St Mary’s Blackheath
Newsletter 8th January 2023
Sunday Masses: Saturday 6.30pm first Mass of Sunday
– Sunday 9.30 and 11am and 5pm.
Monday to Friday: Mass at 8am.
Saturday 10am and 6.30pm
Confessions: Saturday 12 to 1
Today we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
At the 9.30 Mass today, the children will perform the final part of the cycle of mystery plays, with the story of the visit of the three kings to the Infant Christ. At this Mass, the prayers and readings will be from the feast of the Epiphany.
The shepherds have returned home, and the three kings have arrived at the crib.
We begin a new cycle in the Church’s year. This is the first week in ordinary time. On Sundays, the gospel readings will be taken from Matthew (cycle A) and on weekdays from the first cycle.
We pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Benedict.
Also, we pray for the repose of the soul of Nadia Coote who died last Sunday. She was known to many people on the parish. For many years she organised the rota for the Eucharistic Ministers.
In the coming days I will be sending out some messages about the First Communion and the Confirmation classes.
A comforting recipe for the winter days. Stew some prayers in some hot wine and add some cloves, a little cinnamon and maybe some sugar. Serve hot with some crème fraiche.
A prayer for Epiphany tide:
Grant us, heavenly Father, a love and wonder for the birth of your Son that we may come with the wise men to adore him, the King of heaven. May we offer him the devotion of our hearts so that we may be enriched by his mercy and love. As we see the Son of God sharing our human life, so may we rejoice in the full vision of his glory in heaven.
And George Herbert on prayer:
Prayer, the Church’s banquet, Angels’ age,
God’s breath in man returning to his birth,
The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet, sounding heaven and earth.
A lot of work during this past week, trying to make the parish accounts balance – I think it is all working out reasonably well – I have reconciled the bank account and there is the correct amount in the petty cash tin. Now to sort out the various invoices.
Back to school for may people: I hope that all goes well. I always found that this was the worst term: cold and wet with little to look forward to. The boy is back at school with an enforced hair cut from his father – endured with much reluctance.
On railways matters the new South Western trains are due to enter service early this year – this will be mean that the remaining Thames-Beam units will come across to South Eastern. I have been making the change at London Bridge for Charing Cross and found that it is not too difficult.
And a quote from Indiana Jones –
Don’t call me Junior.
Best wishes to you all
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon