Newsletter 8th May 2016
Today the feast of the Ascension of the Lord.
After the gospel today, the Paschal Candle will be extinguished, signifying the return of the risen Lord to his Father in heaven. The candle will be kept beside the font and is always used at Baptisms.
There is a second Collection today for Communications which supports the work of the Media Office of the Church in this country.
Next Sunday is the feast of Pentecost. Days of special prayer during the coming week to prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Next Sunday is the day for the First Holy Communions at the 11am Mass. Best wishes and prayers for the children. The Mass will be very full and on this Sunday you may possibly wish to come to another Mass if you normally come at 11am. The benches in the centre of the Church will be reserved for the families of the children. The children are asked to go to the big hall and to arrive by 10.30 so that they will be ready for the procession into the Church.
The Parish Council meets on Wednesday evening at 8pm. Agenda envelopes will be available today.
A full week as always. To Woolwich on Tuesday as the Historic Churches Committee will be advising on proposed works to the Church. The Governing Body of Christ the King Sixth Form College meets in the evening. On Thursday there is an education meeting in the evening and on Friday there will be the annual Health and Safety inspection. I have repainted the white lines on the steps in preparation for this.
Congratulations to Simon Scott-Plummer and to Elizabeth who will be celebrating their Golden Wedding anniversary this week-end.
The cherry tree is now in full blossom – if you made your First Communion in 2015, remember to have a look at this: it was the souvenir of this special day for you.
Newsletters are prepared well in advance but I hope that by the time you read this, we will have filled the swimming pool for another season. Always a bit chill at the beginning of the year, but it warms up as the summer continues. There are some swim suites in the Angelus room in case you need to borrow one.
A prayer for today:
Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith
I trust in you: strengthen my trust.
I love you: let me love you more and more.
I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.
And now another recipe from Spain. Cook some thick slices of potato in olive oil for about ten minutes, turning as necessary. Reduce the lid, cover with a lid and cook further until they are soft. Add a chopped green pepper and a chopped red onion, stir well and cook covered for a further ten minutes. Finally turn up the heat for a short while until everything is well cooked, season, and serve hot.
Our poem for today:
‘O Oysters’ said the Carpenter,
‘You’ve had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?’
But answer came there none-
And this was scarcely odd, because
They’d eaten every one.
The recent Article in the parish magazine reminded me of the following:
The Spaniards think Cervantes
Is worth a thousand Dantes
A thought resented bitterly
By the people of Italy.
Best wishes to you all
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon