Category: Announcements

Mary, Mother of the Church.

On Monday we celebrate an important date in the church calendar – The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.

It’s a new memorial – it was only inserted into the calendar in 2018 (by Pope Francis), although the title is much older. 

We call Our Lady mother of the Church because in the instant that Jesus said to John at the foot of the cross,

“‘Behold, your mother!’ and from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.” (John 19:27)

Mary became our mother – not just in an individual way – but in the broader sense of caring for the whole body of Christ on earth. 

We look to her because she gave brith to Jesus and for all those years attempted to understand how to relate to Jesus the man and Jesus our Lord.

Who better to help guide and steer the Church as we discern a path forward between a growing secular world and the divine glory of God our Father?

Our Lady helps us reach out to those who have fallen away from the church. St. Augustine referred to Mary as “‘the Mother of the members of Christ’ who co-operated in the rebirth of the faithful into the Church.” 

So, as we look to our parish and to those who once knew Jesus but have drifted away – let us ask Our Lady to pray for us – and them – and help them to find a way back home.

Fr. Matthew 

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This week Fr. Josiah and Susan will be leading the children as they lead us in our service for Pentecost. Expect great things as we hear about the coming of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives and why this is such an important day in the church calendar. 

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Thanks to everyone who has signed up to take Food Hygiene Training so we can offer our little coffee bike at various events and for the 59 Club evenings soon to be arriving at St. Anselm. Training will be after half term so there’s still time to sign up if you would like to be part of it.

We need volunteers for the tea and coffee after church. The rota isn’t getting very much love and it often falls to Fr. Josiah, Fr. Matthew, Susan or Ruth to sort it quickly at the end of mass. It really needs some dedicated love! Please see Ruth or sign up on the sheet at the door.

To serve, is to seek holiness.

“… make you His service your delight and your wants shall be His care”.

(Nahum Tate & Nicholas Brady).

The assembly will always need devoted and dedicated Christians to serve in different capacities to ensure the continuous growth and development of the church of God. 

Are you being called to serve in the house of God and help bring others to the light of Christ through your devotion to things of God Almighty? 

The church of God is the Body of Christ made up of different parts and abundantly filled with gifts and talents beyond imagining, but it is incumbent upon all of us to stir it up by availing ourselves to the service of God. We all have a lot to offer in the family of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

I came across this interesting quote and I think it is nice to share, it is from Michael Franti (An American Musician and Poet), and he says, 

“Music was a central part of my childhood because my mother played organ and piano in the church, and that meant all us kids had to be in the church choir.” 

We play different roles in the church of God, and it can encourage others to also support with every gift they have. 

There are different roles of service in the church today and it is our prayer that God moves us to identify something we can help with. He will bless us because whatever we do in the church is to the glory of God and not man.

Fr. Josiah 

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Readings and Children’s Look Sheet available soon.

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We are launching a new Sunday School after mass on Sundays. Fr. Josiah will be working with the children as they prepare to lead our Pentecost Sunday service. Please speak to Fr. Josiah for more details.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Thanks to everyone who has signed up to take Food Hygiene Training so we can offer our little coffee bike at various events and for the 59 Club evenings soon to be arriving at St. Anselm. Training will be in two weeks so there’s still time to sign up if you would like to be part of it.

We need volunteers for the tea and coffee after church. The rota isn’t getting very much love and it often falls to Fr. Josiah, Fr. Matthew, Susan or Ruth to sort it quickly at the end of mass. It really needs some dedicated love! Please see Ruth or sign up on the sheet at the door.

Holy Bikers, the 59 Club is coming.

As I’m sure you all know by now I am a keen motorbiker. I’ve travelled all over the world on two wheels and I love the freedom and joy it brings.

Some people are surprised that bikers are often Christian. But for me it comes as no surprise at all… I think I’ve prayed my hardest as I’ve come around a corner on the motorbike just a little too fast and I’m battling to get the front wheel to go where I want it!

Over the last year or so I’ve been involved with a London biker club called The 59 Club. 

The club was started as a youth project by Fr. Bill Sherwood in 1959. 

He was concerned that these rough lads racing around the North Circular at 100mph had nowhere to go, they were excluded from everywhere. 

He very nervously turned up at The Ace Cafe one evening and handed out leaflets for his youth group. The rest is history.

The club has had a few years in the wilderness but is being revitalised by some of the old boys and an injection of new young blood.

They’ve also been daft enough to make me their Chairman. 

In the coming months you’ll see The 59 Club coming to St. Anselm for monthly meets in the evenings – including a BBQ and the new coffee bike. 

We’ll be inviting the members to come to our services and will arrange special events for them over the summer. 

This is a great opportunity for us to reach out to people who would not normally come to St. Anselm and I know you’ll welcome them with as much warmth as I do.

Fr. Matthew

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Due to an administrative error the collation of Fr. Matthew as Vicar on the 21st May has to be postponed to the 24th September at 10am. The Bishop’s office are incredibly sorry, but the right paperwork wasn’t in the right place at the right time and so we can’t go ahead. Mass on the 21st May will be at the usual time of 10am with the APCM at 11:15am. 

We are launching a new Sunday School after mass on Sundays from this week. Fr. Josiah will be working with the children as they prepare to lead our Pentecost Sunday service. Please speak to Fr. Josiah for more details.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Over the coming weeks we will be arranging various dates for our little coffee bike to be visiting events in the parish as well as opening one evening a month for 59 Club motorbike meets. We plan to offer basic food at these meets and if you’d like to volunteer to help we’d like to give you Food Hygiene training (at our cost). This training is valuable elsewhere and is recognised across the catering and hospitality industry. Contact Fr. Matthew for details.

Pentecost is coming.

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

Acts 2:2-3

Pentecost is approaching and our young ones will be leading the service on this very important day in the liturgical calendar. 

Pentecost Sunday falls on the 28th of May, it is the 50th day after Easter and known as Whit Sunday and brings the Easter season to an end. We will be honoured to have our lovely ones sing to the glory of God, do the readings, play a musical instrument, and do the intercession and exhibit the gifts God has given them through the power of the Holy Spirit, a day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.

Our children are eager to play their part in the kingdom business and our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ have shown us how important it is to allow them to come to him. 

Some of us have volunteered to help teach them throughout this month to get them ready for Pentecost Sunday. 

We will be meeting them after church for some few minutes to take them through their roles and give them time to practise and be more confident. 

You can also come on board to make this happen to the honour of God through our prayers, ideas, support in the teaching and practise, teaching materials, and any other way to make them enjoy every bit of their meetings.

Fr. Josiah

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We will be open on Saturday 6th May to show the Coronation service live from Westminster Abbey on the big screens at the front of church. There’ll be tea & cake and I’m sure much merriment! Come along and join in.

Fr. Matthew is to be made vicar of the parish at a special service with Bishop Jonathan on Sunday 21st May at 3pm here at St. Anselm’s. He will be organising a big party afterwards and the 59 club (and all their motorbikes!) are being invited as he will also be being commissioned as Chairman of the club at the same service. Please be in touch with him if you would like to help with organising the party afterwards.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

We are launching a new Sunday School after mass on Sundays from this week. Fr. Josiah will be working with the children as they prepare to lead our Pentecost Sunday service. Please speak to Fr. Josiah for more details.

God wants you, can you hear Him?

The fourth Sunday of Easter is often called ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’ and is a moment were we are asked to listen and hear God’s call in our life.

In particular we’re asked to listen to the voice of God to discern a calling to the Priesthood.

Being a Priest is a sacred path that God places on your heart. It involves sacrifice and hard work. It involves much love and happiness. It involves hurt and pain.  

As a Priest you are called to serve and to be a good shepherd. A good shepherd will ensure that his flock is taken to water, to good food and is always protected from those who wish harm them.

That means that a good Priest will take his people to the mass, will take his people to scripture and will pray for his people and protect them from evil. 

Does this sound like something that God is calling you to? 

You don’t need a university degree, you don’t need to know theology, you don’t need to be young – you just need to be able to hear the call of God and feel Him placing His call on your heart.

Be in touch with me if you’d like to talk more.

Fr. Matthew

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There is a PCC meeting this Sunday at 11:15am immediately after mass in the church hall. The APCM will be at 11:15am on Sunday 21st May.

We will be open on Saturday 6th May to show the Coronation service live from Westminster Abbey on the big screens at the front of church. There’ll be tea & cake and I’m sure much merriment! Come along and join in.

Fr. Matthew is to be made vicar of the parish at a special service with Bishop Jonathan on Sunday 21st May at 3pm here at St. Anselm’s. He will be organising a big party afterwards and the 59 club (and all their motorbikes!) are being invited as he will also be being commissioned as Chairman of the club at the same service. Please be in touch with him if you would like to help with organising the party afterwards.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Ecumenical love, and ecumenical truth.

As many of you know I spent last week in Rome at a clergy conference organised by our Bishop, Jonathan. 

The conference was our annual chance to come together as clergy under our bishop; to pray together, learn together and share ideas and success from our parishes and to encourage one another in our mission.

We met with many inspiring people from all parts of God’s Church – and especially from the Roman Catholic Church. 

In this photograph you can see me with HE The Ambassador to the Holy See (Christopher Trott) and Archbishop Ian Earnest – who has become a dear friend and supporter of St. Anselm.

We also spoke with Cardinal Koch, who is in charge of ecumenical relationships, he shared with us the wonderful concept of ‘ecumenical love and ecumenical truth’. He told us that sometimes we have to sit and have tough conversations about what divides us and sometimes we have to sit and simply share our love for one another and DO things together. 

We have all come to Jesus in different ways and yet we all come together on a Sunday and DO our faith together. There is always a reason to disagree, but there is a far bigger reason to find common ground – Jesus.

Fr. Matthew 

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We have a PCC meeting next week (30th April) where I am hopeful we will be able to go through our annual accounts ahead of our APCM on the 21st May.

It’s that time of year to consider your giving to support the work of the church. To give you an idea of the increase in costs we are facing – our monthly electric bill is now over £1250 – quite a lot more that we receive via the envelopes and plate collections on a Sunday. This is not sustainable and whilst our commercial activities are starting to pick up some of this deficit we must look to being able to fund ourselves. 

If you currently give via the envelope scheme, please consider increasing your donation each week to help cover our costs. 

If you would like to sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) please go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503. It’s super simple to set up and keeps you in control of your donations.

Divine Mercy, Finding peace through mercy.

In the 1930’s a Polish nun called Sr. Faustina (now St. Faustina) experienced a series of visions of Jesus. Amongst her visions Jesus asked her to paint this very special image – an image of the Divine Mercy of God flowing from his Sacred Heart. 

Her visions were centred around Jesus bringing her to a place where she could see the mercy of God at work in the world around her. 

She wrote of her pain at her neighbours being badly treated, about their sufferings and how it physically hurt her. She prayed that their sufferings would fall on her, that she may in some way lessen their suffering in order to help them find a path to grace and peace. 

It is far from easy to love with a love so deep that it causes you physical pain when you see that person hurting. 

Some of us are lucky enough to have experienced a tiny portion of this love – the love we have for our sons, daughters, fathers, mothers – our husbands and wives. 

But what St. Faustina showed us is that Jesus wants us to love everyone with that much love. 

It is that love which must inspire us to try harder. To try harder to defend the weak, to feed the poor, to cloth the naked, to visit the prisoner, to lift up the wretched and say, ‘I love you!’ and to really mean it. 

St. Faustina gave us a gift,  a gift to see the power and depth of Jesus love for all of us. What do we do with that gift?

Fr. Matthew

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Lots of changes to the schedule over the next two weeks as Fr. Matthew takes some leave and attends a conference in Rome. Fr. Josiah is in parish as usual and is easily contactable for any pastoral needs on the number on the front of the pew sheet.

An enormous thank you to all who made the church so pretty for Easter – particular thanks must go to Susan and Mary who did the flowers. 

Susan and Fr. Josiah are advancing plans for a new Sunday afternoon children’s service and club – 4pm to 6pm on the last Sunday of each month. The first service will be on the 30th April. If you’d like to be involved, please speak to Fr. Josiah.

Passiontide, the final two weeks.

This Sunday is called Passion Sunday and it marks the start of the last two weeks of Lent. 

This is a very special time within our church calendar and is marked by the veiling of the statues, icons and crosses in church. 

It marks the two weeks before Christ’s Passion and our liturgy at morning prayer and evening prayer shifts to recognise this starker last period of lent.

It is in this time that the darkness feels greatest, we know what is to come on Good Friday and we know the events of the next two weeks only too well.

In the old lectionary (our diary of readings) the readings for this Sunday focused on the eighth chapter of John – where Jesus is accused of blasphemy and even possession and where people started to reach for stones to throw at him. 

“So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” John 8:59

Just as Jesus hid himself He is now hidden in church behind veils and covers. 

His images and statues are taken away and perhaps we find ourselves holding stones ready to throw.

In these final weeks of lent we are called to see the stones we are carrying and to recognise where we were planning to throw them. 

We are called to examine ourselves in the starkness of the darkness ahead.

It is in that examination and that darkness that we will most clearly see the coming glory and bright light that is Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.

Fr. Matthew

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Next Sunday children are invited to come and help build the Easter Garden in the Lady Chapel. It’ll be a hands-on activity where we re-create the garden of gethsemane, calvary and the tomb. The garden will form the centre piece of the altar of repose over Easter.

During Lent there will be a Priest available for confessions for an hour before each mass. Make your way to the statue of Jesus and the Priest will hear your confession or will help you make your first confession. 

It’s Palm Sunday next week so don’t be late for Mass – we’ll start our procession outside at 10am and you’ll be able to receive your blessed palms to take home.

From the 30th April we’ll be launching a new Evening Prayer & Benediction service on the last Sunday of each month at 6pm.

Julie, Susan and Fr. Josiah are advancing plans for a new Sunday afternoon children’s service and club – 4pm to 6pm on the last Sunday of each month. The first service will be on the 30th April. If you’d like to be involved, please speak to Fr. Josiah.

A trinity of Bishops!

This week we were visited by Bishop Sarah, Bishop of London. Bishop Lusa, Bishop of Willesden, and our own Bishop, Jonathan.

The visit was part of the Bishop of London’s tour of the Willesden & Fulham Areas. She arrived with the entire senior staff and we shared a time of prayer together before having some lunch.

Many people from the parish were able to meet with the bishops and the senior staff and tell them exactly what they thought of St. Anselm’s!

They got to try out the coffee bike and hear about the amazing work so many of you are doing here.

This visit comes on the back of two successive Sundays where our attendance has topped 50. 

There is now a real sense of renewal and purpose here in St. Anselm – something I know none of you will be surprised about – but to hear it confirmed by the visiting bishops and senior staff is deeply encouraging.

Everyone should be proud of their part in this amazing renewal and their part in planning new and exciting projects launching soon. 

These new projects include a Sunday afternoon Children’s and Youth Club as well as a new Playgroup and the return of monthly Evening Prayer & Benediction. 

You’ll also notice some plans for a re-designed entrance (on the noticeboards at the front door) that will make us more accessible and attractive to those wandering by.

How wonderful it is to be loved by Jesus and to be following the Holy Spirit in this place alongside you all!

Fr. Matthew

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This Sunday we celebrate Mothering Sunday. A lighter day during Lent during when we celebrate ‘home’. Mothering Sunday was traditionally the day people would travel home to the church they were baptised in and visit family – especially our mothers. So come this Sunday as we celebrate all those who care for us, our families, whoever they are whatever they look like. We also have a small present for our mothers.

During Lent there will be a Priest available for confessions for an hour before each mass. Make your way to the statue of Jesus and the Priest will hear your confession or will help you make your first confession. 

Julie, Susan and Fr. Josiah are advancing plans for a new Sunday afternoon children’s service and club – 4pm to 6pm on the last Sunday of each month. The first service will be on the 30th April. If you’d like to be involved, please speak to Fr. Josiah.

From the 30th April we’ll be launching a new Evening Prayer & Benediction service on the last Sunday of each month at 6pm.

Can you bring in any spare plastic bags you have for foodbank please.