Flying the flag . . .

I'm very grateful to John who braved the wet and windy weather yesterday evening to hoist the Papal flag outside St Ann's Church. As you can see from the photo John has made a return visit to make sure it's secure.

We are lucky that we are on a busy main road and so the flag will be seen by all the passers-by.

I think it looks great!

Our Lady of Sorrows . . .

Today the Church reminds us of the particular union that Our Blessed Lady shared with in the sacrifice of her Son on the Cross.

The love of Our Lady for her Son permits her to share His sufferings as though they were her own.

Today's feast is an opportunity for each of us to accept our little trials as personal purification. Our Lady teaches us not to complain as we know she never would; she encourages us to unite our trials and difficulties to the sacrifice of he Son for our own salvation and for the whole world.

'O sweet Mother, fount of love,

touch my spirit from above,

make my heart with yours accord.'

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross . . .

Today's feast has been celebrated since the fourth century. The Divine Office and the texts of today's Mass proclaim the Holy Cross as the instrument of our salvation. Inasmuch as our first parents sinned beneath the shadow of a tree, God accomplished our redemption on the wood of the Cross.

At Mass we pray,

'God Our Father, in obedience to you, your only son accepted death on the Cross for the salvation of mankind. We acknowledge the mystery of the Cross on earth. May we receive the gift of redemption in heaven.'

The Cross is present in our lives in different ways; it may manifest itself through illness, loneliness, bereavement and in many other human circumstances. In our prayer today we can examine our disposition as we come face to face with the Cross.

'Cross most faithful, you are the noblest tree of all!

No other tree can compare with your leaves,

your flowers and your fruit.' (Hymn, Crux Fidelis)

'On yer bike . . . '

We are very grateful to Mary (2nd from right) for once again offering to take part in the sponsored cycle ride organised by Surrey Churches Preservation Trust on behalf of our parish.

This is an annual event and having recently widened it's scope to encourage walkers to join in the fun too it is now known as 'Ride and Stride'.

Participants set off at their own pace and are sponsored for the number of churches (of various denominations) they are able to visit in the local area. Last year Mary managed to 'tick off' an amazing 22 churches.

Spotted outside St Ann's Church after Mass this morning are some visiting cyclists alongside Mary.

"I'm very much looking forward to my visit . . . "

The Holy Father has been speaking about his forthcoming visit to the United Kingdom. He says that he is very much looking forward to the visit and thanks the British Government; the Scottish Bishops; those of England and Wales and all who are involved in organising the visit for the vast amount of work they have put in to make the visit possible.

ACN Annual Mass - ' Hope Without Fear' Westminster

I have been asked by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) to promote their Annual Mass and 'Hope Without Fear' event at Westminster which I am very happy to do.

The day begins with the Annual Mass (Sung Latin Mass) at Westminster Cathedral at 10.30am on 16th October.

Mass will be followed by an afternoon of talks from a variety of speakers in the cathedral hall including amongst others;

Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kassala of Tombura-Yambio, south Sudan.
Bishop Eduardo is leading his people in south Sudan through a time of great uncertainty. In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need in April, he warned of the likelihood of an outbreak of violence in the wake of political elections.

Father Michael Shields from Magadan, Siberia
Father Michael is a long-time friend of Aid to the Church in Need. An American from Alaska, he chose to serve in a former communist gulag camp in Magadan, Siberia. Millions died here.

John Pontifex, Aid to the Church in Need.
Aid to the Church in Need’s UK Head of Press and Information will speak about suffering, faith and hope in Pakistan.

Neville Kyrke-Smith, Aid to the Church in Need.
As UK Director of Aid to the Church in Need, Neville Kyrke-Smith has travelled extensively in Eastern Europe. At this year’s Westminster Event, he will give an update on the help you are giving to Christians in Ukraine, where he recently visited.

£5.00 Book online

Further details may be found ACN's website here.

All change at Banstead - Ecumenically speaking, that is . . .

In the next few weeks we have to say a fond farewell to three members of our Banstead Five Clergy.

Rev David Chance, Vicar of All Saints, Banstead is retiring after 17 years in his parish and moving down to Margate with his wife and family to enjoy a well-earned retirement. I'm sure he will be sadly missed by his congregation and many others who have been used to seeing him at various B5 events and generally around and about in Banstead.

Rev Damian Miles, Vicar of St Paul's, Nork is also taking his leave from us as he moves on to a new appointment in Thorpe, near Heathrow. Rev Damian Miles, although not in his parish as long as the Vicar of All Saints, has nevertheless made his mark in his community and we're sure his successor will appreciate the work he has put into building up the community of Christians in Nork.

Finally, we must say goodbye to our local Methodist Minister, Rev Nigel Wright who has managed to juggle the demands of two Methodist churches, one in Banstead and one in Epsom, and still find time to join in Banstead Five events. After four years here Nigel and his family have already left Banstead to continue their ministry in Leighton Buzzard. We look forward to getting to know our new local Methodist Minister, Rev John Amankwatia, who took up his new appointment here just yesterday.

We wish them all well as they move on to the next stage of their ministry.