Easter III

After Sung Mass we had our Annual Parochial Church Meeting, which has to happen every year before the end of April.

In reality this is made up of two different meetings, one to elect Churchwardens and another to be the Annual Meeting in which the Parochial Church Council is elected.

Some time ago, one of our churchwardens, Richard, announced to the congregation his intention to step down from the office of Churchwarden, an office he has carried out meticulously in the Parish for the past nine years. He has done this because of family reasons. I will miss Richard’s wisdom and support but I know that he will still be a buttress of this community.

The Meeting elected David Bonner to continue in the office and Jacqueline Dungay as a new churchwarden. I look forward to work with these churchwardens and thank them for offering themselves for this important and demanding office.

The second meeting looked at the past year with joy and with hope for the next one. Members of the PCC were duly elected and reports received and approved. A very good number of the congregation attended for this meeting.

Today too people received a leaflet and prayer card about Fan the Flame week which will take place mid June. Two members of the leadership team gave their witness about this week one at the Early Mass and another at the Sung Mass. Please do remember to include this exciting venture in your prayers, we need prayer partners.

We are also looking forward to Tuesday when a group from this congregation is going to start their pilgrimage from here to Canterbury Cathedral, the shrine of St Thomas Becket. May this great Martyr intercede for us. A donation of £25 will make you a patron of this pilgrimage, we cannot concede you an Indulgence (sadly) but we promise you our prayers. Get in touch if you would like to be a patron.

Between yesterday and today I followed the Holy Father as he was on pilgrimage to my home country. This was the week end in which Malta celebrated the 1950th anniversary from the Shipwreck of St Paul. What a wonderful, powerful and positive celebration of the Faith it was. Sad that the international media are only focusing on the 25 minutes during which the Pope met 10 sexually abused victims by three evil priests. I heard from one of the victims that those present for the meeting were all moved to tears and it was, thank God, a moment of healing, but there were 28 hours of this visit which at least deserve a mention.

All people so far seem to say how wonderful it was and how meaningful. Laus Deo.