Dear Parishioners, hope you are all keeping safe and well.

Just a few updates for you:-

(1) The painting of the exterior woodwork of St Anne’s Church has now been completed. Also some trimming of hedges and a tidy-up at the rear of the church has also been carried. The two signs for church and hall have been refurbished. Shortly, gates will be fitted to the entrance from Rokeby View, and these will remain locked apart from Sunday mornings, Holy Days of obligation and other services, such as Funerals. This will mean that the church car park will not be a through-road for traffic, that has caused considerable damage to the tarmac over the years and will be costly to repair.

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2) St Augustine’s has had some interior paintwork carried out, where water ingress and some flaking has taken place. Two old cherries trees at the front have been removed for safety reasons, and a tree stump in the lawn in front of the Presbytery has been removed and the lawn replaced.

All the carpets in the main body of the church and in the Narthex have been shampooed and cleaned, removing a lot of dirt and stains built up over the years.

The wood floor around our Lady’s altar has been re-varnished and sealed, and nearby the Book of the Gospels used by the Deacon on Sundays is now left open on a special lectern, showing the previous Sunday’s reading. So, as well as lighting a candle, people can also have a read and be reminded of the words of Jesus or his healing miracles that he performed to show that the Kingdom of God was near, and also  be reminded how the Word became flesh in the womb of Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Once again, thank you for keeping me in your prayers during these weeks of lockdown, and also for any donations that you have been able to offer (in cash or direct through your bank) for the UpKeep of your church during these challenging times, and for the support of your priest.

Thank you also for any Mass Intentions and Mass Offerings that you have been able to send me, which is always a personal and direct support to a priest in his daily ministry.

God will reward you for your generosity and support!

With best wishes and blessings,

Father Paul.