Dearest friends,
On March 1st, if it were not a Sunday, we would be celebrating the Feast of St. David.
We’re told that St. David’s final words were ‘Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things that you have heard and seen me do’.
These words are actually taken from his final sermon on the Sunday before he died – he was a prodigious preacher and founded monastic settlements over Wales, the South West of England and even Brittany.
In Wales we still say, ‘Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd’ – which means ‘Do the little things’.
This is good way to approach lent. If you try to do too much too quickly you will struggle. Sometimes the struggle is the point – that arduous and difficult path that Jesus trod before us and in which we attempt to join.
But sometimes, it’s the journey that’s important. If you’ve not yet found a rhythm for lent try to do the small things. Start simply with Prayer.
Are you thanking God as you get up? As you go to bed?
Have you looked at those small bad habits and tried to knock them on the head? Perhaps it’s as simple as turning off your phone after 7pm to avoid scrolling through social media.
Perhaps it’s avoiding the 4pm biscuit, or the 9pm piece of cheese. There are many small things you can do that will help you keep a good Lent.
Perhaps you’ve given up being grumpy, or are trying to be more forgiving… just remember what St. David said,
“Be joyful, keep the faith.”
In love,
Fr. Matthew
Notices
Years Mind
Many of you know we keep a list of the souls of the dead in a ‘Years Mind’ list. It appears on the pew sheet and in the chapel of Our Lady at St. Luke’s. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that it’s somewhat out of date and even with my manual additions there are many people not remembered. I’m going to update the list over Lent and publish a new one in Holy Week. If you’d like the soul of your departed loved one to be on the list, please let me have their details (name and date of death) before Holy Week.
Lent Course
Our Lent Course this year will be “Bread of Life’ – a six-week look at the Eucharist and why it forms the model of a good Christian Life.
If you’ve signed up and missed an evening, you can get a recording emailed to you each week. You can still sign up at www.slsj.co.uk/bread
Lent on the BBC
Over Lent the BBC has produced six Lent Talks. It’s aired at 05:45 on Saturday mornings on BBC Radio Four – but if that’s a touch early, even in Lent, you can listen online at www.slsj.co.uk/bbclent
Dates for the diary
Looking further ahead a few dates for your diary.
- 10th April, Bingo at St. Luke’s – eyes down 7pm.
- 2nd May, Quiz with fish & chips, 7pm, St. Luke’s.
- 5th September, Glastonbury Pilgrimage
Sunday 1st March
2nd Sunday of Lent
9am – Sung Parish Mass [SJ]
11:15am – Sung Parish Mass [SL]
Psalter Week 2, A(II), Lent 2
Upcoming Dates
March
5th – Lent Course, Bread of Life, 7pm [WH]
Stations of the Cross, 6pm [SJ]
6th – World Day of Prayer – Bovey Tracey Methodist Church
8th – Explorers, 3pm [SC]
Stations of the Cross, Adoration & Benediction
with Evening Prayer, 4pm [SL]
12th – St. John’s PCC Meeting, 5pm [WH]
Motorbike Adventure Talk, 7pm [WH]
15th – Solemn Evensong with Adoration & Benediction, 6pm [SJ]
19th – Stations of the Cross, 6pm [SJ]
Lent Course, Bread of Life, 7pm [WH]
21st – Table Top Sale, 10am [WH]
Rosary Group, 10:30am [SL]
22nd – Stations of the Cross, Adoration & Benediction
with Evening Prayer, 4pm [SL]
26th – Oswestry Chrism Mass, Exeter Cathedral, 11am – 3pm
Lent Course, Bread of Life, 7pm [WH]
28th – Easter LIVE!, 2pm [SL]
29th – Palm Sunday Processions 10am [SL & SJ]
Evensong, St. Bart’s
Joint Evensong with PPT
April
2nd – Maundy Thursday, 6pm Joint Mass [SL]
Watch at both churches until 10pm
Light arrives and Watch begins at St. John’s, 8:30pm
3rd – Liturgy of Good Friday, 3pm [SL & SJ]
4th – Vigil Mass of Easter, 7:30pm [SJ]
5th – Dawn Mass of Easter & Breakfast, 5:30am [SL]
Easter Sunday Mass, 10am [SL & SJ]
18th – Table Top Sale, 10am [WH]
25th – Oswestry Regional Festival, Truro Cathedral
[SJ] St. John’s | [SL] St. Luke’s | [WH] Wickham Hall
[SC] St. Catherine’s School