Would you be interested in reading at any of the weekend Masses? A wonderful ministry to be involved in. Please contact Frances Jones on either 07941 895026 or frances.jones55@hotmail.co.uk.
ANNULMENTS. Pastoral Support Follow Up.
The Marriage Tribunal of our Diocese serves to study marriages that have ended in divorce. The goal of these studies is to determine if a particular marriage may be declared invalid according to Canon Law. Central to the responsibility is proclaiming the sanctity and permeance of marriage. While carefully protecting the teaching of Jesus on marriage and its indissolubility, Holy Mother Church also recognises that many marriages today end in the tragedy of divorce. Yet, for many of these good people their faith and their Church remain very important to them. Nor does the Catholic Church abandon them. In its love and its pastoral concern, the Church provides an ecclesiastical tribunal whose function is to evaluate the validity of the failed marriage in the light of Scripture, Tradition and Church Law. In many cases, the church is able to grant a Decree of Invalidity (annulment). This process helps heal the anger and disappointment with one’s self and with one’s former spouse. It often brings closure to hurtful memories. It frees the Catholic to marry again or to have the second marriage CONVALIDATED by the Church, thus restoring the Catholic to full sacramental life of the Church. Remembering that the ministry of Jesus was one of healing and reconciliation. Our parish Clergy Team and our Diocesan Tribunal is ever mindful of its call to help you and do its best for all who are seeking help and guidance. If you would like to have a Confidential chat with us to explain more and answer questions or doubts, we can make this happen. May God bless you as you seek help and support and communion with us sin the Catholic faith. If you are divorced, may the Lords mercy touch the memories of this painful time in your life through the Church. Should you decide to seek a Declaration of Nullity, may it be a source of healing for you and your family. Last week we received the news of the death of Dan Beazley aged 90, a parishioner of Saint Teresa’s. Our condolences and prayers go out to the family, especially James his son and Rebecca his granddaughter. His funeral will take place on Tuesday 22nd November Mass 12pm and at NE Surrey Crematorium for 2pm.
May Dan Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory! This is an abridged version of the Holy Father’s message for World Mission Sunday 2022, which first appeared in the autumn edition of Mission Today. The full text, with references, is available at here. As Mission Month begins, we join with Pope Francis in being witnesses to Christ’s mission on earth. ‘You shall be my witnesses’ – Acts 1:8 The theme for World Mission Sunday this year is based on the words spoken by the Risen Jesus to his disciples just before his Ascension into heaven: ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8). ‘You shall be my witnesses’ This is the heart of Jesus’ teaching to the disciples regarding their mission in the world. The disciples are to be witnesses of Jesus, in every place and situation, thanks to the grace of the Holy Spirit that they will receive. Christ was the first to be sent, as a ‘missionary’ of the Father (Jn 20:21), and as such, he is the Father’s ‘faithful witness’ (cf. Rev 1:5). In a similar way, every Christian is called to be a missionary and witness to Christ. The Church’s only mission, as the community of Christ’s disciples, is to bring the Gospel to the entire world by bearing witness to Christ. Each baptised person is called to mission, in the Church and by the mandate of the Church: consequently, mission is carried out together, not individually, in communion with the ecclesial community. Missionaries of Christ are not sent to communicate themselves, to demonstrate their powers of persuasion or their managerial skills. Instead, they have the supreme honour of presenting Christ in words and actions, proclaiming to everyone the Good News of his salvation, with joy and boldness, as the first apostles did. In evangelisation, the example of a Christian life and the proclamation of Christ are inseparable. This kind of complete, consistent, and joyful witness to Christ will surely be a force of attraction also for the growth of the Church in the third millennium. I urge everyone to have the courage, frankness and parrhesía (ability to speak the truth) of the first Christians, to bear witness to Christ in word and deed in every area of life. ‘To the ends of the earth’ The words ‘to the ends of the earth’ challenge us all to go beyond our geographical boundaries and comfort zones into situations and places where missionary witnesses of Christ have not arrived, to bring the Good News of his love. The Church must constantly keep looking outwards and testify to all people, whatever their circumstances, the love of Christ. Here I would like to remember and express my gratitude to all those missionaries who have given their lives to share Christ’s love with all the brothers and sisters they encounter. Strengthened and guided by the Spirit When the risen Christ commissioned the disciples to be his witnesses, he also promised them the grace needed for this great responsibility. We see in Acts 1:8, that it was precisely following the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples that the first act of witnessing to the crucified and risen Christ took place. Whereas they had previously been weak, fearful and closed in on themselves, the Holy Spirit gave them the strength, courage and wisdom to bear witness to Christ before all people. It is precisely when we feel tired, unmotivated or confused that we should remember to turn to the Holy Spirit in prayer. Prayer plays a fundamental role in our missionary life, for it allows us to be refreshed and strengthened by the Spirit, the inexhaustible divine source of renewed energy and joy in sharing Christ’s life with others. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the right word, at the right time, and in the right way. A 200 year legacy The same Spirit which guides the universal Church, also inspires ordinary men and women to undertake extraordinary missions. And so it was that exactly two hundred years ago, a young French woman, Blessed Pauline Jaricot, founded the Association for the Propagation of the Faith (Missio’s APF). She established a network of prayer and fundraising for missionaries, so that the faithful could actively participate in God’s mission ‘to the ends of the earth’. This brilliant idea gave rise to the annual celebration of World Mission Sunday. The funds collected by parishes worldwide are sent to the universal solidarity fund which the Pope administers to support the mission of the Church throughout the world. This same Spirit guided and inspired the founders of the other three societies which now make up Missio (the Pontifical Mission Societies). I encourage you to rejoice with them, in this special year, for the evangelising work they enable the Church to carry out globally and locally. My hope is that local Churches will increasingly look to Missio as a tangible means of fostering a missionary spirit among the people of God. Dear brothers and sisters, I continue to dream of a completely missionary Church, and a new era of missionary activity among Christian communities. I repeat Moses’ great desire for the people of God on their journey: ‘Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets!’ (Num 11:29). Indeed, would that all of us in the Church were what we already are by virtue of our baptism: prophets, witnesses, missionaries of the Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the ends of the earth! Mary, Queen of the Missions, pray for us! +Franciscus At last Sunday’s 11am Mass my sermon touched on an issue that affects many in our community and in the world out there. Most of us know someone who is divorced or separated. It’s a tough and often heart-breaking situation that a family and extended family finds themselves dealing with.
We are here to help! Catholics who are separated or divorced are still members of Church in good standing. Through the years, there has been widespread confusion and misinformation on this issue, and many families have suffered unnecessary distress as a result. My dear Parish Family, it’s important to know that Catholics who are separated or divorced are still members of the Church in good standing, and may continue to receive Holy Communion along with other sacraments. We encourage you to continue to find comfort in our beautiful faith. On the other hand, if you divorce and then remarry civilly without the benefit of a church annulment, you are STILL a member of the Church, but you may not receive the sacraments. Please continue to come through the doors of the Church, attend Mass and remain active in the life of the parish. At some point, you may be ready to consider pursuing an annulment. We are here to help you go down this route. Our diocese has an excellent team and has a good track record of helping to support you on this healing journey. ANNULMENTS – A BRIEF EXPLANATION How is annulment different from divorce? People often have mistaken ideas about annulments in the Catholic Church. They even think that annulments are really “Catholic divorces” but an annulment differs in many ways. An annulment is a Church decision, declaring that what appeared to be a valid marriage actually was not valid. There can be many reasons for this determination, and these circumstances are called the “grounds” for annulment, which are the basis for the process. An annulment can only be issued if a civil divorce has been granted to a person first. There are no civil effects from annulment, such as there are from divorces. The annulment process can be a beneficial, healing time for divorced Catholics. Some annulments can be quite quick within a year but many take 18 months or more. If you want to meet us in private – we are happy to oblige. NEXT WEEK ‘If you married Civilly and not in Church’ What is a Convalidation? |
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