Newsletter 21st April 2024
Sunday Masses: Saturday 6.30pm first Mass of Sunday
– Sunday 9.30 and 11am and 5pm.The
Monday to Friday: Mass at 8am.
Saturday Mass at 10am
and 6.30pm
Confessions: Saturday 12 to 1
Today is the Fourth Sunday of the Easter season.
If have put out some envelopes and a box today if you would like to make a donation towards the fund for training the future priests of the Diocese.
Tuesday of this week is the feast of St. George, the patron of England and the patron of this Diocese.
Thursday is the feast of the evangelist, St. Mark.
We are pleased to welcome the First Communion children who have a special role in the 9.30 Mass today. We are almost there – only one more class before we complete the present series.
On 29TH April I am off to the College in Spain once again. This is for the meeting with the Bishops and the other Trustees so a busy week preparing all the agendas and papers for our meetings. Last time some of the Trustees asked for a “skills audit” so it will be interesting to see the results.
We now have a good supply of chemicals for the pool and as always it is looking clean and sparkling. This year we were lucky and seemed to find a level piece of ground.
Also, in the garden look at some of the fruit trees. The cherries were full of blossom and the fig tree is doing very well. I have started to clean out my herb pots and will plant some new seeds when I come back from Spain.
A prayer from St. Thomas More:
O my sweet Saviour Christ, which in thine undeserved love towards us so kindly wouldst suffer the painful death of the cross, suffer me not to be cold nor lukewarm in love towards thee, Amen.
And we must have some Eliot:
April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Cook some potatoes in their skins and peel them and cut them into slices whilst they are still warm. Meanwhile cook some sliced onion in a mixture of butter and oil. Remove the cooked onion and cook the potato slices for a few minutes. Add back the onions, season well and sprinkle with some chopped parsley.
Some of you will have heard the news that the Archbishop has agreed that a small flat can be purchased to that I can continue to live in Blackheath when I retire at the end of the summer. It is a great relief that this decision has been made after many worrying weeks. I will let you have the details in due course, and who knows, I may continue to see you about.
Little opportunity to travel about of late, but if you are coming home from Victoria, look out for the new track numbers at the entrance to the train shed. Good to see that they have been finished in traditional Southern Region Green.
Best wishes to you all,
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon