Offertory £1041.11
Cafod £16
Newsletter 9th October 2011.
Today we are pleased to welcome the First Communion children at the 9.30 Mass for the second of their special celebrations. The first two classes came together fairly quickly but from now on, they will be each month.
Last Friday was the autumn Family Fast Day and there will be some boxes for your donations at the back of Church at the end of Mass.
I hope to have a report for your from the recent meeting of the Parish Council next week.
During the summer I have tried to keep second collections to a minimum but during the autumn, there are several that we have to arrange. Next Sunday there is the second collection for the Needs of the Diocese, which helps some of the smaller parishes.
Thursday is the feast of Edward the Confessor, the saintly King of England who is buried behind the High Altar in Westminster Abbey.
Saturday is the feast of Teresa of Avila, one of my favourite saints, who travelled the roads of Castille as she founded her convents.
On Monday I travel to Guernsey for the day for a meeting of the Insurance Company. If the Bishop is not available, I will ask the Eucharistic Ministers to help. In these autumn days, there is sometimes fog in the islands which delays the flights.
The priests of the Deanery meet at Woolwich on Tuesday.
The main doors of the Church have been improved greatly. John has fitted some new hinges and adjusted everything. Also the work on the hall is progressing well. I hope to be able to keep it clean and in good order in future.
No news yet on the publication of new Sunday Missals for you. I continue to use the temporary booklet and the cards, which is far from easy. Gradually we are coming to learn the new responses and I am making fewer mistakes. The difficult one to remember is the short phrase at the end of the gospel – The gospel of the Lord.
A recipe for Fridays without meat. Cook some spaghetti until just tender – preferably fresh rather than dried. Wash with some boiling water and drain. Melt a lump of butter and some olive oil in a pan and some slivers of garlic. Add the spaghetti and mix thoroughly, also adding some black pepper, salt to taste and some paprika and reheat. Before serving add a good handful of chopped parsley and serve with a green salad. We brought this recipe back from Venice.
The bendy buses have almost gone. They remain on routes 436 and 12: I understand the last route will be the 12. A chance for a last ride before they pass into history. Pete and Hazel wanted some help for a trip to Madrid. I have a splendid map showing the old tram and trolleybus routes but they did not think that it would be very useful..
A prayer for today:
O God, who by love alone are great and glorious, who are present and live with us by love alone: grant us likewise by love to attain to another self, by love to live in others, and love to come to our glory to see and accompany your love throughout all eternity. Amen.
Here is Philip Larkin on an Arundel Tomb:
Side by side, their faces blurred,
The earl and the countess lie in stone,
Their proper habits vaguely shown
As jointed armour, stiffened pleat,
And that faint hint of the absurd –
The little dogs under their feet.
A reminder, please, to return any books from the library if you have had them out for a long time. Also do you have any Mass books at home? I think we started with 120 and we are now down to about 45. They must have gone somewhere. When the new ones arrive, they will be fixed to the benches with a sturdy chain.
Something for a text message: MMWB – which means ‘my mother went ballistic”.
Best wishes to you all
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon