Dear friends,
Your Harvest contributions of tinned and packet foods; preserves; cooking oil; confectionery and/or pasta may be brought to church throughout this month – with any final items please, delivered by Sunday, 25 October: these will then be taken to the Harrow Food Bank, for distribution to families in need in this Borough. We likewise invite cash donations towards the Food Bank’s running costs: please use a Gift Aid Declaration (to be found in church), and place into the basket at the back.
Next Sunday, we will – as last year – also begin to collect items to be made up into Christmas “care boxes”for patients at St Luke’s Hospice: please consult the attached list – and please bring these items to church by Christ the King Sunday, 22 November. We also invite those skilled at knitting to produce some woollen “holding hearts”, according to this pattern.
Please continue to record on the list in church the names of anyone whom you would like remembered during our All Souls’ Mass, on Sunday, 1 November at 6pm: please PRINT these names clearly, and please likewise extend an invitation to this service to anyone who has lost a loved one, recently or longer ago. This Mass will be followed by light refreshments.
This year marks the ninetieth anniversary of the Dedication of St Mary’s Church: on 5 December 1936, the Rt Rev’d the Lord Bishop of London (Arthur Foley Winnington-Ingram) consecrated the newly-constructed church building to the praise and worship of Almighty God. Ninety years later – to the day and to the hour – we will give thanks for the past nine decades of blessings, with a special anniversary Mass on Saturday, 5 December at 3.30pm.
One history of our parish describes how, after the foundation-stone was laid, ‘[b]ricklayers, stonemasons, woodcarvers, silversmiths and many other craftsmen were hard at work. But, behind them all, as they laboured, were other builders. Father Johnson [the first Vicar] never ceased to remind his people that the Church of Our Lady of Kenton must be built on prayer. He formed a guild of those spiritual builders… Each member promised to be present at an extra Mass each week with special intention… for the church and for all who were helping to build it.’ How powerfully this reflects St Paul’s words in what will be the second reading at the anniversary Mass (from 1 Cor. 3.9c-11, 16-17), that ‘[we] are God’s building… [and] God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in [us].’ Mindful of this, might we in turn take on our forebears’ devotional discipline of increasing the frequency of our attendance at Mass – to pray especially for the ninety and more years of ministry and mission which, please God, still lie ahead of us in this parish?
The attached invitation is being sent to around 200 other parishes and local community representatives: please too take a copy from church this weekend, to share with a neighbour or friend. For those who are not regular members of our congregation, we ask them kindly to RSVP (to anniversary@stmaryskenton.org), to assist with catering. Please make sure to mark the date in your diaries – we would love to see a full church!
The Mayor of Harrow has confirmed his attendance, and the service will feature original compositions for organ and brass. Our guest preacher will be Fr Christopher Trundle SSC, Vicar of Our Most Holy Redeemer, Exmouth Market, Clerkenwell – and will be followed by a reception in the Hall, to which (in due course) we will invite all members of the “home team” to contribute something to bring and to share.
Also coming up is this year’s “Countdown to Christmas” Table-Top Market, in the Hall on Saturday, 21 November: promotional publicity for this event will also be available soon; in the meanwhile, please “save the date” (and also share it!) – and note too that there will be a planning meeting after Mass on Sunday, 25 October.
Please note that next week on Monday and Tuesday, St Leonard’s Avenue is likely to be closed to vehicular access, on account of resurfacing works: there is a very limited amount of parking in the Hall car park – but plenty of further unrestricted parking in surrounding roads.
Advance notice also that we will host the Willesden Area Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, 19 November – beginning with Morning Prayer at 9.30am, and followed by a complimentary light breakfast.
Likewise included with this mailing are an invitation to a Quiet Morning next week in our neighbouring parish of St Anselm, Belmont, and two forthcoming Masses with Bishop Jonathan, at St Andrew, Holborn.
May the dying of the summer remind us nevertheless of your great promise, Lord, that Death is but for a moment, yet Life forever and eternal,
Fr Richard