Newsletter Sunday 13th April 2014
Today we begin Holy Week, the most sacred week in the Church’s year in which we commemorate the events of the passion and death of the Lord.
Palms will be blessed din the garden at the beginning of the 9.30 Mass followed by the procession into the Church. This year we are reading the account of the Passion from Matthew’s gospel. Remember to share in the parts marked for the crowd in the Mass books.
There will be a Mass for children at 4pm on Maundy Thursday and the Solemn Mass of the Last Supper is at 8pm. Followed by watching in the Church until 10pm. During the Mass we will receive the three holy oils which are used in the administration of the Sacraments during the coming year.
On Good Friday the solemn liturgy is at 3pm and there will be Stations of the Cross at 8pm with the veneration of the relic of the true cross.
The collection on Good Friday is for the maintenance of the holy places.
A reminder that Friday is a day of fasting and abstinence.
The Easter Vigil begins at 9pm on Saturday evening.
On Easter Sunday Masses will be at the normal times.
The Justice and Peace group meet in the Angelus Room at 6.15 on Sunday evening. They would welcome some new members – if you would like to help, just come along.
Last week – an inspection of the scratches to the pews in the Church. You may have noticed that we have experimented with different finishes on the first three benches at the front. The first of the three seems to be the best and we will be putting this in hand fairly soon. Maybe back in the Angelus Room of weekday Masses so that the work can take place during the day. The wood is sanded and a wax finish is used rather than a varnish.
The answer to the quiz question last week about
Underground station names with all five vowels. I expect that you managed to find Mansion House, but did you remember to add Heathrow Terminal Four: (this was really a trick answer).
Best plans can go astray. At the end of this month I was due to travel to the College in Spain for a meeting of the Trustees. However the installation of the new Archbishop of Liverpool is due to take place on 1st May. Therefore our trip to Spain has been cancelled and we have to travel to Birmingham for a day meeting on 30th April – our Chair of Trustees is the Archbishop of Birmingham. I am sure that it will be a good meeting but I really prefer Castille to the West Midlands.
We are still in Lent so here is a nice recipe for you. Cook the heart of a head of celery in butter for about 5 minutes: add some chopped potatoes and some light chicken stock. Stew gently and pass through a liquidiser, adding some more stock if required. Season with pepper and salt to taste and serve with a dob of single cream and some finely chopped parsley and chives.
And now a prayer for Holy Week:
Jesus Christ, give us patience and faith and hope as we kneel at the foot of your Cross, and hold fast to it. Teach us by your Cross, that however ill the world may go, the Father so loved us that he did not spare you, but received the offering of your life so that we might live through you and in you and for you, who are the resurrection and the life.
The garden is doing very well at present. I have checked the apple tree and they all seem to be in bloom, some more than others. The raspberry canes were cut well back at the end of the season last year but the new shoots are appearing and I hope that we will have plenty of fruit. To date the shoots of basil have survived and also the olive tree is looking more cheerful now that the warmer weather has come. Virginia has given me a log to attract bees – they ignore the comfortable hive on the room of the garage – so it will be interesting to see if any turn up.
Best wishes to you all,
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon