Parish News
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Welcome to the 'Parish News' section for Sacred Heart, Cobham
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . A very quiet week around The Presbytery; Fr D took off in the car on Easter Sunday evening to stay with a friend in Reigate before being picked up at 04.30 to be taken to Heathrow ready to catch a plane to Toulouse and from there by coach to Lourdes. Fr D was back looking after special needs children once more. However, he was also meeting up with the ‘Old & Bold’ group from last year (those are more senior adults who in the past were helpers in various groups before deciding that they were now too old to be going as helpers/wranglers for the children). They were able to join in with all of the Trust liturgies during the week but otherwise have a more sedate (and calm) time without children. Fr D has been a couple of times with this older group (perhaps he’s getting ready for when he could be classed as ‘Old & Bold’!). He should be returning to the Parish on Sunday evening when he will no doubt start messing about with the big white tin boxes in the utility room! Before leaving he did leave me with a schedule of what they’ve been doing during the week: • Monday - depart Heathrow for Toulouse, coach to hotel in Lourdes, relax at a local café before evening meal with the rest of the group and night prayers. • Tuesday - Mass at Sheepfold chapel (Fr D’s favourite), walk to see Grotto before lunch, rest before a ‘tour of town (Cachot, Boly Mill, Parish Church, Maison Paternelle) café stop, then back to hotel for dinner, before joining in Torchlight Procession. • Wednesday - Stations of the Cross on the Prairie before lunch, Coach to Hosanna House, Mass in Hosanna House Chapel. Fr D to join Old & Bold for late celebration lunch in a Bartres restaurant. • Thursday - Join Trust Mass in underground Basilica, Blessed Sacrament Procession, Torchlight Procession. • Friday - Mass in the St Frai chapel and shops (Fr D intends to buy the special crosses for our First Eucharist candidates), drinks at a Café overlooking the river Garve. • Saturday - Free time in Lourdes before catching coach to Toulouse airport and flight home (- to rest!)
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . Very, very busy around The Presbytery this week as we enter into Holy Week, the commemoration of the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection which we celebrate each year . . . . At the weekend we began our Masses remembering the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to great crowds and acclamations “Hosanna to the king of David . . .” Then the Gospel reading (this year from St Matthew’s account) told us of his arrest, trial, and execution on the Cross. In the afternoon we celebrated the last of our Lenten Evening Prayer and Benediction services. Monday morning and Fr D was up early to be ready for the lighting engineers who are undertaking the upgrade to the lighting in the church. This was the first of three stages in the process and gave the whole system a new ‘brain’ so that it could work with LED units (low energy usage) rather than the present halogen units (high energy usage). For the present the halogen units will still be used but the next development will be their replacement with LED. By 17.00 all the works had been completed and the church left tidy once more. After celebrating Morning Prayer, Mass, and Exposition on Tuesday, Fr D was down to Crawley once more to the Tribunal office. When he got home late afternoon he was just back in time to meet a parishioner who was coming to reseal the church floor ready for Easter. In the evening Fr D was working on the booklet for the Triduum services (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil). Having celebrated Morning Prayer and Mass on Wednesday, Fr D finalised the Triduum Booklet and was completing the Easter Newsletter. On Thursday Fr D went across to St Joseph’s, Epsom to collect the Holy Oils that were blessed a the Chrism Mass in Arundel Cathedral on Wednesday evening and which will be used for the celebration of the sacraments in the Parish until next Easter. He had lunch with the sisters next door and then prepared for the first of the Triduum celebrations. On Friday morning Fr D was with several children from the Parish celebrating a special Children’s Way of the Cross in the church before preparing for the Commemoration of the Passion in the afternoon (the only day of the year on which the Church never celebrates Mass!).
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . Really very busy this week as preparations for Holy Week start running full-tilt around The Presbytery . . . . Last Saturday morning Fr D celebrated a Lenten Reconciliation Service for Primary school aged children; this was also a ‘second bite at the cherry’ for those who are preparing to receive their First Eucharist in June. After the children’s service Fr D was meeting with a young couple who will be getting married in Ireland at the end of May to complete their formal marriage preparation. All parishioners are reminded that the diocese requires a minimum notice of twelve months before the date of marriage for adequate preparation to be completed. After Morning Prayer, Mass, and Exposition on Tuesday Fr D was meeting with a parishioner who will be Received Into Full Communion with the Church alongside her daughter being baptised at our Easter Vigil next Saturday. In the afternoon he was off down to Shoreham to attend a Governors meetings for a Primary School which is part of the BOSCO Catholic Education Trust - this is a school that Fr D was a governor for until he was asked by the bishop to help form the BOSCO Trust. Following Morning Prayer and Mass on Wednesday Fr D was upstairs in the Parish Office to meet the independent auditors the diocese uses to test a sample of parishes each year. Sacred Heart has cropped up twice in the six and a half years that Fr D has been in Cobham. When all the tests are completed around the diocese there is normally a report back to the test parishes. Fr D thinks that we are travelling in the right direction on hearing from the auditor that what normally takes about five hours in other parishes was achieved in one and a half hours, that we run a ‘tight ship!’ Thursday after celebrating Morning Prayer and Mass Fr D went off down to the diocesan offices in Crawley wearing his ‘other hat’ as a canon lawyer. He now has four cases awaiting his judgement (one and a half of which are now ready to be judged, probably around mid April). Whilst in the office he dropped off the marriage papers he’d prepared for Ireland - these now go out to the diocese in Ireland and finally to the parish where the couple are getting married. After celebrating Morning Prayer and Mass on Friday Fr D passed on the work he had done on the newsletter to Sarah for her bits to be added. Later in the morning we had the last stations and soup lunch of Lent . . . .
EASTER COLLECTION FOR THE SUPPORT OF PARISH CLERGY - This provides income to the Parish for the support of clergy and may be Gift Aided. Any cheques should be made payable to the ‘Sacred Heart Parish, Cobham’ (any cheques made out personally to a member of clergy are direct gifts and cannot be received into Parish funds or Gift Aided). You will find a supply of Gift Aid Envelopes for this collection in the Church Narthex
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . Very busy around The Presbytery as things begin to ‘hot up’ for the great Easter Feast . . . . . . Last Saturday morning our singers and musicians were once more practicing for some of our Holy Week liturgies. On Sunday afternoon parishioners once more had the opportunity to celebrate Lenten Evening Prayer & Benediction - taking the chance to jump off the normal merry-go-round of life to spend a short period of time with the Lord. After celebrating Morning Prayer, Mass, and Exposition on St Patrick’s Day (Tuesday), Fr D was off down to the diocesan offices to wear his ‘other hat’ in the Tribunal. Whilst there he received an email from the lighting engineers asking for a little more input as to the various lighting circuits in the church and how they would be used to construct various ‘themes’ to be used at our different types of service. Fr D left working on this until the evening as he was working on his judgment for one of his marriage cases. Following Morning Prayer and Mass on Wednesday Fr D sent off his answers to the lighting engineers and very quickly got a reply that the schema was just what they wanted (but could still be adjusted on site if necessary at any point in time). Fr D met for his regular monthly lunch with Fr Ruslan (Walton-on-Thames) - the waiter had to keep coming back to try and take their order as they were talking so animatedly! In the early evening Fr D was meeting with our Confirmation candidates to look at Holy Week and all the different from normal things that happen during it. The candidates ‘signed-up’ for various jobs at the Holy Thursday Mass and also told Fr D a little bit about the saints they had chosen for their confirmation name. Finally Fr D was able to announce that, because we are minus a bishop at present, the confirmation Mass will now take place here in the Sacred Heart at the 18.00 Mass on Saturday 9th May, and that in the bishop’s absence he had been given faculties to celebrate their confirmation. After the meeting Fr D opened up the church for our singers and musicians to continue with their practices for some of our Holy Week Liturgies. After Morning Prayer and Mass on Thursday Fr D began his parts of the newsletter before travelling down to Sussex for a meeting of the Bosco Catholic Education Trust which he is a member of . . . . . .
