newsletter 23rd March 2014

Newsletter 23rd March 2014.

Already well into Lent and I hope that your prayers are doing well.

Today there will be Stations of the Cross at 6.30pm.

Next Saturday there is the Parish Retreat. Those who have signed up for this will have received details already.

Next Sunday the Choir will be providing a Lenten Service of music and readings in the Church at 5pm.

This means that the Film Club will take place on the following Sunday, 6th April.

On Tuesday we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation. Otherwise during the week there will be the normal Lenten Masses.

I am at the school for a Mass at 9am on Thursday morning. I hope to be back in time but it is possible that I may be a bit late for the 10am Mass.

To London for a meeting after Mass on Thursday and to Greenwich Town Hall in the evening.

The Governing Body at the St. Matthew Academy meets on Monday. We are doing very well this year. In the Upper School we hope to improve further on our GCSE results: last year it was 60% A-C including English and Maths. We are working very hard to improve the Primary results and this is very obvious if you visit the school. Lots of school forms to sign and nowadays I advise everybody to look at St. Matthew’s as it is a very good school.

I am beginning to look ahead to Easter and will be giving you details of the services in a couple of weeks time. In particular I encourage you to come to the Easter Vigil service, which starts at 9pm on Holy Saturday night and finished with the first Mass of Easter.

A prayer now from Teilard de Chardin:
Lord, enfold me in the depths of your heart; and there hold me, refine, purge and set me on fire; raise me aloft until my own self knows utter annihilation. Amen.

Riding on one of the new buses the other day, we became caught in very heavy traffic round Grovesnor Gardens. After a long delay in traffic, the bus would not move off in the electric mode so the driver had to shut everything down and rev up the diesel motor to recharge the batteries and then it was possible to move off using the electric motor alone. I hope that this is not going to turn into a regular problem with the new vehicles.

Something very simple the other which may serve as Lenten recipe. I cooked a baby cauliflower until was still firm and drained it. Then cut off the rinds from a soft cheese, such as a portion of Camembert and placed slices of the cheese over the vegetable. Then cooked in the microwave for a minute or so until the cheese had melted. Something very tasty to enjoy with some cristy bread.

How about some Betjman now:
Snow falls in the buffet of Aldersgate station,
Toiling and doomed from Moorgate Street puffs the train,
For us of the steam and the gas light, the lost generation,
The new white cliffs of the City are built in vain.

( those with long memories will recall that Aldersgate is the original name of what is now Farringdon.)

I am pleased to report that gradually the shoots of the basil plants are beginning to appear. Also, after a great deal of tender care, it looks as if some new buds are appearing on the stalk of the orchid in the dining room. I believe that with careful watering and the right light and temperature orchids will survive for several years – though up to now mine have ended up as dried out pots and fragile sticks. It looks as of the fire place in the dining room is a good environment.

The Rector agreed that it will be possible for us to come to the College in Spain again in the autumn. I have to agree the exact dates but probably it will be in late October. This time flying from London City to Madrid, the local train from the airport and the high speed line to Valladolid. A few people have expressed an interest so please confirm this. I will let you have the dates as soon as possible. It is important to book the flights fairly early as the plane is quite small.

Best wishes to you all

Monsignor Nicholas Rothon

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