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New term 

New ideas 

Over lockdown we were unable to run at the pace we may have liked. There were so many ideas of new things we could do – but so many reasons why we could not do them.

In many ways that enforced slowness enabled us to consider them quite carefully and gave us to the time to get the building sorted, to get the money going in the right direction and to come together as a family.

That coming together was really brought to life in the baptism of Ikenna last Sunday. The sense of love, the tangible joy in the church as we added to our family was amazing. As David said to me after mass – that baptism was a year in the making. 

Not because things had been delayed because of COVID but because it had taken us a year to become the family that welcomed Ikenna.

Well… now we are a family and we are strong!

We have a list of new things happening, new choirs, new missions, new children’s work, new parent and toddler groups (see the notices). 

It can be overwhelming – but I know that each and every one of you will step forward to help where you can – because in that help you will be building up the family of Christ in Hayes and if the Holy Spirit is with us we’ll see a lot more Sundays like we had last Sunday!

Let’s step forward into this new term with a renewed sense of energy and love and let’s take Jesus out into Hayes!x

Fr. Matthew 

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Please speak to Anthony after mass or email him on music@parpri1.dreamhosters.com if you’d like to be part of the choir which will sing during communion on the 24th October (Rehearsals will be Sunday afternoon from September 26th). 

Advent & Christmas choirs – we’re forming two choirs over advent and Christmas. One for the start of advent (adult) and one for Christmas Eve (children). Rehearsals will be Sunday afternoons in the four weeks before each concert. Please speak to Anthony if you’re interested.  

I’m still looking for volunteers to help with the Rosary Mission (keeping the church open, providing tea & coffee etc) 10th – 24th October. We’re also having a children’s music workshop on the 16th October at 1pm with a concert afterwards. 

We’ve started planning for a new Sunday School to open in September, if you would like to help please speak to
Fr. Matthew

There will be a new parent and toddler group starting in the church hall after mass every Monday morning starting on the 6th September. 

The Sound of Angels 

Worshiping through music 

Hello everyone! Fr Matthew has kindly allowed me to write the bulletin for this week. I have been playing at St Anselm for nearly two months now, and would like to thank you all for making me feel so welcome. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing for services on Sundays, and must say that your singing sounds fantastic from my vantage point in the organ loft! 

Encouraged by the wonderful sound you produce every Sunday, I would like to start a choir formed from members of the congregation. We would rehearse every Sunday afternoon, and work towards singing an anthem during communion for Sunday Mass on the 24th October, our first rehearsal will be 26th September. All are welcome to join, regardless of musical ability. 

There are other musical activities to look forward to between now and Christmas. As part of our Rosary Mission, we will be inviting people to come into church with their children on Saturday 16th October at 1pm for a two-hour workshop to learn one song which we will perform for everyone afterwards. 

We are also going to form a choir for a Nine Lessons and Carols service at the beginning of December to mark the start of the Advent season and a children’s choir for a carol service at 3pm on Christmas Eve. 

If you are interested in taking part in any of these events, please find me after Mass (I’m the one making all the noise at the front of the church), or email me: music@parpri1.dreamhosters.com 

Furthermore, if you would like to share your own ideas about how to develop the music at St Anselm, give me hymn suggestions, or just want to have a chat about music, please do not hesitate to get in touch. 

Anthony Wang

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Please take note of the dates from Anthony on the front sheet for choir concerts. The first rehearsals for a choir for All Souls (Sunday 24th October) will be on Sunday 26th September. Speak to Anthony after Mass if you would like to give it a try or email him on music@parpri1.dreamhosters.com also have a think about children who may like to take part in the carol service on Christmas Eve at 3pm (rehearsals Sunday afternoon from 5th December for 2 hours). 

Bric-a-brac is on next Saturday (28th) 10am-1pm – please do come along and lend a hand and help raise money for church!

I’m still looking for volunteers to help with the Rosary Mission (keeping the church open, providing tea & coffee etc) 10th – 24th October.

