Easter 4 News
Priest-in-Charge Fr John Ainslie (revjohnainslie@gmail.com; 01628 629827)
A very warm welcome to any new readers, and to visitors and newcomers to St Michael's. If you are new to St Michael's, do join us for refreshments in the Vestry Hall after the service, so that we can welcome you properly.
Our Services: Thursday (St Mark's Day) Mass at 10.30am, and next Sunday Mass at 10.30am.
Next Sunday, April 28th, is the date of our Annual Meeting. This falls into two parts – the Annual Meeting for the Election of Churchwardens and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting – and will take place in church immediately after Mass. Elections at the Parochial Church Meeting include those of Deanery Synod members and PCC members. Are you willing to serve, or can you encourage someone else? Nomination forms will be found at the back of the church; please hand completed forms to Jonathan or Eleanor. This is a time to take stock of the past year and to think about our visions and hopes for the future of St Michael's. Many of the reports for this meeting are being made available in advance – but do think of any questions, comments or corrections you may want to offer at the meeting itself.
A piece of history! When he saw last week's photograph of Fr John and Fr Paul with the Archbishop of Canterbury, St Michael's historian David Cleggett was pleased to note the embroidered Tudor roses appliquéd on the chasuble worn by Fr John. These, he tells us, came from the original red altar frontal of 1877, and it was David and his wife Mavis who, when the frontal had to be replaced about 60 years ago, salvaged the roses and incorporated them into that chasuble, giving them a new lease of life and preserving a link with the first days of St Michael's. In the 1870s, even coloured altar frontals were widely viewed with suspicion, and coloured vestments did not appear at St Michael's until the 1920s. The beauty of holiness in our worship is something we can all too easily take for granted, and it's good to acknowledge the generosity, the craftsmanship, the political acumen and the sheer determination (sometimes very costly) that gained for Catholic worship within the Church of England the freedom and recognition that it enjoys today.
Forward in Faith Festival, at St Alban the Martyr, Holborn, Saturday 11th May, 12 noon-4 pm.
There are still some spaces available; please contact admin.assistant@forwardinfaith.com, and donate £10 for lunch (always worth it!) before 26th April. The Festival is always an interesting and enjoyable occasion with inspiring worship and music – and a chance to learn more about what is happening among parishes like our own. As a parish we are affiliated to Forward in Faith, but if you have never got around to joining as an individual member, do think about it; the website (https://www.forwardinfaith.com/index.php) provides all the information.
The Canterbury Cathedral “What's On” guide (April-June) can be downloaded from the Cathedral website (canterbury-cathedral.org/whats-on/). It's full of possibilities – special acts of worship, concerts, recitals, activities for families…. Visit the site also for details of the new version of the Cathedral Pass.
From our Tower:
Kent County Association Maidstone, Kent - St Michael and All Angels
Friday, 19 April 2024 in 36m (6–1–24 in C)
1320 Primrose Surprise Minor
- Janice Byrne
- Jacqueline Barlow
- Philip Jarvis
- Mark Elvers
- Pam Thomas
- Stephen Coaker (C)
Remembering Steve Davis 17/4/2020 and Margaret Jones 12/4/2023. R.I.P.
We shall be welcoming a team of visiting ringers on 31st July between 3.15 and 4.15 pm.
Among the sick, we remember particularly: Paul, Margaret, Ellie, Pauline, Rue, Fr Leon, Antony, Fran, Ellie, Tom, Joseph, Peter, Joan, Margaret, Lindsay, Glynis, Ethan, Sarah, Yvonne, Jessica, HM The King and Catherine, Princess of Wales.
And among the departed: Marjory Huxley, May Pilbeam, Constance Rickerby, Harry Mills,
Mary Taylor.
Could you pass this sheet on to someone else who might like to see it?