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St. Mary Magdalen's
Catholic Church
Willesden Green
London NW10 |
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Parish OrganisationsThis section lists the various groups active in our parish. Groups operate in the following areas:The Parish Forum This is the group which meets on a bi-annual basis to reflect on reports from all our 40-odd groups, and discuss any significant and strategic issues affecting the parish. It consists of Fr Hugh a secretary and six other members who each have responsibility for collecting from and communicating with the group leaders in a particular type of parish activity PARISH SUPPORTGroups primarily offering practical support to priests & parishionersFinance & Premises Committee A group of four parishioners with a Secretary, who meet as and when required with our Parish Priest to assist in matters relating to Finance & Premises within the parish. We generally meet ¾ times a year in Clergy House. The group is lead by our Parish Priest. Contact: T.Territt, Chairman Knights of St. Columba The Knights of St Columba was set up in Glasgow in Oct 1906. The Order exists to support the Mission of the Catholic Church and at the same time to work for the spiritual & material welfare of its members and their families. St Mary Magdalen Church is the home of 404. We endeavour to carry out charitable works by raising funds and supporting homes and our widows. We would welcome new members. Our monthly meetings are held on second Friday of the month at 8-00pm in the Church Annex which was built by the Knights as their meeting hall. Contact: Felix Kalu Church Cleaning Teams continue to keep the church up to the usual high standard of cleanliness expected. They operate a “one in four” week rota. Additional volunteers are urgently needed to supplement these teams’ it takes one hour of your time every four weeks/ if available please contact Clergy House with your details. Contact: Bill Mawn Sacristans & Counters Mr Bill Mawn is the chief sacristan and has a support team. The Sacristy is set for Daily Mass. Altar wine, hosts, with other requirements are ordered. The vessels are cleaned and polished. Ministers of the Eucharist and Readers Rota’s are prepared and distributed. There are three sets of three Counters who do a one in three weekly rota of counting the collections on a Sunday evening Contact: Bill Mawn Repository The Repository was opened 25 years ago and through the years has provided a much needed and welcome service to the parish, selling a host of religious objects including, bibles, statues, missals, and books. It also has a large selection of Christmas Cards and gifts for all sorts of occasions including Holy Communion & Confirmation. The Repository is run on a voluntary basis by parishioners and is open before and after all Sunday Masses. Contact: Breda Kellegher Magdala Editoral Board To produce Parish magazine 10 times a year. To report events taking place in the Parish, other activities of interest. Contact: Katy MacKen Child Protection Officer The Parish Child Protection Representative was introduced in September 2001 following a recommendation from “A Programme for Action” published by Lord Nolan. The Catholic Bishops Conference of England & Wales and the Conference of Religious of England & Wales have accepted the report in its entirety and all Parishes and Religious Communities must implement the report’s recommendations. To carry out an appropriate Duty of Care for “Children, Young Adults and Vulnerable Adults”. Our Diocese has drafted a specific procedure whereby all individuals, helpers/volunteers involved must be screened/ checked by the Criminal records Bureau. Contact: Mrs Norrie Fox Clergy House team The Clergy House team is the “Back-room team” at St Mary Magdalen’s Church. The membership is made up of lay people, all working to ensure the smooth running of the various services held in the church. Some work Mondays to Fridays, while others come in on pre-arranged days to do a particular job, each contributing their own particular skills. There is a great rapport among members, as we see each other regularly every week and we have to work closely together. Contact: Sinead, Parish Secretary Union Of Catholic Mothers St Mary Magdalen’s UCM started in 1957 when it replaced the existing St Anne’s Guild. Our aim is to help members bring up their children as practicing Catholics and public spirited citizens, to defend Christian values and family life and to foster vocations in life especially in Christian Marraige, Family life, the priesthood and religious life. The UCM is active in the life of the parish, works closely with our parish priest. This year we celebrate 50 years of service to the parish. Members are active in all aspects of parish life. We meet twice monthly on the second and forth Wednesday. In the Annex at 8pm. Membership is open to all Catholic women, married and single. At present we have 34 members. Contact: Breda Kellegher COMMUNITY SUPPORTGroups offering spiritual & other support to parishioners and non-parishionersBethany This group started in the parish in 1996. Its objective is to offer support to the bereaved. All members have been on Training & Support Courses are not trained counsellors, soothe service offered is a “listening service”. If counselling is required, names and phone no’s of appropriate services can be provide. Visits to bereaved persons can be a one off or continue for as long as is