St. Martin’s Vicarage

Upper Wellington Road

Brighton

BN2 3AN

March 2025

My dear friends,

With the date of Easter being so late this year the arrival of Ash Wednesday and the annual fast of Lent may be a bit of a shock for some!

As a precursor once again this year our first Parish Lunch of the Year will be on March 2nd. At this, following last year’s invention, the pre-covid pancake parties will be

replaced this by the desert. Writing this letter in the heart of Cornwall so as it can be published the previous week brings us to the closing of bookings—not to mention the settling of your account. Thanks in advance to those who will be preparing for this celebration both physically and culinarily: it is great to welcome Fr. Robert’s wife Paula to the latter team.

There will be two Masses on Ash Wednesday: Solemn at 12noon and said at 17.30. As usual the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed fifteen minutes before the Solemn Mass on Ash Wednesday and also before the Parish Mass on Sundays. We shall also (as local custom has evolved) walk the Stations of the Cross on Saturdays at 11am as the penitential rite of the Saturday Mass.

If there is any reason that you can not attend a Mass on Ash Wednesday you will be welcome at the School ’Ashing Service’ at 2pm that afternoon: it may be that you might make supporting that celebration as well as coming to Mass your Lenten

offering!

On a final note Bradley has been the principal attender of Mass on Wednesday for some time. As he now has to deliver on line teaching on that day I have moved the regular time for celebration on Wednesdays to 17.30—we would welcome more company at that celebration.

Happy Lent everyone!

With my love and prayers,

Fr. Trevor