We’ve started planning for a new Sunday School to open in September, if you would like to help please speak to Fr. Matthew

The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary 

This Sunday is a very special day indeed. We celebrate the solemnity (a feast day of the highest rank) of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – the day on which she was bodily taken up into heaven.

In the eastern church this feast is celebrated as the ‘Dormition of the Theotokos’ – the ‘falling asleep of the mother of God’ – which I think is a beautiful way to describe it.

In the western church we teach that Mary was taken fully up into Heaven and that her body was not corrupted by death.

“Having completed the course of her earthly life, [she] was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory” 

This teaching is connected with our understanding of Mary as the second Eve. This running parallel to the teaching of Jesus as the second Adam. 

This is the final part of the four-fold teaching on Mary that we hold.

1 – Mary was the Mother of God (Theotokos).

2 – Mary had an immaculate conception.

3 – Mary had perpetual virginity. 

4 – Mary was assumed into Heaven.

These ‘dogmas’ (teachings revealed to the Church by God) form the basis of our veneration of Our Lady. 

We set Mary aside as special because only she can fully comprehend what a relationship with Jesus as fully man, and fully God entails. Through her example we can find a way to deepen and further our own relationship with God.

Mary is special because she takes us to her Son in all things. Ask Her for support when your faith is feeling thin.

Fr. Matthew 

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It’s a very special solemnity today (Sunday) so do invite a friend and make sure you stay for refreshments after the service to celebrate.

Please note that Morning Prayer & Mass on Tuesday is at the earlier time of 8:45/9am to enable Fr. Matthew to take a funeral that morning. 

The new dates for the Rosary Mission are the 10th October to the 24th October. There’s lots of planning for two weeks of invitation and love for the whole parish. If you’ve got an idea of how we can make people welcome do let me know. We’ll have a BBQ, some singing, crafts for children on the Saturday and lots more besides. If you’d like to be involved please shout! 

Heroes

Facing darkness 

We can often think that the Saints are so far removed from our lives. They are heroes from a remote time, from a different place, from a different reality. 

Yes, they have lots to teach us, but their heroic sacrifices and displays of faith are simply too lost in the mist of time to be relevant to us today.

In thinking this we miss the modern Saints. Those who have come before us whose shining example of faith and love will leave us floored and crying. 

We have two such Saints to consider this week. St. Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and St. Maximilian Kolbe. 

Both these amazing people are not remote to us – they are very real – both being deeply involved with events in the 20th Century. Saints we have photos and videos of. Saints we can see and almost touch.

St. Benedica was a Christian convert from a large Jewish family in Poland. She became a nun in the Carmel Order and given the political situation in Germany at the time she was moved to a convent in Holland. 

When the Nazis invaded Holland she, along with her sister, was arrested and sent to Auschwitz where she died in 1942. 

St. Maximilian also found himself at Auschwitz. Also from Poland he was ordained Priest in 1918 and set about promoting dedication to Our Lady in that country. He founded monasteries in Japan and India and when war came to Poland he staid to open a hospital. He was arrested because he would not surrender to the German authorities and their ideals. 

He ultimately gave his life in the place of a Jewish man with a family. He died a slow painful death in place of another. 

These stories are real, they are not remote. They inspire us to be heroes in our day.

Fr. Matthew  

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Thank you to Fr. Nigel Palmer for covering the mass last Sunday, he did a wonderful job and we look forward to welcoming him here again soon.

On Tuesday evening we will be welcoming Fr. John Mothersole back into the church he loved so much. His body will be received at Evening Prayer and will lie in church overnight. His funeral mass will be at 10am on Wednesday morning and will be taken by Bishop Michal Colclough. Refreshments will be served afterwards in the church hall. 

Congratulations to the bric-a-brac team with another wonderful Saturday morning and £30 raised for church funds! Thank you all for your sterling effort and hard work. It’s wonderful to have the church open on Saturdays. The next sale will be on August 29th. 

Next Sunday is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To celebrate this most special of days there will be extra treats (fizzy treats!) after Parish Mass and also Evening Prayer and Benediction at 6pm. Do consider inviting a friend along. 