required. Every November a Mass of Remembrance is held where the whole parish is invited to come and pray for all their departed loved ones, but at this Mass the parishioners deceased in that year are especially remembered. Every Christmas a “Tree of Light” stands in its special place close to the Lady Chapel. This tree is blessed during Advent and all are invited to write on the labels provided, the names of departed loved ones to hang on the tree during the festive season when prayers will be offered at all Masses a Christmas gift to our loved one. Contact: Pat Doyle Sick and Housebound Visitation Group There are quite a number of elderly people in our parish who are either housebound in their own homes or are in residential care. They are all visited afforded a listening ear and sometimes help with regard to respite or other available resources that would help them cope more adequately in their homes. This group meet 6 weekly to co-ordinate visits and incorporate any new parishioners who have been recommended to us. The highlight of my visit is taking Holy Communion and holding a short prayer service with them to them. Contact: Sr. Lily Special Needs Our small group of parishioners supports families in the parish with special needs members, also the local Care Homes. We visit the latter and befriend the residents. Each summer, we take a coach load of our friends to the Sea-side; provide lunch and a happy day. At Christmas, we have a Dinner/Disco, were we are joined by Fr Christmas. We finance these events with the help of the Pioneer Group who have been very generous to us, and also by our annual Cake Sale. Contact: Mrs Sally Martin Website The web site group maintain the church web site at stmarymag.org.uk. It provides general church information and is regularly updated with the weekly newsletter. We intend to develop the web site and add more interactive features to help communications between church groups and the parish. YOUTH FORMATIONReaching out to youngsters to support their growth in knowledge & love of GodConvent Of Jesus & Mary Infant School Governing Body The governing body works for and on behalf of the school. It is our duty to be part of the school governance and we all work very hard to achieve this goal. Contact: Lourdes Fernandez Confirmation The parish prepares between 40-70 candidates for the Sacrament of Confirmation every year. For approximately 12 weeks, a very dedicated and well trained group of catechists give their time to the youngsters, guiding and helping them develop their knowledge of our Christian faith. This is taken from a booklet prepared by Fr Mackenzie and the group. It is a very rewarding work helping the young people in this way. Contact: Mrs Maria de Lourdes Fernandes First Communion All Year 3 and 4 children who are ready to receive the sacraments the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion are invited to take part in 13 sessions which runs from January to May. Provision is also made for an older group of children who attend at the same time. In response to John Paul II who says that “catechists must be carefully prepared”, our dedicated team receives regular training and sets aside time for careful preparation. As the primary educators of their children in the faith, parents also attend 4 evenings which aim to help them lead their children into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. The process of preparing our children for the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion involves clergy, families, school, catechists, those who work in Clergy House and indeed the whole community. Parishioners can assist by their Christian witness, their prayers and expressions of support for these youngsters as they progress in their full initiation into the Catholic Church. Contact: Celia Edwards Youth Days & Summer Breaks Spiritual & fun activities. Contact: Fr Hugh MacKenzie Youth Club “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” Mark 10:14 The youth work in the parish has been steadily growing over the last years. This has included the development of our youth clubs. These are run on a weekly basis throughout the year providing the opportunity for young people to meet each other, engage in creative and social activities and deepen in their faith. We have also been encouraging the young people to be involved in charitable activities: last year this meant our teenagers visiting a home for the elderly to regularly run bingo afternoons and one of our youth clubs hosting a fundraising evening for a South-African orphanage. We have also had a range of visits to places of historical interest including St Alban’s (where we met Archbishop Desmond Tutu!) and to Hertford, the sight of the first national Church Council in Britain. We have also taken young people on retreat days and in the summer accompanied small groups to Summer Breaks run by the Faith Movement. The success of these projects owes a great deal to the generosity of parents and others who have given up their time. The plan for the future is to increase the work to allow even more young people to play a greater part in the parish. One of our areas of interest is also helping each family to be a community where faith and love can develop. To enable this to happen we are interested in all parents, and others who would wish to be involved in the work. This could be as part of the youth clubs or for one of the drama performances which have been a very popular activity for the