Pastoral Care
On this page you will find useful information on pastoral care matters. If you can’t find what you are looking for please get in touch with us. We are here to support our Parish community as much as possible.
Pastoral Care Contacts
Winter is coming. If you have identified a rough sleeper and feel you would like to help them, then please CLICK HERE.
For more information please contact STREETLINK by clicking below
The Society of St Vincent de Paul is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor. The Society’s vocation is to follow Christ through service to those in need and so bear witness to His compassionate and liberating love. Members show their commitment through person to person contact. The Society serves those in need regardless of creed or background.
The Society has been active in the Parish for nearly 100 years. Most of our work involves visiting people (the elderly, the homeless as well as other vulnerable people), although we provide some financial support where necessary.
If you would like to contact the SVP or would like to get involved, please contact the Parish Office on 020 8194 2301
A stay in hospital can be a daunting and lonely experience. We can and will support and encourage you during that time if you wish. We have a team of trained volunteer visitors ready to visit you or a loved one, to pray together and/or receive Communion.
Most Hospitals also have a Hospital Chaplaincy. They are there to care for the spiritual, pastoral and religious needs of all patients. On admission to Hospital please ensure that your religion is registered and confirm that a friend or relative has contacted the Catholic Chaplain and the Parish Office to let them know your details. This is because under current law Chaplains are not allowed to seek out people to visit but must await a specific request from a patient.
Contacts for local Hospital Chaplaincy:
| Ealing Hospital | 020 8967 5130 | Fr Augustin Paunon |
| Central Middlesex | 020 8869 2112 | Fr Augustin Paunon |
| Charing Cross | 020 8846 1042 | |
| Clayponds | 020 8560 1671 | Brentford Parish |
| Chelsea & Westminster | 020 8746 8083 | |
| Clementine Churchill | 020 8904 2552 | Sudbury Parish |
| Hammersmith | 020 8846 1042 | |
| Northwick Park | 020 8869 2112 | Fr Augustin Paunon |
| Royal Marsden | 020 7808 0900 | |
| St Bernard’s, Hanwell | 020 8354 8243 | |
| St Mary’s Paddington | 020 7856 1508 | |
| West Middlesex | 020 8967 5130 |
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The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is offered when ever someone needs special support and strength when facing a health problem. If you or a loved one would like to receive this Sacrament please get in touch with us.
If non urgent, please contact the Parish Office on 020 8194 2301
If urgent, please ring the Emergency Sick Number on 07752 385 860
On occasions you may find it impossible to get to Mass, perhaps because of an ongoing illness, mobility problems or a period of convalesce. We have a team of trained volunteers who bring Holy Communion to members of the Parish in these situations. If you would like to discuss this option, you can contact us by:
Email: parishoffice@ealingabbey.org.uk
Phone: 0208 194 2301
We have a dedicated Special Needs Coordinator in the Parish called Philly Codrington. If you have any requests or insights, please contact her through the Parish Office – 020 8194 2301
Sacramental preparation for those with special needs can be provided; please go to the relevant Sacrament from the menu for contact details.
Large print hymn books & newsletters are available in the bookshop porch.
The Church, Parish Hall and Bulbeck Room have a hard of hearing loop.
There is disabled parking in Marchwood Crescent by the front of the church and ramped access to the church. A more convenient access route is from Montpelier Avenue – to the North side of the Abbey – with a side road leading past the school playground (and Sunday carpark) to a small number of disabled person’s parking spaces directly next to entrance.
Pastoral Council
The Pastoral Council acts as an advisory body for the Parish Team and helps steer the various aspects of Parish life. Every effort is made to make it representative of all the various strands in the parish. It meets regularly to discuss matters suggested by the Parish Team or by its members. Its members are chosen either by the parish priest or by election at the Annual General Meeting of the parish.
Ibi Abasi (Chair and Parishioner)
Fr Ambrose McCambridge OSB (President and Parish Priest)
Brendan Curran (Parishioner)
Fr Timothy Gorham OSB (Parish Father)
Stephen Balogh (Parishioner)
Help with a funeral
Planning for a funeral
Funeral arrangements for a loved one at their time of death can be overwhelming. We have some helpful guidance for your consideration on this page and as you prepare to plan your loved one’s funeral, we invite you to consider the hopeful Christian message.
When someone is baptised they die to self so that they may rise to life in Jesus. This means that those who are born into the life of God (through Baptism) have the sure hope that their death is not final because Jesus has overcome death through his Resurrection. In Baptism and in a life of faith we have a share in Jesus’ Resurrection and conquering of death.
The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith as Christians. “Christ is risen from the dead! Dying, he conquered death; to the dead, he has given life.” CCC 639
It is with this wonderful truth of the Resurrection that we place your loved one in the arms of the Father through Jesus Christ. We pray that the Christian teaching brings you consolation when you consider the life of your loved one.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Catholic funeral is an act of worship and thanksgiving to God for the gift of the life of the person who has died. People gather to pray to God for that person and to receive hope and consolation from God and each other.
As Catholics we believe that God sees the life of every person as precious. Your loved one will be mentioned by name in the bidding prayers at Mass.
- Choose Funeral Director (they will help with advice)
- Choose Burial or Cremation
- Decide whether you want a Catholic Funeral or Mass, or Funeral without Mass
- Fix date of the funeral with Funeral Director
- Make a list of those you would like to attend
- Help with Catholic Funeral readings
- Help with Catholic Funeral music choices
- Decide what family/friends will do at the Funeral
- Decide whether you want someone to speak in memory of the person
- Finalise Order of Service
- Decide whether you will have a reception after the Funeral
- A Catholic Funeral Mass usually lasts at least an hour
- A Catholic Funeral without Mass takes around 40 minutes
The Catholic Church allows a relative or friend of the person who has died to say some words in remembrance.
No. A Reception of the Body is optional and would normally take place on the evening before the Funeral takes place.
The Catholic Funeral has its particular ritual forms and texts. But within this, there is some flexibility with options for readings, music and the sharing of memories of the person who has died.
With time and preparation, a Catholic funeral can be a unique, personal and comforting occasion.
Abbot Martin Shipperlee said: “Death is a great dis-enabler and grief disables. Those who are grieving need action, and by praying for their loved one they are doing something.”
Arranging the funeral of someone close to you is one of the most loving things you can do but it can also be daunting. We are here to help prepare and support you in the process.
Priests usually suggest that non-religious music is played at the reception after the Funeral. The Funeral’s purpose is to commend and pray for the person who has died and religious music helps move our soul and mind to prayer.
Poems can be included in the words in remembrance. Many people have poems printed in the order of service or recite poems at the reception.
Normally the family sits at the front, friends behind them and work colleagues at the back.
Grief & Healing
The days and months after the loss of a loved one can be very difficult. All at once there is a lot to do – contacting family and friends, organising the funeral, sorting out the financial affairs of the deceased and dealing with their effects, and so on. This can get in the way of the grieving process.
We all grieve in different ways; some of us feel intense grief immediately, others later on, once these immediate activities have been completed. It’s important to allow ourselves to grieve; while it can be very painful, it’s a process that will allow us to move on to being able to remember our loved ones without anguish and rebuild our lives. It’s common to experience one or more of a range of strong emotions during the grieving process, not in any particular order: shock, denial, guilt, anger, sadness. These are natural reactions; tell God how you feel. Gradually, these will give way to acceptance and healing.
Sometimes, with kind intentions, family and friends may offer advice, which may not be helpful. Give yourself time before making any big decisions about the future.
You may find it helpful to talk to someone in confidence outside your immediate circle of family and friends, who will not offer guidance or advice, but lend a friendly listening ear, enabling you to make sense of your grief in your own way. The Abbey has a Bereavement Support Group, with members who can provide this sort of support, as distinct from professional counselling. If you would like to speak to someone, please contact the Parish Office in the first instance on 020 8194 2301.
Sometimes, however, the grief can be so intense and prolonged that there seems no prospect of returning to a normal life. If that is the case, it would be better to seek professional counselling. Your GP should be able to advise; or you could contact the Ealing Abbey Counselling Service, which operates independently from the Parish, on 0208 998 3362.
