Michaelmas News
A warm welcome to new readers and to visitors and newcomers to St Michael's! A special Michaelmas welcome to our celebrant Fr Paul Matthias SSC – who will also kindly be celebrating Mass for us on Thursday - and to our visiting preacher, the Ven. Andrew Sewell, Archdeacon of Maidstone. Everyone is invited to today's Harvest Lunch in the Vestry Hall after Mass – a chance to get to know one another better. If this is your first time at St Michael's, do make yourself known so that we can welcome you properly!
Thank you to all involved in preparing and decorating for today, and thank you to the St Michael's Schools, who brought their own gifts to their rousing Michaelmas Service on Thursday morning. During this week a delivery will be made to the Food for Thought Food Bank attached to Maidstone Day Centre, Knightrider Street, where gifts will be well used and much appreciated. Can you help? Or if you would like to donate food – fresh or imperishable – please think of them (01622 674064). Their staff always have a friendly greeting for St Michael's! More Michaelmas festivity took place last week at Harbledown, and was enjoyed by a party from our parish. Mike reports: “Friends from other Society parishes in the diocese were given a warm welcome at St Michael and All Angels', Harbledown on Thursday for the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels. Celebrant at the Patronal Festival's Solemn Mass was the Rector, Fr Peter Harnden SSC, and the homily was delivered by Canon Clive Jones SSC, parish priest of St John's, Higham with All Saints', Perry Street. Canon Jones is Bishop Norman's representative in the Rochester Diocese. A generous buffet supper was provided after the service.“
Rising Cost of Living causing concern! The Fant and Bower Community Group draw attention to a series of events taking place in The Mall, Maidstone, 10.30 am to 2.30 pm, 3rd-8th October, when representatives from the Borough Council and other bodies will be there to meet people seeking advice on managing the cost of food, utilities and fuel. If you or someone you know is worried, they say, “You are not on your own, we're here to help.”
From Our Tower:
Kent County Association: Maidstone, Kent
St Michael and All Angels
Sunday, 25 September 2022 in 40m (6–1–24 in C)
1280 Spliced Surprise Major (6m)
384 Rutland, 224 Superlative, 192 each of Cambridge, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, 96 Pudsey; 33 com
1Roger Pocock
2Graham Heath
3Ray Taylor
4Mark Elvers
5Stephen Coaker
6Mike Birkbeck
7Kath White
8Neil Jones (C)
Rung on the Feast of St Sergius of Radonezh, Russian Monastic Reformer, Teacher of the Faith, 1392.
Friday, 30 September 2022 in 39m (6–1–24 in C)
1269 Cambridge Surprise Minor
1Emma Jarvis
2Terry Barnard
3Kath White
4Mark Elvers
5Philip Jarvis
6Neil Jones (C)
Early birthday compliments to Daphne Tester (5th October) and Heidi Elvers (3rd October).
Rung on the Feast of St Jerome, translator of the Scriptures and Teacher of the Faith, died 30th September 420.