Dear friends,
Happy New Year! Yesterday, at the conclusion of Mass, we sang the Church’s great and ancient hymn of praise, the Te Deum – thanking God for His goodness over the past year; today, we intoned the Veni Creator, a hymn which in turn asks the Holy Spirit to guide and guard us as a new year begins. And as Pope Leo reminded us yesterday at Solemn Vespers, our conviction as Christians is that God has ‘a great plan for human history -a mysterious plan, but one with a clear centre‘ – which is Christ. Whatever the year ahead holds, therefore, let us in turn hold fast to Jesus.
Thank you for donations last month, in support of the work of St Luke’s Hospice, totalling £610 (+Gift Aid): this brings our overall support for external charities in 2025 to £9,901.66 – a magnificent sum!
It is also gratifying to report another year-on-year increase in attendance at our Christmas services: overall Mass figures rose by 4% on 2024, to 148 souls. Similarly, attendance at Mass today increased from 35 souls on 1 January 2025, to 51 souls on 1 January 2026! We likewise record our gratitude to all those who catered and otherwise contributed to our New Year’s Day parish lunch.
With the beginning of the new year, our Confirmation preparation classes also begin in earnest: even if you have already been confirmed, but would like to join these sessions to refresh your knowledge of the Faith, please speak to me – as also, of course, if you would like to be confirmed! Next week, there will be classes on Thursday, 8 January (for two hours, after the 6pm Mass) and on Saturday, 10 January (for one hour, after the 9.30am Mass).
The Confirmation Mass itself will be on Sunday, 8 February – when there will be a party after Mass: we will be joined not only by Bishop Jonathan, but also (briefly) by His Eminence Archbishop Atanasie, the Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Please let Pat know what you can kindly bring to share at the party.
We would also be grateful to receive your (good-quality) surplus Christmas presents: these can then be reused as raffle prizes, throughout the year. Again, please see Pat with your contributions.
May God, the source and origin of every blessing, grant you grace; pour out His blessings in abundance, and keep you safe from harm throughout this year,
Fr Richard