Dear Friends,
First of all a thank you to everyone who supported the Cafod Family Fast Day appeal. We raised around £1,700 (exact total to be published once we have it). Second I wish to thank and congratulate Tony Brophy our outstanding Parish Accountant for the superb job he does week in a week out here and for his excellent audit performance. Really superb! We are very fortunate to have him.
Speaking of all things pecuniary, we have a request! When it comes to your offering to St Mary’s, please do not give us coins as it is very expensive for us to have these counted. We do the counting but banks and the post office also do a count to verify that what we say is there is really there! Some people empty their one and two pence pieces into the collection bags. We cannot manage these any more. We would also appreciate it if you would only contribute Pounds Sterling so no foreign currency as again we cannot handle that. We aim to be completely contactless by the start of the New Year to make the task of handling the money donated to St Mary’s and other causes quicker, cheaper and easier. This is just an initial heads-up that we will be doing this. Also please remember that you could pay by standing order and you would be able to gift aid your contribution to St Mary’s. We could then claim the tax back at no cost to you. You can find out about gift aid at: https://parish.rcdow.org.uk/hampstead/donate/other-ways-to-give/
Sound of Hope:The Story of Possum Trot (12A)
Finchley Road Vue cinema at the O2 Centre is showing this powerful Christian film on Saturday 12th October at 17h50 and on Sunday 13th October at 20h45. Tickets are from just £6.99. The story: 22 families chose to adopt children in Possum Trot, a small community in Texas, following concern from a local pastor’s wife that children should not be left to languish in the care system. For details, the trailer and to book visit: soundofhopemovie.co.uk. A review can be found at: youtube.com/watch?v=op36s4Mb2CcFaith Formation/Sharing
International E-Waste Day 14th October
Unused electronics contain valuable materials that could gain a new life. E-waste includes anything with a plug, cable, or battery, but the most often ‘forgotten’ items are small electronics: old mobile phones, cables, USB keys, card readers, game consoles, and other devices that are often kept out of sight in drawers. There are plenty of places that will take old electronics – you can easily search for one in your area at Recycle Your Electricals – WEEE Recycling – Material Focus.
God bless, Monsignor Phelim