In our statement of aspirations, we say that we want our parish to be a place ‘where all can explore, develop and deepen their faith’. This is what we mean by faith development. In addition to our own programmes, we make use of opportunities from the Diocese and beyond. There are many excellent online resources and we intend to highlight some of them here.
New discussion group
A new discussion group for those wishing to know and understand more about their faith started in March. Monthly meetings take place on Tuesdays at 7.30pm, usually in the Chatterton Room. Meetings are introduced by Fr Stephen, who attends to help with more challenging issues.
Check the parish newsletter or the event calendar at the bottom of the home page for the date of the next session and details of the discussion topic.
All are welcome. For further information contact Chris Timmins (chris@thetimminsfamily.co.uk).
RCIA – becoming a Catholic
At the Easter Vigil, we were able to celebrate and welcome the members of the 2023-24 RCIA Group into full communion with the Catholic Church. Eight of the Group, Victoria Lee, Hillson Lam, Vinnie Lam, Amy Ng, Hayes Lam, Hung Yeun Shui, Junyan Luo and Rebecca Blackman were baptised and, along with four others, Byron Fung, Gavin Bolton, Sarah Patel and Elio Bolas, also received the Sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation.
Our new RCIA Group will be starting in September. This programme is widely used in many parishes throughout the Diocese and across the country. There are approximately seven sessions before Christmas and eight after. Currently meetings are on Wednesday evenings. The meetings are relaxed and informal. There is normally a presentation and discussion on some aspect of the Catholic Faith, with references from the New and Old Testaments to support the discussion. There are also refreshments and a time for prayer.
If you are considering becoming a Catholic and wish to join, or simply find out more, please contact the Parish Office, speak to one of our priests or email david34edr@virginmedia.com for more information.
Landings
A safe harbour or landing place for returning Catholics to explore and share their faith with 8 or 9 attending Catholics.
LANDINGS is based on the belief:
LANDINGS means listening and being listened to. It offers time and space to explore afresh where God has been in your life and in the lives of other Catholics. LANDINGS works – because it is straightforward, unthreatening and honest.
LANDINGS is not
LANDINGS is an opportunity to come and be reconciled. The group meets for an hour and a half weekly for about eight weeks concluding with a day or half day of reflection, reconciliation and celebration.
Lectio Divina
The CONNECT GROUP has been meeting for about seven years – one of St. Joseph’s best kept secrets, which we would now wish to share with you. In 2020 the group evolved into a weekly meeting on Zoom as we discovered that we can indeed CONNECT with each other, with God, with the Church and with the world through the gift of new technology, and that people can join us more easily wherever they are.
WE MEET to share coffee and a chat, but more importantly, to listen together to what God is saying to each one of through the Gospel. Together we’ve been learning the ancient practice of Lectio Divina, or sacred reading: a beautifully simple way of letting God speak to us through the words of Scripture. We usually pray with the following Sunday’s Gospel reading so that the words can come alive for us when we hear them at Mass.
WE PRAY for each other and for the needs of our parish, families and friends. We also listen to each other as we explore where God is at work in our lives, and as we share our hopes, doubts, fears and joys in a safe, confidential and welcoming space.
YOU DON’T NEED to come every week, or to have had any previous experience of this kind of group. Just come along.
If you are interested, get in touch with the Parish Office for the Zoom information.