Friday Stations & Pizza

What is it about pizza? If we'd said first vespers of St Joseph yeasterday evening we could have had a meat feast blow out! As it was we confined ourselves to margherita, mushroom and pesto and it was delicious. All in the spirit of a Friday in Lent and Fridays for Catholics generally.
Great to see Megan (stage crew WSS), Georgie (recently appearing in LOGS Alice in Wonderland), Dominic (A WSS Jet), Eddie, Jack, Stuart, Anthony (already preapring for Lourdes in Easter week) and Elliot for pizza and the important prayers beforehand. We'll meet again on Friday 15th April , same time and place. Our focus for prayer on that day will be the people of Japan.
We adore you O Christ and we bless you
For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world

Here is a lovely picture of Andrew on his beloved Downs

Andrew McDonald RIP

This Friday we celebrate the Requiem Mass for Andrew McDonald RIP. The Mass will take place at 11am in St Pancras Church.

Last night St Paul's Catholic College presented their second performance of West Side Story. It was a slick and professional production with outstanding performances and contributions from young people many of whom are from this parish. Many of those young people are regular at Sunday Mass and I was so proud to see them perform this moving story of tension and disaster between communities. The poignant story is the secret love of Maria and Tony who represent these two groups. They are both strongly Catholic communities. At the conclusion Maria, the heroine, looks forward to a better world. Having heard  the iconic and masterful redition of Lalalalala America earlier in the musical we are left in no doubt that the better world of which she speaks is the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of justice, love and peace. Let us pray this Lent for the coming of the Kingdom. May our young people find inspiration from Christ, the Prince of Peace, for this work. May they know His power in the Blessed Sacrament to transform lives and may their lives be ordered by His holy will.

Young Peoples' Way of the Cross

Our young people will join the parish next Friday at Stations of the Cross beginning at 7pm. We will use this devotion to pray especially for victims of teenage cancer. After the time in chirch we will meet for pizza (vegetarian as it's Friday!) in the presbytery. All young people are welcome. Megan Taylor and her freinds have recently spent time raising money to assist with the relief of those teenagers who suffer from cancer.

The Holy Season of Lent

Lent is later this year than usual. Whilst the tempratures are still fresh, Spring is definitely in the air. The word Lent has the sense of the lengthening days, the days of Spring. This is our new Spring, an opportunity to grow in grace and find again the true value, meaning and purpose of our lives in Christ. Let us pray and direct our lives to Almighty God; let us give alms and come to the assistance of the lives of others; let us fast and be attentive to our physical as well as our spirtual well-being. There are so many opportunties in our parish to mark the sacred time of this holy season. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the prayer of the rosary and the way of the cross and most especially Holy Mass. Let us begin our Lent.