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WORLD MISSION today, 23rd October 2016.   There will be a second collection at all Masses today. World Mission Day is celebrated every year in every country wherever there are Catholics committed to building a better world for all of God's people, a world where everyone has all they need to live a dignified and fulfilling life. It is the day on which we reflect on the urgency to proclaim the Gospel in our times.  If you are a tax payer, please Gift Aid your offering.  Envelopes are available in the church entrance.

CONFIRMATION 2016-2017: Application forms are now available in the church porch for enrolment into the Confirmation program 2016-2017. This program is open to youth in Year 10 and above who wish to make their confirmation here in St Patricks. Completed forms must be brought back to the Presbytery today   and will only be accepted with a copy of the candidate’s baptismal certificate attached.

November Dead List- Envelopes are available in the Porch for the November dead list. Place in this envelope the names of your deceased relatives and all for whom you wish to pray. Please bring the envelopes as soon as possible to the Church or Presbytery.

RCIA- Registration is now taking place for ANY ADULT who has not been baptised or who was baptised in a different church/ denomination and wants to be a Catholic. Please call into the Parish Office.

Parish Pastoral Council meeting will take place on Tuesday 25^th October  at 7pm in the Presbytery .All members are expected to attend.

CALAIS APPEAL.  There are now more than 9,000 people living in unacceptably squalid conditions in the Calais refugee camp. The French authorities will demolish most of the camp mid-October with the aim to reduce down to 2,000 people. Message from Care4Calais: With the planned demolitions looming, we now need to prepare ourselves for the worst. This means that we need to equip refugees for the potential move. We are now appealing for donations for the following essential items: • Rucksacks and travel bags • Smartphones • Tents • Sleeping bags and blankets • Men’s warm waterproof winter coats • Men’s waterproof walking boots with raised ankle sizes 38 – 45 (but most sizes 42/43) • Toiletries and toiletry packs • Money to fund Care4Calais’ ongoing work in the camp.  Contact  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  for further details.

The Faith in Action group are organising a Live Simply Lunch on Sunday November 27th after 11.30 Mass. We will be providing tasty soup and bread and would love as many parishioners as possible to join us for a bite to eat and a chat about what the Faith in Action group have been up to. We would also like to get your thoughts on what more we can all do to help protect the environment and prevent the destruction of the beautiful earth we inhabit and the creatures that live upon it. Their next meeting is on Tuesday 8^th November at 7:30 pm in the Presbytery.

St. Patrick Primary School.  There are  vacancies in the school for Year 1 – 2 spaces,  Year 3 – 3 spaces, Year 5 – 3 spaces.  For further information please ring the school office on 020 8509 4321.

WOMEN’S INTERFAITH.  Network AGM, Monday 24^th October – 7pm.  Our Lady & St. George Church Hall, Shernhall Street, E17.  Guest speaker : Rev Maggie Hindley.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

Our Lady’s Convent High School invites you to attend Sixth Form Open Evening on Thursday 10^th November 2016 from 5pm to 7pm.  For further details please visit their website www.ourladys.hackney.sch.uk

EL SHADDAI (Catholic Charismatic Group).  Rosary prayer, praise and worship, preaching the gospel of the Lord, every Saturday,

from 1pm – 4pm.  All welcome to join.

IMPORTANT NOTICE. Due to Fire and Safety Regulations, children and persons of limited mobility are NOT permitted in the gallery.  We also ask that when lighting a candle you first place the candle in one of the cups provided.  Please do NOT walk around with a lighted candle.

RED MISSIO BOX.  Please return all your red boxes to the presbytery.  Thank you all for the continuing support for this good cause.  ~Dolly.

Pray Imperfectly by Bob Hostetler.  One of the joys of being a grandparent is teaching the grandkids to pray. And praying with them. And learning to pray from them. Yes, you read that right. My grandchildren teach me to pray. Our youngest grandchild just turned two. And, like her older siblings and cousins, she will often volunteer to pray at meals and bedtime. Even though she is still learning to speak, she prays well. To be fair, the length of her mealtime prayers depend more or less on her hunger and delight in the food that has been set before her. That is, the greater her gratitude, the shorter her prayer. In a way, however, maybe the prayer’s brevity is a lesson in gratitude.  Her prayers are sometimes inaudible or unintelligible to our ears, due to low volume or indistinct enunciation. They seem to make sense to her, though, and we are pretty sure they make sense to God.  And her “amens” are often jubilant and enthusiastic. No mere afterthought, they resound with more conviction than any Bach or Handel finale.  By some standards, her prayers—and those of our other grandchildren—are far from perfect. They are unpredictable in form, often taking on a “stream of consciousness” quality that would probably delight fans of William Faulkner or Virginia Woolf, sounding something like this: “God, we went to the zoo today and I saw a giraffe they have long necks but not like turtles because they don’t have a shell and I hope we go again soon and did I leave my cotton candy in the car?” Not exactly The Book of Common Prayer.  At other times, their prayers sound suspiciously like attempts to postpone sleep: “And I hope Alex’s poison ivy gets better and the lady in the grocery store doesn’t have to limp anymore and that the grass grows back in the front yard” and on and on it goes. They have even been known to break into song while praying. Yet they make me want to pray. They remind me that prayer doesn’t have to be just-so, any more than other human conversation. In fact, sometimes the simpler the prayer, the better, particularly when it reflects what is truly on our minds and in our hearts at the moment, instead of what we think God wants to hear.  He might even be refreshed by such prayers, as I am often blessed by hearing what comes out of my grandkids’ mouths!  Maybe that is one of the things Jesus had in mind when he said, “Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:15, HCSB).  In that respect, imperfect prayers can be perfect.