Offertory £1074.56
Cafod £344.95
Sunday 18th March 2012.
Today is the fourth Sunday of Lent. We are now half way through the penitential season, and so as a slight relaxation, we use rose rather than pruple vestments. It is known as Laetare Sunday – be joyful – from the first word of the Latin Introit.
Today at 6pm the choir will provide a service of Lenten readings and music.
After the morning Masses today there will be a cake sale in the Angelus Room for the benefit of Cafod. Next Sunday there will be a Lenten lunch in the big hall. Tickets are available after Mass today.
Monday is the feast of St. Joseph. Even though it is Lent, it is kept as a major solemnity.
From next Sunday the statues and crosses will be covered with purple veils which will not be removed until Easter Sunday. This is to help concentrate our attention on the events of the passion and death of the Lord.
The Film Club for older people will meet on Tuesday afternoon in he Angelus Room for the first time. The main film will be “Genevieve” and possibly there will be a British Transport Commission short. I am sorry that I cannot provide Gaumont British News or Pearl and Dean advertisements. After the films, tea will be available. Years ago at Cambridge, after hall, visits to the cinema were most popular with active participation from the audience. The early Bond films were particularly popular. This will be against the rules for the Film Club.
A meeting of the Governors at St. Matthew Academy this week as well as a couple of meetings in London. There is a consultation meeting on a review of the Charities Act on Monday and an Investment meeting on Thursday.
A poem from George Herbert:
Love bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guiltie of dust and sinne.
But quick-ey’d love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
If I lack’d any thing.
I like this prayer from Saint Jane de Chantal, the friend of Saint Francis de Sales:
O my Lord, I am in a dry land, all dried up and cracked by the violence of the north wind and the cold; but thou seest, I ask for nothing more; thou wilt send me both dew and warmth when it pleaseth thee.
The new railway line for the Overground services at Rotherhithe looks as if it is almost completed.
The other day they were attending to the pointing of the brickwork on one of the bridges. Fairly soon there should be some “gauging tests”. A train is prepared with pieces of foam stuck on the sides to make sure that there is adequate clearance everywhere.
A very popular pudding in Spain is “Flan” which for us is caramel custard. Here is the recipe for the custard. You will need ½ litre of milk, 150 grms of sugar, 3 eggs, 2 extra yolks and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla essence. Heat the milk and the sugar. Beat the eggs and the essence. Add the slightly cooled milk and beat well. Pour the mixture into a mould, place the mould in a dish of water and make in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes.
The herb garden seems to be doing well at the moment. I have left the parsley alone for a while and it is starting to thrive. The only problem is the basil – I think the birds like it. I must try again this spring. It is good to see that the olive tree has survived the winter. You will recall that this is the fourth attempt. No fruit as yet, but who knows. I am watching the apple trees and they should start to blossom fairly soon. Maybe a good crop this year.
No further news of the great nephew for the time being but I am sure that he is keeping all his Lenten penances. I will have to try to encourage him to come across on Easter Sunday, though I fear that his Grandfather will be arranging a celebration and he will not be available.
A small item of interest: you may have noted that several of the windows in the Church are dedicated to the Ratton family. There is still a Foundation Mass of James Ratton. The family now lives in Salisbury and they recently attended the Mass and were delighted to see the windows.
Best wishes to you all,
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon