The next SDS Volunteer Network Gathering will take place on Saturday 6 December 2025 in Amigo Hall! Details to follow.
A Parish Lead supports the renewal and growth of their parish by intentionally accompanying the volunteers within their parish. Parish Leads are accompanied by a Deanery Mentor. The Parish Lead promotes and champions the Parish Plan. A Parish Lead is chosen and appointed by their Parish Priest. They collaborate as a key member of the parish community and are committed to Jesus and his mission. Each parish has three Parish Leads, one for each of the interconnected areas of Evangelisation, Catechesis, and Formation. St Teresa’s Parish Leads are:

• Formation: Marion Akuamoah
  
• Catechesis: Godfred Frimpong
  
• Evangelisation: Stuart Thomas
  

All readers and Eucharistic Ministers across the deanery are invited to a Day of Recollection to be held at St Teresa’s beginning with Mass at 11am. This is an opportunity to meet other parishes within the deanery and join in a spiritual time of formation.

The Feast of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine, is celebrated on 25 October. It was Patriarch Luigi Barlassina (1920-1947), on the occasion of his solemn entry into the Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre on 15 July 1920, and the consecration of the diocese to Mary, who invoked the title of “Queen of Palestine” for the first time. The special relationship of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre dates back to the pontificate of John Paul II. In 1983, 50 years after the institution of the Feast, Saint John Paul II – addressing the Knights and Dames of the Lieutenancies of Northern and Central Italy – urged them to be witnesses of Christ in everyday life and to continue the work of the Order in the Holy Land under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Ten years later, in 1993, the then Grand Master of the Order, Cardinal Giuseppe Caprio, asked Saint John Paul II to declare of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine, Patroness of the Order. The Holy Father replied on 21 January 1994 by a decree granting the request.

At the start of this year, Pope Francis chose the theme ‘Missionaries of Hope Among All Peoples’ reminding us of our calling to be ‘messengers and builders of hope’ in this Jubilee Year. World Mission Sunday (WMS) is an opportunity for the Catholic Church in England and Wales to celebrate the mission entrusted to her by our Lord Jesus Christ: to witness to the unifying power of the Gospel in a deeply divided world. WMS expresses solidarity with the many Catholic communities that are struggling in situations of poverty, conflict, repression, and persecution. Thank you for being a messenger and builder of hope throughout the year through your support and promotion of Missio and the Mill Hill Missionaries.
In this special message our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, invites you to take part in World Mission Sunday on 19 October.

Sending a physical letter carries particular weight with Members of the House of Lords. Right To Life UK has created a simple tool that generates personalised letters to Peers, each focused on a specific area of concern. You can then print them, or copy them out by hand, sign, and post them.
Please take action now and visit www.righttolife.org.uk/aspeersletter to send a letter to Peers asking them to oppose assisted suicide.