Parish Groups

Group		Activity
Choir		Choir at 10.30 am Sunday Mass: The Rosary Singers are made up of men, women and children - young and old. They sing a mixture of traditional and contemporary music. They rehearse every Sunday at 9.45am in the organ loft and are very happy to welcome new members. Organist / Director of Music: Brian Lamble .

Union of Catholic Mothers

The Sutton Foundation of UCM was opened in February 1967 by Mrs Mary Hodge, a parishioner at Our Lady of the Rosary for many years, who was Diocesan President at the time. With a current membership of around forty-five and an average attendance at meetings of about thirty, the foundation is one of the larger ones in the diocese. Several founder members are still very actively involved and new members are always welcome. Meetings take place fortnightly on Tuesdays at 8pm in the Parish Centre and Mass is offered for members’ intentions once a month.

Parent and Toddler Group

Families with young children are not forgotten and the Mother and Toddlers Group meets in St Joseph’s Hall on Thursday mornings. 9.30 to 11.00 am.

Knights of St Columba

The Knights of St Columba organization was formed in Glasgow in 1919 as a lay organisation for practising Catholic men. A number of our parishioners are members. .

Catenians

Sutton Mid-Surrey Circle of the Catenians. Founded in 1908, the Catenian Association is an international body of Catholic men, mainly from businesses and the professions. It provides friendship and support for its members, their families and other young Catholics as well as the Catholic clergy. The Sutton Circle was inaugurated in The Hut adjoining the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary on 14 November 1919; The Sutton Mid-Surrey Circle is noted for never having missed a monthly meeting in all its eighty-six years. The Epsom Circle was founded in 1934 from Sutton. A number of Our Lady of the Rosary parishioners are members of the Epsom Circle.

Parish Finance Committee

Chaired by the Parish Priest, the PFC meets four times a year. Current members are Liz Tadd, Henryka Barrington, Tom Finnegan, Gemma Fitzpatrick, Roger Morton, Sean Phillips, Peter Thompson, Ciaran O’Neill and Joseph Verghese. The PFC advises Fr Jim on parish finance and the maintenance of the buildings and, each year, approves the financial returns which are sent to the diocese. Our annual parish financial return is inspected by an independent examiner, Kevin A. Mallett A.C.A., and then sent to the Diocesan Finance Office. :Peter Thompson also organises the parish gift aid, while Tom Finnegan manages the COLORS (Church of Our Lady Of the Rosary) Club. This latter is a monthly raffle, where half the money raised is given in prizes and half goes to the parish.

Brownies

The 4th Sutton Our Lady of the Rosary Brownie Pack was founded on 29 June 1971 by Anne Keating who became Brown Owl. At first Anne and Marian Robinson (Tawny Owl) ran the pack alone, but were soon joined by Julie Burge as Jenny Wren. In 1973 when Anne Keating married, the Brownies formed a guard of honour at her wedding. 1973 also saw the departure of Marian Robinson and the roles of Brown Owl and Tawny Owl were taken on by Pat Foss and Betty Purcell with the help of Yvonne Pettingell. In 1978 a Guide Company was opened by Betty Purcell which ran for eight years. In 1993 Pat Foss retired and her role was taken by her daughter Mary Wright who had been one of the founder Brownies in 1971. Mary is assisted by another founder Brownie, Anne Barnes. Over the years the Brownies have enjoyed outings and weekends away, helped at bazaars, worked towards interest badges and, above all, had fun.

LIFE

The Parish of Our Lady of the Rosary has a history of protecting the right to life of unborn children. Volunteers from the parish supported the work of Dr Mary Belton of ‘Let Live’ by manning a telephone service and offering accommodation to homeless pregnant women. LIFE is a non-denominational charity who purpose is to relieve poverty and distress in pregnant women, unsupported mothers and young couples with children. In 1983 charity representative Mr Jim Kennedy gave a talk at all the Masses and the LIFE group at Our Lady of the Rosary was established. It supports the Croydon Life Care & Pregnancy Service. Members give talks locally and raise funds through the bi-annual London Bridges Walk and by weekly Keep Fit sessions.