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| Prayer
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Opportunities for Prayer in our Parish There is a Petition Book for prayer requests on a lectern at the back of the church. Parishioners are welcome to enter prayer petitions at any time. If you would like prayers for yourself or your loved ones another option is to phone the Catholic SOS Prayer Line on 01243 377331 from 7.30pm – midnight every night. This line has handled over 78,000 calls since it opened in December
1989, and is manned by volunteers praying in the presence of the
Blessed Sacrament. A popular prayer tradition
combining meditation on the main events of Christ's life with praying
the Our Father, Hail Mary, and other prayers. A group meets to pray
the Rosary together in St Joan's on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every
month at 8.00pm. You may have heard the bell of St Joan's ringing at midday and 6pm and wondered what it signifies. There is an old tradition of saying "the Angelus" at these times, and first thing in the morning. This is a prayer in memory of the Incarnation - God becoming man as Jesus Christ - accompanied by three Hail Marys. Even if you don't know the exact prayers, why not stop and say a quick prayer of thanks to God when you hear the bell. The Angelus prayers: http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/Angelus.htm
Slipping into the Church for a few minutes during the day and praying silently in the Blessed Sacrament chapel, or simply sitting in God's presence (and admitting that you are not very good at praying!) is something we can all do, and it can yield surprising results. Adoration also takes place during Holy Hour (see below). Holy Hour On the first Thursday of each month, in St Joan’s Church at 8.00pm, there is a time of quiet Scripture meditation, “Taize” style music, Prayer, Benediction and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. More information on Taize: http://www.taize.fr Lent and Advent Small Groups There is a Prayer
Ministry available in the Blessed Sacrament chapel after every mass
on the first weekend of the month, this includes Saturday 6.30pm
mass. Please come if you want to receive prayer for yourselves,
friends or relatives. Two trained members of the Parish Prayer Team
are available to pray with you. Your prayer requests are private
and confidential. There are no past or present emotional, physical
or spiritual problems the Lord cannot heal. He commanded us to lay
hands on the sick and he promised that they would be healed. We
are so blessed to have this ministry available in our church and
many people have already greatly benefited from it. The Group meets every Thursday at 8.00pm in the Presbytery sitting room (entry through the door by the car park at the back of the Church), with the exception of the first Thursday each month when we celebrate a Holy Hour (click for Holy Hour). The Group has no formal "membership" but is open to anyone who needs prayer support or who wishes to develop their prayer life and spirituality. There is no set format, but the meeting will usually start with a time of praise - including contemporary praise songs. There may be readings of short extracts of Scripture, followed by a time of silent meditation. We usually pray for Spiritual Renewal (see below) and a fresh infilling of the gifts of the Holy Spirit; and we always set aside time to pray for the needs of those present, their families and friends, the Parish, other issues of concern, and healing ministry. The Prayer Group at St Joan's was started in the 1970's by a former Parish Priest, Fr Albon. After his untimely death, the Group continued to meet on a fairly regular basis in Parishioners' homes. In 1991, Parish Priest Fr Jim Martin encouraged the Group to meet on Church premises once again, so that prayer can be seen at the centre of Parish Life. Over the years, the group has arranged several "Life in the Spirit" Seminars for spiritual renewal as well as Alpha courses, "CaFE" courses, and Prayer Services for the Parish. We also have strong links with the “Cor et Lumen Christi” Catholic lay community in Chertsey (see below) The Alpha course: http://alphacourse.org/default.htm Catholic Faith Evangelisation (CaFE): http://www.catholicevangel.org/Default.htm The Catholic Church
actively encourages reading, study and prayerful meditation of the
Bible. An excellent guide to daily Bible reading, with commentary and
prayer, can be found in the Catholic publication "Bible Alive",
the leading monthly devotional magazine for Catholics in the UK
with over 40,000 subscribers. For subscription details, click on
the following link: http://www.biblealive.co.uk/
Further information about Charismatic Renewal, plus an online message
and discussion forum to enable you to ask questions, is available
on: http://www.in-unity.org/ Other Prayer Links |
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Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Spiritual ("Charismatic") Renewal Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Spiritual ("Charismatic") Renewal Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Spiritual ("Charismatic") Renewal Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Spiritual ("Charismatic") Renewal Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament |
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