This week's News

 "May the joy of the resurrection fill your hearts and homes. May the risen Lord grant peace to our troubled world, consolation to those who mourn, strength to the weary, and fresh courage to all who seek to follow him. Mary, Mother of the Risen Lord, pray for us and accompany us."

See the Easter message video from Bishop Bosco.

A reminder of the Holy Week and Easter Services in the local area

Maundy Thursday 2nd April
6.30pm Our Lady of Lourdes, Kingswood
7.30pm St Paul’s, Yate
7.30pm St Joseph's, Fishponds
8pm St Augustine’s, Downend

Good Friday 3rd April
Children‘s Stations of the Cross & refreshments at 11am in St Augustine’s
Passion Services all at 3pm
at St Augustine’s, St Paul’s, Our Lady of Lourdes & St Joseph’s

Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday 4th April
7.30pm at St Joseph’s, Fishponds
9pm at Our Lady of Lourdes, Kingswood

Masses of Easter Sunday 5th April
9am at Our Lady of Lourdes
9.30am at St Augustine’s
10am at St Joseph’s
11am at St Paul’s
6pm at St Joseph’s


(See individual websites for any updates/changes)
https://www.stjosephsfishponds.org.uk/
http://www.ololbristol.co.uk/
https://stlawrenceandstpaul.co.uk/
http://www.staugustinesbristol.co.uk/

Good Friday Children's Service

This Friday at 11am we have our annual Good Friday reflection, prepared for the children to understand, but offered for us all to take something from. Please join us, whatever your age, and see what Holy Week means to your life.
Then we can enjoy a cuppa and hot cross buns in the hall together after.

Concert Evening

We are delighted to be hosting a fundraising Concert (using the beautiful acoustics of our church!) on Saturday 18th April at 7.30pm.

We warmly welcome the brilliant Bristol Male Voice Choir, with guest soloist Jennifer Peck, for what promises to be a fantastic night of music as well as time to socialise with refreshments in the interval & after the event.

This evening is in aid of our Church Building Fund, and our portion of the money raised will be put towards necessary upkeep and completion of projects.

Click the link below to order your ticket online or purchase from the parish office/after weekend Masses at just £10 per person.

If you aren't able to attend the concert but wish to help, please feel free to make a donation towards the 'Church Building Fund' when next at Mass, using the DONA/contactless machine at the back of church. You'll find an option on the machine to pay for your concert ticket or to make a donation instead.
Many thanks and see you there!

OUR COMMON HOME:
ENGAGING POLITICIANS - 6:30pm, April 13th ONLINE with Bishop John Arnold, The Diocesan Environmental Leads Network & Friends.
With the May local elections fast approaching, now is an important time to let politicians know your views on climate and justice. Following a meeting with the Catholic Diocesan Environment Leads of England and Wales, an alliance of organisations has come together to offer parishioners guidance on key environmental issues and to help them engage local politicians in dialogue about defending our common home and safeguarding the dignity of all our brothers and sisters.
Register here:
https://journeyto2030.org/our-common-home-engaging-mps/

‘Now is the Time’ is a Symposium to explore the teachings of Pope Leo in his Apostolic Exhortation ‘Dilexi Te' (Love for the Poor) at St Brendan’s College, Brislington, on Saturday 30 May.

Our keynote speakers will be Bishop Bosco MacDonald, Sir John Battle KC*SG and Raymond Friel (CSAN).

We will start the day at 10am (refreshments from 9.30am) and finish at 4pm. Please bring a packed lunch. To register for the day please use the Eventbrite link: https://dilexite.eventbrite.co.uk
We look forward to welcoming you on the day.

https://cliftondiocese.com/news/symposium-to-explore-the-teachings-of-pope-leo-in-his-apostolic-exhortation-dilexi-te-2/

A message from BristolAid4Ukraine following Sunday's lovely afternoon, learning this exquisite skill!

"Thank you to everyone who came along yesterday to our annual Pysanka workshop held by BristolAid4Ukrained4Ukraine at St Augustine's Church, Downend as part of the parish project event.
It was so special to come together and share the beautiful Ukrainian Easter tradition of wax egg decoration – Pysanky.
We hope you all enjoyed this calm, meditative process and had the chance to learn a little more about Ukrainian culture and heritage.
Together, we also raised an amazing £132 towards our new minibus 🚐 — thank you for your continued support!"

 

This week's news

A reminder of the Holy Week and Easter Services in the local area

Maundy Thursday 2nd April
6.30pm Our Lady of Lourdes, Kingswood
7.30pm St Paul’s, Yate
7.30pm St Joseph's, Fishponds
8pm St Augustine’s, Downend

Good Friday 3rd April
Children‘s Stations of the Cross & refreshments at 11am in St Augustine’s
Passion Services all at 3pm
at St Augustine’s, St Paul’s, Our Lady of Lourdes & St Joseph’s

Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday 4th April
7.30pm at St Joseph’s, Fishponds
9pm at Our Lady of Lourdes, Kingswood

Masses of Easter Sunday 5th April
9am at Our Lady of Lourdes
9.30am at St Augustine’s
10am at St Joseph’s
11am at St Paul’s
6pm at St Joseph’s


(See individual websites for any updates/changes)
https://www.stjosephsfishponds.org.uk/
http://www.ololbristol.co.uk/
https://stlawrenceandstpaul.co.uk/
http://www.staugustinesbristol.co.uk/

QUICK EASTER APPEAL ~ A few days to help if you are able to ~

Ashfield Prison staff are collecting money for Easter eggs (or donated Eggs) to hand out to children in our local hospitals.

