St Peter's Residence - Vauxhall
Archbishop Peter visted
and celebrated Mass at St Peter's Residence,
run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, in Vauxhall on the eve of the
feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul

The celebration
continued after in the grounds
Day for Catechists
The annual diocesan Day
for Catechists was held at St George’s
Cathedral and the Amigo Hall on Saturday 27th June, attended by over
200 catechists from throughout the diocese.
The initial talk on
‘Jesus Christ as Catechist’
was given by Sr
Hyacinthe Dufos Du Rau, OP.
There
were several workshops in the afternoon, ranging from using the Anchor
and Transformed in Christ programmes to The Significance of Baptism and
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
The day ended with Mass,
at which the Archbishop sent out the
catechists to catechize on his behalf.
Next year the Day for
Catechists will be held on
Saturday 24th September
to co-incide with the Jubilee Year Day for Catechists.
More information will be available on the website of the diocesan
Centre for Catholic Formation:
www.ccftootingbec.org.uk
The Missionaries of St Paul of Nigeria
Jubilarian Mass - Brixton
The Missionaries of St
Paul held as special Mass to celebrate three of the MSP priests in
the UK who were marking significant anniversries of ordination. It took
place on the
eve of the feast of St Peter and St Paul in Our Lady of the Rosary,
Brixton on 27th June 2015. Archbishop Peter was
delighted to be able to join them, and presdie at the Mass.
The mission of the
society to Europe started in the United Kingdom in
2000 when Fr. Addison Okpeh joined the Archdiocese of Southwark and was
appointed to the Cathedral parish as an assistant priest.
In 2002 Father Eustace Durugbo and Father Casmir Dike arrived to join
Father Addison in Southwark.
Over the years other
members of the congregation have come to work in
the Archdiocese of Southwark and to date the Missionaries of St Paul of
Nigeria are serving in six parishes: Brixton, which is their Provincial
House in the United Kingdom, Beckenham Hill and Bellingham, Deptford,
Norbiton, Gravesend, Stockwell, and Nunhead where Father Addison Okpeh
now works as the Parish Priest.
The current Provincial,
Father Eustace Durugbo MSP is serving as Parish
Priest in Our Lady of the Rosary, Brixton.
In addition a number of MSP priests have also worked as assistant
priests in a number of our parishes and as chaplains to Schools and
Hospitals.
60th Anniversary of the Opening of
Our Lady of the Rosary School - Blackfen
A Mass to mark the 60th
Anniversary of the opening of Our Lady of the
Rosary School in Blackfen was celebrated in the school by Archbishop
Peter on 23rd June 2015
The celebration
continued with Afternoon Tea for invited guests and an
exhibition of the school’s history
Confirmation in the Deanery of Thanet
Archbishop Peter Smith
confered the Sacrament of Confirmation on the
young people of the Deanery of Thanet on 21st June 2015
The parishes of
Birchington, Broadstairs, Cliftonville, Margate,
Ramsgate and Minster, Westgate join together for this celebration
6 Diocesan Medals awarded in Meopham
On
Sunday 28th June at St Paul's Church, Meopham, Father Paul Mason, the
Episcopal Vicar for Kent presented six people with the Diocesan Medal,
Fideliter Servienti, in celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the
opening of the Church.
Everyone present was given a commemorative candle.
†
Please pray for the repose of the soul of
Reverend Canon John
Naughton
who died on 18th June 2015
A Requiem Mass will take place on 6th July at 7pm
at The Parish of Christ the King, The
Crescent, Wimbledon Park, SW19
His Funeral Mass will be held on
Tuesday 7th July 2015 at 12noon
at
The Parish of Christ the King
The Crescent, Wimbledon Park, SW19
NB due to extremely limited parking in the area,
it is advisable to take public transport
The burial will take place in Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon,
Ireland.
Futher details of the Mass and burial will be published shortly.
May he rest in
peace
|

On Saturday, 20th June
2015, Archbishop Peter presided at the Annual Mass in Celebration of
Marriage at Saint George's Cathedral.
This Mass is celebrated
each year in the Metropolitan Cathedral Church of St George for couples
celebrating their 1st, 10th, 25th, 40th and 50th + year of marriage.
All the faithful are welcome to attend but anniversarians who apply
before the event receive a personal invitation from the Archbishop.
Largest parish contingent:
Balham with 12 couples
Other large parish groups: Beckenham, Forest Hill and Tunbridge Wells
with 9 couples each
Longest married: Mr and Mrs Lang from Sidcup, 65 years married
Also
Mr and Mrs Inkster from New Malden
Mr and Mrs Martin from Sidcup
Mr and Mrs Monteiro from Worcester Park, all at 64 yrs.
The parents of Father Liam Gallagher, parish priest of Streatham,
from Strood are celebrating their 60th anniversary
Father Liam also brought the altar servers from his parish.
This year there were bookings from 318 jubilarian couples,
i.e. 636 individuals, with 419 family members, giving a grand total of
1055
Golden Jubilee - St John Fisher School - Chatham
On the 19th June 2015
Archbishop Peter Smith joined the community of
the St. John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School in Chatham
to celebrate their Feast Day in their Golden Jubliee year
Headteacher, Mrs
Catherine Burnett, said
'St
John Fisher staff and students were privileged to welcome Archbishop
Peter Smith to celebrate our 50th anniversary feast day with us.
The
day was one of celebration for a community who strives to embody the
vision of our patron saint in finding the extraordinary in every
individual.'

Encyclical Letter: Laudato si' on
Care for our Common Home
Laudato si' - On the Care for our Common Home is the Pope's Encyclical
Letter on the environment and human ecology.
From the CBCEW
website
Pope Francis challenges us to consider the kind of world
we want to
leave to those who come after us. It's not just an 'environment
encyclical', it leads us to ask ourselves about the meaning of
existence and the values at the heart of social life: "What is the
purpose of our life in this world? What is the goal of our work and all
our efforts? What need does the earth have of us?"
Pope Francis, quoting Pope Saint John Paul II, reminds us that, as
Christians, we are called to be responsible custodians of creation:
"Christians in their turn ‘realise that their responsibility within
creation, and their duty towards nature and the Creator, are an
essential part of their faith’".
The Encyclical is divided into six chapters.
It starts by presenting the current situation based on the best
scientific findings available today (Chapter one), followed by a review
of the Bible and Judeo-Christian tradition (Chapter 2).
The root of the problems in technocracy and in an excessive
self-centeredness of human being are analysed in Chapter 3.
In Chapter 4, the Encyclical then proposes an “integral ecology, which
clearly respects its human and social dimensions”, inextricably linked
to the environmental question.
With this in mind, Pope Francis proposes to initiate an honest dialogue
at every level of social, economic and political life, that builds
transparent decision-making processes (Chapter 5).
In the final chapter, recalling that no project can be effective if it
is not animated by a formed and responsible conscience, ideas are put
forth to aid growth in this direction at the educational, spiritual,
ecclesial, political and theological levels.
The text ends with two prayers. One offered for sharing with everyone
who believes in “God who is the all powerful Creator”, and the other to
those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, punctuated by the refrain
"Praise be to you!" which opens and closes the Encyclical.
Several central themes run through the text that are addressed from a
variety of different perspectives, thus traversing and unifying the
text:
- the intimate relationship between the poor and the
fragility of the
planet
- the conviction that everything in the world is connected
- the critique of new paradigms and forms of power derived
from
technology
- the call to seek other ways of understanding the economy
and progress
- the value proper to each creature
- the human meaning of ecology
- the need for forthright and honest debate
- the serious responsibility of international and local
policy
- the throwaway culture and the proposal of a new lifestyle
Download
You can download a 10-page PDF summary that will guide you
through an initial reading of the Encyclical and the full Encyclical
Laudato si' by using the links below or to the right of this article.
Laudato si' 556.55
kB
Laudato si' -
Summary 223.57 kB
Purchase
If you want to buy a hard copy of Laudato si', you can pre-order from
the Catholic Truth Society.
Click to purchase
for £4.95 ISBN: 9781784690700
Centenary Mass at Northfleet
On Sunday 14th June 2015
Archbishop Peter
joined the parish of Northfleet to celebrate Centenary of the first
Mass to be said in the 'new church'

