Parish Groups, Events and Community Outreach

Our Calling

At St Mary's, we pursue the Glory of God through worship, ministry, giving and education. We strive to connect with Jesus Christ and to each other, in order to magnify His name. At the heart of everything we do is the understanding that we must love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind, and to treat our neighbours as we wish to be treated ourselves.

We are an active, vibrant Parish with many Groups and Community outreach projects, that we support. There is much going on, so please do get involved!

Choir and Music at Mass Group

St Mary's places a high value on music, and being part of a choir or singing ensemble can both meaningfully express one's faith and bring honour to God. Instrumentalists such as pianists or guitarists can be a great blessing to parishes since they support the congregation and function as a part of the broader music team.

Musicians may be required to attend rehearsals and are frequently asked to devote a little time to composing music for Mass.

The Choir is run by Irene and sings at the 10am Mass on Sunday and also other special Mass events. They are always seeking new members and would make you most welcome if you wished to join them.

Please contact the Parish office for more information or register as a volunteer here.

Readers at Mass Group

Typically, St Mary's will have a rotating roster of readers for weekend Masses. If you have a clear voice and don't mind investing some time in reading preparation, you should think about volunteering for this position. We can offer you some guidance on how to read in church, since it is a large resonant space.

The Reading group is run by Robin. They are always seeking new members and would make you most welcome if you wished to join them.

Please contact the Parish office for more information or register as a volunteer here.

Altar Servers at Mass Group

A priest's assistant during Mass and occasionally at other liturgies is an altar server. Although a young person would typically begin after receiving their First Holy Communion, it is a role that is open to both young and old. Servers will assist with setting up the Sanctuary before Mass, performing tasks during Mass, and then helping to clean up afterward.

The Altar Servers group is run by Kimberley. They are always seeking new members and would make you most welcome if you wished to join them.

Please contact the Parish office for more information or register your interest in volunteering here.

Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)

Our Mission

We aim to share with each other the happiness our faith brings us and to allow the Spirit of Jesus to work amongst us, helping us to build a community rich in prayer, unity and service. We hope to reflect this richness in our relationship with our families, our friends, and all those whom we meet in our daily lives.

Our Role

The role of the Parish Pastoral Council is to fulfil our stated Mission by:

Reflecting on and planning for the future direction of the Parish in the light of the Gospel.
Supporting, enabling and co-ordinating parish activities as necessary.
Identifying and celebrating the gifts of parishioners and encouraging all to participate in the life of the Parish.
Engaging ecumenically with neighbouring faith communities.

Members of the Council are selected by the Parish Priest and are renewed regularly, forming a broadly representative group of parishioners, some with specific responsibilities. The current chairman is Joe Colairo.

PPC CONSTITUTION

Portuguese Community Mass

St Mary’s warmly welcomes the local Portuguese community into the Parish with open arms.

A Portuguese Mass is held at St Mary's every Sunday at 5pm.

We hope to see you there!

A Igreja St Mary's acolhe calorosamente a comunidade portuguesa local com braços abertos.

Uma Missa portuguesa é realizada na Igreja St Mary's todos os domingos às 17h.

Esperamos vê-los lá!

Senior Citizens Lunch

The Parishioners and Redemptorist clergy have a proud tradition of hosting a Senior Citizen's Christmas lunch at the Redemptorist Monastery every year.

It’s hugely popular, but its success depends on the support of volunteers.

Please contact the Parish office for more information or register as a volunteer to support this event.

Fete's and Social Gatherings

We regularly have tea, coffee and cakes in the monastery after Sunday Mass. This is a great way to keep in touch with your fellow parishioners and the wider community.

Please contact the Parish office for more information or register as a volunteer to support this event.

CSsR Zimbabwe Mission

The Redemptorists work throughout Zimbabwe and have a strong presence in Tafara & Mabvuku and Borrowdale. Their main pastoral outreach is through five churches in the Archdiocese of Harare. We ask your prayers for the work of our confreres, the people and the nation.

Tafara - This community is primarily a formation community with nearly forty young Zimbabweans studying to be priests and brothers. The community also helps to feed and clothe the people of the township.

Borrowdale - A Redemptorist parish served by young Zimbabwean Redemptorist priests and brothers.

Find out more here.

Ace of Clubs
Homeless Support

The Redemptorist clergy and parishioners of St Mary’s have a long-standing and proud connection with the Ace of Clubs, since it was formed in 1995.

The Ace of Clubs depends upon the support of local volunteers.

Find out how you can volunteer here.

About the Ace of Clubs

The Ace of Clubs is a Redemptorist initiative that began as a response to the many homeless and vulnerable knocking at the red door of the St Mary’s Monastery in St Alphonsus Road, Clapham asking for help.

The Redemptorists provided the location, manpower and resources for Ace to begin in 1995. Ace is now an open access day centre that acts as a ‘one-stop shop’, providing the homeless, vulnerable and dispossessed with: Hot and cold meals, Hot showers, Clothing/toiletries, Laundry facilities, Coffee and tea, In-house NHS nurses, NHS dental services, Case-working, Education & training, IT facilities, Mobile phone charging, Mail-boxes and Veterinary help.

For over 25 years the Ace of Clubs has provided an estimated 500,000+ meals, helped 10,000 clients get off the streets and onto their feet. Miracles take place at Ace every day!

St Vincent de Paul (SVP)

The St Vincent de Paul Society (England & Wales) is part of an international Christian voluntary network dedicated to tackling poverty in all its forms by providing practical assistance to people in need.

The St Mary’s Parish has been a proud and generous supporter of SVP for many years.

Please send an email to svpclapham@gmail.com if you'd like to volunteer for the SVP or learn more.

Regular Parish events

Young Catholic Adults - 2nd Monday of the month at 7pm
Senior Citizens Lunch at Monastery Rectory
First Holy Communion Programme - Sept to November
Baptismal Preparation
RCIA - every Tuesday at 7pm
PPC Meetings take place once a month
Finance Committee meetings

Thanks to all our volunteers

So many things are done with the help of our wonderful volunteers. No exact figures are at hand, but we reckon there are about 100 people who volunteer in many different ways as:

readers
cleaners
servers
flower arrangers
catechists
eucharistic ministers
committee members

musicians
hymn book attendants
sacristans
tea/coffee makers
caterers
welcomers
and so many more!

May God bless you all