St. Mary’s,
Blackheath
Newsletter: 26th May 2019
Mass times: Saturday: 6.30pm (first Mass of Sunday)
Sunday: 9.30 and 11am and 7.30pm
Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 10am
Tuesday, and Thursday, 7.30am
Eucharistic Service: Tuesday 10am
Confessions: Saturday 12 to 1pm
Congratulations to the Children who made their First Holy Communion last Sunday and thanks to all who helped to make this such a splendid day.
If all has gone well, by the time you read this, I will have returned from four days at the College in Spain. Lots of things to sort out here in England on my return on behalf of the College.
Monday is the late Spring Bank holiday. Mass in the Church will be as usual at 10am.
Next Thursday is Ascension Day, now back at its traditional place 40 days after Easter. It is a Holy Day of Obligation and Masses in the Church are at 7.30 and 10am and at 6.30pm. After the gospel, we extinguish the Paschal Candle, as a sign that the Risen Lord has returned to His Father in heaven. The Paschal Candle is moved to the side of the font and it is always used at Baptisms to light a candle which is handed to the parents of the newly baptised child.
Monday is the Feast of St. Augustine, sent by Pope Gregory to establish the Christian faith in England. There were certainly Christians in England before the arrival of Augustine in 596, but it was Augustine who firmly established the faith in our land and baptised the King Ethelbert. In turn the King was to give him land for the building of the Cathedral at Canterbury.
Also this week Friday is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. You can see this event portrayed in one of the windows of our Church. When the month of May is completed the crown will be returned to its store for another year.
After the First Holy Communions, we are now looking forward to the Confirmations. The final class is on Thursday 6th June. Bishop Lynch will be coming to the parish to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation at the 11am Mass on Sunday 23rd June.
As I have explained, works are taking place on our steam railway to construct a new bridge. This is to allow access to a housing development. This means that the full train service is not operating over the whole of the line and fewer train crews are required. I hope that things will be back to normal in time for the August Bank holiday.
The Justice and Peace group will be arranging a cake sale in the Angelus Room after the Masses next Sunday. I must remember to do some baking. The lemon drizzle cake seems to go very well.
A simple summer recipe. Butter some ramekins and break an egg into each one. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stand them in a dish of water. Bake in a moderate over for about 15 minutes until the whites are just set. Leave to cool and turn out of the pots. Spread with some mayonnaise and lay some shrimps on top.
A prayer of petition: In all things may the most holy, the most just, the most lovable will of God be done, praised, and exalted above all for ever. May your will be done, O Lord.
Roy Fuller feeling really bad tempered:
Anyone happy in this age and place
Is daft or corrupt. Better to abdicate
From a material and spiritual terrain
Fit only for barbarians.
(I prefer the thoughts of the English philosopher F.H. Bradley: The world is the best of all possible worlds.)
Best wishes to you all,
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon