Newsletter 3rd November 2013.
Newsletters have to be prepared well in advance but I hope that I can include everything.
Time for First Holy Communion classes once again. The parents who are preparing the class will meet on Monday evening at 8pm. The class is in the big hall on Saturday morning at 10am and the children are asked to come to the 9.30 Mass next Saturday to share in the Mass in a special way.
On Wednesday I have to attend a Development Day for Christ the King College – where I am Chair of Governors. If the Bishop is not available, there will be a Eucharist Service and the Ministers will read the Novena Prayers.
On Thursday there is a meeting of the Chapter Canons. Twice a year we meet to share in a Mass at the Cathedral and also to meet with the Archbishop. I have to find my Canon’s robes from the bottom of the drawer – they do not come out very often.
Also this week a meeting at Lewisham Town Hall on Wednesday evening and a meeting with the Bank to discuss the affairs of the College in Spain.
Next Sunday there is a second collection for the Archbishop’s Administration Fund.
A reminder of the special Mass at Charlton on 15th November. The Archbishop is coming to share in a Mass for the end of the year of faith. Details are given on a poster in the porch. It is hoped that representatives from all the parishes in the Deanery will be able to attend.
Already some of he familiar tasks are coming round again. Soon we will be getting out the costumes for the cycle of mystery plays. Each year they are carefully repaired and ironed so that they are in a perfect condition.
A few weeks ago I gave you a recipe for “churros”, the long strips of doughnut, coated in flour, that are popular in Spain. Here is another recipe. Half a litre of water, 350 grams of self raising flower and 2 teaspoons of slat. Boil the water and slat and allow to cool a little and then stir in the flour until a smooth paste is formed. Pass through a forcing back into a pan of hot oil and cook until nicely golden. Serve dusted with some castor sugar.
A prayer:
God our Father, you send the power of the gospel into the world as a life-giving leaven. Fill with the Spirit of Christ those whom you call to live in the midst of the world and its concerns: help us all by our work on earth to build up your eternal kingdom.
A request please to take care with the side door at the back of the Church. For the second time this year the brass hook has been broken and I have had to replace it. Nobody owns up!
John Julius Norwich is always good for a rhyme:
When firs her love began me to shire
It please her to call me Valentine –
But since her love to mee decreased dayly
Nothing is left of Valentine but Vale.
(it seems that this comes from a manuscript in the Bodleian)
The new Routemasters are beginning to appear in goodly numbers: the best place to observe them is in Whitehall where they appear on routes 24 and 11. There are built by Wrights in Belfast and so they have Northern Ireland registration numbers, the last two numbers corresponding with the fleet number. From my observations, the conductors seem to have little to do. Life was much more interesting when they used a bell punch and carried a rack of multi-coloured tickets.
Some more Merton:
Teach me to go to this country beyond words and beyond names. Tech me to pray on this side of the frontier, here where these woods are. I need to be led by you. I need my heart to be moved by you. I need my soul to be made clean by your prayer. I need my will to be made strong by you. I need the world to be saved and changed by you. I need you for myself whether I live or die. It is necessary. Amen.
I think that half term is over now and I hope that you have enjoyed a good break. Now time to work hard in the weeks before Christmas. Remember that SATS and GCSEs are on the horizon.
Best wishes to you all,
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon