OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE

Across the next three weekends we will be collecting your donated goods for the Christmas Fair. • 27 October: Toiletries, Jewellery, Gifts • 3 November: Bric-a-brac, Raffle prizes • 10 November: Toys & Games, Tombola Bottles, Cakes Please leave in the box in the church porch. Thank you for your support.

The annual blessing of the graves will take place next Sunday, 3rd November (see below for details), and throughout November, we will have the Books of Remembrance in the church. On 30th November, please join us for a special Memorial Mass to pray in particular for loved ones who have died this year. All are welcome. Sun 3 Nov Blessing of the Graves: 12.30 Botolphs 14.30 Mill Lane

The disciples make a demanding request of the blind beggar Bartimaeus: "Courage, get up he is calling you". It is remarkable because they are asking him to find his way to Jesus while still being unable to see. But he jumps up and throws off his cloak, the very thing that defined him to so many for so long. There are two things here. Firstly, as disciples of Jesus we are still responding to Jesus' behest to "call him here". The Church has been calling people to Jesus ever since Bartimaeus. We try to support others to have courage and throw off their past life and go to Jesus. This moment can be in childhood, adolescence, adulthood or the death bed, but all are invited on this journey. Everything we do must be aimed at this intention: to call and engender courage to come to Jesus. The second point is raised by Jesus: "What do you want me to do for you?" The choice. To choose the right thing. To put faith to the test. To believe in Jesus as the only begotten Son of the Father. The moment of conversion. Everything in life points to it and flows from it. It is the beginning of a new life. The old has passed. The new has begun. We follow Him "along the road." With my prayer for you and your intentions. God bless you.  Fr Graham

‘Come and See’ • Would you like to find out more about the Catholic faith? • Do you or your child have questions about a particular area of the Catholic faith? • Would you like to discuss your questions in a relaxed, open environment? We would like to invite your to attend a short Q&A event at St Peter's school on Monday 21st October at 2.30pm - 3pm. No need to book, please come along with your questions. Or alternatively email them to Antonia Hyatt: adurvalley@abdiocese.org.uk The above session is aimed at parents of children at St Peter’s School. If this does not apply to you, we will be holding a similar session in the Parish Room at St Peter’s in November. More details to follow. All are welcome, whether you are a catholic or not.

The Deanery of Worthing is offering a session on the introduction of the new Lectionary with its new translation of the readings and psalms that will come into effect on first Sunday of Advent this year. On Wednesday 20 November from 7pm-8.30pm, at St Michael’s Parish Hall, Hayling Rise, Worthing BN13 3AL. All welcome – No booking necessary NB there is ample parking in the church carpark. Contact mark.woods@abdiocese.org.uk for further information. We also have some of these leaflets in the church porches: ‘The New Lectionary explained’. Please take one.

There have now been over ten and a half million abortions in Great Britain since the Abortion Act was passed 57 years ago, on 27th October 1967. On the day before this terrible anniversary please pray and fast for the end of abortion in this country. On Saturday 26th October please go to Mass, say an extra Rosary and give up some food for the day. Share this with your friends on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/events/808459844574645

World Mission Sunday this weekend celebrates a profound truth: that we are all cherished children of God; united as one family by His unconditional love. The day offers valuable opportunities for prayer, solidarity, and giving, uniting Catholics worldwide through the sharing of the transformative Good News that everyone deserves to hear: that we are all invited to God's banquet, whoever and wherever we are. Missionaries are often the first to respond in times of crisis and the last to leave, staying with the communities they serve through danger, poverty, and hardship. Sister Jovanna (pictured) is currently serving families in Lebanon who live under the constant threat of rockets and gunfire - she is determined to stay and serve her community, despite the risks. Churches and schools are opening to welcome people who have been displaced from their homes. Speaking to Missio, Sr Jovanna said: "Our aim is to share love and care with families in real need. As long as we have food, we will share it and do everything we can to support them, preserving their dignity and hope." To find out more about Missio, or to support World Mission Sunday please click here . Image & source: Missio

Dear brothers and sisters, The First Reading this Sunday, taken from the Song of the Suffering Servant of the Prophet Isaiah, looks to the moment when Christ takes on Himself the faults, the sins, of the world. Jesus, as the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us, took on our nature in every way, but sin. He urges us never to lose faith in the One who suffered, died and rose from the dead for us. Our openness to the gift of faith is our way to conformity to Christ – to becoming one with Him. This is the path of sanctity, to which we are all called. This, as we know all too well, is no easy path. Jesus reminds us that “to those who are given much, much is expected.” In this Sunday’s Gospel, we see what happens when the relationship with Him becomes centred on ourselves. James and John fall to the temptation to pride. Their closeness to Jesus brings them to think they deserve special treatment in the Kingdom. Jesus tells them very clearly that His way is one of humility and service. This is true greatness in our following of Him. The life of faith, lived in trust, and the living out of the two-fold command to love God and love neighbour, brings us to be the disciples we are called to be. The world around is in the greatest need of this witness. We live in a world that is not at peace, a world in which the dignity of life is not respected. We, as Jesus’ followers – His disciples, must step into this space with the witness of our lives of faith, humility and service, that all might find life in the One who died and rose from the dead for us. With every blessing, + Richard

How to get the most out of the Rosary Saint John Paul II said: The Rosary guides us to contemplate the mystery of Christ. “Mary lived with her eyes fixed on Christ, treasuring his every word: “She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk2:19; cf. 2:51). The memories of Jesus, impressed upon her heart, were always with her, leading her to reflect on the various moments of her life at her Son's side. In a way those memories were to be the ‘rosary’ which she recited uninterruptedly throughout her earthly life.” In this video, Saint John Paul II and the Rosary , the speaker discusses Saint John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter from 2002, Rosarium Virginis Mariae . One simple tip is to recognise the pivotal point of the Hail Mary prayer: the word Jesus. Emphasise it, and take a moment of silence before going on.All are welcome to be part of our Christmas Fair preparations. The Fair itself is on Saturday 16th November , but the planning starts much earlier. It is a great example of our community coming together and we need parishioners to help in all sorts of ways. Please email the office if you have some time and/or skills you can offer. The more helpers we have the better. Thank you.