Dear friends,
What a truly special occasion last weekend’s May Devotion was: thank you so much to all who were able to support it! Fr Mike has kindly made available a suite of photographs from the day, here. It was so very heartening afterwards in the Hall to hear such appreciation and enthusiasm from all involved – here’s to next year!
After Mass on Sunday we began planning for the forthcoming Parish Barbecue, on Saturday, 6 July: crucially, we now need to hear from anyone who might be willing to look after the barbecues themselves on the day! Further information to follow next week.
We look forward to welcoming to Mass this coming (Trinity) Sunday the Rev’d Canon Simon Evans as our guest preacher: Fr Simon was latterly the Vicar of St Martin, Ruislip. Please make sure to support him with your prayers and presence, as we contemplate the mystery of the Holy Trinity, which sits at the heart of our faith, and into the heart of which we ourselves are incorporated by Baptism, as Christ explains in this Sunday’s Gospel reading.
Please note that there will be no Mass this coming Saturday morning, and that Morning Prayer will be said simply at 9am – to allow those who wish to to make it to Kenton Station for 9.30am, to travel to St Augustine, Kilburn for their Patronal Festival at 10.30am. Likewise a week later, on Saturday, 1 June there will be nopublic Morning Prayer or morning Mass, on account of the PCC Away Day.
On Sunday, 2 June not only will we celebrate the beautiful feast of Corpus Christi, with a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction, but our friend and former churchwarden Trish Royle and her husband Mike will be joining us (with members of their family) to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary! Trish and Mike warmly invite all members of St Mary’s to share in this special occasion, including refreshments after Mass in the Hall. Please sign their card in church this Sunday.
We now require your Additional Curates Society donations boxes to be returned, to be counted: please give generously to this appeal, not least because we are asking the ACS to help fund the forthcoming placement with us of our pastoral assistant-to be, Ryan Davey. In June, we will be raising money for another local charity, the West London Kidney Patients’ Association: this charity has been chosen by Janet Cameron, in memory of her late husband Trevor. Information leaflets will be distributed after Mass this weekend.
The round of external events and celebrations continues apace: this coming Sunday afternoon at 4pm, we are invited to join the priests and people of Holy Trinity, Hoxton as they celebrate their Patronal Festival. On Sunday, 15 June the Society for the Maintenance of the Faith will hold its Annual Festival at noon at St Magnus-the-Martyr, London Bridge; and on Friday, 12 July there will be Patronal celebrations – including a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament through Exmouth Market – at 7pm at Our Most Holy Redeemer, Clerkenwell. Posters for these are attached: it is important that we show our support for other Fulham parishes, as they show theirs for us. A round-up of these events and services, and other news, is included in the newsletter of Forward in Faith (London) – “Together (London)” – which is also attached. There are a few days left to visit the exhibition of flowers and vestments at St Mary, Bourne Street. Please pray for those to be ordained as deacons and priests by Bishop Jonathan at the end of June, a.k.a. Petertide: on Saturday, 29 June at 11am he will (God willing) ordain William Allen and Simon Billington to the diaconate; and on Sunday, 30 June he will ordain Fr Duncan Hegan and Fr Roger Turner to the priesthood, for this Diocese. Both Masses will be at St Andrew, Holborn – and all are welcome to attend.
May the holy Mother of God, to whom we turn for protection, listen to our prayers and help us in our needs,
Fr Richard