Newsletter 12th July 2020
Welcome to Mass today, the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
A reminder that readings are taken from the first cycle and during the week the readings are from the second cycle.
We celebrated an additional Mass at 5pm last Sunday. I did not know if this was necessary and about 20 people came. I will continue with this until the end of July to see if it is still required.
Thank you for all your understanding when you come to Mass. Things are not easy with many things to cover. For Holy Communion, please come up keeping distance as far as possible to receive the sacred host in your hands, returning by the side aisles.
One of the difficult tasks is recording everyone who comes. Thank you for your help last week. I am using some small cards and have left them with some pencils on the rack at the back of the Church. Please complete one for each family and leave it in the box. I need to keep them for three weeks. (The Bishop came to inspect last Sunday to see what we were doing and was pleased to find that we were following the rules!)
As yet, it is not possible to resume Confessions on Saturdays due to the distancing regulations.
I have been in touch with a number of families regarding Baptism. Please speak to me after Mass if we need to agree a date.
Also, I have been in touch with all the families regarding the First Holy Communions and we are making preparations for 20th September. Spaces in the Church will be limited so I am asking the guests should be kept to close family. I leave you to work out how this can be interpreted.
There will be a special memorial Mass for Father Hartley at 11am on Sunday 26th July.
Some families lost relatives in recent weeks and I have put a basket under the altar so that you can leave an envelope with names and they can be remembered at Mass.
If you have not done so, please take your box of offertory envelopes. Several people have moved to Banker’s Orders so possibly you will not need boxes in the future. Otherwise please use the wooden box for your donations and there is no collection at the offertory time.
A new item this week: a touch screen for donations by card. You can select the amount of the donation and then simply touch your card on the top.
What do you think of the new lights? It was suggested that the interior of the Church was dark, but are these too bright? They are over 3000 lumens.
Wednesday is the feast of St. Bonaventure and Thursday the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The garden has done well this year with a mixture of rain and sun. There was a good crop of apples from one of the trees and I was able to use some of them. My various pots have been doing very well and in some cases I am on to a second or third crop. There is a splendid pot of parsley and this is most welcome for the kitchen.
Here is my recipe for a simple summer salad: line the dish with some lettuce leaves, add some halved baby tomatoes, a little yellow corn, and some green olives. Make a dressing with lemon juice, a little sugar, seasoning and some olive oil.
Life has become difficult for some of you with the local road closures. The signs say that they are due to the virus and I hope that they are a temporary measure. Some people try to find an alternative route through Blackheath Park and are caught in a maze with no way out.
A word of thanks to those who helped as Stewards for the days when the Church as opened for private prayer. The rules were strict, and we needed to have two people on duty. Several helpers volunteered and we were open every day for about three weeks. There were some regular visitors and they welcomed the fact that we had opened the Church.
Gradually we are coming to terms with Zoom conferences. Strict rules are required to make sure that everything proceeds well. Many people are turning off the camera which means that there is no need to tidy up everything before starting. I look forward to the resumption of proper meetings – with cups of coffee and sandwiches.
A reminder of the prayer at the end of the Rosary: O God, whose only begotten Son by his life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life; grant, we beseech you, that meditating on these mysteries of the most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
……… they were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon.
The new class 701 trains are appearing on the South Western lines from Waterloo. At present they are undergoing tests but should be in service later in the year. 90 new units have been ordered. This means that the class 707 units will become surplus and they are due to be transferred to the South Eastern lines – so we may see them here soon.
In days gone by there was a Latin antiphon which was sung in the Church at the beginning of a special event – Ecce Sacerdos Magnus. Some irreverent boys translated this as – Here comes a fat priest.
Best wishes to you all,
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon