Dear friends,
This weekend on Saturday we will celebrate the Feast Day of St Luke, the author of the third Gospel – from which we have been reading this liturgical year. Believed to have been a doctor, St Luke is the patron saint of the medical and caring professions – and it is no surprise therefore that our own local hospice, serving the boroughs of Harrow and Brent, is likewise named in his honour.
The palliative care movement, which looks after those with life-limiting and terminal illnesses – and their families – was in this country born out of the deep Christian faith of Dame Cicely Saunders, who, in 1967, founded St Christopher’s House (now St Christopher’s Hospice), in Sydenham, south London. She understood that, as someone created in the image of God, a dying person is more than a patient with symptoms to be controlled: she became convinced of the importance of combining excellent medical and nursing care with “holistic” support, that recognised practical, emotional, social and spiritual need; she likewise saw the dying person and their family as a single unit of care, and so developed bereavement services to extend support beyond the death of the patient.
It is my privilege, alongside my ministry as your parish priest, to join an army of volunteers at St Luke’s Hospice (including other members of our congregation), where I am a volunteer chaplain, attending the Inpatients’ Unit weekly, and at call.
Earlier this year, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill passed its second reading in the House of Lords: this lamentable legislation would, among its many other unfortunate consequences, likely divert resources from the palliative care sector and from hospices like St Luke’s: scandalously, only around 50% of people who would benefit from hospice care in the UK currently receive it – and the sector is also only 28% publicly funded, raising the remaining money from private donations. Quite apart from theological considerations, it is obvious that we should not move forward as a society with proposals for assisted dying while access to, and funding of, palliative care is so poor.
At St Mary’s – and with our friends at All Saints’ RC Church – we are launching an appeal this weekend, to respond compassionately and creatively to the culture of death which has gripped our parliamentarians. Between Sunday, 19 October and the Solemnity of Christ the King, Sunday, 22 November, we will be receiving donations of care items (much like our recent Harvest Festival collection) – as per the attached “shopping list” – which will be made up into “care boxes” for those being looked after at St Luke’s Hospice, and their families, for distribution during Advent – a Christmas gift to share the love of God in Jesus Christ.
Simply add one or two of the items to your weekly shop, and bring these to Mass by 22 November. We would also be interested to hear from anyone who can knit or crochet, and who would like to produce some “holding hearts”, as per this design. The list includes items for visiting children, as well as toiletries and beauty products which will simply make a stay at St Luke’s that much more comfortable. Open to all patients, we will nevertheless include a Christmas card from our churches with each “care box”, and make available holy water, holding crosses and rosaries, as required. In particular, the hospice has indicated that they would like to build up a supply of toiletries and makeup especially suitable for Black and Asian skin and hair types: if this reflects your heritage, and there is a product of which you are especially fond, please do donate it!
Throughout the month of December, there will also be a basket and Gift Aid envelopes in church for cash donations in support of St Luke’s: as we move towards the Christmas celebrations, do consider making a Christmas gift to help another family facing the prospect of the death of a loved one.
This weekend is an auspicious occasion to launch this campaign, as during it falls World Mission Sunday – which recognises how faith, prayer and generosity can transform entire communities. October’s universal prayer intention is also for collaboration between different religious traditions: as well as working with our friends at All Saints, if successful we hope to invite other parishes of all denominations – plus local schools, and other community partners – to join with us again for another appeal in Lent next year. Pope Leo XIV has just released the first apostolic exhortation of his pontificate, entitled “Dilexi Te”: in it, he reminds us that ‘those who suffer know how great even a small gesture of affection can be, and how much relief it can bring… No sign of affection, even the smallest, will ever be forgotten, especially if it is shown to those who are suffering, lonely or in need, as was the Lord…’
Most importantly, please pray and ask the intercession of St Luke for the success of this initiative, and for the mission and ministry of St Luke’s Hospice.
This weekend, please also bring to church both any final cash donations for our appeal in aid of Macmillan Cancer Care (online donations may be made here), and any Harvest donations of items for the Food Bank. These campaigns will close on Sunday, after which no further donations will be accepted: thank you for donations to date for Macmillan totalling an astonishing £1,146.81!
On Sunday afternoon, we will bid farewell to our friend Fr Jason Rendell, as he prepares for his new ministry at St Augustine, Kilburn. We are invited to join him for drinks at St Andrew, Kingsbury from 12pm – concluding with Benediction at 3pm. Fr Jason will be inducted to Kilburn on Friday, 21 November.
Owing to a recent drop in numbers, there are now five spaces remaining on the forthcoming Youth Group outing, to the Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs exhibition, on Saturday, 25 October: the cost of just £10pp is generously subsidised from parish funds, and includes lunch. All participants must complete and return a registration form, with their payment.
Please continue to PRINT CLEARLY on the list in church the names of those departed loved ones whom you would like remembered at our All Souls Mass, on Sunday, 2 November at 6pm. A collection will be taken during this service for the work of local charity Bereavement Care (for whom we will be collecting throughout November), and refreshments will be served after Mass: all welcome.
Please find attached a flier for our forthcoming Christmas Market on Saturday, 22 November (and note also that there will be a short planning meeting for this, after Mass on Sunday, 9 November); as also a flier for the Jobs, Apprenticeships and Volunteering Fair at Harrow College at the end of this month.
And do please note both that our Community Payback team will re-start on Wednesdays, from 22 October; and that, the weekend after this one, the clocks will go back one hour overnight, Saturday 25 – Sunday, 26 October!
Almighty God, who inspired your servant St Luke the physician to declare in the Gospel the love and healing power of your Son, graciously continue in your Church the same love and power to heal, to the praise and glory of your Name,
Fr Richard