St Mary’s Blackheath
Newsletter 23rd April 2023
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 Third Sunday of the Easter Season.
By tradition, today is St. G
George’s Day – but this year the feast is moved to Monday 24th.
Tuesday is the feast of St. Mark the Evangelist and Saturday is the feast of St. Catherine of Siena.
First Communion classes have come round once again and there is a class in the big hall on Saturday morning at 10am. This is the last of the classes in our present round: thanks to all the children for sharing in them and thanks to all the parents for their help.
Also, there is a Confirmation class at 6.30 on Thursday evening. I have sent out a message about this.
There is a funeral Mass at 1.45 on Thursday for Flora Gambardella.
During the Easter holiday the boy and his sister wen skiing in Andorra – he is fearless, coming down the slope and high speed with straight skis and no thought about the need to stop. His sister is able to perform some stylish turns.
A curious recipe this week from the Basque country. Stew a piece of cod in some stock. Fry some leeks, some pieces of potato and some cloves of garlic in some oil. Remove the fish from the liquid but keep the stock: remove all bones and skin. Add the vegetables and the fish pieces back to the stock with some more liquid and season as necessary. Simmer gently and liquidise before serving. It is called “Porrusalda”.
And everybody praised the Duke
Who this great fight did win.
But what good came of it at last-
Quouth little Peterkin-
Why that I cannot tell, said he
But t’was a famous victory.
(Southey on Blenheim)
Something from Catherine of Siena:
O love which knows no bounds, just as you gave yourself to us, wholly divine and wholly human, so you have yourself to us as food, that while we journey through life as pilgrims, we may not fail or falter in our weariness, but walk on nourished by your very self, the very bread of heaven.
You may have noticed that a little work is taking place on the stonework of the Church. A chunk had broken away and I have arranged for it to be replaced.
I said it in Hebrew – I said it in Dutch
I said it in German and Greek:
But I wholly forgot (and it vexes me much)
That English is what you speak.
The various trees planted by the children over the years are doing well – the olives are flourishing this year. Debate is taking place at present on a tree for this year’s group. I must start on my herbs soon. The parsley and the chives have survived but I need to clean the other pots.
The students from the College in Spain are undertaking the Camino this week. I reminded them to take sun cream and insect repellent.
Best wishes to you all,
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon