This months's Parish Priest's News

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My dear friends,

June opens, of course with the eagerly awaited Platinum Jubilee celebration of Her Majesty the Queen.  Having checked the major national events that are taking place on the extra bank holidays I have kept the 5.30 Mass on the Thursday as beacon lighting will not begin until later and moved the Friday to 6pm so as to avoid the Service at S Paul’s Cathedral.  On the Sunday, the Feast of Pentecost, we shall be holding a Parish Lunch as part of the celebration on the conclusion of Eastertide, the menu reflecting the jubilee.

On Sunday June 19th, the Feast of Corpus et Sanguis Christi, we shall not have the traditional procession of the Blessed Sacrament at the end of Mass as there is a Wagner Group Celebration that afternoon.  By now you will all know that the arranged flight to the Passion Play was cancelled and that we have had to reschedule for early on Monday morning.  I am so grateful to Fr. Ben for agreeing to host the celebration at S Bartholomew's to facilitate this.  Please let us know if you, as I hope, are going to support this event—an ideal opportunity to meet Bishop Will who I look forward to welcoming to S Martin’s in the not too distant future.

As I have said. the next day  many of us will be going to the Oberammergau Passion Play before going to Italy where we shall visit the Shrines of S Anthony and S Luke in Padua  before going on to Milan where we will visit those of S Ambrose and S Charles Borromeo.  This rearranged pilgrimage sadly covers two feasts and two solemnities: speaking with Fr Andrew we have decided to provide Masses here on the latter two, S John the Baptist and the Sacred Heart.  On the other days there is a Mass at 

S Bartholomew’s.

On returning we celebrate the great solemnity of Ss Peter and Paul on which day there will be two Masses; said at 12.30 and sung at 19.00.

With my love and prayers,