Our small parish hall plays a very important part in the life of the Community.  A word of grateful thanks to all who help at various gatherings.  Your support and ministry are valued and greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your gift of kindness
Thank you for your gift of generosity
Thank you for your gift of hospitality
 
God Our Father, our parish family thank you for all those who spend time serving people in this church with food and drink.  We thank you for their gifts in baking and food preparation.   We thank you for their generosity with time and money.  We thank you that they understand how important it is to serve one another and that in so doing they are reaching out to their neighbour by hospitality. Praise God. Amen.
 
Our small hall welcomes one and all to join for a cup of tea, etc., after our 11am Sunday Mass.  Evangelisation, Catechesis, parish meetings, also play an important part in the life of our centre.

On Bank Holiday Monday May 1st, Altar Servers from our parish attended Aylesford Priory for the Annual Rally Service. We owe our gratitude to James Bush for his dedication in the ministry of Master of Ceremonies, and to all the many Altar Servers we are so fortunate to have at St Teresa’s. We thank them for their service and hope they had a spiritually fulfilled day in a beautiful setting.

Thank you to one and all who gladly take this ministry on at Saint Teresa’s.   Leading intercessions in church at Holy Mass is an important role.  Finding the right words to speak when interceding between the people of God is a task that needs prayerful time and consideration.  It is not a gift  that everyone has, and certainly not something that everyone feels  able to do.   We would like to open the door to this role at Holy Mass.  We are inviting a family, children, young teenagers, our senior citizens, to join a rota to prepare our Parish Intercessions to be read at Holy Mass.  We would be delighted if you would like to read them out at the Mass you attend.  If you are interested please let us know.  A leaflet and guidelines will be available and we can also send this out to your email address.

Thank you for your faithful commitment to our parish and the churches mission.  A word of thanks to all who serve in the life of the parish.  This week I would like to begin by saying a sincere word of thanks to all who serve on our Parish Finance Team.  They are excellent, committed and doing an excellent job.  May the Good Lord watch over them and bless their important and valued ministry.
 
One day in the not to distant future, we can see the need for men and women who take on the role “catechists” to become co-responsible with clergy for the Church’s mission and can take on the “pastoral care” of a parish when there is a shortage of priests.   
 
Last year, Pope Francis established the new lay ministry of “catechist”, which gives official recognition to a number of tasks carried out by Catholics in parishes across the world.  These include teaching the Christian faith and other forms of service.
 
Our Bishops will be at the forefront of preparing for the future needs of our parishes and diocese.  Our Archdiocese and many others have already setup advanced programs, and degree Formation Courses are available.  Our parish of Saint Teresa’s has an outstanding team of Catechists.  We are always on the lookout for more to join their number.  Support is available. 
 
The parish family thank each catechist for the important role they play in the life of the parish and the church. You are a living witness and a great sign of the church’s responsibility to so many people:  children, young people and adults who wish to make a journey of faith.
 
Never tire of being catechists, strive to offer a “living experience of the faith that each of us wishes to pass on to the new generals”.Pope Francis.
 
He is right, at this time, offering catechesis is challenging work, since it involves finding the best ways to communicate the faith to different age groups and walks of life.   What does the Holy Father ask of Catechists today?
 

• To be teachers and companions
• To proclaim the Gospel with their life, with gentleness
• To seek out new languages and new paths.

 
Watch out for Some Definite Service:  Some Definite Service is the diocesan-wide approach for parish growth in Evangelisation, Catechesis, and Formation supported through local people, plans, and prayer https://aec.rcaos.org.uk/sds       
 
Our Parish Leads are:
Fred Mendonca               Deanery Mentor
Marion Akuamoah          Formation
Godfred Frimpong          Catechesis
Stuart Thomas                Evangelisation