St Mary’s Blackheath
Newsletter 21st August 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 Twenty First Sunday of the Church’s year.
The Justice and Peace Group meet after the 11am Mass today.
Wednesday is the feast of the Apostle St. Bartholomew and Saturday is the feast of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine.
The books for the First Communion and the Confirmation classes have arrived. Any more application forms please?
In Spain, Flan is what we would call caramel custard. Heat ½ litre of milk with 150 g of granulated sugar. Cool slightly and add 3 beaten eggs plus the yolks of 2 further eggs with ¼ teaspoon of vanilla essence. Beat in the egg mixture and pour into a mould. Bake in a moderate oven until the custard is firm. It is usually served with a caramel topping.
A prayer from St. Alphonsus. O Holy Spirit grant me the gift of prayer. Come into my heart and grant me the strength not to abandon it because I grow tired. Give me the spirit of prayer, the grace to pray continually.
Recently a train trip to Thanet. The Thameslink services go as far as Rainham. The Javelin services, which use the Eurostar High Speed line from Ebbsfleet to St. Pancras act as the local service on the north Kent Coast. Ticketing is complex as there are special fares for the high-speed section.
I always like Elroy Flecker
Thy dawn, O master of the world, thy dawn;
The hour the lilies open on the lawn,
The hour the grey wings pass beyond the mountains,
The hour of silence when we hear the fountains,
The hour that dreams are brighter and the winds colder,
O master of the world, the Persian Dawn.
I have done my best to keep the flower bed watered but the grass has become a yellow dust bowl. On some days, the pool has become very popular, but a lot of work afterwards cleaning out the dried grass. The summer has gone by quickly and not long now before we will be draining the pool and putting it away for another year.
I have not seen the boy and his sister for some time. Their mother is very busy with her work, so they spend some of the holiday with their grandparents in Sussex. My brother is very proud of his vegetable garden, and he makes sure that they help with the weeding and watering.
“Take my camel, dear,” said my aunt Dot, as she climbed down from this animal on her return from High Mass. (Oft quoted, but this must be one of the best beginnings for a novel – The Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macauley.
The curious French translation last week was subject to close scrutiny – I should have added “a” after “on arrive” – and vieux is placed before rather than after the noun. Thanks to Helena for this.
I hope that you are all keeping well.
Best wishes
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon