All Saints Sunday News

Priest-in-Charge Fr John Ainslie (revjohnainslie@gmail.com; 01628 629827)

Do please join us after Mass for Tea, Coffee and Cake in the Vestry Hall - - just ask if you don’t know the way!

SERVICES THIS WEEK: Thursday Mass at 10.30am; Saturday Mass OLW 10.30am. Next Sunday is Remembrance Sunday – Two Minutes Silence and Mass 10.30am.

There will be a meeting in the Vestry Hall after Mass for all involved in preparing for the CHRISTMAS MARKET.

We give our thanks to Fr Paul, for Celebrating Mass for us during my recent holiday, and to all those who worked hard cleaning and tidying the Church recently under Zoe’s careful direction.

NOVEMBER is a time of remembrance, with All Saints, All Souls and Remembrance Sunday. So it is time for my annual reminder of the need to ensure you have made preparations for your own death, including keeping your Will up to date, ensuring your affairs are in order, considering a Lasting Power of Attorney to cope with increasing frailty – and setting out your funeral wishes. This last is most important – it saves heartache for those who have to plan the service if they know what your wishes are, and by so doing you can ensure you have a proper Christian Funeral in the tradition of our Catholic Faith – if you value the liturgy of the church in life, then why should you not also want to be surrounded by the prayers of the Church at your death?

Further, in this way you can witness to all those who attend the funeral to the faith that has accompanied you throughout your life, and to the hope and trust that you have in Jesus Christ. We witness to our faith in all our choices and priorities, in life - and in death. For those who already share this faith, it gives them too the opportunity to celebrate at your death that faith which they have shared with you in life. For the love that we share, and the faith that we share, knows no bounds, and unites all God’s Holy Church, here on earth and in heaven.

I am more than happy to advise on funeral planning, or to keep confidentially a note of any wishes you would like me to keep for you.

FOR OUR PRAYERS: We give thanks to God for the lives and example of all the Saints and pray that we in our turn would work to build up the Church and love and serve God. We pray for the worldwide Church of which we are a part; for Pope Leo, for Archbishop-Designate Sarah Mullaly; for our own Bishop Luke and for all the clergy and parishes under his care. We pray for peace in all the places of war and conflict, and for the relief of suffering, remembering especially those affected by Hurricane Melissa, the war in Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza and the Middle East, and the unspeakable atrocities in Sudan.

We pray for those in need, and especially Glynis Reynolds, Yvonne Young, Jessica O’Sullivan, Lindsay Wheeler, Martyn Nash, Fran, David Green, Norman Farrington, Chris Jenkins, Bridget Humphries and Bob Humphries.

We pray for the recently departed, especially Kathleen Damiral whose funeral rites take place in Church this week. We remember those who have faithfully served God in this Church in previous generations, and we pray for those whose year’s mind occurs this week: Stewart Henry, Margaret Turner, Myra Lury, Betty Landi. SUPPORT ST MICHAELS: to make a donation towards the work and worship of St Michael’s Church go to: www.parishgiving.org.uk/donors/find-your-parish/maidstone-st-michael-and-aa-maidstone/