Newsletter 8th April 2018
Today, the Sunday within the Octave of Easter is known as Low Sunday. It is always sometimes known as Quasimodo Sunday from the first word of the Latin Introit at Mass. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was born on this Sunday.
The gospel today is the familiar story of the appearance of the risen Lord to Thomas.
The past week clearing up after the Easter celebrations, but all went very well.
I think all the Eggs were found in the garden, together with the chocolate lambs in the Angelus Room – the new bouncy castle, bought from the Myra Fund was an unexpected treat. I cannot leave it out all the time due to problems with the foxes but it can come out regularly.
The feast of the Annunciation had to be postponed this year as 25th March was Palm Sunday. The feast will now be celebrated on Monday 9th April.
The works to the trees in the garden and around the Church have been a great success. It seems to have opened everything up and the house and the garden seem much lighter. In particular, the tree behind the house was causing problems and had to be removed before the roots caused damage. Please take care in the garden as there may be some branches lying about.
An invitation on Wednesday to the dedication of the new chapel at the Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich.
The priests of the Deanery meet on Tuesday and there is an Education Scrutiny meeting on Tuesday evening at Lewisham Town Hall.
I will celebrate a Mass at 7.30 on Wednesday morning and there will be a Eucharistic Service at 10am followed by the Novena prayers.
The boy and his sister have been enjoying their school holiday. Quite a lot of time spent with their grandparents in Sussex, but they enjoy this as there are plenty of opportunities to stamp in puddles and cover themselves with mud. Their grandmother has been encouraged to look for some new wellies.
Lots of interesting plans under consideration – to begin with, Crossrail will terminate at Abbey Wood, but there are plans to extend it into Kent, possibly linking up with the High Speed Line at Ebbsfleet. This will be very convenient for travel to France. Also there are plans to extend the DLR further into East London.
A festive recipe; remove the crusts from some white bread, butter well and put the slices in a buttered dish. Scatter them with raisins. Heat 275ml of milk and 150ml of single cream gently and beat in 3 eggs and 85g of sugar. Pour over the bread through a strainer and bake for about 40 minutes in a medium over to the crust is golden brown. Serve with some cream.
An Easter Prayer: Lord our God, by the resurrection of your Son, you have forever illumined the world. Through the power of your Spirit grant that those who still sit in darkness and in the shadow of death may be born anew, and that your light may shine on them for ever. Amen.
And some Hopkins:
And for all this nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward springs-
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! Bright wings.
Best wishes to you all,
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon