations’ leaflet can be found in the church narthex
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OUR DIAMOND JUBILEE - VIEW THE GALLERY
PRAY FOR OUR BISHOP RICHARD MOTH
As a Parish we encourage our community to pray for our shepherd, Bishop Richard as he leads our Diocese.
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28th May, 12.00, Arundel Cathedral. Join the priests of our Diocese who are celebrating 25, 40, 50 and 60 years of priestly ordination, to give thanks for their years of service at this special Mass in Arundel Cathedral. All are welcome. [ PLEASE NOTE : due to the jubilarians Mass there will be no Mass in the Parish on Thursday 28th May.]
As we prepare for coming of Pentecost this year the Epsom Deanery will be holding an extended time of prayer for 24 hours. The event will take place in St Joseph's Church, Epsom, KT18 7JQ commencing with 10.00 Mass on Friday 22nd May and concluding with Mass at 10.00 Saturday 23rd May . This is a graced moment for us all to gather in prayer around the Lord in the Eucharist - to pray, to adore, to be silent, and to hold the brokenness of our world before the healing presence of Christ. The event will be divided into 1 hour slots to which parishioners from all across the Deanery are invited to commit to coming to the church and spending 1 hour in prayer. We need at least two people to commit to each hour (so that is a minimum of 48 people across the Deanery). If you are unable to offer an hour you can come at any time for as long or short a time as you can manage during the 24 hour period - and of course more than two people can sign up for any particular hour. Those who are sick or housebound and unable to attend are invited to send their prayer intentions (in writing and in good time) via their local Parish Office and these will be placed before the Blessed Sacrament. There will also be opportunities to pray the Rosary, celebrate Reconciliation, and join in communal prayer at specific times (more information to follow). Sign-Up Sheets will be available in all the Epsom Deanery Churches from next weekend (25 th & 26 th April). For those who would like to attend but do not have transport, it is hoped to coordinate lift-sharing through the Parish Offices of the church where you are registered. Once we have a clearer picture of who may require assistance and who is able to offer a lift, we can try to make the necessary arrangements. As St Theresa of Avila said in the 16th Century, 'the world is on fire' - how much more so today. May the Lord bless all our efforts and desires to bring His Peace into the world. Fr Simon Hall, Epsom, on behalf of the Deanery
Bishop Richard - A talk on Mary leading us to Her Son
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Vocations
Are you feeling increasingly compelled to spend time with Jesus? Do you find that your time is spent seeking him and all things connected with him?
