Category: Pew Sheet

Rooted in Scripture & Sacrament.

How do we stay rooted?

Our three guiding principles are designed to keep us strong in our faith and in our community. They are: 

• Rooted in the Parish
• Rooted in Scripture & Sacrament
• Rooted in a Love of Proclaiming Christ

Perhaps the most important is being rooted in scripture and sacrament. I say that because it’s the one principle that is utterly unmoving. It is the one place where we will ALWAYS find Jesus. 

When the world rocks, when our faith stumbles, when we question those around us our ability to come back to mass and receive Jesus in the sacrament and in our ability to read scripture is what will still us. 

Those things that we take for granted – our ability to read scripture – our ability to come to mass – are often those things that we dismiss first. We may not come to church for a few weeks – 10am is very early after all! We may say we are too busy to pick up our bible this week. 

It’s when we start making these small excuses that we start to run the risk of tearing ourselves away from Jesus. 

But don’t worry, because Jesus never abandons us, and even when we have been away for a while He will be there to welcome us home. 

You may find it helpful to bring your worries to confession. To lay before God your sins and ask for forgiveness, be forgiven, to start again with a clean sheet. Why not come for the first time this Tuesday evening after Evening Prayer – or arrange a time with me. 

Fr. Matthew

Downloads

Other news

You’ll be pleased to know that the dodgy wiring has been replaced. The sound engineer is returning on Monday to complete the instal of the new system now we have safe cables.

Your generosity in prayer and in money towards helping those most in need in Hayes this week has been hugely appreciated – thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Have you set up Parish Giving yet? It’s the easiest and most tax-efficient way to give to St. Anselm. Call them on 0333 002 1271 with our Parish Code (230 623 503) and have your bank details to hand – it takes just 10 mins.

Live to the world

This week our new webcam will go live to the world. Why does this matter?

I’ve been banging on about our new webcam for the last few weeks. I’m really very excited about it. I’m excited because it’s a practical outpouring of one of our three guiding principles;  those being 

• Rooted in the Parish
• Rooted in Scripture & Sacrament
• Rooted in a Love of Proclaiming Christ

Our Love of Proclaiming Christ is a practical love of telling people about our faith. There are so many ways to do this. It can be a simple conversation about what you got up to on Sunday when you’re in the hairdressers. It can be a suggestion to a son or daughter that perhaps it’s time they returned to the church they were baptised in. It can be the holding of the hand of a friend who is sick and in need of comfort.

The webcam, when it goes live later this week, will enable our worship to form part of our proclamation of the Gospel. It will be broadcast around the world for those who have thought about coming to church but have been worried about what it is we do. It will allow people to download and watch sermons and teaching on scripture. It will allow people to join in who may otherwise not be able to come physically to church. 

Our love of Jesus will be made apparent to the whole world. That simple act is enough to change the world – because it is through our example that others will come to know Jesus. 

Tune in via the website this week as we proclaim Christ.

Fr. Matthew

Other notices & news

This weeks services will be disrupted as we have our new sound system and live webcam installed. You’ll notice very little change as we’re using the existing cables and speaker brackets to install everything – but on Monday and Tuesday engineers will be in church putting the new equipment in. As a result there are changes to the services and times. Please check the calendar. 

The APCM will take place after Mass on the 11th October. Please see the notice at the door. Nominations for Church Wardens, PCC Members, Deanery Synod Rep, Parish Secretary & Children’s Champion should be give to Fr. Matthew – forms at the door.

An informal revision of the Electoral Roll has taken place. A new list is posted at the front door. 

Bulletin & Readings

Uncertain times

With so much speculation about potential lockdown ahead of us, where can we find peace?

It is easy to fall into despair. To read the news, listen to the radio, watch the TV and be left feeling deflated, defeated and alone. 

Are we heading into a new national lockdown? Are those things that we’ve started to enjoy again after months of privation going to be taken away from us again?

But that despair, whilst easy to drop into and hard to get out of, ignores the reality of the bigger picture. That this life is transitory and that everything we do is about the life to come. 

An easy thing to say perhaps, and a rather harder one to live day to day. 

Jesus Christ is always with us. Deep in our hearts He holds us and comforts us. We can ignore Him, push Him away, stifle Him by thinking of unedifying things – but He never leaves us. 

In the depths of despair and worry all we need to do is open our hearts and He will fill us with His love. 

How?

By coming to Mass, by coming to Morning and Evening Prayer, by praying the Rosary, by praying the Lord’s Prayer as we wake and as we sleep.

These simple things help us to re-connect with Jesus in our hearts – in the very depths of our souls. 

To reconnect with His comforting presence – which will – if we allow it – banish despair and worry.

Jesus wants nothing more than to love us and take us to His Father. So this week when worry raises its head, send it away with a quick Hail Mary!

Fr. Matthew

Other news & notices

Confirmations – given the current and expected advice we have taken the difficult decision to postpone the confirmations. After conversations with Fr. James at the Bishop’s office we have decided to invite +Jonathan in the new year once the hall is complete, the new Sunday School is up and running and circumstances allow a party… and what a party it will be! We will also do First Communions for those who may be too young to be confirmed. Please speak to Fr. Matthew if you have any questions. 

The APCM will take place after Mass on the 11th October. Please see the notice at the door. Nominations for Church Wardens, PCC Members, Deanery Synod Rep, Parish Secretary & Children’s Champion should be give to Fr. Matthew – forms at the door.

The live-streaming webcam and new sound system are being installed in church the week of the 28th September. There will be some disruption to daily mass and the offices that week but we are hopeful all will be up and running in order to allow us to resume live streaming all our services from Sunday 4th October.

Weekly Bulletin & Readings

Building work

Our new sound system is almost ready to be installed, a new webcam is going live and the church hall will soon be with us.

We’ve made huge progress over the last couple of weeks with the building, sound and vision projects at St. Anselm.

At last weeks PCC we approved a new plan (available for you to see at the back of the church) for the new church hall space in the old Our Lady of Walsingham Chapel. This new plan includes a full kitchen and an additional fire escape. This means we’ll be able to increase the capacity for concerts and the like in the main body of the church and will also give us a facility that will be easier to rent out. 

The new design does need to go to the Diocese to be approved (as we are now a listed building) which means we’ll be looking at completion of the project towards the end of February 2021, with work starting this side of Christmas. 

Our new webcam has also been delivered and will be installed – alongside the new sound system – in the last week of September. We’re hopeful this means that we’ll be live-streaming our services from the second week of October.

All of this work is happening for one reason – to improve our ability to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in Hayes. With this in mind I wonder what part in this mission you will play? Will you join the PCC at the APCM next month (11th October)? Volunteer for the new Sunday School (launching in the new year)? Offer to be our Children’s Officer, or to sit in church for a few hours so we can leave it open on Saturdays? There are so many ways God calls us to proclaim His Son’s message… what way is he calling YOU?

Fr. Matthew.

We sometimes let disagreement ruin our lives. We hold onto it like some sort of special thing that needs protecting. It doesn’t, let it go…

Matthew expounds us to have it out with our brothers and sisters who have upset us in this weeks Gospel. 

“If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother.”

matthew 18:15

The central message of this reading is to try to win your brother and sisters back if you have fallen out or if they’ve done something with offends you. If they don’t listen, check with others and if they agree with the offence – they can come with you and support you. But, if they don’t… listen to what they say – perhaps it’s you who is wrong. 

If they do support you, and your brother or sister will still not listen then let them go, let them get on with it and concentrate on your own relationship with God. 

Your own relationship with God does call on you to engage with others who disagree with you, but if that disagreement cannot be healed then simply walk away from it. 

That disagreement will grow, will fester and it will become a thing all of itself. It does you and the community of God no good at all.

Holding on to offence or upset can become its own idol. 

We concentrate more on the offence than on the love of Christ in our relationships with others. If someone else is wrong and wont correct themselves – so what! Treat them like a tax collector!

Fr. Matthew

In last week’s gospel Jesus praised and rewarded St. Peter for identifying him. This week Peter is rebuked for opposing the cross, what does this mean for us?

In stark contrast to last week’s gospel Peter couldn’t have got it more wrong this week. But it’s understandable. Having just identified Jesus as The Messiah, Son of God – he now wants to protect Jesus and doesn’t want him to go to Jerusalem where he knows what he will face.

In doing this Peter is denying what must happen. Indeed so powerful is the temptation to Jesus to stay he says to Peter ‘get behind me Satan!’

He goes on, ‘You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’

We are often faced with choices in our lives about our faith. Choices that result in bringing people to Jesus, and choices that perhaps make us more comfortable. 

Perhaps we don’t enjoy talking about Jesus with people outside church. But if God expects his Son to endure temptation, discomfort, derision, hatred, and death – what then does he expect of us? 

Should our discomfort in talking about Jesus to others stop us from doing so? Should that discomfort prevent us from picking up our own cross and following Jesus? Should we avoid these discussions simply because it is uncomfortable? 

No!

We should embrace our cross, we should embrace the discomfort and learn to LOVE sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ every day with everyone we know!

Fr. Matthew

Download this weeks Bulletin

Download this weeks Sunday Message and Readings

My dear friends,

Sometimes praying for one person to come to know Jesus is the most powerful prayer there is.

On Thursday we will celebrate the life and work of St. Monica. She is one of the lesser know saints – which is a huge shame because the example of her life and her prayers are vital to our understanding of what being a christian is all about.

She was born in Africa to a Christian family and married quite young to non-Christian family. She retained her faith and had several children. One of those children was called Augustine. 

Augustine was a very intelligent child, but as he grew his morals came more from his father than his mother. He was… shall we say… wayward. 

Monica watched her son and cried for him. Through those tears she prayed that her son would come to know Jesus and would leave his wayward life behind. 

She didn’t just pray for a short while. She didn’t pray for him during lent or advent. She didn’t offer a novena for him. She prayed for him each and every day, several times a day every day of his life.

Shortly before she died Augustine came to her and offered himself to Jesus. He converted to Christianity on her deathbed and in that moment her prayers were answered. 

Thanks to her unceasing prayer for the conversion of one man The Church was given one of its greatest thinkers, theologians and apologists. Without her love for her son and her faith in prayer we would be so much poorer. 

Who are you praying for?

Download this weeks bulletin

23rd August 2020.pdf

Download The Sunday Message & Sundays Readings

23rd August 2020 Sunday Message.pdf

With all my love & prayers,

Fr. Matthew

Busy busy busy…

There’s a lot going on at St. Anselm at the moment, but in the middle of that busyness we must not lose sight of why we are here.

When a new Priest arrives in a parish there are often a great number of changes. Simple things – like new ways of praying or following the mass – to more complex things – like a new sound system or live streaming cameras. There are lots of meetings and ideas, hopefully there are lots of new people putting their head around the door to see what all the fuss is about… but in the midst of all this business and excitement we must not forget why we are here.

This Sunday’s celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary reminds us that in all things we must try to be like Mary. She is the perfect model of how we should live our lives in dedication to and following Jesus.

In the midst of a busy life when God calls on us we must respond ‘be it unto me according to thy Word’.

In the coming weeks and months there will be many opportunities to respond to the call of God in our lives. I will stand up front and ask you to explore that call and to try to identify what it is we have been called to do here in Hayes – in a very practical way. But, the only way we can hear that call – the only way we can discern what it is that God wants us to do is if we listen to Him in prayer.

So this week, I ask you to do this for me. Find some space and time to offer yourself in prayer before God our Father. To listen and to be calm, to prepare yourself to hear His Voice and His Word.

With all my love & prayer,

Fr. Matthew

What a busy week it has been. We’ve installed new security fencing at the back of the church building, we’ve agreed a path forward on the redevelopment of the Our Lady of Walsingham Chapel (more news to come) and we’ve agreed to install a new sound system (thanks to a fortuitous discovery of cash). 

But most importantly this week we have come together everyday to celebrate the mass and to pray together. Even if you’re not able to be with us in person you are prayed for each and every day. You are held at the altar and your life is held before Christ in the sacrament. 

We continue to pray each day for a growth in numbers at St. Anselm, that more people will come and find Christ in Hayes. Please do continue to make that your prayer this week.

The weekly bulletin is now available for you to download here.