Dearest friends,
Last week was the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. In 1858 the immaculate Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France.
Mary appeared to this poor, 14 year-old girl to call us to change our lives for the better. To pray the rosary and to offer ourselves in service of the poor and the sick.
A couple of years ago I had the chance to go to Lourdes on pilgrimage. I must admit I wasn’t expecting very much. Lourdes has a reputation as the ‘Disney Land’ of the Roman Catholic church. Lots of tawdry statues, lots of shops, lots of people pushing and shoving to be first in the line for this attraction or that display. Not really my thing. But I was surprised.
Lourdes turned out to be a very special place indeed. Much like Walsingham, the appearance of the Blessed Virgin has left the place rather ‘thin’. You often find this in places where prayer is constantly offered. It somehow becomes easier to talk to God in these thin places, aided by the prayers and the appearance of our Blessed Mother.
As I return from a week with Our Lady at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham I am reminded that our assumptions are often turned upside down by Her peace, love, & healing. We do well to listen when she speaks.
Fr. Matthew
Notices
+Paul visit (16th Feb)
We’re really looking forward to welcoming +Paul next Sunday. Our mass at St. John’s will be at 10am rather than the usual 9:15am to allow more people to get to church who may otherwise struggle with the early start. After mass you’re invited to stay for bacon rolls and drinks in Wickham Hall where you’ll have a chance to speak with +Paul.
At 4pm we’ll be treated to a beautiful service of BCP Evening Prayer which will end with Adoration and Benediction given by +Paul. This promises to be an truly beautiful service and I encourage as many people as possible from both parishes to attend. Sherry and other drinks will be served afterwards.
Explorers
We’ve decided to delay the launch of Explorers until March so that we can properly plan things – the rush to launch it with +Paul was laudable, but unachievable! Thank you so much to everyone who has come back to me this week with offers of help, I’ll reply as quickly as I can and we can plan as a new group comes together.
Explorers is a small seed that is going to grow into a new church to be planted into St. Catherine’s School in September. I’m looking for volunteers to help with children’s crafts, serving coffee & tea (and almost certainly donuts!) and welcoming people into church.
Sunday 9th February
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
9:15am – Sung Mass, St. John’s
11am – Sung Mass, St. Luke’s
12:30pm – Parish Lunch, St. Luke’s
Divine Office Psalter Week 1, C(I), Proper 1
February
- 13th, 20th, 27th –
The Bible Course (every Thursday), 7pm [WH] - 9th – St. Luke’s Parish Lunch
- 12th – St. Luke’s PCC, 7pm
- 16th – +Paul Visit to St. John’s, leading BCP Mass, Family Service & Evening Prayer (with Adoration and Benediction)
March
- 4th – Pancake Race, 4pm [SL]
- 5th – Ash Wednesday, 10am [SJ], 7pm [SL]
- 6th – The Bible Course, 7pm, WH
- 8th – Torfaen Male Voice Choir Concert 7pm [SL]
- 9th – St. Luke’s Parish Lunch
- 12th – St. Luke’s PCC, 7pm
- 13th – The Bible Course final session with +Mike, 7m WH
- 15th, 22nd, 29th – Stations of the Cross [4pm SL, 6pm SJ]
- 16th – St. John’s APCM 3pm
- Music & Meditation 4pm [SJ]
- 23rd – St. Luke’s APCM after Mass
- Messy Easter at St. Catherine’s, 3-5pm
- 30th – Mothering Sunday
April
- 2nd – St. Luke’s PCC, 7pm
- 10th – Oswestry Chrism Festival (Exeter Cathedral, 11am)
Palm Sunday (13th April)
- St. John’s – Process from Wickham Hall at 9am into Palm Sunday Mass at Church
- St. Luke’s – Process from the Calvary at 11am into Palm Sunday Mass at Church followed by Parish Lunch
St. John’s Table Top Sale – Every 3rd Saturday at Wickham Hall
[SJ] St. John’s | [SL] St. Luke’s | [WH] Wickham Hall