Dear friends,
(St Leonard’s Avenue remains closed to vehicular access from the Kenton Road for another week, due to rolling roadworks (nor are the bus stops closest to the church currently in operation.)
‘The happy birds Te Deum sing, / ’tis Mary’s month of May:’ and, here in Kenton, in a house of God dedicated in her honour, surely the praises of the Mother of God will not be lacking, as a new month begins. We look forward with eagerness to our May Devotion, on Saturday, 23 May: please kindly confirm to Pat your contribution to the world foods afternoon tea party after the procession, prayers and devotional address from Bishop Jonathan – and please let us know if you can help to prepare the Hall in advance. Those who do not feel able to walk from All Saints to St Mary’s are welcome to gather in church from 3pm on the day, to await the arrival of the image of Our Lady, accompanied by brass and drums. (Please also speak to me to sponsor one of the musicians.)
Before then, we will welcome (back!) to Mass this Sunday a representative from the charity Mary’s Meals (for whom we will be collecting during the month ahead): the origins of this wonderful charity lie in a pilgrimage made by its founder to the Marian shrine at Medjugorje: today, Mary’s Meals feeds over 3,000,000 children every school day – operating on the simple principle that the certainty of a nutritious daily meal (in some of the most disadvantaged communities around the world) impacts positively on the enrolment, attendance and performance in class of the schoolchildren to whom it is served.
Thank you likewise for your generous donations last month in support of the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART-UK), totalling £470 – as well as for your Lent Appeal donations, towards the Additional Curates Society (ACS), of £1,595.80. The CEO of HART-UK wrote recently to thank us, and to confirm that this contribution ‘will be such an encouragement to HART’S local partners, who face immense struggles right now, exacerbated by the ripple effects of the crisis in the Middle East. Your support brings timely hope, and sends a clear message: they are not forgotten. We remain by their side, even in these dark days of global uncertainty.’
(Please note that, a week today, Thursday, 7 May, St Mary’s will serve as a polling station in the local elections to Harrow Borough Council: as such, Morning and Evening Prayer will be said privately, and the 6pm Mass will be celebrated in the Sacristy.)
A very important date in the parish calendar is our church Open Day, on Saturday, 9 May: please continue to spread the word, and please also sign up to help – we would be especially grateful for any (good-quality) secondhand books, as well as homemade cakes! Please speak to Johnette, to find out more.
Thank you to those who have expressed an interest in serving the parish in a formal capacity – as a member of the Parochial Church Council (PCC), or representative to the Harrow Deanery Synod; as our parish’s Safeguarding Officer or Electoral Roll Officer; as a churchwarden, PCC Secretary or PCC Treasurer. Elections and appointments to these roles will take place during the Annual Meetings after Mass on Sunday, 10 May – and further details, and nomination papers, are available at the back of church. A digital copy of our 2025 Annual Report and Accounts is again appended.
And don’t forget the next parish outing, to St Paul’s Cathedral, on Sunday, 17 May: we will likely leave soon after coffee, to enjoy a spot of lunch in the Crypt Café, before attending Choral Evensong.
We congratulate Fr Joshua Pollard on the announcement of his appointment as the next Vicar of St Andrew, Kingsbury: his Induction will take place on Tuesday, 21 July at 7.30pm. Fr Joshua trained as a pilot before ordination, and was formed for the priesthood at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield: he is currently an Assistant Curate in the parish of St Alban, South Norwood. Fr Joshua writes, ‘I am delighted to be called as the next Vicar of St Andrew’s Kingsbury. The parish has a wonderful history, and a beating heart for celebrating the catholic faith through feeding God’s people, and in calling them to mission and service following the example of Jesus.’
Please find attached to this message invitations to the patronal festival celebrations at St Pancras Old Church and St Augustine, Kilburn – to where our friend Fr Jason Rendell has moved as parish priest – as well details of the Festival Mass at Edgware Abbey later this year, when the Community of St Mary at the Cross will celebrate the 160th anniversary of their foundation, and Mother Abbess will mark the golden jubilee of her monastic profession.
May God, who, through the childbearing of the Blessed Virgin Mary, willed in His great kindness to redeem the human race, be pleased to enrich you with His blessing,
Fr Richard