youngsters. It may simply mean being involved as a family in the various parish events especially those which support the young. Contact: Martin Plunkett Post-confirmation Youth Group Social, spiritual and visits to the elderly Contact: Chris Hack St Mary Magdalen's Junior School Governing Body As a governing body we act to support the head teacher in all aspects of the running of the school. Contact: TBA Infant Retreats We have mornings of reflection on a Saturday basis once a month for under 8year olds in the Annex. It involves prayer, Bible reading, activities and refreshments and is held from 10-00 – 12-00pm Contact: Maria Doherty SOCIAL LIFEGroups whose primary focus is supporting socializing of parishionersSunday Morning Coffee Group Tea and Coffee is served in the Annex following the 10-30 mass on Sundays during term time. It affords an ideal time for all Parishioner’s to meet informally and get to know each other. Everyone is welcome. Contact: Mrs Mary Madden Raffle Committee The aim of this committee is to raise money through the raffle for whatever project the church is supporting, currently the “Schools Fund.” We organise the raffle look for sponsorship for the prizes and printing of the tickets. We then sell the tickets and co-ordinate the raffle and draw. Contact: Bridget Hegarty Parent/ Carer & Toddler Mother& Toddler group we sing songs, colour pictures, make playdo and read to the children. Contact: Maureen Conneally The Wednesday Club The club is now running for over 20 years serving the Community of Brent. Membership is open to anyone over the age of 55and we currently have 33 members. We would like to welcome many more. Membership to the club is £2 a year. Each week we meet at the Kings Hall at 1-30pm where members have a cup of tea and a chat, we play a few games of Bingo and hold a small raffle. We charge 50p entrance, 50p for a bingo card and 20p for the raffle. During the year we arrange outings, either to the Seaside or to Dinner/Buffet Lunches. We hold an annual “Winter Fair" in November. Contact: Kitty Walsh Social Event Committee We plan and organise social events for the parish developing a spirit of unity and celebration. Our main aim is the parish social life, occasionally we help with fund raising. We organise the Raffle Evening Dance, St Patricks Night Dance, The Afternoon Tea Dance in January, the social side of The Carol Service, and Easter Concert, and any event being held by the parish. We would welcome so new members to support this busy team. Contact: Bridget Hegarty ADULT FORMATIONReaching out to adults to support their growth in knowledge & love of God.AYWL Core community This has been running since 2003, with 5 small groups meeting during the set seasons. Some groups have been more successful (numerically) than others, with numbers at each session ranging for 4 -12. In this parish we have not used the Diocesan program, but have generally followed the themes. The format of the meetings is Prayer, Reading a passage from the Catechism or Scripture, followed by discussion with prompted questions to help discussion. The meeting concluded with prayer and music. Some of the groups continued meeting, albeit less frequently, outside the set seasons. Two groups organised social functions for themselves. We are currently signing up membership for the last official season with meetings due to start on Sunday 16th October. Contact : Michael Jamulowicz Baptism “and a voice from heaven came, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’"Matthew 3:17 Baptism is the first of the Sacraments of Initiation which one receives in the Catholic Church. The tradition goes right back to Jesus himself who was baptised by John in the River Jordan. It is therefore an ancient and important tradition, for this reason when a child is baptised the parish gives a short session of preparation for all those involved. Usually the day before the baptism the parents and God-parents of the infant are invited to the church where they learn about the history and meaning of baptism. They are also asked to reflect on the process which this moment begins; that of raising a child in the Catholic Faith. It is usually an enjoyable time and serves to offer adults a chance to deepen in their own faith and perhaps be renewed in their own practice. The session also gives couples an opportunity to meet other young parents and to see where they may like to become involved in the parish, especially if they are new Members. This hopefully contributes to their own lives and that of their family, as well as helping the parish community to grow in love and the Christian life. Contact: Martin Plunket Marriage Preparation The course is designed for engaged couples as part of the Catholic process of preparation for marriage. We would normally expect engaged couples to join the course at least six months before the planned date of their marriage. We usually have up to ten couples on each course, an informal atmosphere and a format on each ‘themed’ evening which includes short talks (mainly from priests and married people), reflection, discussion, and coffee/tea etc. There will be a chance to meet other couples to ask questions and discuss the future in a relaxed supportive atmosphere. The course is held in the annexe to the church and is run twice a year, Spring and Autumn. Contact: Fr Hugh MacKenzie Seekers This is the place for non-Catholics who are inquiring about the Faith, for those who are thinking about returning to the Church and for those who want to find out more about Catholicism. “Seekers” is for people who are looking for an informal, friendly situation in which they can ask all the questions they want without any commitment. In recent years non-Catholic parents whose children are Catholic have been drawn to God through their children. Others have been drawn by the Christian witness of a parishioner or a sense that there is “more to life” than that which is offered by the secular world. If you know anyone who has expressed an interest in finding out more about our Faith, please let them know that it is possible to do so in this relaxed and welcoming environment. Contact: Celia Edwards Catechists' Formation Catechesis is about the Church passing on the Catholic faith. The Church speaks and acts in the name of Christ who in turn spoke and acted in the name of his Father in heaven. The apostles of Christ transmitted what they had learnt from him and from the Holy Spirit given to them after Christ’s resurrection. The Church throughout her 2000 year history has passed on everything that God has revealed of himself and all catechists assist the Church in her role of passing on the Good News. As Christ taught his disciples so too must we be taught and trained. With this in mind the parish ran the “Echoes” training programme which was welcomed by both new and experienced catechists. In 2007-2008 another programme is offered to all adults. “The Five Golden Threads of the Catholic Faith” focuses on the foundations of our faith on which everything else depends. Catechesis is not simply about teaching; this course will include prayer, sacred scripture, art, music and refreshments in order to lead us to our goal which is communion with Jesus Christ. Contact: Celia Edwards Journey in Faith Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults in Our Parish is known as “The Journey of Faith” program and is available to all the Parish Prayer Groups and those who wish to find out more about the Catholic Faith. If you have an interest or know of someone who may be interested in the Catholic Church, we enthusiastically welcome you to join us on our spiritual journey. The Journey in Faith will provide you the opportunity to ask questions, pray, and experience what being a Catholic and entering into a relationship with God and the Catholic community mean. We meet every Saturday from 11am to 12:30 in the Annexe. Starting in September right through to May. Contact: Breda Roche SPIRITUAL LIFEGroups whose primary focus is Liturgical and extra-liturgical prayer.Parish Folk Group This group started in the parish in 1980, they have about 12 members at present, comprising of three guitars, an accordion and a concertina. We sing at the 10-30am Family Mass and also join together with the 12-00noon choir for other liturgies and special occasions. We feel we enhance the liturgy, make it more meaningful for the congregation. Anyone is welcome to join our group, young and not so young- singers and musicians. We also encourage the congregation to join in. Contact: Kathy Macken Padre Pio Group Rosary, Holy Mass and Prayers for the sick. Contact: Moira O'Rourke The Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart In an organisation which promotes sobriety and temperance through prayer and self-sacrifice. All pioneers are obliged to; abstain from alcoholic drink and drugs and are asked to recite the Pioneer Offering twice a day and wear the Pioneer emblem publicly. The Willesden Green branch was established on Jan 5th 1966 and currently has members within and outside the parish. Our Parish group is part of a London-wide network with religious events and social functions throughout the year. We meet in the church annex at 8-00pm on the first Wednesday of every month, (except August). Everyone is welcome. Pioneers and non-Pioneers alike. Contact: Sean Fox Flowers Fresh flowers are placed on the sanctuary area on a bi-weekly basis. Money in support of this may be placed in the box situated on the sidewall and is gratefully appreciated especially at times of big feasts like Christmas and Easter when we are proud to have especially beautiful flower displays. Contact: Mrs Zeny Emrith Guild of St Stephen We have 68 at present. Regular/termly practices are held and new servers from year 5 and above are trained during Easter each year. Contact: Fr. Hugh Pilgrimages To arrange Parish Pilgrimages as and when requested by the Parish Priest, we are at present going to Walsingham on the 13th October. Two other pilgrimages go from the parish annually with the Union of Catholic Mothers to which all parishioners are invited to Aylesford in October and Walsingham in July. Contact: Brigid Hegarty Prayer Group The Prayer Group has been in existence since 1975; it started in a parishioner’s house and then moved into the parish setting in 1978. It’s a charismatic group with strong emphasis on the Holy Spirit. The Prayer group meets every Monday night between 7-8pm to pray, share, offer prayer, scripture readings and share reflections. We also support Missionary work in Ethiopia. Contact: John Macken Children’s Liturgy This forms the bi-weekly Liturgy of the Word at the 10-30 Sunday Mass. It involves the children reading/reflecting and on a week when this does not happen they do the Readings from the Sanctuary and the Bidding Prayers. Parents who would like their children on the rota to contact Fr Hugh. Contact: Fr. Hugh |
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