Sabbath 

Rest and worship. 

I was very moved by Bishop Jonathan’s sermon last Sunday 

(Compassion to the Core – listen/watch/read again in the Sermons & Teaching section of our website)

In it he drew a connection between our sabbath day – rest – and worship. I had never considered our sabbath day to be anything other than one of rest. 

When I think of rest I think of quiet afternoons in the garden with a cold drink and a good book – perhaps a bbq… but I don’t often think of worship. 

Bishop Jonathan drew our attention to the intention of rest in the Sabbath in saying:

“We all need those times of rest and refreshment and renewal when we can take a little time out from our usual everyday routines and concerns. Rest is of course, at the heart of God’s purposes for his creation.”

But he also reminded us that our sabbath day of rest is also one of worship:

“Every single Sunday. We know it is a day of rest. But first, the priority, of course, is that it is a day of worship. It is a day of our celebration of the Eucharist, the mass.”

It was a stark reminder that in resting we are never on our own, but walk with God alongside us. 

And so this week – as I head for some (I hope) well deserved rest and relaxation, I will continue to offer myself to God in that rest and in that peace. 

Perhaps re-discovering and re-connecting with God in that peace. 

I encourage you to do the same over the coming two weeks when there appears to be a ‘rest’ in our mid-week worship. Use this time to find peace and rest, to reconnect and reach out to God.

Fr. Matthew

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A big thank you to Fr. Nigel Palmer who is kindly covering the parish mass on Sunday 1st August. We are very grateful for his service and I know he will be given a big St. Anselm welcome.  

Fr. Matthew is on holiday for two weeks from Monday 26th July to Saturday 7th August. In an emergency you can contact him via the numbers published on the front of the pew sheet and he can put you in touch with a Priest locally.  

There will be a bric-a-brac sale on Saturday 31st July at the front of church – if you have anything that would help raise funds please bring it on the day. 10am – 1pm.

No mid-week services for the next two weeks.

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A year already!

What a difference

What a difference a year makes. This time last year we were preparing for my licensing on the 22nd July (Mary Magdalene). There was a brief respite in lockdown and there was a tantalising window where we just *may* be able to have it in person under very strict COVID controls.

It was a wonderful moment of light in an otherwise dark year. A gathering of real people in a real place – joining in praise and celebration – a very needed moment of joy.

My first year here has been shaped by that first service. We have continued to be locked down, to be controlled in what we are able to do with strict COVID rules and we have continued to find joy in communal celebration and praise – despite these difficult circumstances.

We have worked together to make good in a difficult situation and have endured to make sure that the church is open for anyone that needs it.

We have rebuilt a community resource in our new church hall, we have feed the hungry, clothed the naked, given water to the thirsty and we have proclaimed the Gospel in word and deed! 

We are prepared for the next year having spent this year getting ready for the world to re-open. 

We are excited about what that world my bring to our door and where we may take the Gospel. 

The future at St. Anselm is looking very bright indeed and that is all down to the wonderful people in this place.

Thank you for everything you’ve done over the last year. For being open to change and to new ideas. For being so loving and welcoming to new people. For being so loving and kind to Catherine, Edmund and I.

Here’s to the next year!

Fr. Matthew 

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Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard this week to get the church cleaned and organised for Bishop Jonathan’s visit. The hall and church are looking wonderful – a really inviting place to bring people. 

Susan Chick will be giving a short talk on the spiritual benefits of Compline (night prayer) next Sunday (25th) after Evening Prayer and Benediction. We have a small number of books to give away to help you encounter this beautiful prayer. 

We welcome our new Musical Director – Anthony Wang – this Sunday. Please make him feel very welcome and get your vocal cords in practice for the return of sung hymns from next Sunday! 

Deanery Synod will be hosted at St. Anselm on Thursday (22nd) at 7:30pm – a special evening of prayer from across the deanery has been organised – please make a special effort to attend as we pray for the mission of Christ in this place. 

