Lenten series
 
Usually, no sooner is Christmas over than we find ourselves plunged into Lent.  
However, this year, we still have a bit of breathing space, for Easter is latish. 
Ash Wednesday falls on 1 March.  (St David’s Day will be celebrated the day before).

I mention this now because we have a rather exciting programme lined up for Lent.

As we did so successfully last year, so we wish to continue this year.  Every Tuesday evening during Lent there will be a talk/discussion led by a different minister.  The sessions will begin at 730pm and end on the dot of 9pm.  They will be preceded by coffee from 7pm, an opportunity for people to meet socially.

The Series will bear the title:
        
“Easter People in a Good Friday World – witnessing to Christ in the conflict of life”. 

Each week we will look at a different incident in the story of the Lord’s Passion and reflect on it in terms of modern day life.  Here is the programme so you can note it in your diaries:

• 7 March:      Be angry, be violent?           Led by me.

• 14 March:   Punish, repay, reform?        Led by Revd Nick Sissions

• 21 March:   Forgive, forget?                   Led by Revd Niel Kirkham

• 28 March:   Losing our humanity?        Led by Revd Jane Allen

• 4 April:        Moving on?                         Led by Revd Dr Nigel Dilkes

(The Catechumenate will continue as usual, except for 7 March)

Mass of anointing

Saturday is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.  As will by now be firmly fixed in your memory, we have a Mass of Anointing on the Saturday evening following the Feasts of Our Lady of Lourdes in February and the Solemnity of the Assumption in August.  Happily this time our Mass will fall on the feast itself.

This Mass has become very popular and gives opportunity to those who feel the need of the Sacrament to receive it. The Mass will be shorter than last time, as Fr Andrew is now available to help.

A spring garland

Vera Heade has very kindly arranged for the Parish an evening of poetry and music to be held in church on Friday 24 February. I have already mentioned this to you in a previous newsletter, but I remind you now because the time is drawing closer and tickets are readily available after all the week-end Masses.  It will be something quite different from our usual social events and will be followed by a cheese and wine party in Stella Maris.  By attending you will be assuring yourself of a very enjoyable evening and the church of a few extra pounds into her depleted coffers.

Memorial book

May I just remind you again of our Memorial Book, located in the chapel of St Joseph, himself the patron of the dying?  You are always welcome to flip through its pages (provided the alarms are off!) and, finding the page recording the anniversary of your loved one, to say the prayer printed out there, either English or Welsh.

The Book lies open on the current date, and everyone recorded on that page, whose anniversary is occurring, is prayed for publicly at the daily Mass.  If the anniversaries of those near and dear to you are not in the Memorial Book, please give me the appropriate information, and they will be remembered and prayed for always as their anniversaries recur.

God bless you,

Fr Antony Jones.