Saints and Commemorations in August
Readings
for Sundays in August
The
Diocese of Southwark Centenary Celebration.
Bishop
Nick’s Episcopal Letter
Dr
John Sentamu, Archbishop of York
What’s On In August? |
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Mon |
1 |
Magazine Panel meets at 35 Vanguard Way |
10.00 am |
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Wed |
3 |
St Mary’s Guild members’ meeting. St Mary’s Court |
2.30 pm |
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SUN |
7 |
TRINITY 11 |
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Fri |
12 |
MU Wave of Prayer |
9.00 am |
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SUN |
14 |
TRINITY 12 (Warning! Car Boot Sale today) Baptisms |
11.30 am |
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Wed |
17 |
MU Corporate Eucharist at St Michael’s Church |
10.00 am |
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SUN |
21 |
TRINITY 13 |
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SUN |
28 |
TRINTY 14 (Warning! Car Boot Sale today) Baptisms |
11.30 am |
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Mon |
29 |
Bank Holiday. Church open |
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Until the choir returns from holiday on 4 September, evening prayer at 6.30 pm on Sunday will be said
Fri 5 Oswald, King of Northumbria, martyr, 642
Mon 8 Dominic, priest, founder of the Order of Preachers, 1221
Tue 9 Mary Sumner, founder of the Mothers’ Union, 1921
Wed 10 Laurence, Deacon of Rome, martyr, 258
Thu 11 Clare of Assisi, founder of the Minoresses (Poor Clares), 1253
Sat 13 Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Down & Connor, teacher, 1667
Sat 20 Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, teacher, 1153
Wed 24 BATHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE
Sat 27 Monica, mother of Augustine of Hippo, 387
Wed 31 Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, missionary, 651
Sunday 7 August
Trinity 11
1 Kings 19: 9-18 Page 330
Romans 10: 5-15 Page 332
Matthew 14: 22-33 Page 333
Sunday 14 August
Trinity 12
Isaiah 56: 1, 6-8 Page 336
Romans 11: 1-2a, 29-32 Page 337
Matthew 15: 21-28 Page 337
Sunday 21 August
Trinity 13
Isaiah 51: 1-6 Page 342
Romans 12: 1-8 Page 343
Matthew 16: 13-20 Page 344
Sunday 28 August
Trinity 14
Jeremiah 15: 15-21 Page 348
Romans 12: 9-21 Page 349
Matthew 16: 21-28 Page 350
Sunday 7 August 8.00 am Revd Andy Roland
Trinity11 9.30 am Revd Andy Roland
Sunday 14 August 8.00 am Revd Andrew Wilson
Trinity 12 9.30 am Canon Martin Goodlad
11.30 am Canon Martin Goodlad (Baptisms)
Sunday 21 August 8.00 am Ven Dennis Ede
Trinity 13 9.30 am Ven Dennis Ede
Sunday 28 August 8.00 am Ven Dennis Ede
Trinity 14 9.30 am Ven Dennis Ede
11.30 am Ven Dennis Ede (Baptisms)
Bible Discussion House Groups will be held fortnightly on a rotating venue basis starting at 14 Nairn Court on Thursday, 6, at 8.00 pm. We will be reading Matthew’s Gospel with a view to applying it to our lives today, bearing in mind current affairs and problems we may be facing in our lives, work and society in general. Transport can be provided.
Every Sunday we pray for people living and working in two or three roads in the parish.
The roads in August will be:
Sunday 7 August
Mallinson Road, Meller Close,
Derry Road
Sunday 14 August
Crispin Close, Crispin Crescent
Sunday 21 August
Bridges Lane,
Wandle Court Gardens
Sunday 28 August
Wandle Road, Blandford Close
Visitors to Beddington Park one sunny weekend in July were intrigued to hear whistles, whooshes and other steam-related sounds from a bygone age emanating from St Mary’s. Those who ventured through the west door were treated not only to the beauty and welcome of our church, but were fellow pioneers in a new venture, The First St Mary’s Model Railway Exhibition.
