Dearest friends,
As many of you know Catherine, Edmund, and I headed to northern Brittany and Normandy for our summer holiday over the last two weeks. One of the visits I was most looking forward to was a pilgrimage to St. Michael’s Mount (or Mont-Saint-Michel if you prefer).
It is a place that demands attention from it’s lofty perch. The statue of St. Michael gleams in gold from the highest spire and the sheer number of people visiting demands acres of parking, a gaggle of busses, armoured vehicles (rammed with armed army personnel), police, and hundreds of staff to keep us all in line and safe.
We were warned how busy it would be so set off early to avoid the crowds. As we arrived we set off to the top of the mount, ahead of the crowds, in an attempt to enter the Abbey and encounter God within it’s walls.
Sadly that was not the case. As we entered we were met with an enormous globe of the moon, various exhibition stands, and not a single mention of God. In fact, we struggled to spy a crucifix – not just in the Abbey – but also within the Sanctuary.
The rest of the visit was a similar disappointment. A once beautiful place of worship turned into a tourist venue with ‘religion services’ banished to the parish church in the village.
We were not alone in our disappointment. As we descended we followed a pilgrimage group from Poland (a school group led by nuns). These nuns took their charges (school girls and their Priest) into the local parish church and set up for mass. We snuck in the back and I cried as the service (in Latin) was offered, lifted by the sweet song of the nuns.
The parish church was nothing special. There was no solid gold statue of St. Michael, no globe of the moon, no exhibition stands, simply an altar, statues of Our Lady and St. Michael, a candle stand, and people worshiping.
The parish church has remained a thin place as people visit and pray. It is prayer offered in earnest and with love that makes a church, not the spires or gold, but the people at prayer.
This August I pray that as we step back from a more formal liturgical calendar during the week, we continue to visit and pray, we continue to come to church and offer our love to one another over coffee and a natter, we continue to light candles, and we continue to encounter God – perhaps in a way we were not expecting.
Fr. Matthew
Notices
Service Times
Thank you all for taking the time to email me and talk to me about the suggested change of service times over the last month or so. Nearly all of the comments have been positive, with one or two saying they’re prefer not to move, but understand why it’s necessary. That being the case, from Sunday 7th September we will move to a 9am and 11:15am Mass at each of the churches. Thank you for taking the time to write, message, and chat with me about this.
Planning Meetings
Summer Fete @ St. Luke’s
Planning Meeting, 7pm, 30th September (Wednesday)
Summer BBQ @ St. John’s
Planning Meeting, 6pm, 14th August
Sunday 27th July
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time 🟢
9:15am – Sung Parish Mass [SJ]
11am – Sung Parish Mass [SL]
Divine Office Psalter Week 1, C(I), Trinity 6, Proper 12
Upcoming Dates
July
30th – Summer Fete Planning Meeting, 7pm [SL]
August
10th – St. Luke’s Parish Lunch
14th – Summer BBQ Planning Meeting, 6pm [SJ]
16th – Summer Fete [SL]
17th – Evensong, 6pm [SJ]
31st – Joint Mass, 10am [SJ]
Summer BBQ, 1pm – 5pm [SJ]
Evensong, West Ogwell Church (TQ12 6EW), 5:30pm
No Ladies Group in August
No midweek mass during August instead, Coffee & Natter, Tuesday’s [SJ] & Wednesday’s [SL] 10am
St. Luke’s Men’s Group meets every Friday for mass at 10am anddiscussion afterwards. [SL]