Newsletter 9th September 2018
Today is the Twenty Third Sunday of the Church’s year.
There is a second collection today to support the work of the Catholic Education Service.
Friday is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and Saturday is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.
There may be a meeting of the Historic Churches Committee on Thursday at Douai Abbey on Thursday – though it may be cancelled due to lack of business – if there is a meeting, I will not be here for a 7.30 Mass – I will let you know about this.
On Wednesday, I will be attending a Safeguarding conference in London – I hope that the Bishop will be available for the 10am Mass.
An advance notice of the meeting for parents to prepare the First Communion classes – this will be at 8pm on Monday 24th September in the big hall. Please return application forms as soon as possible.
A busy week ahead as there is a School visit on Monday and a Finance meeting at the Sixth Form College in the evening.
Autumn days and some of the toys from the garden have been put away for another year. We have been fortunate this year with plenty of warm summer days and lots of enjoyment. Already I am counting the days till next summer.
Something I tried the other day: Liquidize and strain some tomatoes with lemon juice and some plain yoghurt. Serve cold with diced avocado, cucumber and yellow, seasoning as necessary and adding a drizzle of olive oil. An unusual disk for a warm day.
Written well in advance but I hope that the works for the new Church boiler are nearing completion. We hope to have a warm Church for you this coming winter and also a simplification of the operating system. No more dirty and singed hands when I discover that the boiler needs relighting ten minutes before Mass.
He thought he saw a Kangaroo
That worked a coffee-mill
He looked again and found it was
A vegetable-pill
Were I to swallow this – he said –
I should be very ill.
(A little Lewis Carroll is good from time – the Norfolk great nephew greatly enjoyed an animated performance of The Hunting of the Snark. We must try this in the garden sometime.
A prayer for the Church that we greatly need at this time: We pray for your Church, O Lord. Free it from all that is evil and make it perfect in your love. Make your people holy, and lead them to the kingdom that you have for them. For yours is the power and the glory for all eternity.
This is an ancient Christian prayer. Maybe we call share it this week.
I must go to the top of Kingsway to see if the tram tunnel has been sealed up once again now that the Crossrail works are nearing completion. This is one of the few places where you can still see the old tramlines with the conduit slot between the tracks. Sadly, the last tram was in 1951.
I have taken some advice on my pot of basil and it seems that it grows quite well indoors on a window ledge. This will prevent the problem with the snails. My attempts at indoor olive trees were a failure but they have thrived out of doors. The tomatoes are beginning to ripen and I should have a crop soon.
We have not have had anything from Thomas Merton for some time: When we love God’s will we find Him and own His joy in all things. But when we are against God, that is when we love ourselves more than Him, all things become our enemies.
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon