Dearest friends,
On Friday 9th October we mark the feast of St John Henry Newman, priest and Doctor of the Church. The word “Doctor” means teacher, recognising someone whose teaching helps the whole Church understand and live the Christian faith. Newman received that title last November, and his life gives us particular reason, as Anglicans, to give thanks.
Before he became a Roman Catholic, Newman spent more than twenty years as an Anglican clergyman. He was one of the leading figures of the Oxford Movement, which helped the Church of England rediscover the depth of its Catholic inheritance. He encouraged people to read the early Fathers, take the sacraments seriously, and recognise that the Church belongs to Christ, with a life and calling that reach far beyond the concerns of any particular government or generation.
That inheritance is close to home for us. When we gather for Mass, receive Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, keep the saints’ days, and pray for the departed, we inhabit a tradition which Newman helped renew within the Church of England. His eventual departure doesn’t erase what we received through his Anglican ministry.
There’s also something revealing in his advice to Mrs William Froude, who was troubled by the prospects of the Church of England. Newman warned her against becoming a Roman Catholic because her hopes for Anglicanism were failing. “You must come to the Church, not to avoid it, but to save your soul.”
He was utterly convinced of the step he had taken himself. He also understood that following another person, or escaping disappointment, couldn’t provide the foundation for a life of faith. That required prayer, conviction, and obedience to God.
We can hear that challenge in our own lives. Every parish has its difficulties, and every Christian discovers occasions when faithfulness asks more than we expected.
Newman encourages us to look beyond our frustrations and ask where Christ is calling us, what we believe, and how those beliefs shape our daily choices.
As we keep his feast, let’s give thanks for Newman and for the Church of England which formed him and continues to nurture our faith today. We have so much to cherish in our wonderful parishes, where Christ is worshipped, friendships grow, neighbours are cared for, and people discover that they’re loved by God. Here at St John’s and St Luke’s, we share in that rich Catholic inheritance and have the joy of passing it on. There’s good reason to be hopeful about our life together, and so much to look forward to as we welcome others into it.
In love,
Fr. Matthew
Sunday 4th October
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
9am – Sung Parish Mass [SJ]
11:15am – Sung Parish Mass [SL]
Year A(II), Psalm week 3, Trinity 18, Proper 22
Upcoming Dates
Oct
7th – St. Luke’s Ladies Group [SL]
8th – St. John’s PCC, 6:30pm [SJ]
11th – Harvest Festival [SJ & SL]
14th – Diana Bailey’s Funeral, 11am [SL]
St. Luke’s PCC, 6:30pm [SL]
17th – Table Top Sale (10am) [WH]
31st – Quiz Night (7pm) [SL]
Nov
4th – St. Luke’s Ladies Group [SL]
8th – Parish Lunch [SL]
20th – ‘Western’ Class 52 Diesel-Hydraulic Locomotives in
Camera, 1975–1977 (7pm) [SL]
21st – Table Top Sale (10am) [WH]
25th – Last Night of the Proms Concert (7pm) [SL]
26th – Advent Course on Mary – Week 1 – 7pm at St Paul’s Hall
29th – CTNA Advent Service (4pm) [SL]
Advent Carols by Candlelight (6.30pm) [SJ]
Dec
2nd – St. Luke’s Ladies Group [SL]
3rd – Advent Course on Mary – Week 2 – 7pm at St Paul’s Hall 6th – Rowcroft Carol Service (3pm) [SL]
9th – Darby and Joan Club Carol Service (2pm) [SJ]
10th – Advent Course on Mary – Week 3 – 7pm at St Paul’s Hall
12th – Christmas Fair [WH]
13th – Parish Lunch [SL]
17th – Advent Course on Mary – Week 4 – 7pm at St Paul’s Hall
20th – Nine Lessons and Carols (6pm) [SJ & SL]
24th – Small Blessings Crib Service (morning, time TBC) [SL]
Live Nativity (4pm) [SJ]
Candlelit Midnight Mass (11.30pm) [SL]
25th – Christmas Day Mass (10am) [SJ & SL]
[SJ] St. John’s | [SL] St. Luke’s | [WH] Wickham Hall
[SC] St. Catherine’s School