The Association for the Propagation of the Faith (APF) is a worldwide organisation run by the Mill Hill Fathers to raise money for missionary work throughout the world. The familiar red collecting boxes are given out to people to place in their homes and save loose coins for the missions. The boxes are emptied by local collectors, usually 4 times per year.
In our parish the local secretary/treasurer and 6 collectors look after 60 boxes in parishioners homes which they visit quarterly to empty the boxes and distribute the Mill Hill Missionary Newsletter. Last year the amount raised in this parish was over £2,000.00-one of the highest in the Diocese.
More collectors would enable even more money to be raised for the important work of the missions. If you would like to be a collector please contact Sheila Sharpe.
Young altar servers are available for most Sunday Masses. Attendance can be quite patchy however and Fr Jones would like to see a rota of servers, which they would work to, obtaining a replacement when they are unable to attend. At present, David Hastie prepares the servers and organises them for Holy Week and Easter and for Midnight Mass at Christmas. It is so much better when older people are serving with younger ones that Fr Jones would like to have more adult servers for both Sunday and weekday Masses, with one adult server acting as Master of Ceremonies responsible not only for serving at major feasts but also helping with the training and supervision of young servers and ensuring that the rota system is conscientiously observed.
If you can help with this task, please contact David Hastie or Fr Jones.
Catechists
are involved in the preparation of a family prior to the Baptism of a child.
After the family have met with Fr Jones they are introduced to the
catechist who visits them by appointment. There are usually one or two visits.
One catechist is involved.
throughout. Catechists
lead sessions with the children once or twice a month on Saturday mornings
in the Parish Room. Fr Jones sometimes takes a class with the parents
in school. The course uses a Redemptorist publication for guidance. Five catechists
are involved.
This is a six-week
course, led by catechists with some input from Fr Jones. It is held
when needed but not every year. It is a structured course aimed at young people
aged 11 to 16 years and was devised by catechists drawing from a number of
sources. The course has been approved by Fr Jones and is held in the
Parish Room. One catechist is involved.
The Parents
Teachers and Friends Association (PTFA) are very active in providing social
events and in raising funds for the school. The PTFA committee has approximately
12 core members and is able to recruit additional help for key events
e.g. the Summer Fayre. Meetings are held one evening a month in school.
Children’s Liturgy Group meets once per month, usually on the second Sunday
of each month, in the school chapel during 10.45am Mass. The majority
of children attending are of primary school age, mostly 7-10years. Up
to 30 children can be accommodated but attendance is usually between 15
and 20.
church
except silverware and brassware, which are cleaned by the sacristan.
Coffee
and tea is served after all weekend Masses. There are currently around
15 groups (2 people) of helpers mainly for the Sunday morning Masses –
there are so few helpers after Saturday Vigil Mass it is difficult to
establish a rota. 
This
group meets every two weeks for one hour of silent prayer. This is normally
held in the church or parish room on Monday evenings from 4-5pm. Members
consider a text and offer up their private thoughts and prayers as a process
of giving themselves to God. Members may also attend a Day of Renewal
every year.
Ecumenical
activity with other local churches – principally the Church of the Ascension
and United Reform Church – operates at a fairly low level. Each church
takes it in turn to host joint services at Easter and Christmas and the
Women’s World Day of Prayer.
Floral
displays and plants in the church are ordered, arranged and maintained
by 5 ladies. They also provide displays for weddings if requested.
At
present, Justice and Peace at St Cuthbert’s is a joint venture with English
Martyrs parish. The aims of the group are to look at local, national and
international issues involving justice and peace and take appropriate
action.
Christmas.
They meet to rehearse shortly before each feast. Members are considering
singing on a monthly basis, possibly rotating across all Sunday Masses.
A
group of parishioners meet usually on the last Sunday in every month after
the 9.15 Mass. Venues and length of walks are agreed from month to month.
Over the last couple of years the number of participants has fallen considerably.
In order to publicise the walks and encourage new members, more volunteer
drivers are needed. If you are interested in joining the group and/or
being a volunteer driver please contact any member before the next walk.
This
ministry involves reading the Word at all Sunday and weekday Masses. At
present there are 24 readers spread over all Masses. A rota is drawn up
for Sunday Masses while weekday Masses follow a set pattern and are sometimes
arranged on an ad hoc basis.
The
principal duty of the sacristan is to prepare the altar for every service
in accordance with the liturgical calendar and to mark the Mass readings
in the missal and lectionary.
There
exists a tremendous amount of goodwill between the school and the parish
community. Some of our families in school belong to both communities.
The parish could be viewed as an extension of the home/school community.
Many of the older parishioners sent their children to our school – helped
to pay for the building. Often their grandchildren attend the school.
Parishioners offer their support in many ways – they attend school Masses
and other celebrations; they are catechists; the parish celebrate Mass
weekly in our school chapel, where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved when
school is in session; they come to social functions organised by the PTFA;
they contribute to our fund- raising activities e.g. the Summer Fair.
School is always informed of parish activities. Our older children attend
Mass at one of the local residential homes. The PTFA have accepted that
a part of their brief is to continue to actively engage the parish in
their work and to consider the needs of senior parishioners when organising
events e.g. not all are willing to travel far for an event on a winter’s
evening, but would come to the parish room, so the PTFA will organise
events aimed at this particular group. We see this as giving something
back to the parish in return for their support. Other events include the
PTFA serving mulled wine and mince pies after Mass during the Christmas
Octave. or cake and wine at Easter, - again saying that we appreciate
their support, that we belong to the same community. Reaching out to the
parish in this way and responding to their invitations ripples out-over
to the wider community, as the non-practising members of the school community
realise that belonging does not have to be threatening – that all we do
and offer is unconditional.
