St Mary’s Blackheath
Newsletter 6th March 2022
Sunday Masses: Saturday 6.30pm first Mass of Sunday
– Sunday 9.30 and 11am and 5pm.
Monday to Friday: – Mass at 8am.
Saturday 10am and 6.30pm
Confessions: Saturday12 to 1
Today is the First Sunday of Lent.
At Mass today the gospel will tell of the temptations of the Lord in the Wilderness.
As a Lenten devotion, there will be Stations of the Cross at 6pm on Sunday evening – time to prepare everything after the evening Mass. The devotions take about half an hour.
In our prayers today we continue to remember the people of Ukraine.
The purple vestments appear again today. We do not recite the Gloria at Mass and the Alleluia verse is replaced with an acclamation.
This week the daily Masses are for the Lenten season.
Thank you for your generous donations to the fund for retired priests which amounted to £404.95.
The CAFOD Lent fast day is on Friday 11th March. I will put out some envelopes today and the familiar ancient boxes will appear next Sunday for your donations.
First Holy Communion classes have come round again. There is a meeting for the parents who will be running the class on Monday evening at 8pm and the class will be in the big hall at 10am on Saturday morning. This time we will be explaining the offertory prayers of the Mass.
I am looking forward to a visit to the College in Spain at the end of this month: lots to do including the various health forms for travel. A new Rector has been appointed and I will see if it will be possible for a group to visit the College in October. It is the first time that I have been to Spain for two years so there will be a lot to do.
You will have noted various works in the garden. The rope ladder on the tree has finally worn out and I will see if it can be repaired with some new cords. It is a time-consuming task to tie all the knots and add the rungs. Also, following the recent storm, the roof of the small garden house needs some new felt. Work is continuing on the trees and bushes, and I hope to be able to remove some of the dead wood.
A Lenten recipe from Spain. Soak some chickpeas overnight. Stew gently with some pieces of potato, some slices of onion and some red chorizo. Add some water, as necessary. This is a basic dish from the Castilian countryside.
A Lenten prayer.
Direct our hearts to you, Lord, so that we may follow you more closely this Lent and all the days of our life; in all our needs we turn to you for the help of your grace and ask you to give us strength to work for the things we ask for in faith, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
I like this from Elroy Flecker:
I have seen old ships sail like swans asleep
Beyond the village which men still call Tyre,
With leaden age o’ercargoed, dipping deep
For Famagusta and the hidden sun ….
I hope that you are keeping well and remember to keep up with your Lenten prayers.
Best wishes
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon