St. Dunstan was a renowned and well loved Archbishop of Canterbury (which is why we remember his feast day here at St. Anselm).
He was so loved that for the better part of two centuries he was easily England’s favourite Saint. It was a close run thing between him and St. Edmund as to who would be the patron saint of England.
In the end of course, England chose St. George, which makes St. David the only native of the country for which he is the Patron Saint in the British Isles. Patrick was Welsh, Andrew was from Judea and George was Greek/Palestinian.
Dunstan was a monk (in Glastonbury), a writer and artist (he was particularly known for this), he was behind major reforms at Glastonbury and is often credited with the restoration of monastic life towards the end of the 10th Century when it had started to wane.
From Glastonbury he went on to be Bishop of Worcester and then London before being made Archbishop of Canterbury in 960AD.
As we prepare to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee it’s worth remembering that it was the coronation service that he wrote for King Edgar in 973 that formed the basis of the coronation of Her Majesty in 1953.
He was also known for his amazing generosity. At one point on a journey to Rome his generosity was so great that nothing was left for him or his followers and retainers. There were many complaints among his retinue!
He has many examples for us to follow. Patience, love, a dedication to learning and to sharing that knowledge – but perhaps most importantly his excessive generosity.
Our APCM will be on Sunday 22nd May immediately after Mass. If you would like to stand for the PCC please speak to Fr. Matthew or one of the Church Wardens.
We are lucky enough that five people have volunteered to be leaders for our summer holiday club. We’re now looking for people who can commit to a few hours to help with things like making tea & coffee, tidying up at the end of each day and other assisting tasks. Please speak to Fr. Matthew or Julie Estep (Sunday School Leader).
Quite a lot of changes to the weekly schedule coming up. As meetings return to in-person there is an inevitable degree of catch-up and I find myself in London everyday next week. There’s a mass everyday except Thursday.
I’m still looking for volunteers for the 12th July to meet with Priests applying for our new Mission Priest job (interviews with +Jonathan on the 13th July). If you’d like to meet the applicants or help with showing them around the parish please be in touch.
Saint Matthias is not mentioned in the synoptic gospels in the list of the Apostles.
He does appear in Acts however and it’s clear that he was with Jesus from the time of his baptism.
In the days following the Ascension Peter suggested that one of the 120 followers of Jesus nominate two men to replace Judas amongst the group of Apostles.
How they went about choosing these men is really interesting – they started immediately by praying.
And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.
Acts 1:24-25
Given we’ve just launched our own campaign to appoint a new Priest (in addition to me) to St. Anselm I see the work of the Holy Spirit in the timing of the feast.
Next Saturday (the Feast of St. Matthias) the advert will have been out in the world for about a week.
Many people will have seen it and many people will have thought about it – but I want us to pray about it.
Just as the followers of Jesus did all that time ago, I want us to pray ‘You lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these you have chosen to come to St. Anselm’
Please make next Saturday a special day of prayer that we find the right person to come and serve as Mission Priest in Hayes.
Thank you to Susan and Julie for the flowers this week – I think they’re looking absolutely great!
A thank you also to the anonymous donor who has also given £250 to the foodbank – this is not the first time – so a huge thank you for the generosity.
We’re looking to run a summer club for children (10am-4pm) for a week in the Summer Holidays. We have two great volunteers already, but we’ll need more – even if you can only offer a few hours. Please speak to Fr. Matthew.
There will be a parish open day on the 12th July for Priests applying for our new Mission Priest job (interviews with +Jonathan on the 13th July). If you’d like to meet the applicants or help with showing them around the parish please be in touch.
Our APCM will be on Sunday 22nd May immediately after Mass. If you would like to stand for the PCC please speak to Fr. Matthew or one of the Church Wardens.
There will be safeguarding training at 10:30am on Friday 13th May – both C0 and C1. Please contact Fr. Matthew if you’d like to receive this valuable training. All are welcome.
Hayes is growing at an enormous rate – and so are the opportunities to engage with people who have never known Jesus. This exciting new role will be at the heart of our ambitious vision to be the beating heart and lived out love of Christ in Hayes.
Main Responsibilities
Lead and develop a team of lay leaders on the estates of Hayes who will be comfortable and able to lead others to Christ.
Chair the Mission committee at St. Anselm.
Be a key part of delivering the St. Anselm Five Year Vision.
Be responsible for growing communities in personal and communal spaces (homes, offices and coffee shops etc).
Be a visible presence on the estates, especially the area known as the Red Brick Estate.
Develop new relationships with non-church of England primary schools and secondary schools that serve Hayes.
Offer pastoral care to the parish, including visiting, home communions etc.
Use modern communication tools to engage with new communities
The Ideal Candidate
Passionate about re-engaging with those who have lost their faith.
Enthusiastic about mission to the unchurched.
Someone who wants to spend as much time out of the church as they do inside it.
Comfortable in the roughest of pubs and the nicest of restaurants.
Comfortable meeting in people’s homes and businesses.
Willing to roll up their sleeves and get stuck into anything that is thrown at them.
Open to the inspiration and leading of the Holy Spirit at work in Hayes.
About us
St. Anselm was opened in 1929 at the heart of what was then a village rapidly turning into an industrial town. The rapid growth in the latter part of the 19th century prompted the Diocese of London to plant a new church (initially in a hut before the current church was built) in the midst of Hayes Town – centred on the canal and railway into London.
There was an explosion of house building and many people saw Hayes as a new suburb of London. Hayes though retained its own character and identity as the railway served industry rather than passengers into Paddington. The housing was bought by people working at EMI, Nestlé and other large industrial companies supplying vital materials for the inter-war expansion of London and its suburbs.
Hayes is once again at the centre of an exciting period of change, with factories being replaced by high density housing for people moving to the area, attracted by the new Crossrail station, this time ferrying passengers rather than cargo. This huge increase in housing marks a new phase of opportunity for St. Anselm, and almost a 100 years after it was opened it finds itself once again at the heart of mission in the Diocese of London
As you all know we were planning on starting a Sunday School here at St. Anselm in September later this year (after our new Mission Priest starts).
We’d planned on running a summer school for a week to test the waters and take tentative steps towards offering a home for families in Hayes who wanted to reconnect with – or discover for the first time – what being a Christian family was about.
But, as I stood at the altar last week I saw the smiling faces of the families who have come to us over the last few months and I felt a powerful push from the Holy Spirt to get going now!
Why wait? One of the things that people say about St. Anselm is that we are a family – and that is so evident on Sunday mornings.
I looked at Julie and just knew that she’d been keen as mustard to get going and so without even speaking to her, announced the launch of our Sunday School from this week!
I could see (thank goodness) that she was smiling from ear to ear – as were many of you!
So, doing what we do best in Hayes – responding to the prompting of the Holy Spirit – we kick off our Sunday School much earlier than planned.
Julie has arranged a great activity for the children and I know you’ll be praying for her – and our new families – as they explore what being a Christian is all about.
If you’d like to help – either in prayer or practically do speak to Julie on Sunday.
We’re launching our Sunday School this week! Julie has set up some great activities for the children as they learn about Jesus in the Church Hall during our own scripture and sermon in church. Do pray for her and all those taking part as they start out on this exciting adventure.
We’re looking to run a summer club for children (10am-4pm) for a week in the Summer Holidays. We have two great volunteers already, but we’ll need more – even if you can only offer a few hours. Please speak to Fr. Matthew.
The job advert for our new Mission Priest goes out on Friday (6th May). Do look out for it and share it with anyone who may be interested.
There will be a parish open day on the 12th July for Priests applying for our new Mission Priest job (interviews with +Jonathan on the 13th July). If you’d like to meet the applicants or help with showing them around the parish please be in touch.
The flowers from Easter are still looking great but now need a little attention. If you could spare some time to give them a bit of love we’d really appreciate it. Please be in touch with either Fr. Matthew or Susan to arrange a time to come in.
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?
I can’t begin to thank everyone enough for such a wonderful Holy Week and Triduum. But I want to especially thank Susan, John, Mary and Shirley who worked so hard on Maundy Thursday to clean the church and for the flowers on the altar of repose (that we’re still enjoying this week).
Remember we are still in Eastertide and continue to celebrate the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection. This is a special time when He is still with us and we have much to learn. A time to focus on scripture on prayer as we head for Pentecost.
We’re looking to run a summer club for children for a week in the Summer Holidays. We hope this will be the precursor for a Sunday School that will launch in September. We have two great volunteers already, but we’ll need more – even if you can only offer a day. Please speak to Fr. Matthew.
There will be a parish open day on the 12th July for Priests applying for our new Mission Priest job. If you’d like to meet them or help with showing them around the parish please be in touch.
This was the first full Easter that I was able to celebrate here in the parish. We entered Holy Week with hope and with trepidation. Would people come? Would people find a place with God here? Would they find a new family that loved them?
The resounding answer to all of those questions was yes! We had a wonderful and holy time together during Holy Week and into the Holy Triduum. We’re looking forward to getting to know new friends better and for some exciting new initiatives in the coming months.
Please do enjoy these photos from the various services and events at St. Anselm this Holy Week and Easter.
The empty tomb stands as a symbol of the greatest Hope and the greatest story ever told.
Of a man who came to earth, was crucified, died, buried, descended into hell, and on the third day rose again!
He came to take away our sin, to bring us into a new life in God.
So as we start this journey together on Thursday evening, as darkness descends and altars are stripped. We must remember that darkness will never win, that it will always be cast out by the light.
An enormous thank you must go out to everyone who has cleaned and scrubbed the church over the last two weeks and to all those who donated and helped to build our beautiful altar of repose – with so many wonderful flowers.
It’s a very quiet week after Easter Sunday as you can see. Fr. Matthew will be saying daily offices from the vicarage and encourages you to do the same at home. He will be contactable throughout the week as he takes some time to read and study.
What an huge treat is will be to have Anthony back with us for Easter Sunday! Make sure you come along at 10am on Sunday morning to once again hear our organ play out loud with some wonderful hymns!
You are very warmly invited to join us for Holy Week 2022. Come and be part of our amazing family as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus and his disciples.
Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday of Holy Week
(11th, 12th & 13th April)
3pm – Stations of the Cross (Wednesday 13th)
7pm – Confessions
7:30pm – High Mass
Maundy Thursday
(14th April)
8pm – High Mass of the Lord’s Supper
With washing of feet, striping of the altars, and watch until midnight.
As we enter Holy Week our Lent Course – Holy Habits – focuses on daily prayer and scripture. Perhaps the most difficult habit we have discussed to date.
Each habit we’ve talked about so far has an external prompt that helps us to focus on God. Our physical posture in the liturgy is driven by the liturgy itself and the action of others around us. The practice of Pilgrimage contains an element of adventure that helps us along and gratitude is the reaction of God’s work around us.
But the daily reading of scripture and our daily prayers require something far harder to prompt us into doing them.
Discipline.
There are very few external prompts to open our bible or say our prayers.
As Priests I think we’re fortunate to be required to say our offices each day – and are often prompted to do so by the public services we offer and the calling of the church bell at various times of day.
But if you’re not publicly accountable to carry out these tasks what keeps you focused on them?
Discipline.
The only way to start to read more scripture and to pray with regularity is to simply do it – and the more you do it – the more it will become a habit.
The more of a habit it becomes the easier it will get and the easier it gets the more scripture and the Holy Spirit will be able to work within you.
As we end Lent and move into Holy Week dig out your bibles and place them next to your bed. Pray when you wake, read scripture before you sleep.
Wake with God on your lips and sleep with Him in your heart.
As we start Holy Week together there are lots of changes to the usual schedule. Please do have a read and make sure you make time to come to the various important elements of Holy Week (not least Confession!)
Edmund will be the boat boy at the Chrism Mass with +Jonathan on Tuesday. You’re all warmly invited to attend this special service.
Flowers – we really need some volunteers to make the altar of repose for the watch on Thursday night in the Lady Chapel and to dress the nave altar for the Vigil Mass on Saturday evening. I’d really appreciate any offers of help for this – or goodness knows what you’ll get if I do it!
There is a Walk of Witness on Good Friday with our brothers and sisters in neighbouring parishes – we meet at 11am outside the Roman Catholic church in Botwell.
Thank you to everyone (especially our online congregation) for the very generous donation of food and money to buy food for the foodbank over the last week. We’re back up to full strength and stand ready to help where we can.
During Lent we are raising money for the Additional Curates Society. You can collect a box from church and bring the box in after Easter, or you can give online via https://additionalcurates.co.uk/support-us/
Each week I’ll be sending you the story of a Priest who was supported by the Society and what it means to the parishes involved. Here’s the final one:
“When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other.”
Ecclesiastes 7:14
It was with enormous trepidation that we entered into lockdown last March and I was forced to undertake what only 48 hours before had been unthinkable: to close the church to public worship indefinitely. Yet, even in those fearful and uncertain early days, the words of the Preacher in the book of Ecclesiastes gave me hope. For so long we in the West have felt unnaturally secure in the world – masters of science and technology, in full control of nature and all within it. We had made ourselves into gods, even to the extent of accruing to ourselves the power of life and death. Yet now, suddenly, we were at the mercy of an unseen enemy with no cure and an exponentially rising death rate. The true powerlessness of man had been exposed, and in that I could see an opportunity to speak truth and comfort into this situation. How many times in the history of salvation has God humbled the pride of man, not out of spite, but out of love, in order to remind us that it is in him we find the source of life, hope and salvation? Jesus challenges us, asking, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:36.
These thoughts characterised my own Christian response to the pandemic and how I sought to communicate that to others in my care. Immediately, along with thousands of churches across the country, we began livestreaming Mass online in order that, although tragically cut off from the sacraments, our people were still able to hear the word of God preached and gain a much-needed wider perspective on the events we were all living through. As the days and weeks progressed, our proficiency in this area increased, as we acquired better cameras and sound equipment, and the introduction of online singing improved the experience of worship.
In addition to online worship, our youth worker, Jordan, produced a series of interactive videos encouraging young people to take part in seasonal craft activities, and along with Fr Edward produced educational videos for use in school once the children had begun to go back. These included a tour of the church, explaining its various contents and features and how they relate to the worshipping life of the community. We also produced a video dedicated to explaining the Mass, its various parts and what they mean. These were accompanied by quiz sheets to help the children remember what they had learnt, and it’s our hope that this approach has kept them familiar with the building over was has been a long absence. We’ll see how much they remember when confirmation classes start in September!
Christmas 2020 was a particular high-point in the past year. Realising we couldn’t have our usual family Christingle Service in church, we had an outdoor family Carol Service in the churchyard, which brought over 150 people together at a time of great uncertainty and disappointment and brought the good news of Jesus’s birth to many in the parish who would otherwise not have heard it, since no other church in the town was open at all. Afterwards I was overwhelmed with the number of people who so clearly appreciated what we’d done, and the video we put together of the event quickly received several thousand views across the local area.
It has been hugely encouraging to see new people continue to join the church family over the course of these past difficult months. Since the beginning of lockdown last March we have eight new members of the congregation, with three confirmations in May and more to follow in November. It is astonishing to think that only now are they beginning to see what a ‘normal’ Mass looks like, with the resumption of singing and refreshments after Mass, allowing them to develop personal relationships with other members of the congregation. It was also important for me, personally, as a priest, to get back to the basics of what I was ordained to do. I must admit that the sense of purpose with which we began the pandemic, to which I alluded to above, began to give way somewhat to a sense of drift and lack of purpose, particularly with further restrictions imposed in January 2021. But to be able to sit down with confirmation candidates, none of whom had been to church before they started coming to St John’s, and teaching them about God, the relationship he wants to have with us, and the reconciliation we can have with him through faith in Jesus Christ in the family of the Church was a tonic to my soul. It was a great pleasure and a very happy occasion when Bishop Glyn visited the parish to conduct those confirmations on a glorious Sunday in May. It not only encouraged me, but gave a great lift to everyone, and renewed our determination to continue the work of the gospel unimpeded once the time comes fully.
I am sure that the small things God has done here in Mexborough against such a difficult backdrop were only possible because of our determination as a parish to cultivate an atmosphere of calm and perspective, reminding ourselves of our Easter faith, and taking sensible precautions that created a safe environment while avoiding creating panic – something which has sadly happened in all too many parishes, which as a result are now finding it difficult to transition to normality.
Nonetheless, we are looking forward to the future, particularly as we prepare to welcome our new Children and Families Worker, who will be instrumental in helping us to reach out to new people, relaunch some of the activities that were suspended, and discover new ways to reach those we have sometimes struggled to connect with. We are immensely grateful to ACS for their continued support for St John’s at a time of financial strain, and we ask for the prayers of all who read this that our parish may grow in number and in spirit as we go forward in faith.