Members of various model railway clubs and societies brought their own layouts for our enjoyment. The layouts varied in size, shape and gauge, from the narrow gauge layout “Picture This“ brought by members of the Uckfield Model Railway Club, to “Willow Falls” a single O gauge track with a very large American train, brought by Stuart Robinson of The North Downs Model Railway Circle. Four layouts were brought by members of the Croydon Model Railway Society, including the very picturesque “Cranbrook Town”, based on the weald of Kent and including some beautifully modelled Wealden cottages, and “Wats Lane” with its two different gauge tracks and interesting collection of buses.
The Exhibition catered for all children, not just those over 40! The Thomas the Tank Engine game with special guest, a clockwork Percy, was a great draw for fans of the Rev Awdry’s stories and it was good to see the Collingwood School layout, which is still under construction, being ably run by members of the school model railway club, overseen by our own Andrew Wilson. If a railway exhibition becomes a regular event at St’s it will be interesting to see how the Collingwood layout develops.
No railway show would be complete without a railway buffet and Jane Seymour and her team did us proud at the aptly named ‘Beddington Central’, which served a wonderful array of tasty snacks including some first rate bacon sandwiches. There was not a British Rail pork pie in sight.
Our thanks go to all who made this pioneering event such a success in attracting over 200 visitors to St Mary’s and raising £530 for church funds.
If your taste buds have been wetted for things model railway and you can’t wait for another St Mary’s event, the Croydon MRS are holding their annual show on the weekend of the 8/9 October, 10am-5pm at John Ruskin College, Selsdon Park Road, South Croydon.
I recently sent a large number of stamps to USPG, and received the following acknowledgement:
“Thank you so much for the stamps you have sent to support the mission work of USPG. Your help is greatly appreciated."
So please do keep saving stamps -special issues and foreign.box is on the table under the tower.
Thank you.
Betty Walker
“It is good to be here!” were the first words of Bishop Sebastian Bakare of Manicaland in Zimbabwe, on being invited by Bishop Tom to address the congregation of over 2000 gathered to celebrate a very special birthday.
At all special parties one expects music, dancing, balloons, lively conversation, colourful clothes and refreshment. The guests at the Centenary Celebration held in the gardens of Lambeth Palace had all this and more.
I still have a bookmark commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Southwark and remember that the celebrations then were held at the AllLawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon. At that time Iwhere Ibe when the Diocese celebrated its Centenary. Little did I know that Ibe part of a congregation of various ages, nationalities and traditions from every parish in the Diocese celebrating together in one of London’s oldest and largest private gardens.
The monks of Rochester were the first to lay out what later became the garden of Lambeth House, home of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Up until the 18th century the garden was still on the edge of the countryside, however today it is a rich green oasis in the centre of London. It is a valuable asset to the Archbishop’s ministry, being used by many organisations, charities, the staff of the Archbishop and visitors, including on this occasion representatives of the Southwark Diocese.
The gates opened at noon and when I arrived at 12.45pm the festivities were well underway. We were encouraged to tour the garden and it was interesting to view the façard of Lambeth Palace not normally seen by the public. It was interesting to note the various influences of former Archbishops, from Cranmer’s tower 1550, Cosmo Lang’s rose terrace 1930 through to The Rowan Avenue 2004. The most recent introduction to the garden are the bee hives housing the honey bees owned and maintained by members of the London Beekeepers Association.
There were various stalls and displays, including a story-telling tent for the children, on the way to the Main Meadow which was the focus of the whole Celebration. It was in a specially constructed Liturgical area built in the meadow that the Centenary Eucharist was to be celebrated. It was also in this area that we were entertained with performances of country dancing and singing by various school groups. The highlight of these performances was from the Steel band of Archbishop Sumner School, who actively encouraged the audience to dance and even had a Bishop or two stepping in time to the rhythm.
Preceding the Eucharist, Canon Andrew Nunn assisted by the organist and the 250 strong Centenary Choir made up of choristers from choirs throughout the diocese, led us in a congregational music rehearsal. The hymn ‘Thy hand, O God, Has Guided’, heralded the Bishop’s procession and the start of the Centenary Eucharist. Bishop Tom presided assisted by six other bishops and the Archbishop of Canterbury The Most Revd and RtDrWilliams.
Although the Liturgical area was some distance from our shaded position near the back we could see the main participants clearly with the aid of two large screens positioned on either side of the meadow.
Archbishop Rowan looked resplendent in a very colourful multicoloured cope and mitre of African origin. In his sermon he spoke about his frequent trips down the Old Kent Road on his way to Canterbury and likened today’s mix of individuals and nationalities there to the diverse characters who travelled the same road in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. He compared their pilgrim journey to Canterbury with our own spiritual journeys emphasising the theme of journeying together, not just in our local settings but also on a global scale. He went on to say, “Pandemics, poverty, ecological degradation are everyone’s business and there is no escape pod reserved for those who are comfortable and prosperous just at the moment. Suddenly, the question of ‘Who is my neighbour?’ has a very clear answer: my neighbour, the person who lives next door, is the suffering stranger in Africa or South East Asia or wherever poverty, disease and disaster are found. My life is as much bound up with theirs as with the lives of people who happen to be more like me. And there is nothing abstract or idealistic about the command to love this neighbour: this is the most realistic command that could be given.” This very clear message was all the more relevant with the G8 summit only days away, the ‘Make Poverty History’ events happening in Edinburgh and the Live8 concert in progress just across the river from us.
The Offertory procession was one of the most lively and colourful I have ever seen. It consisted of young people and dancers from schools in the diocese. There were a lot of yellow and red helium filled balloons, bright costumes and some very cleverly designed life size puppets. Following them were two strong gentleman servers carrying very large bowls of what I have heard an archdeacon call in the past ‘Holy Smoke’, there was certainly a lot of it! They preceded the clergy, readers, Eucharistic ministers and 30 members of the Diocesan Servers’ Guild, including our own Katie Seymour (right), whose job was to make the distribution of Communion as easy as possible. There were 30 Communion stations at various points around the edge of the meadow and these were made easy to locate by Katie and her colleagues who were carrying large white placards decorated simply with Eucharistic symbols.
Before the Archbishop gave the Blessing, the three Guest Bishops who had come from our link Dioceses in Zimbabwe especially for the Centenary Celebrations, were each presented with a pectorial cross to mark the centenary. In his address Bishop Sebastian asked the people of Southwark to “pray more and more” for Zimbabweans to be able to live in a peaceful environment.
As the congregation prepared to disperse we were treated to a performance from the gospel choir of St Martin in the Fields High School for Girls.
On the way out we were encouraged by the stewards, amongst whom were several familiar St Mary’s faces, to sign a special anniversary book for Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife who were celebrating their golden wedding anniversary that day. We were also encouraged to make donations to the Southwark Diocesan Centenary fund, which has been set up by Bishop Tom to support work with children and young people throughout the Diocese.
As I took a wrong turn outside Lambeth Palace I had plenty of time to reflect on a wonderful celebration while trying to find Waterloo station via the Imperial War museum. It was good to be there: I wonder where I’ll be when Southwark Celebrates 125 years.
Linda Wood
The Link Group is now about ready to run a system for linking parishes here with parishes in the Diocese of Central Zimbabwe. There are some exciting plans in the pipeline for the future as our Diocese continues to try to develop the link in an exciting and stimulating way. Watch this space.
May Queens from the London boroughs celebrated the centenary of the May Queens’ Flower Service which is held annually at St Mary’s on the first Saturday in July.
The church was full of May Queens, their trainbearers, supporters, parents and friends. Crowns, robes and long trains made a colourful picture - no doubt recorded in many a family album by now. The Joy Bell Praises were read, each by a different girl, thanking God for beauty, for flowers, for light, for music and for life.
After each May Queen, attended by her trainbearer, had presented flowers at the Altar, and following enthusiastic singing of ‘Lord of the Dance’, the whole congregation adjourned to the Centre for a celebratory tea party.
Readers who read the recent article in the local ‘Guardian’, entitled ‘Nelson: the Beddington Link’ , which told the story of Sir Benjamin Hallowell-Carew and his unusual gift (a coffin!) to the Admiral, may be wondering where in St Mary’s they can find the plaque commemorating Sir Benjamin.
The answer is - facing eastwards, look behind you and look above you. But make sure you are facing eastwards in the right part of the church!
The advertisement for a new Rector of St Mary’s produced a good response.
As we go to press, the interviewing panel are preparing for their meeting on 4 August when they will, together, draw up the short list for interviews in September.
Meanwhile, with the help of visiting clergy and of Jenifer and Betty, the regular Sunday and weekday services continue normally. ‘Thank you’ to all of them.
Pat Kingsbury
A church-goer wrote a letter to the editor of a local newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. “I've gone for 30 years now,” he wrote, “and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So I think I am wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.”
This started a real controversy in the 'Letters to the Editor' column, much to the delight of the Editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
“I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But for the life of me I can't recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: they all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me those meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!”
Harvest Thanksgiving will be celebrated over the weekend of September 24/25, and will begin with a Harvest Supper Party on Saturday evening. The whole evening will have an African theme and the menu will include food from all five regions of the Continent.
Full details in next month’s magazine and on the Sunday Notice Sheets nearer the time. Meanwhile, keep the date free. It will be an event not to be missed.
Sunday, 25 September
This year we thought we would incorporate a ‘Parish Garden With a Difference’ into the Harvest Thanksgiving decorations.
The idea is for people to take one of our many baskets, of varying sizes, and make an arrangement at home, preferably using greenery, berries and flowers from their gardens (or the local florist if no garden). The baskets will be used to decorate the window sills in the St Nicholas Chapel.
Many ‘non flower arrangers’ did brilliantly in our recent Flower Festival, so why not try your hand at a small arrangement.
Sue Ardley
10 July Lara Anne Gibb
Holly Alison Hickson
Sarah Margaret Williams
Morgan Caroline Ball
24 July Oliver Matthew Thorpe
Molly Isabel de Ritter
25 June Thomas Francis Deloughery and Katy Sarah Armstrong
12 July Philip Francis, aged 84 yrs
14 July Dillon Warwick, aged 3 weeks
20 July Peter Hinkley, aged 76 yrs
There will be a Coffee Morning on Friday, 30 September in aid of the McMillan Nursing from 10 am to 12 noon
in the Trinity Centre, Maldon Road.
The British Library has launched an online exhibition of sacred texts from its collection. ‘Expressions of Faith’ includes prayer books, scrolls and illuminated manuscripts from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and other religions.
Visitors to www.collectbritain.co.uk/galleries/faith can view the zoom-able images and read notes on the exhibits.
The Wave of Prayer is carried out every day throughout the year as an act of thanksgiving and intercession, by and for member of the Mothers’ Union throughout the world. Each diocese in the United Kingdom is linked with other dioceses worldwide and a spcial effort is made to think and pray for each other at this time.
As most people are aware, the Diocese of Southwark is linked with that of Zimbabwe and the Mothers’ Union in the Diocese of Southwark is linked with the dioceses of Aba, Niger Delta North, Uyo, Calabar, Northern Territory and Butere. This year we are including prayers for our neighbouring Diocese of Oxford and for Zimbabwe as well.
Southwark Diocese covers the area between the south bank of the Thames through to the suburbs of London, the villages and towns of East Surrey to the borders of Gatwick Airport. Aba is situated in the south east of Nigeria in the rain forest region. It has a population of one million plus, scattered over an area of 5000 square miles. Uyo, also in Nigeria, is known as the missionary diocese and Calabar is a Nigerian diocese with 23 churches. Niger Delta North has 80% of its churches in rural areas and 20% in the urban city of Port Harcourt. Butere is a small but heavily populated diocese in rural Kenya with some two and a half thousand MU members. In Australia, the Northern Territory covers one sixth of the continent, but has less than one per cent of the nation’s people. Our branch here is linked with the branch at Yarrawouga and we are in regular correspondence with each other at Easter, Christmas and at other special times.
This year our part of the ‘Wave’ falls on Friday, 12 August at 9.00 am (no, not the best time of the day exactly to get together!). Sylvia James has offer to host the meeting and as many of us who can will meet together to read the service prepared by Mothers’ Union HQ. Sylvia has kindly promised coffee and croissants afterwards - who could resist such an inducement? Please remember us all in your prayers that morning.
Mary Tapp
Some people don't feel they can sing loudly in church, as they find keeping in tune difficult (if not impossible). This poem is dedicated to them.
Praise the Lord in merry song,
Praise him, praise him all day long.
But what of me? I cannot sing –
I have no melody to bring.
But in the Bible, joy of joys,
The Lord says: “Make a joyful noise!”
Eric has now put all his photographs of last May’s Flower Festival onto his website.
The address is: http://ashleylouise.no-ip.com Login: mary Password: mary (both in lower case. Click on St Mary’s Flower Festival. Do look also at more pictures and behind the scenes. Email Eric if you would like copies - details are on the site.
with the Revd Michael and Mrs Rosalind Hore
27 May - 4 June 2006
Harold Hore’s son and his wife are arranging a comprehensive mid-term pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Galilee next year, with an optional four night extension in Jerusalem .
Brochures giving details of the trip are available in church, or ring The Rectory on 01954 25054
11 August
Clare was the famous virgin foundress of the Minoresses or Poor Clares. Born at Assisi of the Offreduccio family, Clare grew up to hear the teaching of St Francis of Assisi, and at 18 she renounced all her possessions and joined him at the Portiuncula, where she became a nun. Soon Francis found her and her companions a small house adjacent to the church of San Damiano, Assisi, which he had so lovingly restored.
And so it was that Clare became abbess in 1216 of a community of women who wished to live according to the rule and spirit of St Francis. The way of life was one of extreme poverty and austerity, but this did not seem to discourage anyone. For like the Franciscan friars, Clare's nuns soon spread to other parts of Europe, especially Spain, Bohemia, France and England, where four convents were founded in the late 13th and 14th centuries.
Clare never left her convent at Assisi – she became distinguished as one of the great medieval contemplatives, devoted to serving her community in great joy, and practising Franciscan ideals, including the love of nature.
Clare was considered a powerful woman: when Assisi was in danger of being sacked by the armies of the Emperor Frederick II, Claire, although ill, was carried to the wall with a pyx containing the Blessed Sacrament. At sight of her and the pyx, her biographers say, the armies fled. This is why in art Clare is often depicted with a pyx or monstrance, as on the D'Estouteville Triptych of English origin c1360. Clare was canonised only two years after her death in 1253. The Poor Clare continue today in many countries as a contemplative order.
All in all, Clare's life was one of extreme self-denial and constant contemplative prayer. So it is hard to explain easily why Clare has been named patron saint of television. Perhaps there is a TV company somewhere who wants to launch a series called 'Help! I'm a Saint – get me out of here!'
The following is a letter from Cyprian. He lived in the 3rd century, became Bishop of Carthage and was martyred for his faith. The letter was addressed to his old friend, Donatus.
“This seems a cheerful world, Donatus, when I view it from this fair garden, under the shadow of these vines. But if I climbed to some great mountain and looked out over the wide lands, you know very well what I would see: brigands on the high roads, pirates on the seas; in the amphitheatres men murdered to please the applauding crowds; under all roofs misery and selfishness. It is really a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world.
“Yet, in the midst of it, I have found a quiet and holy people. They have discovered a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure in this sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They have overcome the world. These people, Donatus, are the Christians, and I am one of them.”
Bishop Nick in his Episcopal
Letter - July 2005 writes:
“The bombings of 7 July and the attempted bombings of 21 July have raised big questions about the nature of security and fear ….. The horror of religious fundamentalism does not mean that we cannot speak of certainties; the identification of terrorists as Moslem radicals does not allow us to stigmatise our neighbours; and the power of fear must never be allowed to validate the lie that violence, death and destruction have the final word .…… in a world sustained by a God of resurrection.”
Time never stands still for the Church of England. At the time of writing the appointment of the new Archbishop of York has just been announced and the Anglican Consultative Council is about to meet in Nottingham. Both these events will have a big impact on the Anglican community at home and around the world. Both also present challenges to all of us.
Dr John Sentamu is not the sort of person to be described as ‘all talk, no trousers’. He has faced the conflict between self-preservation and Christian integrity and made his choice: Idi Amin did not ‘get’ his man. In this country Drhas been a fearless voice on behalf of oppressed and marginalised people, but his voice has always been backed up by his bodily presence where it matters. Whether it be the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry or his campaign in Birmingham to counter black gang and gun culture, he has put himself where his mouth is. This has taken courage, vision and a resolve to do what is right regardless of whether people see him as a friend or enemy.
But Dr Sentamu cannot be caricatured as a trendy lefty bishop who is content to preside over an unconfident church while chasing other social or political shadows as a sort of distraction therapy. He is shameless in his passion for the Good News of God in Christ, the revelation of God in Scripture and the power of the Holy Spirit in worship, evangelism and the transformation of individuals and communities. So, York will be w