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Praying for the dead, what’s the point?

Some will tell you that praying for the dead is simply an exercise in futility. The person you are praying for is already dead, they’ve lived their life and presumably made their own decisions about that life, their actions and most importantly – their faith in Jesus Christ. What more can we do now they are gone?

The simple truth is that we know God is merciful. In multiple parts of scripture we have seen how His heart has been turned towards mercy by the intercession of those who love Him. Who have called out to Him and asked him to be merciful. 

We know that God does not work on our timetable. The fact that someone we know and love is dead and gone in this world, doesn’t mean they are dead and gone in the life of eternity. Our prayers reach God and He can easily put a new thought or direction in front of the person we are praying about.

Finally, our prayers comfort us here in this life. Praying for my Grandmother brings me peace and comfort – I know my prayers are heard and I pray that my Grandmother is now amongst the company of heaven – surrounded by all the saints and angels – and in turn I know that she will pray for me. 

When we are at the altar we are surrounded by the whole company of heaven – angels and saints unite around us as we receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

If you could see that whole company of heaven surrounding the altar, if you could feel their presence, if you could hear their prayers – oh what a wonder it would be!

Pray for the dead, pray for your loved ones. Be at peace.

Fr. Matthew 

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Readings for 29th October

Other news

There are lots of changes to the usual schedule this week due to Half Term and the solemnity of All Saints and the importance of the All Souls service. Please take a look!

No Sunday School this week as we are in  Half Term.

No Thursday Fun & Fellowship this week due to Half Term.

The Christmas Tree and Town Lights turn on will once again take place at St. Anselm, this year on the 16th November at 4pm with a joint primary schools choir concert and the switch on at 4:30pm. The mayor will be with us once again.

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.

Loved by God and called to be saints.

This week we are pretty low on feasts and memorials. We often have several days where we remember the saints of God who have gone before us. But this week, we only have one – Saints Simon and Jude (Apostles). 

They’re incredibly important saints who give us much to learn, but this week I’ve found myself reading Romans and I was struck by the first chapter where Paul introduces himself and addresses his letter to:

‘..all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints.’ (Ch1. V7.)

The ordering of that introduction is fascinating if you take a moment to think about it. 

Paul doesn’t address his letter to the saints of Rome who are loved by God, but to those who are loved by God… and called to be saints. 

In other words, you don’t have to be a saint to be loved by God – that comes first. In fact, the only way to become a saints to recognise that you are already loved by God.

God’s love is not given out because you are a saint already – that you’re so holy that you somehow earn God’s love. 

No! God’s love comes first and in accepting that love you can become a saint – you can become more holy.

Holiness is a journey deeper into God’s love, it is not a search for God’s love.

Knowing this, I wonder how it may change our understanding of our own unworthiness? 

Can we take where we feel unworthy and turn it on it’s head? Can we see that unworthiness as something that God already loves and in that love calls us to change and be better?

What an idea! We become more holy in God’s love, not to earn it.

Who in your life needs to hear this? Who needs to know that God loves them already and that they are called to be saints?

Fr. Matthew 

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Readings for Sunday 22nd October

Other news

PCC Meeting THIS SUNDAY 11:30am – 1pm to plan our Advent and Christmas seasons.

There is Sunday School NEXT WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

Thursday Fun & Fellowship is on Thursday and Fr. Josiah has some great ideas about things to try over the colder and darker months. Come along if you’re feeling lonely, come along if you enjoy great company – good coffee, conversation and camaraderie. 

The Christmas Tree and Town Lights turn on will once again take place at St. Anselm, this year on the 16th November at 4pm with a joint primary schools choir concert and the switch on at 4:30pm. The mayor will be with us once again.

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.

You are not alone.

Many years back, I had a conversation with a friend who told me a story of a period in his life where he felt very lonely and how it affected every aspect of his life to the point where he thought no one was interested in his life on earth. 

He had family and friends and was also gainfully employed, yet he felt lonely. It is important to note that the feeling of loneliness is so complex that it can significantly affect people’s overall physical and spiritual well-being. 

We all get this feeling some of the time, and for others, it is a feeling that is unending. Apart from its spiritual effects, studies show that it can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, depression, and overall stability in people who go through this.