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . If you have ever found yourself deep in the heart of Lent, wondering how much further the journey goes, the Church, in her wisdom, knew we would need a glimpse of the joy waiting for us on the other side. Tucked into both Advent and Lent are little gems known as Refreshment Sundays, days when the penitential tone eases, and we are given a brief, welcome reprieve. The two Refreshment Sundays are Gaudete Sunday, falling in the middle of Advent, and Laetare Sunday, falling in the middle of Lent. Refreshment Sundays offer a pause in the austerity of their respective seasons, a moment of respite from the spiritual disciplines we have taken on. They shift the sombre mood toward more joyful anticipation. This pause is not a complete break from the season’s focus but rather a beautiful reminder that our preparation and penance have a purpose: they lead us toward the celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas and His Resurrection at Easter. Falling on the fourth Sunday of Lent, approximately halfway through this penitential season, Laetare Sunday offers a pause. Easter is almost here! It is an apex, a turning point, a glimmer of hope, and a lightening of the sombre mood. It heightens our sense of anticipation and reminds us of the joy the Lord brings into our lives, even in seasons of waiting and preparation. Laetare Sunday speaks to the beautiful duality of the Christian journey: the balance of repentance with forgiveness, weeping with laughter, suffering with joy. Even as we prepare, reflect, and repent, we do so with the joyful anticipation of the great mystery of our faith, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Laetare Sunday takes its name from Isaiah 66:10, the opening antiphon for the day: “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her.” Laetare means “rejoice,” and not a quiet, understated rejoice. Laetare is an imperative, an enthusiastic exhortation, almost a command: Rejoice! Right in the middle of Lent, we as a people are urged to rejoice! This powerful scripture sets the tone for the entire day and serves as a beautiful reminder that even in times of repentance and self-denial, there is hope. Laetare Sunday stands as a beacon of light, guiding us through our spiritual journey with the promise of joy and renewal. It invites us to pause, reflect on how far we have come, and find the strength to renew our spiritual disciplines as we press on toward Easter.
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . Once again quite a busy week around The Presbytery this week . . . . . On Saturday morning Fr D was with this year’s First Eucharist candidates as they discussed the Offertory/Presentation of the Gifts section of the Mass. The candidates looked at what it meant to be offering ourselves to God as well as the bread, wine, and collection! After our Sunday morning Masses Fr D was taken out to lunch by a parishioner from one of his former parishes. In the afternoon he celebrated Lenten Evening Prayer and Benediction with several parishioners, part of our ‘Lenten Devotions.’ On Monday morning Fr D was preparing for what he knew was likely to be a difficult interview at the Tribunal on Tuesday. After Morning Prayer, Mass, and Exposition on Tuesday Fr D went off to the diocesan offices at Crawley where he was due to meet with someone to hear their side of a marriage that ended in divorce. Although they had confirmed with the Tribunal Secretary on Monday they didn’t turn up (not that this was really surprising to Fr D). It did mean that he could work on one of his other cases that are coming up to the judgement phase. On Wednesday following Morning Prayer and Mass, Fr D started to make a list of jobs/projects that need to be thought about concerning our Parish buildings; afterwards he began working out the components of the works and trying to put them into a list of priorities. Top of the list was the lighting in the church which he is already getting professional lighting experts to look at and quote for. The list, however, is quite long! After Morning Prayer and Mass on Thursday, Fr D started work on his parts of the newsletter, knowing that he would not have a lot of time at the end of the week. In the afternoon he was in Burgess Hill for a meeting of the Trustees of the BOSCO Catholic Education Trust. The government have brought out a ‘White Paper’ on education which is likely to have several effects on schools within the Trust (when he got back in the evening he was ‘brain-dead’ from all the discussions!). On Friday, after Morning Prayer and Mass, Fr D quickly programmed the music into the system for the 18.00 and 09.00 Masses, and the Lenten Evening Prayer and Benediction service, before completing his work on the newsletter . . . . .
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . Last weekend was the first of our Lenten Season - liturgical colour change, no flowers, no Gloria, Apostle’s Creed . . . . . . Also we began this year’s ‘Lenten Devotions,’ extra opportunities for prayer with Friday’s Way of the Cross (followed by a bread and soup lunch in aid of CAFOD) and Sunday Evening Prayer and Benediction. The opportunities to mark the Lenten Season within the Parish are many. Whilst on this Lenten journey towards the great Easter festival there are sign-up lists at the rear of the church looking for the various ministries we need covered over the Easter period, please have a look at what is needed and fill in your name if you are able to help (early sign-up is preferred to save Fr D’s stomach acid!). On Tuesday evening Fr D met with the parents of this year’s Eucharist candidates to take them through the next section of the preparation course, ready to pass this on to their children at their Saturday session. This time they were looking at that part of the Mass known as ‘the preparation of the gifts.’ Whilst the parents were meeting our singers and musicians were continuing with their practices for our Easter liturgies. After Morning Prayer and Mass on Wednesday Fr D was showing the church to members of the ‘Little Acorns Nursery.’ The pre-schoolers were fascinated by the size of the building and enjoyed being able to ‘strike the gong’ on the sanctuary! At midday the lighting engineers arrived in the church to conduct a full survey of the building and present lighting situation with a view to recommending a major updating of the system. As it turns out this is just in time - when Fr D went into the church in the morning and turned the lights on as he normally does they all came on but by the time he reached the sanctuary there was a popping sound and all the lights went out and the emergency lights came on. On looking in the electricity cupboard he discovered that a trip switch had activated and on re-setting it the lights came on again. Walking back up the church he noticed that one lamp was out and so assumed the bulb blowing had caused the trip, thinking no more of it. However, the engineers discovered that a module in the ‘brain’ of the lighting system under the stairs had died. The engineers stayed until 18.00 to complete their survey and show Fr D some possibilities for the upgrade. They will now ‘write-up’ the results and recommendations from their survey and get back to Fr D. In the evening Fr D was meeting with our Confirmation candidates and looking at the role of Mary in the life of the church . . . . .
OUR PARISH SUPPORTS THE COBHAM AREA FOODBANK Please can you help local people in crisis by purchasing items on the list below and placing them in the Foodbank’s collection point in the narthex when to come to Mass at the weekend?
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . So, it has begun; Fr D always says that there are Ten things to remember during Lent . . . 1. Remember the formula. The Church does a good job capturing certain truths with easy-to-remember lists and formulas: Ten Commandments, Seven Sacraments, Three Persons in the Trinity. For Lent, the Church gives us almost a slogan - Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving - as the three things we need to work on during the season. 2. It’s a time of prayer. Lent is essentially an act of prayer spread out over forty days. As we pray, we go on a journey, one that hopefully brings us closer to Christ and leaves us changed by our encounter with him. 3. It’s a time to fast. With the fasts of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, meatless Fridays, and our personal disciplines interspersed, Lent is the only time many Catholics these days actually fast. And maybe that’s why it gets all the attention. “What are you giving up for Lent? Hot dogs? Beer? Jelly beans?” It’s almost a game for some, but fasting is actually a form of penance, which helps us turn away from sin and toward Christ. 4. It’s a time to work on discipline. The forty days of Lent are also a good, set time to work on personal discipline in general. Instead of giving something up, it can be taking something positive on. “I’m going to exercise more. I’m going to pray more. I’m going to be nicer to my family, friends, and co-workers.” 5. It’s about dying to yourself. The more serious side of Lenten discipline is that it’s about more than self-control - it’s about finding aspects of yourself that are less than Christ-like and letting them die. The suffering and death of Christ is foremost on our minds during Lent, and we join in these mysteries by suffering, dying with Christ and being resurrected in a purified form. 6. Don’t do too much. It’s tempting to make Lent some ambitious period of personal reinvention, but it’s best to keep it simple and focused. There’s a reason the Church works on these mysteries year after year. We spend our entire lives growing closer to God. Don’t try to cram it all in one Lent. That’s a definite recipe for failure. 7. Lent reminds us of our weakness. Of course, even when we set simple goals for ourselves during Lent, we still have trouble keeping them. When we fast, we realise we’re all just one meal away from hunger. In both cases, Lent shows us our weakness. This can be painful, but recognising how helpless we are makes us seek God’s help with renewed urgency and sincerity. 8. Be patient with yourself. When we’re confronted with our own weakness during Lent, the temptation is to get angry and frustrated. “What a bad person I am!” But that’s the wrong lesson. God is calling us to be patient and to see ourselves as he does, with unconditional love. 9. Reach out in charity. As we experience weakness and suffering during Lent, we should be renewed in our compassion for those who are hungry, suffering, or otherwise in need. The third part of the Lenten formula is almsgiving. It’s about more than throwing a few extra pounds in the collection plate; it’s about reaching out to others and helping them without question as a way of sharing the experience of God’s unconditional love. 10. Learn to love like Christ. Giving of ourselves in the midst of our suffering and self-denial brings us closer to loving like Christ, who suffered and poured himself out unconditionally on the Cross for all of us. Lent is a journey through the desert to the foot of the Cross on Good Friday, as we seek him out, ask his help, join in his suffering, and learn to love like him.