This Sunday we have the Lenten collection for CAFOD.  The envelopes that were distributed last weekend can be returned this weekend.  Elizabeth Carey’s article on the parish website highlights the plight of Lokho and her community in drought-stricken Northern Kenya.  Had it not been for the assistance of a local CAFOD partner, they would have been unable to grow crops, and the choice would have been to migrate or starve, but thankfully a better solution was found.  There are many calls on the generosity of parishioners at this time, but Lent is the season for almsgiving, so do please consider supporting this worthy initiative.

 

Next weekend, the Annual Mission Appeal will be given by the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, also known as the Verona Fathers, because their founder, Saint Daniel Comboni, established the institute in that beautiful northern Italian city.  The Catholic Missionary Union, one of the consultative bodies of the Bishops’ Conference, has assigned the Verona Fathers to our Diocese for the Annual Appeal this year.  There is a poster in the George Street porch advertising the Appeal.

 

As this is the Sunday closest to the feast of the Annunciation, it has also been designated the occasion to collect for the National Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham, in support of the Jubilee initiatives and projects taking place there.  Opportunities to contribute can be found at https://www.walsingham.org.uk/support-shrine/.

 

The feast itself falls on Tuesday, 25 March, when we recall the moment of the Incarnation, and the free consent given by Our Blessed Lady to the angel’s extraordinary and life-changing proposal.  It is the moment that we recall every time we pray the Angelus and every time we pray the first joyful mystery of the rosary.  As Pope Benedict XVI has written:  “Through her obedience, the Word entered into her and became fruitful in her.  In this connection, the Fathers developed the idea of God’s birth in us through faith and baptism, in which the Logos comes to us ever anew, making us God ‘s children.”

 

As some of you will recall, just five years ago, on the Sunday following the Feast of the Annunciation, namely 29 March 2020, England was re-dedicated as the Dowry of Mary.  It had been planned that this event would be widely celebrated, although the unexpected circumstances of the lockdown made it impossible to do so publicly.  The National Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham is strongly associated with this dedication, which has a long and distinguished history.    Not far away from our church, in the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, it is possible to view the famous Wilton Diptych, which depicts King Richard II kneeling before the Virgin and Child and entrusting his kingdom to their special protection - an image which is closely linked to the theme of England’s dedication as Mary’s Dowry.  

 

There has been no shortage of news in recent weeks.  One important item of news that could easily be missed, amid the great volume of international events, is the preparation for the Third Reading of the Assisted Dying Bill.  Many of you will be aware that one of the safeguards of which we were assured has recently been removed, namely the need for a judge to approve any application for assisted suicide.  In consequence of the removal of this safeguard, many MPs who voted for the bill on its First Reading are now considering voting against it, so there is a good chance that the bill could still be defeated.  A petition has been organised, inviting MPs to reconsider their stance on the bill, and we are encouraged to consider signing it.  Interested readers may wish to listen to a podcast on the issue, recorded by Bishop John Sherrington of this diocese (https://www.cbcew.org.uk/podcast/life-bishop-on-next-steps-to-oppose-the-assisted-suicide-bill/) and to sign the petition,at carenotkilling.org.uk.  

 

We were very proud this week to see our parishioner, Councillor Robert Rigby, the Lord Mayor of Westminster, invested as a Knight of St Gregory at our cathedral.  This order of Papal Knights was established by Pope Gregory XVI in 1831.  As Bishop Nicholas Hudson said, when investing the candidate, membership of the Order “is conferred as a reward for services to the Holy See and the Church on people of proved loyalty, who must maintain unswerving fidelity to God, the Supreme Pontiff, the Holy See and the Church.  Becoming a Knight or Dame does not merely mean receiving a title of honour – even though it is well deserved – but fighting evil, promoting good and defending the weak and oppressed against injustice.”   We continue to pray for the Lord Mayor and his important service to our community here in Westminster.

 

Next weekend being the last of the month, the Young Adults group will be gathering once again at the midday Mass.  It has been most encouraging to see the wide support given to this recent initiative in the life of the parish and we hope that the group will go from strength to strength in the weeks and months ahead.  Next Sunday being also the midway point in Lent, it is kept as “Laetare Sunday”, a day for rejoicing that the feast of Easter is approaching.  In the meantime, Father John and I wish all our parishioners a joyful continuation of this season of preparation for the great feast that lies ahead of us.