If you'd like to help, please give any donations to Fr Barnabas/hand into the office marked specifically for this appeal, or hand any Easter Eggs into the office by Monday evening, 23rd March, as they will be taken over to Ashfield Prison on Tuesday morning (24th).

Thank you.

*** We have a new date for the beautiful Pysanka Egg Decorating workshop, run by Vera from our Parish Project - BristolAid4Ukraine.

Join us on Sunday 29th March from 2-4pm in the parish hall where you can make a donation to the project on arrival and all materials will be provided for you to create your own beautiful decoration.

Please sign up at the back of church which will be helpful for working out number for materials etc.

Here is the updated Social Events Calendar for the year so far...

We are so lucky to have such a warm and community minded parish... see you at some, or all, of this year's events!

Concert Evening

We are delighted to be hosting a fundraising Concert (using the beautiful acoustics of our church!) on Saturday 18th April at 7.30pm.

We warmly welcome the brilliant Bristol Male Voice Choir, with guest soloist Jennifer Peck, for what promises to be a fantastic night of music as well as time to socialise with refreshments in the interval & after the event.

This evening is in aid of our Church Building Fund, and our portion of the money raised will be put towards necessary upkeep and completion of projects.

Click the link below to order your ticket online or purchase from the parish office/after weekend Masses at just £10 per person.

If you aren't able to attend the concert but wish to help, please feel free to make a donation towards the 'Church Building Fund' when next at Mass, using the DONA/contactless machine at the back of church. You'll find an option on the machine to pay for your concert ticket or to make a donation instead.
Many thanks and see you there!

Rosary Borrow Basket'

A very kind parishioner has created a 'Rosary Borrow Basket' for our church, which will sit on the cupboard unit as you enter the Church.
Should you wish to say the Rosary but don't have one with you, please feel free to use one of the Rosaries and the little rosary book, supplied, and pop them back afterwards.
Thank you to all our parishioners who do so many things for our community.

How lucky are we to have such an artistic and talented Parish Community!

Our Church looks so colourful at the moment with some beautifully decorated Lent plate pictures, made by the kids in our wonderful Pre-school. Plus, the children who are making their First Holy Communion this year met last night for their First Confessions and decorated a 'Sorry Tree' which is now bringing some Spring joy to our Church entrance.

We thank God for our beautiful children and for those who educate, lead, nurture and care for them.❤️

This week's news

What a wonderful Community we have here at St Augustine's.

I'm sharing (with permission) this delightful message & photo received last week from Chloe, who is one of our school pupils & a member of the Brownies. Chloe collected food cupboard staples together with donations from the Brownies and brought it into Fr Barnabas for the Community Kitchen Cupboard with this lovely note. (Have a read )

Isn't that wonderful!

We feel that Chloe and the Brownies have demonstrated true Christianity in action and we can see that they are a kind and caring bunch! How lovely of them to have thought of others in this way and taken practical steps to help.

Well done to the girls and well done especially to Chloe and her family.

Should you (or someone you know) be in food crisis and need a couple of items, please visit our Community Kitchen Cupboard in the entrance area of the church. No referral needed. Please just take what is needed to get you through.

The Clifton Evangelist

The latest edition of the The Clifton Evangelist newsletter has been published. You can read it on the Diocesan website using this link.
You can also see previous newsletters on the site.

This week's news

WE ARE LOW ON SOUP!

Can you help by making some home-made soup for us to offer to the people we meet on the soup run?

We freeze donated soup & use about 8 litres worth each fortnight, and our supplies are getting low....

If you can help, please note these tips:
*Not too thick or 'hearty' as it can be difficult to pour out on the run.
*Use a plastic milk carton to store it & leave a gap at the top to allow for expansion when freezing.
*Label & date the carton.

Contact the office to arrange drop off to Maeve who kindly stores & organises it for us. Thank you so much!

CHARITY CROCHET WORKSHOP

** There are 4 places left on Vera's CROCHET WORKSHOP this Saturday afternoon (7th), in the Parish Hall, all in aid of the Ukraine Parish Project. Contact Vera for all the details and timings, if interested in booking a place.

Beginner Crochet Workshop

Ever dreamed of making your own cozy blankets, stylish accessories, or handmade gifts?

Now’s the perfect time to learn crochet!

Join us for a relaxed 3-hour beginner-friendly workshop, where you’ll learn all the essentials, including:

* How to hold your hook and yarn

* Making a slip knot and foundation chain

* Basic stitches:

– Single & Double Crochet (US)

– Double & Treble Crochet (UK)

* How to read simple patterns and charts

You’ll start your first project – a crochet headband – during the class.

What’s included:

A full craft kit will be provided on the day, with plenty of yarn to take home, so you can continue practising and finish your project with confidence.

No experience needed – just come along, relax, and enjoy learning a beautiful new skill!

*To book contact Vera on: 07886894614*

Cost: £48

St. Nicholas of Tolentino RC Church, Bristol are holding their monthly Mass for member of the LGBTQI+ community on 15th March.

See poster for details.