Dear friends,
‘If we look around, we realise that there are so many offers of “food” which do not come from the Lord and which appear to be more satisfying. Some nourish themselves with money; others with success and vanity, others with power and pride. But the food that truly nourishes and satisfies us is only that which the Lord gives us‘ (Pope Francis)
This Sunday we will celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, in honour of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ: the 10.30am Mass will conclude with a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.
This Mass will also be followed by a short planning meeting in the Hall, to begin our preparations for this year’s parish summer barbecue (on Saturday, 18 July).
Next week on Friday, 12 June (the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart), the 9.30am Mass will be followed by a complimentary light breakfast, to which all are warmly welcome.
Dedicated also to the Sacred Heart, June is traditionally the month for ordinations, in Petertide (around the Feast of St Peter and St Paul): this year, Bishop Jonathan will ordain one deacon and five priests for the Diocese of London, and a further priest for the Diocese of Southwark. Please pray for those preparing for ordination:
– (to be made deacon) Felix Trimbos (to serve in the parish of St Silas and Holy Trinity with St Barnabas Kentish Town);
– (and to be ordained priest) Fr John Laverick (All Hallows, Tottenham), Fr Oliver Baldwin (All Hallows, Gospel Oak), Fr Sam Williams (Our Most Holy Redeemer, Clerkenwell), Fr Nathan Barrett (St Mary, Hayes), Fr Georges Iskandar (St Benet, Kentish Town) and Fr Antonio Joseph (St Michael, Croydon).
(As per the attached poster,) all are welcome to the diaconal ordination on Saturday, 27 June at 11am (no Morning Prayer or Mass at St Mary’s), and the priestly ordinations on Sunday, 28 June at 5pm – both at St Andrew, Holborn – as well as to Fr Antonio Joseph’s ordination to the sacred priesthood on Saturday, 4 July at 10.30am at St Michael, Croydon.
It will again be my privilege to accompany these ordinands on their pre-ordination retreat 15-17 June (no public Morning Prayer on Tuesday 16), at St Columba’s House in Woking: the retreat conductor will be the Rev’d Preb. Philip Barnes, Vicar of St Stephen, Gloucester Road and Master of the Guardians of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Please pray for increased vocations to the sacred priesthood, and to the religious life.
Thank you for your donations last month, in support of the work of Mary’s Meals: the amazing sum of £1,097.20 (+Gift Aid) was raised, which will enable Mary’s Meals to feed more than 50 children one good meal every school day for a whole year.
This month, we will be raising money for Tariro UK – Hope for Youth in Zimbabwe: many of you will recall the visit to us last year by the charity’s founder, Fr Nicolas Stebbing CR. Tariro is a small charity which provides funding to support young people in Zimbabwe orphaned by HIV-AIDS, until they are independent, confident and effecting positive change for themselves and others. Please use the basket in church, and a Gift Aid envelope as appropriate: please give generously, and God bless you for your support.
Members of our congregation Renu, Luke and Robbie very kindly organised this amazing drone footage of our recent May Devotion: enjoy!
Now out in church is a sign-up list for the Walsingham Pilgrimage for Healing and Renewal, on Bank Holiday Monday, 31 August: as in previous years, we will share a coach with our friends from Willesden, Kingsbury and Little Stanmore – and this coach will depart St Mary’s at 7.30am prompt (returning c.7.30pm). Rising fuel costs mean that the return coach journey will cost £30pp (£5 for under-18s): to secure your place, please sign up in church AND make payment – either in cash, or via this link. (You are invited to bring a picnic lunch on the day: see the attached flier, for more details.)
We also invite sponsorship of those of our young people who will be participating in this year’s Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage (in August): please see me to sponsor a young pilgrim (£40pp).
And places are available on a pilgrimage further afield in October, with our friends from All Saints, Kenton – to Rome, Assisi and Siena (celebrating the 800th anniversary of St Francis) – see here for further information.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him, says the Lord,
Fr Richard