This friend made it clear to me that he does not think God is in control of his life and said he does not believe even He exists and that if he did, why does he always feel alone? 

Loneliness is more dangerous than you could imagine, but Isaiah 41:10 says, 

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” 

One thing we must not relegate to the background is that God loves us, and he will never leave us. He wants us to trust and walk with him because those who have God are never alone, have a lively social life, and never forget to pray and play hard.

Fr. Josiah

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Readings for 15th October

Other News

PCC Meeting NEXT SUNDAY 11:30am – 1pm to plan our Advent and Christmas seasons.

There is Sunday School THIS WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

Thursday Fun & Fellowship is back on Thursday and Fr. Josiah has some great ideas about things to try over the colder and darker months. Come along if you’re feeling lonely, come along if you enjoy great company – good coffee, conversation and camaraderie. 

The Christmas Tree and Town Lights turn on will once again take place at St. Anselm, this year on the 16th November at 4pm with a joint primary schools choir concert and the switch on at 4:30pm. The mayor will be with us once again.

We’re just heading into the winter period and our heating and electricity bills will almost treble as we attempt to keep the church warm for Sundays and events. It would be wonderful if you could consider giving a little more over the winter period to help us cover the bills. 

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.

Listening and learning.

It is always essential to try to hear something, be alert, ready always to hear something, and take notes. When we are keen to listen, the window is always opened for learning, and this opportunity must always be taken advantage of. I am thankful to God for allowing me to serve the lovely people of St. Anselm Church and the people of Hayes for the past year. 

This year has been a year of listening and learning. 

It is worth acknowledging that although the journey has not been entirely smooth, God has always been faithful and still supporting and opening our hearts and minds to new things that have been treasured so much. 

We are now moving into a new chapter, especially with the blissful collation service of our new Vicar, Fr. Matthew, who, together with his family, has been with us through thick and thin. 

This is all the handwork of God, and it portrays the direction God is moving St. Anselm towards, which we should be thankful for.

Luke 10:16 says, 

“Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me”. 

Both Fr. Matthew and I have been sent to be with God’s lovely people in this church to serve and listen to what God is saying to us and his people. Therefore, the word of God will guide, lead, teach, and encourage all of us in the church of God so that we can serve each other and this wonderful community. May God help us. Amen 

Fr. Josiah

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Readings for Sunday 1st October

Other News

I want to thank everyone for an amazing service last week. Bishop Jonathan and Archdeacon Catherine were very taken with everyones love and friendship. We were well over 100 and the joy in the room was tangible. Thank you for all the hard work, all the lovely messages, and all the lovely food! – Fr. Matthew, Catherine & Edmund

There is Sunday School THIS WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

There is a brass band concert at St. Anselm on the 7th October (flyers in church with all the details). Tickets £2

Thursday Fun & Fellowship is ON for Thursday! There are some new games to play and as always a friendly group of people ready to have a chat, share a coffee and bit of cake, and generally make the world that little bit better.

Rotas – please sign up for the tea & coffee and the reading rotas at the back of church.

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.

Thank you for loving us.

Over the last three years of so Catherine, Edmund and I have got used to living in Hayes. It’s fair to say it’s quite different from where we were before but both Catherine and I recognise many of the things in Hayes that we experienced in our childhoods in Wales.

Poverty, hardship, things not as we may like them to be. There is crime, there is heartache and there is much to criticise  and feel bad about. 

However, to only focus on those things is to miss the amazing love that exists in Hayes between those of us who live here.

For every bad thing, there are lots of good things and we have to remind ourselves to look for them.

God is first and foremost a God who shows us Hope. Jesus encourages us to view the world through the love that God has for us – and in that love we have a chance to see Him at work in the world around us.

It is easy to walk through Hayes and only see the litter or the people in doorways. But if you take a step back and view those things through the love & hope God calls us to we see the work the litter picking group does, we see the love that is offered to those who have no home – of the work of the foodbank and of church larder.

You can chose to see people sitting alone at home with very few human connections, or you can chose to see the work of Thursday night Fun & Fellowship.

It is that hopeful vision that will push back the darkness and bring people into the light. And it starts with you… you get to chose how to see the world around you and in doing so encourage others to see the light, rather than fixate on the dark.

