St Mary’s Blackheath
Newsletter 20th November 2022
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 is the Feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday in the Church’s year.
Next Sunday is the First Sunday in Advent as we begin a new cycle. Advent is the season of penance as we prepare for the celebration Christmas – not as severe as Lent but a slightly penitential season and we use the purple vestments.
Monday is the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin May and Tuesday is the feast of St. Cecilia. Years ago, the feast of St. Cecilia was the first day of winter at our College in Spain. The stoves were lit for the first time and we celebrated what was known as a “tea-night”. I will have to explain this some time.
If you have any Mass books or hymn books at home, please bring hem back as we will be moving to a new set of books next week.
It is good to see the Confirmation group: thank you all for coming regularly and a special word of thanks to Anna for organising the classes.
The charts will be going up for the cycle of mystery plays in the next couple of weeks – the dates for the three plays are 18th of December, Christmas Day and 8th January.
Also next week we will be speaking about the giving tree and there will be an opportunity to sign cards to be sent to prisoners of conscience.
The crib figures found a new home last year in a ground floor cupboard – to avoid the perilous operation of removing the from the sacristy loft.
A very simple dish this week – place some pieces of meat, if possible, pieces of lamb with some sliced red peppers and some baby potatoes in a pot, add a little stock and some bay leaves and cook very slowly in a moderate oven until the meat is tender – probably a couple of hours.
An interesting journey the other day on Hastings line. The train arrived late at Tunbridge Wells – about 13 minutes down, and it made a very fast non-stop journey to London Bridge, regaining about 8 minutes of the lost time – though some passengers who had not listened to the announcements and who had hoped to get off at Sevenoaks or Orpington were disappointed.
A prayer from the Psalms:
Let all those that seek thee be joyful and glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say always, the Lord be praised.
A few lines from the Rubaiyat:
Think, in this battered Caravanserai
Whose portals alternate Night and Day
How sultan after sultan with his Pomp
Abode his destined hour and went away.
Already beginning to think where we may celebrate Christmas with the family this year; last year was very noisy with the great nephews and nieces proving an impromptu performance of the Nutcracker Suite with music from Alexa. It can be quite rough at times.
Best wishes to you all.
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon