The Parish Priest writes:

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4 JANUARY 2026  - THE SECOND SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS

PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Gracious and loving God, we thank You for the gift of our priests, help them to be strong in their vocation and become instruments of Your love and grace. Send Your Holy Spirit to give courage and guidance to all You are calling to the Priesthood, Diaconate and Religious Life in our Archdiocese. May those called, hear Your voice, and respond wholeheartedly to become the person You have created them to be. Heavenly Father, form us all in the likeness of Your Son, Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd, so that we may love You more deeply and serve You more faithfully. We ask this through Christ Your Son, the Eternal High Priest. AMEN

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THE EPIPHANY – HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION. This year we celebrate The Epiphany of the Lord, a Holy Day of Obligation, on a weekday - Tuesday 6th January. It is a beautiful feast in which Christ is revealed not only to the Magi, but to all nations and to every home that welcomes Him. The Epiphany reminds us that faith is not meant to stay only within the walls of the church, but is to be carried into our daily lives and households.

Masses will be celebrated:

 in Sevenoaks at 8:00am, 9:30am (School Mass), 12:00noon and 8:00pm.

 in Otford at 10:00am

 in West Kingsdown at 11:00am

 in Borough Green at 6:00pm.

On this feast we will also bring back an ancient Christian tradition, the Blessing of Homes at Epiphany. After Mass, everyone will be able to take home a small pack containing blessed chalk and incense, together with simple instructions on how to bless your home and mark your door. This beautiful custom, slowly returning and now practised in many parishes, is a prayerful way of inviting Christ into our homes and placing our families under His protection.
 

THURSDAY COFFEE MORNINGS. Thursday coffee morning resumes 8th January at St Thomas’s parish centre 10:00am - 11:45am. Pat Harman is kindly presenting on World War 2 on the 22nd January. All are welcome to attend.
 

PARISH RETREATS 2026. Save the date for the Men’s retreat, from 1st to 3rd May, which will be facilitated by spiritual director Clare Cameron. The Women’s retreat will be from 19th to 21st June, led by Canon Luke Smith, who has held many significant roles in our Diocese, and some will remember him from his time as an assistant priest in our parish. For information, contact Catherine 

TRUTH SEEKERS. Our Youth Ministry programme will resume on Saturday 17th January. The sessions run on Saturdays, from 7pm to 8pm, in the St Thomas’ parish centre. Teens (aged 13 to 17 years old) are most welcome to bring a friend. Come and join us for a meal and lots of fun.
 

SCAM EMAILS targeting parishioners are on the rise, with fraudsters impersonating parish clergy, often requesting gift cards. Legitimate parish emails always come from addresses ending in @rcaos.org.uk. If you receive a suspicious email, do not respond. Report it as spam and contact the parish office to verify. Stay alert to protect our community

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PARISH MISSION FOLLOW UP and HOME VISITS. The feedback from our Parish Mission has been extremely positive, and we are very grateful for the grace and encouragement it has brought to our parish. As a next step, we would like to draw closer together and reflect on how we can energise our parish community even more, so that all around our churches people know that we are here, and that God’s grace flows through a community gathered around the Lord Jesus. A special role in this follow-up we entrust to our Cell Groups, which help build faith, friendship, and mission at a local level. (Please see our website or contact the parish office to find out more about the cell groups you could join in your area.) We would also like to come closer to you personally by visiting your homes, simply to chat about how we can improve our ministry and help one another grow closer to God’s love. From this Sunday, sign-up forms are available for a priest’s home visit. You are invited to fill one in and return it when you are ready. Please think about a day of the week and a suitable time when you could receive a priest for a cup of tea or coffee and a friendly conversation (no longer than 45 minutes). If you wish, we can also bless your home and answer any questions you may have. These visits are intended as a gentle follow-up to the Parish Mission and will continue throughout the coming year, until next Christmas. There is no rush and no pressure—just a warm invitation from us. These visits are especially important for First Holy Communion families, and these will be treated as a priority before the First Communion celebrations. Please look out for the sign-up lists in the church porch.

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CLERGY ABSENCE. Please note that Fr John will be on holiday from 11th January and will return in February. Among his many responsibilities, Fr John normally coordinates baptisms. During this time, if there are any questions, delays, or issues related to baptisms, please direct all enquiries by email to       
Fr Peter 

Please keep Fr John in your prayers, for safe travel and a peaceful and restorative time of rest.

REPOSITORY SHOP TIMES THIS WEEK

Saturday 3rd January: after 6:00pm Mass

Sunday 4th January: after 8:00am, 9:15am, 11:15am and 6:00pm Mass

Saturday 11th January: after 6:00pm Mass

Sunday 12th January: after 8:00am, 9:15am and 6:00pm Mass

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EPIPHANY BLESSING OF HOMES

The Feast of the Epiphany celebrates the moment when Christ is revealed to the world. The word epiphany means “manifestation” or “making visible”. In the visit of the Magi, the Church proclaims that Jesus is not only the Messiah of Israel, but the Saviour of all nations. Strangers from afar are guided by a star, led not by power or certainty, but by longing and trust, until they find Christ not in a palace, but in a home. Epiphany reminds us that God chooses to reveal himself quietly and humbly, and that he allows himself to be found by those who seek him with sincerity of heart. It is a feast of light, guidance, and encounter — a feast about God stepping into human life and human space.

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At its heart, Epiphany tells us something essential about God: he desires to dwell with us. The Magi enter a house, not a temple. They kneel, adore, and offer gifts within the ordinary setting of daily life. This reveals a profound truth — holiness is not limited to sacred buildings, but is meant to reach into homes, relationships, and everyday routines. Christ is revealed not only to be admired, but to be welcomed. Epiphany challenges us to ask whether Christ is truly present in our decisions, our conversations, our priorities, and our homes. Like the Magi, we are invited not to return the same way we came but changed by the encounter.

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THE BLESSING OF HOMES ON EPIPHANY According to ancient Christian tradition, on the Feast of the Epiphany believers bless their homes by marking the door and filling the house with the fragrance of blessed incense. This custom expresses a simple but powerful prayer: that Christ may truly dwell among us. The family gathers to ask God’s blessing on their home and on all who live in it or visit it. It is an invitation to Jesus to be a daily guest in our lives — in our comings and goings, our work and rest, our joys and our sorrows. The traditional inscription is written above or near the main entrance using blessed chalk:

20 + C + M + B + 26

The letters C, M, and B not only refer to the traditional names of the Magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, but at the same time, they stand for the Latin prayer Christus mansionem benedicat — “May Christ bless this house.” The crosses remind us that every blessing flows from the Cross of Christ, and the year marks our prayer as something lived here and now. In a busy and often distracted world, this simple sign on the door quietly proclaims a deep truth: Christ is welcome here. May this Epiphany blessing help our homes remain places of faith, peace, and light throughout the year.

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INSTRUCTIONS FOR BLESSING THE HOME Using the blessed chalk mark the lintel of your front door (the door itself or front porch step) as follows:

20 + C + M + B + 26

while saying: The three Wise Men, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar followed the star of God’s Son who became human two thousand and twenty-six years ago. May Christ bless our home and remain with us throughout the year. Amen.

As the incense is burnt offer the following prayer:

Visit, O blessed Lord, this home with the gladness of your presence. Bless all who live or visit here with the gift of your love; and grant that we may manifest your love to each other and to all whose lives we touch. May we grow in grace and in knowledge and love of you; guide, comfort, and strengthen us in peace, O Lord Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen.

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With time the chalk will fade. As it does we let the meaning of the symbols written sink into the depths of our heart and be manifest in our words and actions the Latin words:

Christus mansionem benedictat

May Christ bless the house.

​​​​​​​​St Thomas of Canterbury, pray for us.
St Joseph, pray for us.
St Bernadette, pray for us.
St Edith of Kemsing, pray for us.

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Fr Peter Kucharski, Parish Priest of Sevenoaks

12 Granville Road     email

Sevenoaks               01732 454177

TN13 1ER