Category: Uncategorized
Feast of the Sacred Heart
There will be Mass on Friday 11th June at 9.30am, in the garden, to celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart. The Mass will be celebrated jointly with the school.
Private Prayer
Dear Parishioner
I thought that you would like to know that the Church is now open for private prayer on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm. If you visit please wear a face covering, sanitise your hands and use the anti-viral spray to clean the area you have occupied. This will help to keep the Church safe for everyone.
Easter Sunday
We celebrated our Easter Sunday Mass outside on the lawn as we have been doing most Sunday’s, weather permitting! This comes as second nature to Father Martin as he was a Missionary Priest for twenty five years. We were very fortunate with the weather as we had a hundred present and ran out of chairs!
Here is a beautiful reflection from Glenstall Abbey for Good Friday. See YouTube link below.
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday 4th April
I am writing to let you know that the weather forecast for Sunday looks good so the 9 o’clock Mass has been cancelled and the 10.30 Mass, with space for everyone, will take place outside on the lawn.
Good Friday
The Churches Together Walk of Witness cannot take place this year but there will be an on-line service reflecting the Walk of Witness. This will take place at 10am and can be accessed via the Parish Church website www.wadhurstparishchurch.org.
Weekly Masses from Saturday 10th April
Saturday Vigil Mass 6pm
Sunday Mass 10.30am (outside weather permitting)
For services in the Church COVID regulations will need to be followed. These include 2m social distancing, sanitising hands on arrival and departure, providing details for Track & Trace purposes and the mandatory wearing of face coverings.
For services inside and outside the Church you are reminded that no household mixing is allowed so please keep your distance from others on arrival and leave without lingering when Mass is over.
If you are unable to join us you can find information about the locations of live-streamed celebrations of Mass on the Diocesan Website at: https://abdiocese.org.uk/livestream.
We ask you all to make this not only a Day of Reflection but also a Day of Prayer. In reflection we ponder on all that has taken place; in prayer we bring this to our Heavenly Father. For all who live by faith in God, reflection and prayer always go hand in hand. Prayer completes reflection. Reflection informs prayer. Prayer opens our life to its true horizon. Without prayer we live in a foreshortened world and are more easily swamped by its clamour and tragedy. Throughout this difficult year, so many have been inspired by prayer, so much effort sustained in prayer, in every place. So let us make the 23rd March truly a day of prayer.
March 2020 was the first time our churches had to be closed. It is our hope that on this day, every one of our churches will be open. We invite everyone to enter a church on this day, to reflect and pray in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. We know this will involve an extra effort, but this can be part of our important contribution to a significant moment in the life of our country. Indeed, we ask that you might invite a friend, neighbour or colleague to come to church with you as you make this visit.
There is so much on which to reflect and include in our prayer.
We reflect in sorrow on all those who have died, whether family members, friends or those unknown to us personally. We pray for them, asking our Father to welcome them into their heavenly home, the destiny for which God first gave us the gift of life.
We reflect with compassion on all those who have suffered during this last year, whether through illness, stress, financial disaster or family tensions. We pray for their ongoing resilience, courage and capacity to forgive.
We reflect with thanksgiving for the generosity, inventiveness, self-sacrifice and determination shown by so many in this most difficult of times. We pray for them, thanking God for their gifts and dedication, whether they are scientists, politicians, health workers, public servants of every kind, community leaders or steadfast family members and friends who continue to show such love and compassion.
We reflect in hope that, as the pandemic is controlled and we open up our lives again, we will gather in the lessons we have learned and build our society into a better shape, more compassionate, less marked by inequalities, more responsive to needs and deprivation. We ask for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen us in this endeavour, whether we are focussing on overcoming family breakdowns, economic recovery, or building political consensus.
Christian prayer is, of course, centred on Jesus Christ, the one who is “lifted up” before us “so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him” (John 3.13). We pray with Jesus, in him and through him, for he is the one who carries us, and our prayers, into the embracing presence of his Father. He is our comfort in sorrow, our strength in the face of need, our rejoicing in the gifts we celebrate and our hope in the face of the weighty darkness of death.
May Tuesday 23rd March be a great day of prayer that this pandemic comes to an end and that the gift of God’s Holy Spirit will carry us all forward to a new and better life, both here and in the world to come.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP President Vice-President
Church Closure
At the time of writing government regulations allow places of worship to open for services. However, we have taken the difficult decision to cancel all Masses and close our Church until further notice.
This decision has been made in the light of rising COVID infections in our area and will protect our priest and our congregation from the risks associated with mixing with other households indoors. We understand that this will be a disappointment to many of you but know that you will appreciate our aim to keep everyone safe and well at this time.
Information about the locations of live-streamed celebrations of Mass is available on the Diocesan Website at: https://abdiocese.org.uk/livestream.
Father Martin will continue to say Mass privately and will be praying for you and your families. He is also happy for you to phone him if you would like prayer or a Mass for a specific intention.
The Parish Office will be closed to visitors until further notice. However, emails and phone messages will be dealt with on a regular basis, and if you need a priest urgently please contact Father Martin direct.
The Rosary group can pray for you and your concerns, and the Mother’s Prayers group is meeting by Zoom. Please contact Rosie on 01892 785464, Antonia on 782679 or Grainne on 07841 414689 if you would like prayer for a specific person or intention.
Christmas Masses and COVID 19
We are pleased to confirm that despite the current restrictions, Communal Worship can continue, so our Christmas Masses can go ahead.
However, if you live in a Tier Four area we ask you you to give serious consideration as to whether you should be attending Mass at our Church in Wadhurst, which is in Tier Two.
Christmas Information
MassTimes
We have been very fortunate to celebrate Mass outside in the church grounds. This included Advent and our Christmas Day Mass, which although was very cold it was still well attended.
There will not be Mass on Thursday 31st December 2020 or Friday 1st January 2021.
Weekly Mass times are as follows:
Thursday 10am
Saturday 6pm
Sunday 10.30am
Christmas Mass Times
There will be two Masses on Christmas Eve at 4pm and 6pm. Christmas Day there will be Mass at 10.30am. There will be no Mass on 26th December. Sunday 27th December Mass will be at 10.30am.
You are reminded that the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday and Holy days of Obligation is currently suspended. If you, and your family, could attend just one Mass over this period, it would help to ensure that there is space for everyone.
As space in the Church is limited due to social distancing we will be asking you to let us know in advance which Mass you would like to attend. Please contact the Parish Office on or after Monday 14th December letting us know your name, contact number, the number of people in your household and your preferred Mass time over the Christmas period. If you can give a second choice of Mass, that too would be very helpful.
You can email parishsecretary.sacredheart@gmail.com or telephone 01892 784311. All emails and phone messages will be dealt with in date/time order and we will let you know if space is available at your preferred time by Monday 21st December.
We are putting on extra Masses to enable everyone to join us in celebrating our Saviour’s birth. However, we ask for your understanding if your first choice of Mass is not available.
NB. We plan to have Mass outside on Sunday & Christmas Day, weather permitting, so please come dressed warmly and with appropriate footwear.
Christmas Cards
Can we ask you please not to leave Christmas cards for parishioners in the Church or Annexe this year. We have to keep all surfaces clear as part of our infection control measures.
The Mayors Toy Appeal
Runs until Wednesday 16th December so there is still time if you would like to make a donation. Please see the website for details www.twmta.co.uk. Or call Karen Collins on 07748 074811.
Missio Red Boxes
Catherine Heathcote is now our parish representative for Missio. Your donations for this year need to be counted so please bring your red boxes to Church next time you come to Mass or leave them in the porch of the Priest’s Cottage if that is more convenient.
Nourish Donations
Donations of food can be left at the collection point in Ticehurst Village Store or you can make a financial donation towards local families needing help this Christmas. Please see the website www.nourishcommunityfoodbank.org.uk or call the Parish Office for details.
We find ourselves once again approaching one of our most important celebrations with the overhang of some incredibly difficult circumstances. We continue to hope and pray that you and your families are keeping safe and well at this difficult time.
You may recall that Easter fell during the first National Lockdown and at that time, given the exceptional circumstances, the Parish Finance Committee (PFC), took the unusual step of communicating directly with the Parish, regarding collections at the Easter services. It is heartbreaking to think, that eight months later and we are still trying to contend with such challenging difficulties. While we will hopefully not be in the same position of a National Lockdown at Christmas, it is very likely that not everyone will be able or free to enjoy Christmas services, in the same manner as would normally be the case.
Therefore, we wanted to take this opportunity to remind parishioners, that the offertory collection, during the Christmas services, is held as our personal offering to Father Martin, to support him and thank him for everything he does on our behalf, throughout the year.
So, for those who will sadly be unable to join in the services this Christmas, due to current restrictions, we wanted to afford you the opportunity to show your support for Fr. Martin, via an alternative route, to that of the church collection plate.
If this is something that you would like to avail of, we would ask you to consider transferring your personal gift directly into the Parish bank account marked with the reference “Father Martin”. For convenience, the Parish account details, through which you can make your Christmas gift via electronic payment, are set out below.
Thank you for your ongoing and generous support.
Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year,
Greg O’Higgins
Chair of the Parish Finance Committee
Account details:
Account Name: Sacred Heart Wadhurst
Account No: 11077198
Sort code: 400520
Payment Reference: Father Martin
Note:
If required, the full account name is:
Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, Sacred Heart Wadhurst.