Concelebrating Mass with
Archbishop Peter was Monsignor Matthew Dickens, Vicar General and
former parish priest of Northfleet, Father Robert Ellis, present parish
priest and assisting at Mass was Deacon Tom Berry

The celebrations continued
in St Joseph's Primary School

Our Deacons renewed their commitment
On June 13th 2015 38 of our
Deacons renewed their commitment to the Diaconate at their annual
celebration at the Cathedral

This Diocesan Diaconal Day Archbishop Peter confered Candidacy
on
Carlos Lozano (Lewisham), Garry Cullen (Bromley), Oluwole Alayo
(Plumstead), Tony Wentworth (Plumstead), Paul Said (Sutton Green) and
Antonio Almeida (Portugese Chaplaincy)

After lunch the day concluded with a question and answer session with
Archbishop Peter in Amigo Hall
Archbishop Peter vists The Cedars School - Purley
Archbishop Peter visted The
Cedars School in Purely and concelebrated Mass in the New Chapel on
Friday 12th June 2015

Also present were Reverend
Father Jorge Boronat and Monsignor Nicholas Morrish, the Regional Vicar
of Opus Dei for Great Britain since 1998
St
Anthony’s Primary School - Anerley
On Thursday 11th June
2015 Archbishop
Peter visited St Anthony's Primary School to bless the new library and
referbished offices
The day began with a school
Mass in St. Anthony of Padua Church
The Archbishop then blessed
new library and offices
And ended the day with a
prayer with the children
St Patrick - Waterloo Centenary Mass
On Wednesday 10th June
2015
Archbishop Peter joiin the community of St Patrick - Waterloo to
celebrate 100 years of the parish being established
Concelebrating with
Archbishop Peter Smith was Custos - Father Peter Damian OFM Conv., St
Patrick's
Parish
Priest Father David Young OFM Conv., Father Jesmond Pawley OFM
Conv., Father Mario Sant OFM Conv. and Father Stephen Borg OFM Conv.
After Mass the celebrations continued in a nearby hall
Bishop Pat confers Ministries Diaconal Candidates
At Beckenham Hill and
Bellingham on 5
June Bishop Pat conferred the ministry of Lector on Fidelis Iwu
(Beckenham Hill), Paul Henshaw (Beckenham Hill), Amgad Gerges (Forest
Hill) and Roland Gooding (Westerham), and the ministry of Acolyte on
Ged Perkins (Norbury).
This Saturday (13 June)
Archbishop Peter will confer Candidacy on Carlos Lozano (Lewisham),
Garry Cullen (Bromley), Oluwole Alayo (Plumstead), Tony Wentworth
(Plumstead), Paul Said (Sutton Green) and Antonio Almeida (Portugese
Chaplaincy).
On 4 July His Grace will ordain four men to the Permanent Diaconate,
Simon English (Tooting Bec), Tom McCarthy (Tooting Bec), Julian Burling
(Wimbledon) and Peter Sebastian (Surbiton).
Two other ministries have been, or will be, conferred within the
diocese. On 15 May James Joice Pallickamyalil was institute as Acolyte
(sub deacon) in the Syro Malabar rite Bishop Sebastian Vadakel and on
21 June Robert Smith (Westerham) will be instituted as an Acolyte in
the Ordinariate by Mgr Keith Newton.