Welcome to the Roman Catholic Parish of St. Mary of the Angels. We are a friendly community serving Bayswater and part of Notting Hill, including Westbourne Grove and Portobello Road.
Weekend Masses are at 6pm on Saturday, and at 11am and 6pm on Sunday. There is also a Portuguese Mass at 9am on Sundays, except during August and early September.
Weekdays, including Saturday: Mass is at 12 noon, but see below for any alterations.
Confessions are heard before any Mass and on request
Our Church is open 8am – 6.30pm every day, with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for most of that time
Our postal address is The Parish House, Moorhouse Road W2 5DJ: see below for parish office opening hours.
You can contact us on 020 3137 3864 or bayswater@rcdow.org.uk
We also have a Permanent Deacon, Rev. Sam Mulira, who can be contacted on sammulira@rcdow.org.uk
Many thanks to all those who volunteered for various parish activities on the forms given out for our Planned Giving Campaign. We are now going through your responses and will be in touch!
In the Archbishop’s recent Pastoral Letter, he asked parishes to hold a Holy Hour for Vocations and also to pray the Rosary for that intention. While we pray for a variety of vocations in the Church, in this Easter season we are asked specifically to pray for vocations to the ordained priesthood in our own diocese. I invite you all, therefore, especially when you visit our Church, even if only for a few minutes, to make this one of your main intentions until the end of Easter (24 May). You can, of course, pray in any way you wish, but if you would find it helpful, here is a Prayer for Vocations. While we are grateful for all volunteers in our parish, prayer is the foundation of everything else – as St. Thérèse put it so beautifully, it is to be love in the heart of the Church.
Prayer for Vocations to the priesthood Father, we thank you for the gift of priesthood, through which your Son’s presence and activity reach us in a unique way. We thank you for each priest who has ministered to us personally, and we pray that you will call men to serve in our own diocese as Shepherds of your people. Bless also those who are in formation for the priesthood and those who guide them. Give them and all of us the gift of discernment to hear your call and respond to it generously. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
On Wednesday (13 May) there will be an extra Mass at 6pm followed by our monthly devotions to St. Joseph. This Mass will be of the Ascension.
The next Churches Together in Notting Hill Prayer Lunch will be this Wednesday, 13th May at St Michael and All Angels, St Michaels Gardens, Ladbroke Grove, W10 5SR from 12.30 – 1.30 pm. As usual please bring your own packed lunch, tea and coffee will kindly be provided.
Thursday 14 May is the Solemnity of the Ascension, a Holyday of Obligation when all Catholics should attend Mass if at all possible. There will be Masses at 12 noon and 6pm. The Mass on Wednesday evening also counts as fulfilling the obligation.
On Friday (15 May) our Mass will be half an hour later at 12.30pm, and will be the funeral Mass of Maisie Stevenson.
Please pray for our twelve young people who will be confirmed at the evening Mass on Pentecost Sunday (24 May).
Please remember that if photos are taken for display in printed form or on social media and websites, the consent of parents must be obtained for any photos of their children.
A young parishioner and altar server at Westminster Cathedral has recently created a website analysing Catholic films. Each reflection consists of two parts: a six-sentence synopsis that captures the heart of the story, and a doctrinal dissection that takes an overarching Catholic theme, such as the sanctity of life, sin and grace, vocation, or mercy, and traces it through the characters, narrative, and imagery of the film. Drawing on Scripture, the Catechism, and the writings of the saints and doctors of the Church, the project is rooted in the conviction that serious cinema and serious theology share a common heart, and that the greatest films have always been asking, in their own way, the questions that the faith exists to answer. The inaugural edition was on Easter Sunday (with 4 films) and all following editions, including most recently Divine Mercy Sunday, will have 2 films. The website is called Faith in Film by Ferreira (faithfilmferreira.com), with everything explained more clearly on there.
A parishioner at the Oratory has built an app – Piips – to connect Catholics across London. The app lets users see what Catholics nearby are posting in real time, helping you discover Masses, events, and community wherever you are. You can download the app by scanning the QR code on the notice board or by visiting www.piips.net.
You can now take a virtual tour of our Church using Guide, an application mainly dedicated to art galleries and Museums but also with a few Churches. You need to download Guideapp – note the exact spelling – and search for Smota.
If you know of any elderly or housebound people who would appreciate being offered the sacraments at home, please speak to Fr. Keith or contact the parish office
Many thanks for your response to our Planned Giving Campaign. We have been told that there will be a 21% increase in giving which is a great result. Please note that you can also give either one-off or regularly through our parish website, going to Donate.
We are delighted to see more and more young families coming to Mass each week, and are planning to offer a variety of resources for parents to help their young children make a lasting friendship with Jesus centred on the Mass. These will include canvas Mass bags with the Church logo containing items such as rosary teethers, holding crosses and missals for very young children. Please email the parish office or speak to Fr. Keith or Caterina if you would like to know more.
Are you interested in becoming a Catholic or do you know someone who is? Did you miss out on the Sacrament of Confirmation as a teenager and would like to be confirmed now? We have a group especially for such people and would also like to invite parishioners to join it so they can help welcome new members. Please speak to Fr. Keith or send him a message.
We have received many appreciative comments about our Welcoming Ministry, and now we need more volunteers for this. Please email or speak to Grace, Caterina or Fr. Keith if you would be able to help us with this valuable work, even if you can’t do it every week: let us know which Mass you normally attend and we will arrange some simple training.
Our Breakfast Club for those in need is held every Tuesday morning from 6:15 to 8:00 in the Newman Room and has been growing in numbers each week (currently serving 20+ guests). We now need more volunteers to help the Companions of Malta who run the Club. Please contact Wojtek Szymczak (wojtek.szymczak@gmail.com) or simply come on Tuesday 6.30am to the Newman Room.
Whether you have been a regular practising Catholic or not in the past, we welcome you to worship with us on Sunday, and to let us know any ways you would like to contribute to our parish life, or in which we can be of help to you.
Our parish office is open Monday-Friday from 9.45am-1.30pm, when Mariella, our parish secretary, is there to welcome you and answer any questions you have. It is advisable to phone first – 020 3137 3864 – in case of any last minute change to the office hours.
Our parish Safeguarding Officer is Caterina Resca: bayswatersg2@safeguardrcdow.org.uk
Please introduce yourselves to me after Sunday Mass, or during the week, and may God bless you.
