Offertory £1026.31
Cafod £1
Children’s Society £507.59
Newsletter: 4th March 2012
Today, the Second Sunday of Lent, we read the gospel account of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
This is a sign of his divinity, shown to the apostles in a way that they could understand. It contrasts with the sign of the humanity given in the gospel of the temptations that we read last week.
As a Lenten devotion, there will be Stations of the Cross at 6.30 this evening.
Last Friday was the Lent Family Fast Day for Cafod and I have left out the old familiar boxes for your donations.
A word of thanks to the sisters for their hospitality for the parish retreat yesterday.
The Film Club meets at 5pm today. This time the film is “To Kill a Mockingbird”. All over 11 are welcome to attend – popcorn and pizza during the film – a short discussion afterwards and we aim to finish by about 7pm. (Pizzas early this week as I will need to be in the Church for stations)
Next Sunday afternoon, the Knights of St. Columba will be here for a Mass and a meeting in the hall.
Generally no saints during Lent and we use the special prayers and readings at Mass.
Local Authority meetings on Tuesday and Thursday this week – to London on Thursday to meet with the auditors to approve the annual accounts for Valladolid and a meeting at the Sixth form College on Tuesday morning.
The great nephew came to Mass the other week and enjoyed the children’s liturgy. At 6 months he was already making plans for the good things he was going to do to help his parents during Lent. Some of you were able to meet him. I was able to show him my collection of model buses and he showed great interest – particularly in the single deck Routemaster. I will have to explain this some time.
I am very pleased with the new tables in the hall. They stack neatly in the room behind the stage. If you use them, please remember to put them back tidily. With the help of Tom, the old tables were placed in the vast cavern beneath the stage – maybe somebody will discover them at some date in the future. They are really of no use to us now so would anybody like to have them? There is a secret room at the back of the stage – I am thinking of cleaning it out and turning it into a playroom for the children.
Some advance notice – the afternoon film Club for older people has its first meeting on 20th March. Also there will be a Lenten lunch in the big hall on 25th March.
A recipe from Andalusia. Fry a chopped onion in some olive oil. Add some rice and then pour in two glasses of sweet sherry and allow to cook for a moment or two. Lower the heat and add some chicken stock and cook covered for about 20 minutes. Before serving add some knobs of butter and some salt. This goes well with cold meat.
And a prayer: Bless all who worship you, Almighty God, from the rising of the sun to its setting: from your goodness enrich us, by your love inspire us, by your spirit guide us, by your power protect us, in your mercy receive us, now and always. Amen.
A poem from George Herbert:
Who would have thought my shrivelled heart
Could have recovered greenness? It was gone
Quite underground; as flowers depart
To see their mother root, when they have blown;
Where they together
All the hard weather,
Dead to the world, keep house unknown.
The new bench in the garden has been much admired: in the next few weeks we will be undertaking some works to the beds in the front of the Church. I need to replace the railings on the steps which are coming to the end of their days and hope generally to tidy everything up.
I hope that you are having a good Lent.
With best wishes to you all,
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon