Dear friends,
This weekend we will celebrate the joyous festival of All Saints. Pope Francis wrote, ‘The Solemnity of All Saints is “our” celebration: not because we are good, but because the sanctity of God has touched our life. The saints are not perfect models, but people through whom God has passed. We can compare them to the church windows which allow light to enter in different shades of colour. The saints are our brothers and sisters who have welcomed the light of God in their heart and have passed it on to the world, each according to his or her own “hue”. But they were all transparent; they fought to remove the stains and the darkness of sin, so as to enable the gentle light of God to pass through. This is life’s purpose: to enable God’s light to pass through!’
We are very pleased that our guest preacher both on Saturday evening and on Sunday morning will be our friend and brother Fr Matthew Cashmore, now Vicar of St Luke, Milber and St John, Bovey Tracey, in the Diocese of Exeter – but, between 2019-2020, also an assistant priest in this parish. There will be the opportunity to greet Fr Matthew, over sparkling wine and cake, after Mass on Sunday.
Celebrating the Church Triumphant on Sunday morning, then on Sunday evening we will offer our prayers for the Church Expectant, as we commemorate all the faithful departed in our All Souls annual Requiem Mass, at 6pm. During this Mass, our departed loved ones will be remembered by name: please add any final names to the list in church as soon as possible. This liturgy too will be followed by refreshments, in church: we would be grateful for a few volunteers to serve tea and coffee, and likewise keen to hear from anyone who might contribute a cake. During this Mass, there will be a (cash and contactless) collection for the charity Bereavement Care, whom we shall also be supporting throughout November: our PCC Secretary and interim hon. Treasurer, David Griffiths – who is also Executive Officer at Bereavement Care, will speak about the charity’s important work in our local community after Mass on Remembrance Sunday, 9 November. Please use the Gift Aid envelopes and basket in church.
Likewise after Mass on Remembrance Sunday there will be a short planning meeting for our upcoming Christmas Market, on Saturday, 22 November: donations of nearly-new items for sale are requested, and tables are available from Johnette (£15ea).
We continue gratefully to receive items for inclusion in Christmas “care boxes” for St Luke’s Hospice: please bring these to church before Christ the King Sunday, 23 November. Thank you very much for Harvestdonations, for distribution by Harrow Food Bank, weighing 162.95kg.
Throughout December, we will welcome a significant number of young people to church, from our local schools and uniformed organisations, to explore the truth and meaning of the Christmas story: if you would like to assist on any of these occasions, please sign up on the list in church.
Our own young people (in school year 6 and above) are invited to “Source and Summit”, an Anglo-Catholic Youth Event at St Alban, Holborn on Saturday, 6 December (see also the attached flier): it is anticipated that three times a year young people from across London will be able to join together for food and fellowship, teaching and worship. Please register your interest on the sheet in church.
You can also now sign up in church to join the parish Christmas outing to the pantomime, on Sunday, 14 December – to enjoy “Dick Whittington” at the Harrow Arts Centre, at 3pm. Tickets are £20 for adults, and £5 for 18yos and younger: all welcome.
As October draws to a close, our Statistics for Mission submission presents a complex picture: this month’s Mass attendance “snapshot” shows another year-on-year increase; in contrast, our Usual Sunday Attendance across the first ten months of the year has dipped slightly, in comparison with 2024 – however, our Average Sunday attendance remains at 62 souls, some 40% higher than three years ago! Beyond suggesting that I may be unable accurately to add up (!), these figures seem to me to propose that our outreach is increasing, and our worshipping community growing, but that work remains to be done to cement a culture of Sabbath observance. As previously, our goal is to achieve regular Sunday attendance of no fewer than 66 persons for the rest of the year: over to you!
Please note that next week on Thursday, 6 November there will be no public Morning Prayer: however, the usual 6pm Mass will be followed by drinks, in honour of our secondary patron, St Leonard.
This week’s mailing includes publicity for a bumper crop of external events, including the annual “Light Up a Life” memorial service at St Luke’s Hospice; three opportunities to visit St Silas, Kentish Town, and Patronal Festival celebrations both in Willesden Green and in Kingsbury.
May God, the glory and joy of the Saints, bless you with unending blessings,
Fr Richard