Childrens'
Liturgy:
Every Sunday at the 9.00am Mass we have a childrens' Liturgy of the Word.
This is designed for children of primary school age so that they can hear
the scripture reading for Mass in language which is accessible to them.
The children leave the church with their catechists after the opening
prayer and return in time to help with the presentation of gifts at the
offertory.
The children listen to a simplified version of the Sunday Gospel and with
the catechists talk about what they have heard. They have some special
prayers of intercession and they also take part in an activity associated
with the gospel reading of the day. Perhaps you might want to join our
team of catechists?
St
Vincent De Paul Society (S.V.P)
: The St. Thomas More Conference of the SVP is part of an international
lay Christian voluntary organisation whose aim is to work with the poor,
the disadvantaged and the marginalized. No work of charity is foreign
to the Society and so poverty in all it's forms is challenged and met.
The main activity of the St. Thomas More Conference is in visiting the
sick, the housebound and those in residential care. Meetings are held
fortnightly on Mondays in the Guild Room (next to the side chapel) from
2.30pm to 3.15pm and members are asked to make at least one visit per
week to those in need. Contact: Harry Davenport (024) 7641 3381
The group was founded in 2002 - some of our activities include promoting the Action By Christians Against Torture Christmas card campaign for prisoners of conscience, raising funds for CAFOD World Gifts and organising a collection of food and toiletry items for the Coventry Refugee Centre. Our regular meetings are open to all members of the Parish. Contact: Kevin Duffy 07812 211828
Contact: Harry Davenport (024) 7641 3381
The group has gone from strength to strength, welcoming over 100 families. In June 2010, Stepping Stones was honoured to receive an award for being ‘The Most Outstanding Parent and Toddler Group 2010’, as voted for via the What’s On 4… websites.
Although led by Christians, and following the Christian faith, Stepping Stones welcomes families from all faiths, or none. Stepping Stones is a structured group, following a theme each half-term that often links with the Foundation curriculum and focusing on encouraging the interactions between parent and child through creative, imaginative and musical play. Recent sessions have covered 'All About Me', language concepts such as colours and opposites, weather and countries. Each session begins with a song to welcome all the children, then a few moments of quiet time and a story based around the theme. There is then an arts + craft activity for the older children, followed by a time for the parents to chat, as the children engage in relaxed play with a variety of age-appropriate toys. A quieter area is set up for babies. Refreshments are available for both adults and children and any special dietary requirements can be catered for. Toilets, potty and nappy changing facilities are on-site.
We are proud of what we have achieved over the past 7 years with Stepping Stones, and enjoy each session. It is a wonderful experience to meet new parents and develop lasting links with families from across the city.
Stepping Stones meets in the Margaret Roper Room at the church each Friday afternoon from 1.30 - 3 p.m. during school term time, and is now run by a team of 5. Co-ordinated by Debbie Middleton, with fantastic support from other mums, Katy Monsanto and Clare Price, and two invaluable volunteers from the parish, Maria Banbrook and Ann Mee.
For further information, please contact Debbie Middleton on (024) 7641 1803
St
Thomas More Brownies meet on Tuesday evenings from 6.30 p.m. – 8.00
p.m. term times only. Brownies is for girls aged 7 to 10, as part of the
national Girlguiding organisation where they have fun making, singing
and playing games with new friends. Brownies offers the opportunity to
grow in confidence as strong independent girls in a safe “girl only” space.
The unit currently operates an extremely long waiting list. Please ensure
you put your daughter's name down before they are two to ensure they get
a space at 7. Girlguiding UK is always looking for new adult volunteers;
no previous guiding experience is required. Contact details Amanda Kelly
(Brown Owl) 024 7641 4473
Rainbows
meet on a Tuesday evening from 5.45-6.45. The youngest division of Girlguiding
UK, invites girls from age 5 to 7, to be part of a national organisation
where girls have fun making, singing and playing games with new friends.
The unit currently operates a very long waiting list. Please ensure
you put your daughter's name down as soon as possible to ensure they
get a space. Girlguiding UK is always looking for new adult volunteers,
no previous guiding experience is required. Contact details Rachel Hickingbotham
rjhickingbotham@aol.com 02476693777
"Make hospitality your special care' (Romans 12:13)."
As a parish community, we recognise that visitors and parishioners
alike must feel welcome, in order to enter fully into the life of worship
and prayer. So, after our Sunday 9am and 11am Masses, everybody is welcome
to our parish Margaret Roper Room for tea and coffee.
The
Guides meet on a Tuesday evening 7.30pm – 9.00pm. This is the third
section of the Guiding movement is for girls aged 10 years to 16 plus.
We have a very varied programme, which includes both indoor and outdoor
activities. Guiding is a great way to help girls realise their full potential
in a relaxed and friendly environment. We always have room for more girls
and adults who would like to help out in any way. For more details about
the Guides please call Claire Rutter 024 76 412535 Or Mary Hulme 024 76
416681
For many years St. Thomas More's parish has been blessed with dedicated altar servers, both boys and girls. After a period of training the servers are enrolled into the Guild of St Stephen. St. Stephen was chosen as the patron of altar servers because he was a dedicated servant in the early Church and gave his life for his belief in Christ. The members of the Guild of St. Stephen serve each Sunday at Mass and sometimes at weekday Mass. During their time of training, servers learn to do all the roles that are needed to ensure that the Mass is celebrated properly. Altar servers from our parish have been privileged to serve at two Papal Masses: the visit to Baginton Airport of Pope John Paul II on Pentecost Sunday 1982, and the visit to Cofton Park, Birmingham, of Pope Benedict XVI for the Beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, on 19th September 2010.
If you would like more information about the Guild of St. Stephen and being an altar server contact Malcolm Pollard 02476 413011