Newsletter_July31

Today we follow the Jesuit liturgical calendar and instead of the normal Sunday Mass, we celebrate the Feast of St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556). As every schoolchild knows, St Ignatius was the founder of the Jesuits. Many people think of the Jesuits - officially, the Society of Jesus - as the "shock troops" of the Church and there is no doubt of the impact which the Society has had in the centuries since Pope Paul III's bull of approval Regimini militantis ecclesiae. Ignatius himself served valiantly as a soldier and his military background certainly had an influence on the formation of this new body of "reformed" clerics (and brothers).

But at the core of his being was a man so in love with Christ and so united to God that he nearly went blind from the tears of consolation which accompanied his celebration of Holy Mass. (Typically, when his physician ordered him to stop weeping, he obeyed.) Ignatius was, in other words, a mystic. At this level he was a man of great simplicity and purity. However, on the
"operational" level, he was a man of incredible astuteness and worldly wisdom. We might say he was a realist. He knew human nature and he knew that the greatest obstacle to the service of God was (as he had found in his own case) pride. In forming men for this new spiritual and apostolic adventure, he devoted much of his energy to helping his recruits learn the way of mortification. They must die not only to the world and to the flesh, but above all to the power of self-will. Ignatius gave frequent penances to the brethren and treated those the hardest who already had most advanced in the way of self-denial.

The Gospel for today's Feast speaks of Christ's call to discipleship: "If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself, take up his cross every day and follow me." This call elicits in the disciple a response of generous love. It is the desire to be ''with the Lord" that makes such a way life-giving rather than life- denying. This is a paradox that Ignatius knew well, for he never felt richer than when acknowledging his utter bankruptcy before God.

The prayer of self-offering which comes at the end of the Spiritual
Exercises is worth remembering and using often, but if it could be made with complete sincerity, once would be enough:

We hope that the news of Fr Hawe’s death last week has reached most of our parishioners. He died peacefully in his room at St Wilfrid’s, Preston. The Requiem Mass will take place this TUESDAY 2nd AUGUST at 12noon and the burial will be at 2:30pm in the Jesuit plot at Wimbledon. There will be a reception in the Hall immediately following the Requiem Mass for those who are not going to the burial. We thank God for his many years of loving and devoted service to the Church and most particularly for his pastoral care during his time at Farm Street. We rejoice to have a new friend in Heaven. May he rest in Peace.

As most of you will know by now, Westminster Council is proposing to introduce parking charges on Sundays. This would have a very serious effect on our attendance here at Farm Street Church. If you have not yet contacted the Council with your objections (and suggestions), you may send an e-mail directly to the Councillor in charge of this matter, Mr Lee Rowley: lrowley@westminster.gov.uk with a copy to parkingreview2010@westminster.gov.uk If you have already done this, send your letter to the leader of the Council cbarrow@westminster.gov.uk A very large number of our regular worshippers (especially those with families) depend on the use of their car in order to be with us on Sunday. This really is a matter of our survival as a thriving and diverse church community.

We are happy to report that there has been media coverage on this issue and there was a good turn-out for the rally on Wednesday evening outside Westminster Council House but the campaign is on going and we need everyone’s support. Please tell your friends and anyone who may be affected by the proposed legislation to contact Westminster Council using the above e-mail addresses. They welcome suggestions on how to manage the traffic problems around Oxford Street and at the same time make it possible for the churches to continue as active communities.

The revised translation of the prayers and responses of the Mass is coming soon. The words we say and hear at every Mass will be changing. Mass will remain the same, but the sound will be different. It will not affect the scripture readings, the Prayer of the Faithful, or your favourite hymns. The new translation pertains to the words of the Mass which we speak or sing and to the prayers that the priest recites alone from the Roman Missal. There are books available now in the church bookshops (which are located at the back of the church, near the Lourdes altar and in the Hall): The Order of Mass, New English Translation (in English and in Latin & English) and My Little Missal for children. There will also be small and large laminated sheets available soon to help with the changes.

It is not too soon to be putting dates in your diary for the next season of films at Farm Street. This is a line-up of the programme:

These sessions take place in the Church Hall at 114 Mount Street with an introductory talk at 6:45pm, screening at 7pm and discussion with refreshments following. No cost. All are welcome!

We are very fortunate in the UK to receive an automatic 22 % tax refund on every gift-aided donation to our church. It makes such a difference yet less than 10% of our Sunday donations are put in gift-aid envelopes. Please take a moment to put your offering in an envelop and fill it in. In the present economic climate, every penny counts!

A facilitated support group for all who are suffering from a significant loss: the death of a loved one, a loss of relationship, of job, or anything else that makes a hole in our lives and loves. If you think you might benefit from such a group, we meet every two weeks on Thursdays 11.30am-1pm at 114, Mount Street and you are welcome to just come along. Next meeting Thursday 4th August.

We are very fortunate at Farm Street to be in partnership with the Mount Street Jesuit Centre., The Centre provides a full programme of Adult formation in the Faith as well as offering workshops and seminars on issues relating to our life and our work in the world around us. The new brochure for 2011-2012 is now available at the doors of the church and there will be copies in the pews THIS SUNDAY. Please take one home with you and take time to read it carefully. There is a detachable programme calendar for easy reference. We would like to draw your attention to the new “Living With” series: living with loss, living with anxiety, living with hope, living with stress, etc. There are also sessions on Scripture, Theology, Catholic Social Teaching, Prayer and Spirituality. The Young Adults programme is also included.

Fr William writes: “On my recent travels to Jesuit city centre churches in Europe and the US, I can say with some pride that the combination of a church like Farm Street with a formation base like the Mount Street Jesuit Centre is unique to London. We should not take this gift for granted. I warmly invite our Farm Street community to explore the ways in which these programmes can deepen our lives and strengthen our commitment to Christian service.”