Catholic Bletchley

WELCOME TO OUR PARISH WEBSITE: Our Parish serves the whole of Bletchley as well as its outlying villages, Newton Leys, parts of Emerson Valley and Furzton. As the Catholic community we seek to serve God and each other in love and humble service and to be missionary disciples sharing our faith with joy.

TIMES OF PARISH LITURGIES

TWELFTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR 20th June
Ordinary Time, Year B
6:00pm (STA) (Saturday) Vigil Mass of Sunday
9:00am (AS) Mass
11:00am (AS) Mass
6:30pm (AS) Mass

Monday Memoria: St Aloysisus Gonzaga 21st June
10:00am (STA) Mass
followed by Exposition & Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Tuesday Feast: ss John Fisher & Thomas More 22nd June
10:00am (AS) Mass
followed by Exposition & Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Wednesday Feria 23rd June
10:00am (STA) Mass

Thursday 24th June
Solemnity: The nativity of St John the Baptist
10:00pm (AS) Mass

Friday Feria 25th June
10:00am (STA) Mass

Saturday Memoria: Our Lady on Saturday 26th June
9:30am (STA) Mass
followed by Exposition & Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
10:00-10:30am Confessions

THIRTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR 27th June
Ordinary Time, Year B
6:00pm (STA) (Saturday) Vigil Mass of Sunday
9:00am (AS) Mass
11:00am (AS) Mass
6:30pm (AS) Mass

STA: St Thomas Aquinas Church, Sycamore Avenue, MK2 2JE
AS: All Saints Church, Shenley Road, MK3 6HG

LIVESTREAM MASS via Facebook: Monday Mass 10:00am.

PRAYING WITH THE POPE: Each year, the Holy Father asks for our prayers for a specific intention each month. You are invited to answer the Holy Father’s request and to join with many people worldwide in praying for this intention each month.

JUNE: The Month of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. THE HOLY FATHER’s INTENTION FOR THE MONTH:
The Beauty of Marriage
Let us pray for young people who are preparing for marriage with the support of a Christian community: may they grow in love, with generosity, faithfulness and patience.

Requiescant in Pace
Please pray for the repose of the soul of those whose funerals will take place in the coming days:

Julia Cecilia Nesouf
Marion Baxter
Rose Marie Crump
Cathy Chamberlin

May Christ, who called you, take you to Himself;
may angels lead you to Abraham’s side.
Receive their souls and present them to God the Most High.

Foodbank Donations – Please continue your generous support of the Foodbank. All donations welcome; these can be distributed via SVP to needy parishioners and the Foodbanks at Kiln Farm and the City Centre.

Thank You from all at SVP
Dear Parishioners, Friends and Family,
We, the Greensand Ridge Walkers, would like to thank you all for your response to our challenging effort to raise Funds for the work of SVP Bletchley. Your financial contributions and supportive words were truly OVERWHELMING. THANK YOU. Training through the winter months of COVID with plenty of wet, windy, cold, dark and muddy walks we were very grateful for the window of dry and warm enough weather at the end of March 2021 to complete all 43 miles of the Greensand Ridge Walk in one go…. In just over 17 hours. Having a purpose and zeal to raise funds for SVP Bletchley during the pandemic made it a very satisfying and enjoyable experience for us in itself. However, we never imagined the support, generosity and encouragement that we received would result in such a successful campaign. Raising a total of over £5000 within two months; with a further £1000 to come from HMRC in the form of Gift Aid. This is purely thanks to each and every one of our donors being so generous; and is a clear demonstration of the love, support and high regard, that our community and friends have for the role of SVP in Bletchley. With that support, and the work of so many committed Members over the years, and guided by so many dedicated leaders; such as John Fitzpatrick RIP: Ron Benson RIP: George Atherton RIP: Raymond Hevey RIP: and the current President John Scott, the SVP in Bletchley has built up a significant reputation to provide practical action: time: love: and prayers. And to use their limited funds and resources wisely to assist the poor, the vulnerable and the most challenged members and families within our community. With gratitude, we ‘THE GREENSAND RIDGE WALKERS’ acknowledge both, the generosity of each and every supporter, and also SVP Bletchley for being such an inspiring cause.
With love and prayers from The Walkers John Gerard Scott, and Oonagh Standen.

Parish Safeguarding
We will be commencing DBS checks in a short while. In order to do this safely we will endeavour to do the majority of checks on line, with minimal contact involved. In order to this we need those who will be applying for or renewing their DBS clearance to have an individual email account. If this is going to cause an issue please contact Andrew or Marie.

Safeguarding survey for volunteers
As you may know there has been an independent review of safeguarding arrangements in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. The review established 8 national safeguarding standards which explain what the Church must do in order to safeguard members of the Catholic church, those we minister to and those we come into contact with. One of the standards relates to embedding safeguarding into Church Governance, Ministry, and Culture. Amongst other things, this will require Church Leaders to provide the right resources to support parishes in their safeguarding responsibilities.
If you are a volunteer in the Parish, we would like your views on how we go forward in the future, we would therefore be grateful if you could complete the survey by either clicking on the link or typing it in on your IT equipment:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/northampton-parish-resource-audit-vol

Your responses will be collated and analysed by the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) (privacy notice can be found in the Procedures Manual – CSAS available online) who will ensure that information about how best to support parishes is fed back to Church leaders via an overarching thematic report. Additionally, responses will be provided back to each diocese to inform them about local needs.

If you have any questions regarding the survey, please contact: Danielle Dixon Safeguarding Co-ordinator
01604 723514 or 07833 050628
safeguarding@northamptondiocese.com

EduCare Online Training
The Catholic Trust for England and Wales has purchased a package of e-learning programmes available to all members of the Catholic community free of charge, as part of the Church’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding.
• Child Exploitation
• Child Protection
• Child Protection Refresher
• Domestic Abuse: Children and Young People
• Mental Capacity
• Online Safety
• Safeguarding Adults
• Safeguarding Adults Refresher
• Understanding Anxiety
• Understanding Low Mood and Depression
• Understanding Self-Harm

What do I need to do to access this training resource?

To register your interest please email: safeguardingadmin@northamptondiocese.com
Your email should contain your name and your role (for example: Clergy or Religious, Safeguarding Representative, volunteer or other).
The safeguarding administrator will then register your email address with EduCare.
You will receive a welcome email from EduCare inviting you to set your Password which will then allow instant access to the training programmes.

Safe Spaces
Safe Spaces is a free and independent support service, providing a confidential, personal and safe space for anyone who has been abused through their relationship with either the Church of England or the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Although the churches have funded the service, it is run independently by the charity Victim Support, who are one of the leading charities providing specialist support to survivors of abuse in England and Wales. It comprises a team of trained support advocates who have undergone specialist training in supporting survivors of sexual violence and who have received additional specific training in how the churches respond to abuse cases, the way in which faith and church-related settings have been used to carry out abuse, and the particular issues affecting people who have had or still have, a relationship with the church. Telephone, Live Chat, Email and Website A telephone helpline and live chat facility is available from Monday – Saturday from 10am – 6pm, apart from Thursdays when the service is open 12 – 8pm. Telephone: 0300 303 1056 (answerphone available outside of opening times) Email: safespaces@victimsupport.org.uk LiveChat/Website: safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk.

Situation Vacant – Teaching Assistant
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
Pay – £11,200 per annum (actual)
25 hours per week (term time only)
Start Date: 6th September 2021
Fixed Term Contract to 31.08.2022

St Thomas Aquinas is a successful and happy school. Our Mission Statement, “I have called you by your name; you are mine”, Isaiah, 43:1, sets out our aim to provide the best education possible for each individual child.
To help us achieve this aim, we are now seeking to appoint an enthusiastic, creative and committed Teaching Assistant. The ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, is essential for this role. The ideal candidate will have GCSE grade C or above (or equivalent) in both English and Maths. Applicants should be highly motivated, have high expectations and enjoy working in an environment that proudly puts children first. Further details and an application pack are available from the School website at http://www.st-thomasaquinas.co.uk
Alternatively, please e-mail the school on
office@st-thomasaquinas.co.uk
Visits to the school are welcomed – please email to arrange an appointment or with any enquiries you may have. The closing date for applications is noon on Friday 18th June 2021. Interviews will be held on Thursday 24th June 2021. This post requires an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. We are an equal opportunities employer.

Situation Vacant – Cleaner
St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School
Pay – £4,647 per annum (actual)
10 hours per week – Monday to Friday 3.30pm to 5.30pm (term time, training days plus two weeks in the summer holidays) Start Date: September 2021
Fixed Term Contract to 31.08.2022. Further details and an application pack are available from the School website at http://www.st-thomasaquinas.co.uk Alternatively, please e-mail the school on office@st-thomasaquinas.co.uk Visits to the school are welcome. Please email to arrange an appointment or with any enquiries you may have. The closing date for applications is noon on Friday 25th June 2021. Interviews will be held on Friday 2nd July 2021. This post requires an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. We are an equal opportunities employer.

Summer Youth Camp
Event:                Lifeteen Summer Camp 2021
Date: Wednesday 28^th July from 3pm – Sunday 1^st August 2021 till 2pm
Cost:   £225.00 for camping (to provide own tent); £275.00 for dormitory or £50.00 for online camp. You will be required to pay a £50.00 non-refundable deposit when booking. Final payment due by 1^st July 2021
Where:   Alton Castle, Staffordshire (transport will NOT be provided)
Description : Summer Camp is 5 days of fun and activities where young Catholics gain formation and friendships. Included in the price is accommodation, all food, daily Mass and Reconciliation, all activities including a day at Alton Towers Theme Park, biking, trekking, climbing, archery, campfires and much more.

For more information and to go to the bookings page visit https://nymo.org/summercamp/

The Catenian Association
An international brotherhood of Catholic men, the Catenian Association provides practising Catholic laymen and their families with friendship, social activities and support through an international network of local branches or ‘circles’.

To find out more information visit our website: https://www.thecatenians.com/find-a-circle/, email: membership@thecatenians.com or contact Richard Golden: (01908) 503331.

PARISH OFFERTORY GIVING
The impact of the Coronavirus pandemic has had a huge effect on our Parish income and we still have bills to pay. As a means of mitigating against this loss we would like to encourage those parishioners who do not currently give by Standing Order to donate online. This can be done at:
https://northamptondiocese.org/donate/
Please ensure that you type the parish name and area i.e. “St Thomas Aquinas and All Saints, Bletchley” in the NOTES SECTION of the donate page.

Or.., by Standing Order via your own bank:
You can also set up a standing order for donations to the parish using either your on line bank account or in branch. The information required to make the donation is as follows.
Bank: NatWest
Sort Code: 60-06-11
Account Name; 46898093
Account Name: Northampton Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust
Payment Ref: St Thomas Aquinas, Bletchley

Alternatively CHEQUES made payable to “St Thomas Aquinas Church” can be posted to:
The Presbytery, 1 Sycamore Avenue, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK2 2JE.

GIVE US A CALL TO DONATE OVER THE PHONE: Every Tuesday between 10am – 4pm, a member of the Diocesan Finance Team will be available by phone for you to donate to our Parish community over the telephone. To donate simply call 01604 712065 with your debit or credit card details.

CATHOLIC RADIO IN THE UK

Heaven’s Road Catholic Online Radio www.heavensroadfm.com is an online radio broadcasting features like prayers, interviews and music to appeal to a Catholic audience – they also have many podcasts and broadcast over 40 daily live Masses from 15 churches in England and Ireland from their website www.heavensroadfm.com.

KEEPING UPDATED ON COVID IN MILTON KEYNES: As we have a Parishioner who is a volunteer Covid Champion, we will be receiving regular updates and information about the Covid 19 situation in Milton Keynes, which we hope you will find useful.