A new idea . . . This week's newsletter.

Here is this week's newsletter.  Another way to view our parish newsletter . . .

Please click on the little arrow at the top right hand corner of the document to see an enlarged version.

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Vision for Mission - The Word who is Life . . .

Have you seen Bishop Richard's video on Vision for Mission?

At the Entrance to a Catholic Church . . .

Have you seen this sign? (*HINT to St Ann's parishioners. You will have passed this sign every time you come to Holy Mass or enter the church for any reason)

Next time you come to Holy Mass or pop into church to say a prayer, please take a minute to find this notice and read it.  It is very important and very clear.

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord . . .

It is a busy weekend at St Ann's with the visit of the travelling Icon and Palm Sunday.

A busy weekend and a joyful one as we celebrate Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, cheered on by palm-waving crowds.

We had our own version, on a somewhat smaller scale, of that palm strewn procession today at the 10am Mass.

Christ wouldn't have had to negotiate his way around parked cars but there would I'm sure have been other obstacles in his path as he made his way on that donkey through the streets of Jerusalem.

Here are a few photos of our procession this morning.  You'll find more on our Flickr stream here.

Gathering in the hall for the blessing of palms and the reading of the Gospel before we begin to process around the church.

The procession weaves its way around our beautiful magnolia which looks as if it will be in full bloom just in time for Easter Sunday.

And back into church to join those who were unable to join the procession. 

And Mass begins.

NB. As usual, for clearer and larger images, please click on the individual photo.

The travelling Icon pays a visit to St Ann's . . .

We have been privileged this weekend to have the travelling Icon of Our Lady of Consolation in our parish as part of the Diocesan initiative for the Year of Mercy.

The Icon has been not only in our parish church but also paid a visit to the nearby prison HMP High Down and our parish school of St Anne's. 

We were fortunate that the Icon was with us on Friday evening during our Stations of the Cross.  

This added to the very prayerful atmosphere in the church and enables those present to venerate the image before or after the devotion.

The travelling Icon is an opportunity for all of us to pray in a special way asking for Our Lady's intercession on our behalf during the Year of Mercy. This is especially valuable for those who are unable to make a pilgrimage to one of the Holy Doors that have been set up across our diocese.

The original Icon is to be found at the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in West Grinstead and this is an ideal destination for a pilgrimage to enter through the Holy Door during this Holy Year.

Details of the celebration of the Easter Triduum at St Ann's . . .

Please click on the picture for a clearer and larger version.

We look forward to seeing you.

24 Hours for the Lord

St Ann's is to be the venue for Epsom Deanery's '24 Hours for the Lord' in this Year of Mercy

The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed in the monstrance on the altar for  Adoration from midday on Friday 4th March until 9.45am on Saturday 5th March.  Our period of Adoration concludes with Benediction at 9.45am and this will be followed by our usual parish Mass at 10am.

Do please come along if you can and spend some time with our Lord.  Five minutes or five hours, you will be welcome at any time.

The Sacrament of Confession will be available throughout this period.

Lenten Devotions . . .

Are you looking for something extra to do for Lent? 

Thinking of the three pillars of Lent, 'Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving',  how about joining us at 7pm on Fridays for Station of the Cross concluding with Benediction?

Or, maybe you prefer something during the day time?  Why not join us for Rosary and Benediction at 4pm on Sundays during Lent?

You would be very welcome at either devotion, or both. It would only take about half an hour of your time for either Stations or Rosary.  Please don't worry if you can't make it every week; come along whenever you can.

We look forward to seeing you!

That's sorted out your extra prayer for Lent, all you have to now is concentrate on the Fasting and Almsgiving!!

Christmas Masses at St Ann's

Here are details of the Christmas Masses at St Ann's.  Please click on the image to enlarge it.

We look forward to seeing you at St Ann's, whether a regular parishioner or a perhaps a visitor who is staying with family in the parish.

St Ann's Youth Art Exhibition . . .

Today saw St Ann's first parish Youth Art Exhibition.

Children of the parish were invited to present a piece of their own art work with a religious theme.

Entries were divided by age group; and certificates, and even prizes, were awarded to those judged to have produced the best art work in their category.

Although entries were open to all children with a connection to the parish, a large proportion of the entries came from pupils at our parish school of St Anne's.

We are very grateful to Mr Donovan  and the staff at St Anne's for encouraging the children in this venture and even to devoting some time in the busy school day for the children to produce their 'masterpieces'.

This is not to say that there weren't also some excellent entries from children in other schools and from children who have moved on to secondary school.

Here is just a selection of the very many entries.  If you'd like to see even more, please have a look at our parish Flickr stream.

A Visitor from Belarus . . .

We were delighted today to welcome Sister Natalia to St Ann's.  Sister Natalia is a Sister of Mercy attached to the Russian Orthodox Monastery of St Elisabeth in Minsk. The convent currently counts just under 100 nuns and around 300 Sisters of Mercy.

Since its establishment the convent has been caring for 200 orphanage children with psychophysical deficiencies for almost 15 years.

The beautiful craft-work and religious artefacts the Sisters brought with them today are made by recovering addicts in the monastery workshop.  This not only enables the Sisters to raise much-needed funds to support their work with the poor and needy but also provides very beneficial therapy for those whom they seek to help.

Sister Natalia with some of her 'wares'.

 Hand-crafted toys and other items in the local style.

 Some of the many beautiful icons available.

 Gosh, which do I choose . . . ?

Yet more beautiful icons.

You can learn more about this congregation of Nuns and the valuable work they do by visiting their website here.

Corpus Christi and our new Baldacchino!

Thanks to the generosity of one of the families in our parish we are now the proud owners of a simply splendid baldacchino. The family have very kindly presented it to the parish in memory of a much-loved family member who sadly died earlier this year.

I couldn't resist having a good look at the canopy today. It has been laid out in readiness for tomorrow's procession after our 10am Mass which is also a Mass of Thanksgiving for all our First Holy Communion children, their families and catechists.

A side view showing the beautiful embroidery.

And a close up showing the detail of the centre-piece.

The shorter side of the canopy.

And the detail of the Agnus Dei motif.

The all-important final details. Note the white gloves almost out of the picture!

Now, for Holy Mass and the procession!

And so it concludes . . .

This morning saw the conclusion of our Forty Hours Devotion. Thank God for such a wonderful time.  Thank you to all who supported the Forty Hours; those who adored for several hours or just a few minutes; those who got up an extra hour early to come before work and school; those  made the sacrifice to adore through the night hours.

Some people in conversation with me afterwards referred to 'a pull' to be present.  Others spoke of a 'glimpse of heaven'.  It has certainly been a truly blessed time for our parish.

Here is  a brief summary in photos of the whole of the Forty Hours.

Beginning with the Mass of Exposition beautifully celebrated by Fr Seán Finnegan.

After Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, as Adoration began, the sanctuary was wreathed in smoke from the incense. 

People came and went throughout the day and night; so many wonderful people, especially those who made the extra effort to come out during the night-time hours.

By Wednesday evening the number of candles on and around the altar had gradually increased and the atmosphere was one of reverent prayer and adoration.

Finally this morning, this was the sight that greeted people as they entered the church  . . .

Our closing Benediction this morning . . . 

Until the next time . . . 

You will find a few more photos on our Flickr page.