Mary,
Mother of the Church.
On Tuesday 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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Tea & Coffee return from this Sunday! There’ll be cakes, fresh coffee from our wonderful new machine, lovely tea and great fellowship. We need to keep our social distancing in place and still be mindful of the rules – but it will be great to be able to share a cup of tea and a chat after church again. Do bring your cakes in on Sunday…
I’m still looking for a volunteer to run the tea & coffee rota. It just needs two people each week who will set it up and serve after church. It’s a wonderful way to offer your service in time to the church and to Jesus.
Summer Rosary Mission. We’ve raised over £800 via an internet appeal to fund our Mission this summer. If you’d like to be part of it – please speak to Fr. Matthew.
Thank you to everyone who turned out on Saturday to help with the bric-a-brac and cleaning!
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 www.stanselm.co.uk/giving