A Lenten Reconciliation Service will be held at St Mark’s, West Wickham on Friday, 22 March. This service is for all the parishes in the Bromley Deanery and this year is being hosted by Fr Ashley at St Mark’s. It will follow Stations of the Cross which begins at 6.00 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Holy Saturday Blessing of Easter Foods
In many Eastern European countries, it is a tradition to have a basket of food blessed at a church service on Holy Saturday. This Catholic ritual has been cherished for centuries and it has now been adopted by people from many backgrounds who enjoy this richly symbolic custom.
We have embraced this custom at St Edmund’s for a number of years and will be celebrating it once more at 10.00 am on Holy Saturday.
We need a small team of parishioners to assist in the preparation of this service and it would be lovely to have parents from our Family Mass group to assist. If you could offer a little time, please contact Deacon Sean at seanmurphy@rcaos.org.uk
Google Blessings of Easter foods to learn more about this custom.
The Church Shop has some new booklets to help you during Lent, and others to help you follow the Stations of the Cross. These are for adults and children. There are also some fun Lenten sticker activity sheets.
One thing I would encourage you all to do during Lent is to look anew at the Gospels and listen to what they are saying, an activity we should be engaged in throughout the year, but especially during this Lenten journey when we recall the 40 days of the great flood that led to the Covenant between God and Noah, the 40 days Moses spent on Mount Sinai at the end of which he received the Tablets of the Law. Most important of all is for us to reflect on the 40 days Jesus endured in the wilderness, after his baptism and before his mission.
I pray that these and other passages of scripture will penetrate our hearts and minds and give us a fresh understanding of the truth, of what it means to love, to make sacrifice, to forgive and persevere in faith. Ultimately, Lent is a wonderful opportunity for us to draw ever closer to our heavenly Father and to Jesus Christ his son, in the power of the Holy Spirit; alongside this it is a time to look upon our brothers and sisters with greater understanding and compassion. If we open our hearts to this, Easter when it comes, will be full of many blessings.
Fr Steve
Stations of the Cross during Lent
St Edmunds:
There will be Stations in the church at 6.00 pm every Friday of Lent and on the Wednesday of Holy Week.
St Peter Claver Convent:
There will also be Stations of the Cross at the Claver Convent every Friday of Lent at 3.00 pm. All are most welcome to join them in their chapel.