Giving
The parish is sustained by the generosity of its parishioners. Whether you can give a little or a lot, regularly or occasionally, every contribution helps maintain the church, its buildings, and the work we do in the wider community.
Gift Aid
If you are a UK income taxpayer, every pound you give can have an additional 25 pence added by HMRC at no cost to you, through the parish Gift Aid scheme. To register, please contact one of the priests or the Parish Office. Gift Aid envelopes are also available in the porch.
Standing Order
Many parishioners now give by monthly standing order, which makes planning easier for the parish and ensures the offertory continues even if you are away. Standing Order forms are available from the Parish Office.
Online giving
Online giving is being added to the parish website shortly. In the meantime, please use Standing Order or contribute at the offertory at Mass.
One-off donations
Cash and cheque offerings are warmly welcomed at any Mass. Cheques should be made payable to Our Lady of Grace, Charlton.
Volunteer
Do you have a trade, skill, or talent you would be willing to use to support the parish? Please speak with one of the priests, or fill in the Parish Registration Form in the porch and indicate the areas where you can help. Catechists, readers, choir members, cleaners, gardeners, and skilled tradespeople are always needed.
A complete list of parish groups, with details of when they meet and how to join, is on the Parish Life page.
Food Bank
The Parish Food Bank meets every Saturday between 11.00 am and 12.00 noon. Parishioners and neighbours who need help with food are welcome. Many thanks to Our Lady of Grace Primary School for their generous contributions.
We urgently need volunteers to help administer the food bank. Donations of non-perishable food are welcome at any time; please ensure goods are within their use-by date, as we cannot distribute expired stock.
To volunteer, or to donate larger quantities of food, please speak with one of the priests.
Justice and Peace
The parish has a long tradition of engagement with social justice. Our work is rooted in Catholic Social Teaching and in the Spiritan commitment to "go where others will not go, and do the work that others do not want to do."
We support the Archdiocese of Southwark's Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission, and we encourage parishioners to take steps to live more sustainably in light of Laudato Si'.
Care for creation
In the spirit of Laudato Si', the parish encourages practical care for creation in daily life: in what we buy, what we waste, and how we use energy and water. The Archdiocese's Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission publishes resources for parishes and households.
A Global Our Father
Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name in all the people of this country and around the world, peoples of different race, class, colour, and religion, in families and religious communities, in workplaces, study centres, hospitals, and refugee centres.
May your kingdom come more and more in the hearts of those who work in your name, of those who know you least and those who have no hope.
Your will be done on earth, in the hearts of saints and sinners, and of those who have an abundance from which to give to the hungry, the sick, the untaught, the homeless, and the unemployed.
Give us this day our daily bread, to the poor at home and the poor around the world, the bread of truth, to this disturbed generation.
And forgive us our trespasses, our coldness, our constant failure to reach out to those who are in need, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation: give us the grace to resist the temptation to judge, the temptation to arrogance and superiority, the temptation to fear failure, the temptation to selfishness, to a closed mind.
But deliver us from the evil of injustice, of war and violence, the evil of failing in affection, respect and support for those who live and work with us. Deliver us from the evil of turning away from you.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Parish Council
The Parish Pastoral Council assists the Parish Priest in planning and coordinating the pastoral life of the parish, in support of the mission of the Spiritans. It is governed by a Constitution adopted in March 2016.
The Council comprises the Clergy of the Parish and up to fourteen lay members elected at the Annual General Meeting. Lay members serve for five years and may put themselves forward for re-election. Up to four members may be co-opted at any time.
The Council meets at least four times a year. The Annual Parish Meeting is open to all Catholic residents of the parish; details are posted in the church porch and on this website at least twenty-eight days in advance.
The full text of the Parish Council Constitution is available on request from the Parish Office.
Our Lady of Grace Primary School
The parish primary school sits within the precinct, at Highcombe, Charlton. It traces its origins to 1905, when classes began in the conservatory of Highcombe House. The current building was opened on 19 May 2017 by Bishop Pat Lynch, replacing the earlier school built in 1929. The school has been rated Outstanding by Ofsted.
The school is a community based on Gospel values and the teachings of the Catholic Church, aiming to develop each child spiritually, intellectually, physically, culturally, and socially.
Telephone: 020 8858 2262
Web: ourladyofgracecatholicprimaryschool.co.uk
Contact
To contact the parish, please use the details below.
- Parish Office: Tuesday and Friday, 10.00 am – 1.00 pm
- Phone: 020 8117 3350
- Email: [email protected]
- Post: 145 Charlton Road, London SE7 7EZ
Safeguarding concerns: please contact the Parish Office, or the Archdiocese of Southwark Safeguarding Team directly via rcaos.org.uk/mission/safeguarding.