“Turn away from evil & do good; let peace be your quest & aim.”
“Over the archway of medieval monasteries were commonly carved the words “Pax Intrantibus” (peace to those who enter here) these words were both a hope & a promise. Benedict’s vision of the peaceable kingdom was a real one. In a society struggling with social chaos, awash in the evils of classism, prey to foreign encroachment on all sides, at the mercy of wave after wave of waring forces, highway piracy, & the widespread social disorganisation & moral deterioration that came with the fall of the superpower Rome, Benedict sketched out a blueprint for world peace. He laid a foundation for a new way of life, the ripples of which stretched far beyond the first monastery gates to every culture & continent, from one generation to another, from that era to this one, from his time & now to ours. To us. Peace is our legacy, our mandate, our mission, as alive today as ever, more in need today, in a nuclear world, a world of starving peoples, than ever. Benedictine peace, however, is not simply the absence of war. It is a lifestyle that makes war unacceptable & violence unnecessary.” The Monastery of the Heart by Joan Chittister OSB. (Monday, New Year’s Day, the Feast of Mary, Mother of God, is a Day of Special Prayer for World Peace.)
On behalf of Fr Abbot, Fr Prior, & our Community I would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas season. It has been a time when our Parish could be seen & experienced at its best. We began with our Village Carol Service on the 17th Dec with 38 pilgrims as we journeyed from Our Lady & St Benedict’s to the White Swan & on to St Hilda’s. We had a prayer, reading, short reflection & a carol at each stop on the journey, & it proved a good opportunity for the Village to gather & to be seen to be at joyful prayer & expectancy. On Christmas Eve we enjoyed a Crib Service with our youngest parishioners & their families, as they began our celebrations round the Manger. Attendances at our three Christmas Masses matched last year’s impressive numbers; Christmas Eve 6pm (170); 8.30pm (120) & Christmas Day (78). We welcomed many who returned from away to spend the family Christmas, as well as a significant number of those who will always belong to us but, for all sorts of reasons only join us for Christmas. They made our Christmas special for us by their presence & full participation. On your behalf I would like to thank all those who helped us over Christmas in all sorts of service & ministry, to ensure the Church looked at its very best, & that out liturgies were celebrated with reverence & joy. We are indeed blessed to have such an active Parish community.
Thank you to all those who took part in our Village Advent Appeal in donating a shoebox with various useful items & treats which were given to seafarers via the Apostleship of the Sea through the Port Chaplain at Hull docks.
Our 3rd Alpha Course finished just before Christmas, & we are deeply grateful to the Alpha Team for their steady work & prayer which has borne rich fruit in deepening the faith of some, restoring the faith of others, & welcoming new enquirers into faith. We are to begin a day Alpha Course on Wed 17th Jan 2018 at 9.15am, (to 11.15am) to enable young parents with children at school & the elderly among us to have the opportunity to enjoy exploring some questions in life & faith in a relaxed & informal setting. Please let us know you are coming via ampleforthalpha@gmail.com With love & prayers, Fr Bede.