Dear friends,
This Sunday the Church celebrates the great saints and apostles Peter and Paul, upon whose confident and courageous proclamation of Jesus Christ as Lord the continuing witness of the Church is founded. Petertide, so-called, is also ordination season: please pray especially for the six men to be made deacon for our Fulham family of parishes, and the three deacons to be ordained in the coming weeks as priests. All are welcome to the Ordination of Deacons at St Andrew, Holborn on Saturday at 11.00am, and the Ordination of Priests on Sunday at 5.00pm. (Please note that there will therefore be no public Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer on Saturday, no morning Mass and no Confessions – and that the 6pm Vigil Mass on Saturday will be celebrated in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, on account of a Stanmore Choral Society concert in church at 7.00pm.) Pray likewise for Deacon Ben Jennings, who visited us to preach in Lent – who will also be ordained to the sacred priesthood in Manchester on Sunday; and for the newly-ordained Fr Alex Honey (whose ordination to the priesthood I attended last week in Exeter), who will join us to preach on the Solemnity of Christ the King, 23 November. May God continue to call labourers to His harvest.
Earlier this month, Pope Leo XIV spoke of the way in which the sacred priesthood reveals first the life of communion to which all are called, in the face of ‘a cultural climate that favours isolation or self-absorption‘. He also spoke of the priesthood’s ‘prophetic perspective‘, which ‘embrace[s the world’s] challenges… interpret[s] them evangelically… [and] experience[s] them as opportunities to bear witness‘: in so doing, the Pope identified pastoral commitment as ‘a school to learn how to build the Kingdom of God in today’s complex and challenging history.’ Please therefore pray for all priests, as we in turn undertake to pray for you.
We regret that our pastoral assistant, Ryan Davey, has had to conclude his time with us earlier than anticipated – in order to begin the next step on his vocational journey, in which St Mary’s has played so important a part. We offer our thanks to Ryan, and wish him God speed: please see me to contribute to a collection for Ryan.
There will be a PCC meeting in church after Mass on Sunday; this weekend is also the final opportunity to contribute to this month’s charitable collection in support of Tariro UK – Hope for Youth in Zimbabwe.
Do make sure to purchase your tickets for our parish summer barbecue on Saturday, 16 August: priced at £12.50/£5, these can be paid for in cash, by contactless payment, or online here – if using this link, please enter the total payable, and then notify me once you have made payment, so that a paper ticket can be given to you as well. There will be another barbecue planning meeting after Mass on Sunday, 10 August. We are delighted that, so far, the High Commissions of both Jamaica and St Vincent & the Grenadines have kindly each donated a bottle of rum for the occasion!
You can now also sign up in church to join the Walsingham Pilgrimage for Healing and Renewal, on Bank Holiday Monday, 25 August: we will be travelling by coach with our friends from Kingsbury and Willesden – and the cost of a ticket this year is £25/£5. The coach will leave St Mary’s at 7.45am, and places are limited – and only confirmed with payment.
Our attention is drawn to a new digital service from the Metropolitan Police – metengage – which allows those who sign up to receive updates from local police officers on those issues which matter to you most.
Please note, finally, that I will be on annual leave Monday, 30 June – Monday, 7 July (returning to work on Tuesday, 8 July): in my absence, please refer to Fr Mike in case of pastoral need – and please note that, next week, there will be no public Morning Prayer on Tuesday or Thursday, and no public Morning Prayer or morning Mass on Saturday, 5 July.
May the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, in whose power and authority we trust, intercede for you with the Lord,
Fr Richard