Welcome Serena . . .

A very warm welcome to the newest member of our parish family. Serena was baptised and confirmed at the Easter Vigil. Please keep her and her family in your prayers as she continues on her journey of faith.

Christus surrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia!

Christus surrexit,

sicut dixit,

alleluia!

Christ is risen

as he said!

Alleluia!

There is always a lovely atmosphere in the parish during the day on Holy Saturday . As soon as we have finished praying the Office of Readings in the morning, a veritable 'army' of volunteers springs into action to transform the stark, bare, Good Friday church into a glorious, exuberant setting for the celebration of the Great Feast of Easter beginning of course this evening with the Vigil and the First Mass of the Resurrection.

I am very grateful to the very many parishioners who do so much, not just at Easter time, but throughout the year to make sure that everything runs smoothly in the parish. I don't know where we would be without them.

Here are just a few photos taken recently to give a flavour of Easter in our parish.

The Altar of Repose. (Taken before Mass of the Lord's Supper)

Good Friday, after the Celebration of the Lord's Passion and Veneration of the Cross.

All ready to receive the Paschal Candle at the Easter Vigil.

One of the pedestals that stand either side of the altar.

The Easter Garden.

Flowers for St Ann.

And, of course, for Our Lady.

Finally, I would like to wish everyone who reads this little blog,

A very Happy Easter and every blessing for this Holy Season.

May the joy and peace of Our Risen Lord be with you and your families

now and remain with you.

Welcome Fr José Salas . . . !

We are delighted to welcome Fr José Salas who is spending a little time in the UK during his Easter vacation from his studies in Rome. Fr José will be joining us in the Easter celebrations here at St Ann's .

We are also very pleased as Fr José seems to have brought some of the Roman sunshine with him . . . or perhaps it has come all the way from his native Mexico!

Passiontide and the veiling of crucifixes and statues . . .

Our church after Mass this morning with everything ready for Benediction in the afternoon.

We have re-introduced the practice of veiling the crucifix and the statues during Passiontide. The crucifix will remain covered until the end of the celebration of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday. The statues will remain veiled until the beginning of the Easter Vigil.

I refer you to an excellent post by Fr Z on why we continue with this practice

Another very good explanation can be found here.

Beauty in the Liturgy . . .

Have you seen this excellent article with Mgr Guido Marini, the Papal Master of Ceremonies?

As Mgr Marini says, ' . . . the celebrations the Holy Father presides over are to be the points of reference for the whole Church. The Pope is the highest priest, the one who offers the sacrifice of the Church, the one who shows the liturgical teaching through celebrations – the point of reference for all.'

I wonder what you think?

Have you noticed any differences in the way that Pope Benedict presides over the liturgy?

How would you feel if, for example, Mass were sometimes celebrated ad orientem, in other words, facing East, in the same direction as the congregation?

Would this help you to focus on the sacrifice of the Mass rather than on the celebrant himself?

I would be interested to hear your views?

School Confessions . . .

I've commented before on this topic I know, but I think it's worth repeating.

Last week and this I've been hearing Confessions in some of our local Catholic schools, both primary and secondary.

I always find this a great joy. It's so encouraging to hear the honest, direct Confessions of our children. We adults could certainly learn a thing or two from them about how to approach the sacrament.

There is however, one thing that affects my delight in this experience.

When chatting with our children whilst visiting schools, I am saddened by the number of times I hear them say, 'I couldn't come to Mass on Sunday because my Mum/Dad/parents didn't go' or, 'I couldn't come to Mass on Sunday because I was at a friend's sleep-over' or 'I couldn't come to Mass on Sunday because I had to go shopping/visit someone/go to football/rugby etc.' I hear this several times during the week.

Naturally, we wouldn't expect our young children to come to Mass on their own if their parents are not coming themselves. What sort of an example are these parents giving to their children?

Parents are the first and the best educators of their children in the ways of faith (as it clearly states in the Rite of Baptism).

Long before they start formal schooling, in many homes, parents are doing a grand job of passing on the faith to their children. They are saying prayers together at bedtime, sitting down together for meals which begin with grace and reading their children bible stories. During our Sunday Masses, I have observed many families engaging their children, explaining to them in simple terms what is happening during the Mass.

We can do so much to encourage our children in the practice and understanding of their faith. This is why it is all the more disappointing when it doesn't happen.

Mass for all at St Ann's . . .

I thought you might like to see a copy of our timetable for the retreat. Sometimes, people who have never been on a retreat ask me, 'what do you actually do on a retreat?'

Here you can see how our retreat is arranged. No two retreat experiences will be identical but I think all will/should contain common elements such as some sort of spiritual talk and an opportunity for spiritual direction; plenty of opportunity for private prayer and reflection and naturally also time for Confession. Hopefully there will be daily Mass and if you are staying with a religious community, retreatants are often invited to join the community for some of the Divine Office.

I do recommend that if possible, we all find time for a retreat at some time. It needn't be very long, just a quiet day away from the hurly-burly of our daily lives can still give us the time and space to draw closer to God and return to pick up our usual routines refreshed and renewed.

I offered Mass today for all at St Ann's.