Thank you for loving us, thank you for caring for us, thank you for everything.

Fr. Matthew, Catherine & Edmund

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Other news

Fr. Matthew’s collation as Vicar will is THIS Sunday. Bishop Jonathan will be with us to celebrate and we’re going to have a lovely bring and share lunch afterwards. If you could sign up to bring food Fr. Matthew would be very grateful. We’ll have an organist and a 12 part choir to sing the Vaughn Williams Mass in G-Minor. Please invite your friends.

There is Sunday School NEXT WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

Thursday Fun & Fellowship is ON for Thursday! There are some new games to play and as always a friendly group of people ready to have a chat, share a coffee and bit of cake, and generally make the world that little bit better.

Rotas – please sign up for the tea & coffee and the reading rotas at the back of church.

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.

A shortcut to understanding.

In the 1970s & 80’s rock bands became famous for their outlandish requests whenever they traveled to perform. 

In one well know case the bad asked for a bowl of M&Ms to be in their dressing room and for all the blue ones to be removed. Just one more example of the exercise of the power of the band over the little people who had to get everything ready for them.

But was it?

In fact the request was buried in what the band called a ‘rider’ – the document that set out exactly what the band needed in order to perform.

It included how the lights should be set up, how the stage should be set up, where the safety barriers should be, what level the sound should be set up and so on. 

As bands started to tour stadiums and other venues they’d never gone to before they had no way of knowing if their very detailed requests – done for everyones safety and enjoyment – had been followed.

So, they would burry this little request deep in the rider. If they walked into their dressing room they could see immediately if it had been read properly. 

If there were blue M&Ms they knew they had to go and check every single item; but if there were none… they could trust that their requests had been carried out.

This attention to the smallest detail showed how diligently people had read the requests of the band in matters of safety and so on.

I often wonder what our blue M&Ms are? What are the tiny things that people notice when they first come to St. Anselm that will tell them that we have read scripture diligently and carried out those things we have been asked to do?

Is it the foodbank parcels perhaps? Maybe the pew sheet! Maybe the person smiling and saying, ‘welcome!’ 

What do you think our blue M&Ms are?

Fr. Matthew

Downloads

Readings for 17th September

Other news

Fr. Matthew’s collation as Vicar will is Next Sunday. Bishop Jonathan will be with us to celebrate and we’re going to have a lovely bring and share lunch afterwards. If you could sign up to bring food Fr. Matthew would be very grateful. We’ll have an organist and a 12 part choir that day to sing the Vaughn Williams Mass in G-Minor.

Evening Prayer is moving to 5pm during the week as we move into the autumn and winter terms and the evenings draw in. You’ll still be able to join in person and live online.

There is Sunday School THIS WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

Thursday Fun & Fellowship is ON for Thursday! There are some new games to play and as always a friendly group of people ready to have a chat, share a coffee and bit of cake, and generally make the world that little bit better.

Rotas – please sign up for the tea & coffee and the reading rotas at the back of church.

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.

Sunday School a devotion to learning.

When we were young, we were encouraged always to attend Sunday school, and in the community, kids who did not participate in Sunday school were given names, some of which are unprintable. 

You will have the beat of your life when you fail to go to Sunday school and the Seminarian, our Sunday school teacher, reports your frequent absence. 

For us as kids, it was fun because we were always given some sweets and gifts. It was, therefore, not about learning about Jesus, the word of God and the salvific message but the gifts to expect the following Sunday at Sunday School. 

Today, we realise the impact Sunday has had on our lives.

Whenever I come across Matthew 19:14, which says, 

“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs” 

I know why my parents always wanted me to be in Sunday school. 

Jesus is so keen on the well-being of children and sees them as the future inheritors of the kingdom of heaven. 

When children experience God, they bless our homes, families, communities, and the nation. Indeed, the children we see today are the church’s future; they are the bishops in waiting, wardens, council members and those to fill the pews when we are no more. 

Therefore, it is imperative to encourage them to know Jesus before it’s too late. Let ‘catch them young and watch them grow’ in the Lord, and our world will improve.

Fr. Josiah

Downloads

Readings for September 10th.

Other news

There is Sunday School NEXT WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

The 59 Club is back this Thursday. If you could help to run the coffee bike and bbq your help would be much appreciated.

Rotas – please sign up for the tea & coffee and the reading rotas at the back of church.

Fr. Matthew’s collation as Vicar will be on the 24th September. Bishop Jonathan will be with us to celebrate and we’re going to have a lovely bring and share lunch afterwards. If you could sign up to bring food Fr. Matthew would be very grateful. We’ll have an organist and a 4 part choir that day.

Do you know somebody who would like to run our new coffee shop? Adverts for the position will be going out this week and will be in next weeks Hayes news. If you know somebody who would like the opportunity to start their own business with full support and funding… please contact Fr. Matthew

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.

The inspiration of Our Lady’s love.

One of the wonderful things about the church being open everyday is that Fr. Josiah and I get to meet a great number of people who just happen to wander past and something encourages them to come in.

There are many long conversations about many topics. There are many referrals for help, there are many discussions about God, about death, about lost love and about life in general. 

It amazes me how this place seems to welcome people in and allow them to open up.

But one of the greatest things I get to see is the power of love in action that is driven in principle by Our Lady. 

Let me give you an example. This morning I have watched as a young couple came into church. They came in and did the usual pause at the door and then saw the statue of Our Lady. They made their way over and stood in front of her, smiling. 

They both crossed themselves and then the gentleman reached his arm around his wife and they smiled deeply. He touched her tummy and they kissed.

I don’t know what they were praying for but the love was obvious and the connection between then was infectious. I smiled. My son sat in the sacristy with me smiled. I gave him a cuddle and told him I loved him. 

All that from a simple prayer in front of the statue of Our Lady. 

Mary inhabits a special place in our faith that seems to burst open the door to love in it’s many forms. 

As we celebrate her birthday this week, I wonder how she can encourage you to love more? I wonder who in your life would be encouraged by a cuddle, a kiss, or simply telling them that you love them?

Fr. Matthew

Downloads

Readings for 3rd September

Other news

There is Sunday School THIS WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

Don’t forget it’s Thursday Fun & Fellowship every Thursday. A great time to share conversation, play games and quietly get to know new people.

Do you know somebody who would like to run our new coffee shop? Adverts for the position will be going out this week and will be in next weeks Hayes news. If you know somebody who would like the oppertunity to start their own business with full support and funding… please contact Fr. Matthew

We are looking for volunteers to help serve food on the 2nd Thursday of each month and to learn how to operate the coffee bike. If you’d be interested in helping please speak to Fr. Matthew.

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.

Welcoming new people.

It is essential to do everything we can as Christians to be welcoming all the time, especially when we see new people in church. 

There are different ways and reasons why people come to church. Some can receive invitations from friends directly or indirectly, it can be through a leaflet or pew sheet, and some may not be invited but moved to come to church on that day; it is possible also that this person is new in the parish and looking for a church to worship with. 

For an individual to decide in their heart to come to church is always through the work of the Holy Spirit, so we also have a part to play to make them feel welcomed. 

The church must be a place of love, comfort, spiritual upliftment, and an ambience full of grace. We must be the ones to help make them feel at home and loved for them to come again.  

Matthew 10:40 says, “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.” 

Every person who comes through the church’s doors comes in the name of Christ. We, therefore, need to receive them like Christ. Our first impression is significant; we must consider it a call to duty. 

It is not the task of only church leaders but a task for all of us. It will always be joyful when we smile, say ‘hi’ and try to engage in a conversation after Mass, and it can move the individual to visit again. 

God will bring people in, but it is vital to make them feel loved, and they will stay.

Fr. Josiah.

Downloads

Readings for 27th August.

Other news

There is Sunday School NEXT WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

Don’t forget it’s Thursday Fun & Fellowship every Thursday. A great time to share conversation, play games and quietly get to know new people.

We’re going to move tea & coffee after mass to the rear of church in the cafe area. The tea & coffee rota isn’t getting much love at the moment so if you feel able to help please do get in touch. You’ll be able to learn how to use the espresso machine and it would be an enormous  help and your gift to extending to fellowship and love of St. Anselm’s.

We are looking for volunteers to help serve food on the 2nd Thursday of each month and to learn how to operate the coffee bike. If you’d be interested in helping please speak to Fr. Matthew.

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.