St Anthony of Padua

The Archdiocese will be providing training sessions for parishes regarding finance, property, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and safeguarding. It is anticipated that each of the speakers will be available for questions over lunch. Lunch and coffee will be provided. The session in Oxford will be held as follow:

Saturday 13th July 2019 at the Parish of Our Lady Help of Christians, Oxford. Address: 59 Hollow Way, Cowley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX4 2ND.

If you would like to attend the training session please confirm your attendance in advance by contacting the Property Administrator, Lewis Massey, at lewis.massey@rc-birmingham.org

All who volunteer, or contribute to groups, in the parish are warmly invited to a meeting to discuss preparing for the city-wide Catholic Mission in 2020. Representatives from the Deanery and Diocese will discuss with parishioners how we might best contribute to this, both as a parish and as part of the wider Deanery. The meeting will be held on Thursday 6^th June at 7.30pm, in the parish hall – if you volunteer in any way do come along!

The next Pastoral Council meeting is on Wednesday 8th May. Please send any agenda items to Fr Pius or to jane.kennett@goglemail.com by 7^th May.

Vacancy: Deputy Headteacher at St. Gregory the Great Catholic School, closing date for application: 13^th May 2019, 9am. More information can be found on the board at the back of the church. Informal visits are encouraged by arrangement by contacting Rosemary Gelder, Telephone 01865 749933 ext 206 or email principalsgtg@dbmac.org.uk.

In an effort to involve more children in the liturgy, we will try to have a Children’s Music Group for the Family Mass (last Sunday of each month). Any child would be welcome who plays an instrument (any standard) and/or likes singing.  If your child is interested, please contact Lydia Vella lydia.r.vella@gmail.com

Fr Vincent Omokpakpo Msp, will be joining us in the Parish this week. He is a Priest of the Missionary Society of St Paul of Nigeria. He is to take up the full responsibility as an Assistant Parish Priest. He will be joining the Chaplaincy team in the John Radcliffe Hospital. We welcome him and wish him a happy stay in our Parish.

Ecumenical quiet day for churches together in Marston and Northway led by David and Hilary Blair on Thursday 15th November 2018. 12 noon to 4.00pm at  Marston United Reformed Church, 352, Marston Road, Oxford OX3 0JB All are welcome, please bring a packed lunch.

The Archdiocese hearing in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) begins in London on Monday 12 November, and runs until Friday 16 November.

The Archdiocese believes that the work being done by IICSA is of great significance and supports the aim of strengthening and improving safeguarding practices and cultures within the Church.

The welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults is a fundamental priority for the Archdiocese. Fostering a culture which has safeguarding at its very heart remains a key part of our work.

If you would like to speak to someone about safeguarding and the Church’s work, please call 0121 230 6240.

If you would like to speak to someone independent of the Church you can contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.

Please pray with us for all victims of abuse, and for all those involved in the work of this important Inquiry.

Last weekend’s Pastoral Letter on this matter can be found on the Archdiocese website https://www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/

Sick List Notice: If your name or the name of a friend/relative is on the parish list of prayers for those who are sick, and would like the name to remain on the list, would you please print and then complete a copy of the Sick List Form which can be found here:  Sick List Form 2018 ‎. The completed form should be handed to the parish priest or delivered to the parish office please.

We need to make sure that you or your friend or family member has consented to their name being on the list. This is because the list can be seen by a lot of people, as it is available for anyone to pickup in the church and is also published on the internet through the parish website. In a couple of weeks’ time, the list will be restarted with the names of all for whom the parish have consent. This is necessary to make sure the church take proper care of your information and complies with current data protection law.

Sick list and Mass Intention FAQ for GDPR

Fr. Pius has been appointed as the new Parish Priest of St Anthony of Padua by the Archbishop Bernard Longley

A message from Fr. Pius: I will like to thank all parishioners who have sent their best wishes to me on my appointment as the Parish Priest of St Anthony of Padua by the Archbishop Bernard Longley. May you continue to pray for me and our Parish. Looking forward to a collaborative ministry.