My dear friends, As we begin a new Church Year on December 1st the final preparations are being made for the opening, by Pope Francis, of the Jubilee ‘Year of Hope’. The Holy Father has introduced the year in these words:- "We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision” an ideal new year resolution for us all. A year of Jubilee has its roots in the Book of Leviticus where it is to be celebrated every fifty years when slaves and prisoners were freed and debts cancelled: while they are now more commonly celebrated every twenty-five years, many of us remember the extra ordinary ‘Year of Mercy’ begun in 2015. At the centre of any such year the emphasis is on the mercy of God and as such this is a good reminder to us all of the Sacrament of Reconciliation as we prepare for Christmass. Writing that word, the Fund Raising Committee has been working very hard for our Winter Wonderland and, when this issue is published, there remains a week to sell the Advent Calendar Raffle Tickets! Finally, I draw your attention to four invitations to join the School preparations for the festival to be held in Church; Christingle on December 3rd at 2.30 pm, Nativities at 9.15am on the 10th and 11th and the Carol Service at 2.30 pm on the 19th. Fr. Andrew and Judy, Fr. Nick, Fr Robert and Paula join me in taking this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Christmass. With my love and payersFr. Trevor
My dear friends, November of course begins with the celebration of All Saints and All Souls of which I wrote last month: with regard to the former I hope as many as can (I know the clocks have gone back) will gather at S Paul’s on the 31st October and look forward to seeing the rest of you here at 11am the following day: with regard to the second, October 27th (Publication Day) is the last opportunity to add names to the All Souls list. S Martin’s Day will begin with the Act of Remembrance at the War Memorial in Trinity Street commencing at 10.55. The principal celebration is the 7pm Solemn Mass supported by the School Choir and I am delighted that Canon Richard Harper has agreed to preach at this celebration: I first met Fr. Richard in the late nineties when he served on the Board of Education and he has been kind enough to cover us from Eastbourne since retirement. If the evening celebration (clocks again) is really impossible (please think of offering and asking about lifts) the School Mass is at the wonderfully accessible time of 2pm. Those of you with Sunday, or Weekday, Missals may wish to use this month to purchase the new versions that come into use on December 1st. The new lectionary uses texts from the English Standard Version Catholic Edition and the Abbey Psalter and may be purchased from the CTS and other religious book shops. Leaflets are available explaining the background to this change in the Liturgy. With my love and payersFr. Trevor
St. Martin’s Vicarage Upper Wellington Road Brighton BN2 3AN October 2024 My dear friends, By tradition on the first Sunday in October we give thanks for the gifts of creation that sustain us and all too often forget to do so. Each year we work together as a Parish Community and I have therefor agreed with Mrs .Joshi that we shall make offerings of two kinds as most convenient to individuals. Monetary offerings ( cash or card) will be sent to ‘The Momentum Charity’ which approached us early last month: it is a charity that supports families of sick children in hospitals and in their homes and can be viewed at this address, Church and faith groups - Momentum Children's Charity (momentumcharity.org). Tangible gifts can be given of non-perishable foods and other essential items to support the homeless as collected by One Stop Church. As always you are welcome to join the School Celebration at 09.15 on Wednesday October 9th. On Sunday 6th we shall also be holding a Parish Lunch immediately after Mass for which bookings close on the day this edition is published. This reminds me to flag up again the 150th Anniversary Lunch that we need to confirm very soon and ask if you have invited anyone who has had a link with the Parish in the past to join us and also looked out any memorabilia you may have lurking? As the month ends we look to the Solemnity of All Saints Day and the Commemoration of All Souls the next day. You will see that the Wagner Group celebration of the former was transferred to the Vigil Mass on October 31st (it still fulfils the obligation) to avoid Friday on West Street:: the question marks have arisen as Fr. Thomas and I are aware that other things are celebrated in the same street on that day! It is a question of watching the Sunday Bulletin and the website for the final decision. The Solemn Requiem for All Souls Day will be at 12 noon as this is a Saturday and will be the only celebration this year: the usual list of those to be commemorated by name are at the back of Church—please remember that while we are happy to call names in exceptional circumstances , it is presumed you will be at Mass on the day. With my love and prayers,Fr. Trevor
St. Martin’s Vicarage Upper Wellington Road Brighton BN2 3AN September 2024 My dear friends, I cannot believe how early in August I am writing the September letter—you will be relieved therefore that it will be quite short! So far the Summer has led up to our usual British expectations—unpredictable and changeable! The four days that we spent together as the Wagner Group Pilgrimage were some of the hottest of the year, though I was sorry for the Youth Pilgrims that it rained on their second day, (well it did here!), on the whole I think they fared better, camping as they were in the open air! One thing Walsingham is not, well may be two, is ‘unpredictable and changeable’! The spirit of prayer and holiness meets one at the Altar of the Annunciation, the beauty of worship (despite some old fashioned trimmings) is all embracing and after all that the words of the farewell hymn never cease to choke. Plans are in place for next year’s pilgrimage (28-31 July) and we look forward to being rejoined by our friends from S Michael’s again. While it seems a long way off please do reserve your place: there were five other parish groups there this year who will probably be looking for pl aces too: this means that it may not be possible to accept late bookings and it also means that you can pay slowly week by week which will ease the cost. Continuing on the same theme—remember the Diocesan Walsingham Festival on Saturday 28th—as well as the Wagner Clergy, Our Lady extends an invitation as well! With my love and prayers,Fr. Trevor