Saint who?

Bonaventure (1218-1274)

St. Bonaventure is not a very well known saint. His works are not very well known and his memorial on the 15th July has suffered somewhat over the years (often being downgraded and moved around).

But what I love about St. Bonaventure is his journey into the faith and into the church and then his utter dedication to it over his life.

As a child he experienced a near-death experience (we don’t know what this was) but he writes that he was saved by the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi – the founder of the then newly formed Franciscans. 

So powerful an experience was this that Bonaventure dedicated his life to entering the church and following Francis. 

In fact Bonaventure became the leader of the Franciscan Order and had such an impact on its development and growth that he is called its second founder – without him there would be no Franciscan Order today.

He was appointed as the Archbishop of York – but never took up the post (I can’t think why he didn’t want to move from Italy to the north of England!)

He wrote prolifically and was a contemporary of Thomas Aquinas. His works are considered some of the most important in the academic development of theology and of philosophy. 

So why then has he rather fallen down the back of the church sofa? Why don’t we read him any more? 

I suspect because his works are very hard to digest. Very hard to get to grips with and contain enormous ideas that need to be processed over time. Time we don’t often dedicate to thinking and learning about our faith these days. 

Perhaps there’s a lesson there for us.

Fr. Matthew  

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There is a PCC meeting after mass today (Sunday 11th). 

Thank you very much to John Chick who has worked so hard to restore our High Altar and Lady Chapel Altar candlesticks and candles – don’t they look wonderful! 

Susan Chick will be giving a short talk on the spiritual benefits of Compline (night prayer) we have a limited number of books to give away. 25th July, 6pm, followed by Evening Prayer & Benediction. 

Many of you will now have heard the news about our dear friend and brother Fr. John Mothersole. His funeral will be on the 11th August at 10am here at St. Anselm. All are welcome.

Help fund an organist – please consider setting up regular giving with the Parish Giving Scheme. Call 0333 002 1271 with your bank details to hand and quote our Parish Code – 230 623 503 or visit our website stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving

Who is undesirable?

Who is welcome?

This week I received an email from a local councillor that – in her anger – described certain residents of Hayes as ‘undesirable’.

I can certainly understand her anger. We’ve all seen the effects of drugs on our streets. The effects of those with violence in their hearts. The effects of those who care not for the wellbeing of others.

On a personal level I’ve experienced the worst that Hayes has to offer!

But… we must never ever be tempted to describe our fellow human beings as ‘undesirable’ – because to do so rejects the very nature of who they are – created in the image of God. 

There is evil in the world and we pray that we can banish that evil – but that doesn’t mean pushing away people – that means embracing them.

The only way evil is banished is when it is driven out by love.

If you fight evil with evil – you enhance it and make it stronger.

This is one of the central and most power messages in the Gospels. 

Jesus tells us again and again and again to love one another – as He loved us!

It’s hard to love a person who has attacked you, or makes your life difficult, or frightens you. But love them you must. 

How we treat those we don’t like shows the depth of our character. Who we invite to our table shows the depth of our faith.

St. Anselm is a place of welcome for all, and especially perhaps most of all for the ‘undesirables’. 

Because in that welcome we start to shine a light into the darkness… and then there’s a chance we can defeat it.

In love, as always,

Fr. Matthew

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We have a new director of music – Anthony Wang. Thank you everyone who welcomed him so warmly last week. His first mass will be with us on the 18th July when +Jonathan comes to bless the church hall (3pm).

A huge thank you to those who have cleaned, done the flowers and worked hard to make the church as welcoming as possible. A particular thank you to Shirley who has cleaned every kneeler over the last two weeks!

Rosary Mission – postponed. The extension of restrictions into July has meant we’ve not been able to make the mission happen in a spirit of overwhelming generosity – so we have decided to postpone. News on new dates soon.

Help fund an organist – please consider setting up regular giving with the Parish Giving Scheme. Call 0333 002 1271 with your bank details to hand and quote our Parish Code – 230 623 503 or visit our website stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving