Newsletter 19th August 2012.
I hope that you are enjoying the summer. Gradually a return to normal after the thrill of the Olympic days, but it was all enormously enjoyable.
I hope that you have had a chance to look at the picture of Wricklemarsh Manor in the Angelus Room. It seems that the Manor was demolished in 1787 and the present house was built from materials salvaged from the old building. By 1788 the house was completed and was advertised for sale or lease. The landy had been sold by Gregory Page to John Cator. Cator retained the freehold but granted a lease to Captain Thomas Larkins for the building of the house. The parish has owned the property since 1873 and the freehold was purchased in the late 19th century. I completed matters by purchasing the freehold of the roadway outside the Church in 1978.
Several Saints this week: St. Bernard on Monday – if you visit Vezelay there is a great statue of him in the Church striding out to preach a Crusade. Tuesday is the feast of St. Pius X and if I remember, I will put out a signed photograph of him. Friday is the feast of the apostle St. Bartholomew.
I am working out a timetable for the First Communion and also the Confirmation Classes and I hope to have them available for you fairly soon. Also putting all the names on an e.mail loop. It helps to do this so that we can share information and send out reminders. I usually start with a trial message to make sure that it works. The books and crosses are now on order so I expect to receive some big boxes fairly soon.
Also at this time of year a change to put all the books across the floor and to start work on a fiendishly difficult Christmas quiz. Ali always seems to find all the answers though I hear that many people despair fairly quickly. It is one of our family Christmas games – the food is spoilt whilst we argue over the answers.
In the garden, I am beginning to cut back the roses as they are almost at the end of the season. You may have noticed that the statue of Our Lady has been cleaned. Many requests from Veronica to attend to this – the thought of having to carry it round was daunting, but I found that a good clean with a power hose made a lot of difference. It seems that this will have to become a regular task.
The only problem is that you do become rather wet from the spray. Sometimes when I am working on the railway we have to clean the exteriors of the coaches with a hose and we have to wear protective clothing. The group attending to this is known as Alton Train Care.
And now a prayer:
Heavenly Father, grant that by the guidance of the Holy Spirit we may discern your holy will, and by the grace of the same Spirit we may also do it, gladly, and with our whole hearts, for the glory of your Son Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
I like this poem: Cory’s Heracliltus
Then proud was Captain Farmer, in a frigate of his own,
And grander on his quarter deck than George upon the throne.
He’d two guns in his cabin, and on the spar deck ten,
And twenty on the gun-deck, and more than ten score men .
(This comes from a book of poems that belonged to my father – who was a mariner – and I found that he had marked this verse)