The Parish magazine of June 2023 Volume LIV No5 stsaviourseastbourne.org.uk £1
2 Church Services All of our services are livestreamed on Facebook Sundays 8.30am Morning Prayer 9.00am Said Mass 10.30am Solemn Mass and Sermon Weekdays 10.30am Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 11.00am Tuesday Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament followed by Mass at 12noon 12noon Friday 10.00am Saturday Major Weekday Festivals Sung Mass as above, unless otherwise indicated on notice boards. The Clergy are happy to bring the Sacrament to the housebound or sick at any hour of the day or night. The Holy Oil is available for those who wish to be anointed and there is a regular opportunity for the Ministry of Healing every third Sunday at the 10.30am Mass. The Sacrament of Reconciliation Confessions by appointment. Hospital visits The Clergy will visit and give communion to those in hospital. Other Services provided by the church For Baptisms, Banns of Marriage, Weddings and Funerals please contact the Vicar. Facebook facebook.com/stsaviourseastbourne Website stsaviourseastbourne.org.uk The church is open from 8.30am each day, but The Book/ Souvenir Shop is currently closed. St Saviour's Church South Street Eastbourne East Sussex BN21 4UT Telephone: 01323 729702 Contents Page From the Vicar 3 Vicar’s Report to the 2023 APCM 5 100s Club 8 The Art of St Saviour’s 9 A Few Gardening Tips 10 Our Coronation Gourmet Dinner 11 – a crowning glory! The Church Garden Blast from the Console 13 Kitty 14 Dates for your Diary 15 Directory 16 The Parish Magazine is published on the first Sunday of the month. Production: Paul Fella Matter for publication should be submitted to [email protected] Copy deadline is 20th of the month and articles should be no longer than 750 words. News items or reports should be factual and no longer than 500 words. Articles are copyright to the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the author or Editor. The Editor's decision is final regarding content. Disclaimers: The Editor does not necessarily agree with all of the views expressed in this magazine. St Saviour’s Eastbourne, is the parish church of St Saviour and St Peter. The parish and its representatives do not endorse or recommend any of the products or services advertised in this Magazine. Caveat emptor! Cover image: Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet, Ford Madox Brown 1852-56. Oil on canvas. Tate Gallery, London.
3 My dear friends, The 29th June is the Solemnity of St Peter and St Paul – the two great pillars of the church. As we give thanks for the great apostle and evangelist St. Paul (without whom, of course, Christianity as we know it would not have developed) we also give thanks for St. Peter - the disciple who, for all his many mistakes, knew how to recover and hold on, who, for all his waverings was called by Jesus ‘the rock’, and who learned the threefold lesson that every betrayal can ultimately be restored by love. St Peter is a very human saint – he powerfully shows that God can take even the most fractured pots and make something wonderful from them. He also gives his name to the season for ordination – ‘Petertide’ – and it is fitting that it is at Petertide that new priests and deacons are ordained, on the day they remember a man whose recovery from mistakes and openness to love can give them courage. Here at St. Saviour’s we very much anticipate the ordination of Richard Keeble (whom you may remember introduced Clara, his wife, and himself in last month’s ‘Logos’) who will be coming to ‘serve his title’ (to use the oldfashioned lingo) here as our assistant curate. As you all know, God willing, he is to be ordained a deacon in the Church of God by Bishop Martin at his cathedral church on Sunday 25th June. Please do keep Richard and Clara in your prayers that the Holy Spirit may guide them, and that they will happily settle into our common life here at St Saviour’s and that they will enjoy living here in this wonderful town of Eastbourne. Ordinations are always a time of great celebration, when we remind ourselves of how God the Father in His love and mercy continues to provide faithful shepherds for the sheep of His flock. Ordinations also remind us of the “I am among you as the one who serves.” (Lk 22:27)
4 Good Shepherd Himself who came not to be served, but to serve – and this is at the heart of the meaning of the ordination of a deacon. It seems appropriate then, at this special time, to remind ourselves of what ordination is, and what deacons are. In short, ordination is a sacrament – that is, an outward sign of an inner and spiritual grace – and a confirmation of a unique and special calling from God. Deacons form one of three holy orders of the catholic church, along with priests and bishops: and, in fact, even when ordained priest or consecrated bishop, an individual always remains a deacon. The title ‘deacon’ is from the Greek word diakonos (διάκονος) – which means servant – following in the footsteps of Jesus, the suffering servant King, who washed the feet of his disciples, and who came not to be served, but to serve. The ordination of a deacon is neither a prize giving nor even the ‘first step on the ladder’ in a ‘career’ in the church; rather it is an act of submission, an offering, and a self-giving which is recognised by us all in the invocation of the Holy Spirit and the commission to proclaim the Gospel to all without fear or favour. It is an event of significance for the whole Church which celebrates that God has so freely given of himself that we might live as people who can freely give of ourselves. And when people give of themselves, other people come to life. Deacons are keepers of the door through which we pass between the world and the church, and are the ministers of the generosity of God, that transaction of grace in which we can all share. They are ordained so that the people of God may be better equipped to make Christ known, after the pattern of Christ. As the Bishop makes clear during the ordination, deacons “… proclaim the Gospel as agents of God’s purposes and love, serving the community in which they are set… searching out the poor and the weak, the sick and lonely and those who are oppressed and powerless, reaching into the forgotten corners of the world, that the love of God may be visible.” St Laurence, one of the seven deacons of Rome (whose feast is celebrated on 10th August), in a time of persecution under the Emperor Valerian in 258 CE was asked to give up the treasures of the church. He spent three days distributing the jewels and money for which he was responsible and then he brought the sick and the poor, the crippled and the blind to the Emperor: these, he said, were the true treasures of the church. He was martyred for his pains – but he is an archetype of Christian love and it is this bias to the poor and the willingness to give of oneself which must shape our outworking of our faith both as individuals, but also as a church. This is why at St Saviour’s as well as having wonderful liturgy where we are able to appreciate the transcendence of Almighty God we also take our responsibility of service – particularly to the poor and vulnerable – seriously (through, for example, ChatStop, Lunch for One, the weekly Wellbeing Café, and our support of Eastbourne Foodbank and other charities). That commission – to serve those in most need – is not just for those ordained as deacons, for inasmuch as ordained people represent the ministry of the whole church this is something we all share, after the example of Jesus: when we give of ourselves, other people come to life. We are all at the threshold between the church and the world, and with all ordained deacon we all have it in us to be agents of God’s gift of Himself to us. This is at the heart of being an ambassador of Christ and His kingdom of love. May He help us all in our task as we seek to serve others in the manner of Him who came not to be served, but to serve. I shall leave you with a wonderful sonnet (‘St. Peter’) by the priest and poet Malcom Guite: Impulsive master of misunderstanding You comfort me with all your big mistakes; Jumping the ship before you make the landing, Placing the bet before you know the stakes. I love the way you step out without knowing, The way you sometimes speak before you think, The way your broken faith is always growing, The way he holds you even when you sink. Born to a world that always tried to shame you, Your shaky ego vulnerable to shame, I love the way that Jesus chose to name you, Before you knew how to deserve that name. And in the end your Saviour let you prove That each denial is undone by love. With my love and prayers as ever, Fr Mark
5 St Saviour’s is a growing and flourishing church. In this, we continue to go against the national trend – which is, sadly, very much a picture of decline (a decline which has been exacerbated by both the COVID pandemic itself, and by the handling of – and response to – the pandemic by the senior leadership of the church). By way of very recent example, just a few days ago we celebrated a Sung Mass for Ascension Day at which 47 people were present – a sung weekday Mass. It’s a fact that many parishes these days get quite a bit less than that number on a very good Sunday. And as you will see from the statistics in our Annual Report, our average weekly attendance was 176 as against a national average of just 41, and our average Sunday attendance (thankfully now almost back up to pre-pandemic levels) is 110 – completely against the trend. The Electoral Roll also tells a positive story. Of course, sadly, we lose people through death and sometimes through people leaving, yet in just this last year we have had 19 new members joining. When I arrived here in 2018 the E.R. stood at 154 – it is now 176 (and that figure takes in people who have died or moved elsewhere). People come here, and they stay here. In my last parish there was growth and I was asked by the Archdeacon what I put that down to. My answer was that it is (and actually always has been) a combination of 4 factors: sound teaching; good liturgy; proper pastoral care, and; good and effective leadership. And this is the answer I think to why we are seeing growth here at St. Saviour’s. Let’s just look briefly at each of those four areas: Sound teaching One of the most affirming pieces of feedback which came back to me recently was of a relatively new member who said, “I have attended a number of churches over the years but have learned so much in such a short time at St. Saviour’s”. As you are aware, I have made it a characteristic of my incumbency to place a great emphasis on teaching – that is partly why I and the other clergy are here – to teach you the Faith. That happens here in all sorts of ways from the daily sermon, to the magazine, to formal courses and we also have the benefit of the differing styles of the clergy here. The other emphasis is on the Faith, and the Gospel, in its fullness and challenge – this is what deepens, nurtures and feeds us – not the watered down gruel of woke often offered by those who are meant to follow the Apostles in leading the Church. It is clear from the recent very successful Lent Course that there is a great appetite here for learning more and so we look forward to reinstating the monthly teaching lunches we held before COVID, and I look forward to exploring ideas for teaching with our new assistant curate when he arrives. Good liturgy What is ‘good liturgy’? Well it follows on from what I have just been observing about deepening, nurturing and feeding. Good liturgy firstly enables and facilitates the worship of Almighty God and points to the reality of the life of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it also nurtures our spiritual lives, deepens our relationship with God (and with each other), and teaches us. What it isn’t is the religious equivalent or version of the West End or Glyndebourne: yes, it is performative, but the performance is not the ‘be all and end all’. I am much more satisfied to hear people tell me that they can feel God’s mystical presence during the Mass than their concern as to whether “the right” thurible is being used. Good liturgy takes us away from the minutiae of the performance and the performers and takes us to the realm of the transcendent: it allows us a “glimpse of glory”. Why? Because it is so much more than about the performance and the performers. I’d like to pay particular tribute to Fr Richard for all his hard work in this aspect of our ministry here in trying to get us to focus on the transcendent rather than the performance. We are blessed to enjoy good liturgy, and that can only happen through the hard work of the clergy, the servers, Paul Collins and our choir (and, of course, through the efforts of Bruno da Silva in the Sacristy, and Maria Pontes his mother who launders vast quantities of altar linen) – and our thanks must go to all of them. VICAR’S REPORT TO THE 2023 APCM
6 Proper Pastoral Care One of the most important dimensions to belonging to a church family is the feeling of being loved and cared about; we have moved a long way in five years. Of course there are home communion (and pastoral) visits from the clergy and those who assist us, and also on-going personal support from the clergy (for which we are all grateful) – but there is a wider culture of pastoral care which manifests itself in what each of you do for each other – the ‘phone calls, the visits, the lifts, the shopping. All those things matter and are greatly valued; however I do think it is time we had an organised Pastoral Visiting Team. Our pastoral care also includes the welcome we give to visitors – particularly those who visit us to worship and who stay for refreshments in the Hall afterwards. At the beginning of my time here some of you may remember I unfortunately had to raise the issue of people being ignored in the Hall; I’m delighted to say that that is definitely no longer an issue. In fact, so many people now come through and enjoy refreshments and fellowship and chat that we often cannot cope with the volume and its difficult to get people to go home! We do need more volunteers both for Sunday coffee and for Open Church on weekdays. Our pastoral care extends to those who don’t necessarily worship with us, or who are members of the church, and that is as it should be. On your behalf in this respect I offer particular thanks to Jane Ferguson and our other Wellbeing Café volunteers who run the café week after week, and to Yvonne and Bill Dyer for the monthly ChatStop and Lunch for One. Good and effective leadership It is trite to say that none of this happens by accident. It is a truism that failing churches are often like that because their leadership is deficient – in that respect churches are not really any different from other institutions. Like the majestic swan, St Saviour’s glides across the water but she can only glide because of the nonstop paddling underneath. Most people see the ‘shop front’, but have very little appreciation of the mammoth task of keeping all of this going. I thank all of you who play whatever part you play in this great task – whether inside the church, or outside in the garden. There is so much hard work that goes on here to the glory of God and to the benefit of his people. If you were to break Pauline Fella in half, like the proverbial stick of Eastbourne Rock, ‘St Saviour’s’ would be running through her from top to toe. I don’t think many people realise just how hard she works, and what she does – a lot of it (in common with the work of the clergy) done unseen. But unseen does not mean unappreciated and, having been your Vicar for the last five years’, I can tell you that I could not have done it without Pauline and that this church is only as good and effective as we are through Pauline’s hard work. It is a pleasure for me as incumbent to work alongside both Pauline and Keith, and I am sure we all appreciate them and give them our full support in their ministry. I am delighted that they have both decided to serve for a further term of office. I also thank, on your behalf, all of the out-going PCC for all their work and dedication, and for all those who work closely with them. I thank Yvonne Dyer particularly for her work as our Safeguarding Officer as she stands down. I also thank Beverley Thorp for all the hard work she does as our Treasurer and Krys Breeze for her hard work in dealing with our Gift Aid, which is a significant part of our overall budget, Most people see the ‘shop front’, but have very little appreciation of the mammoth task of keeping all of this going.
7 Flexible, award winning elderly care Care is provided by someone experienced and the same person visits • Companionship Care • Meal Preparation • Shopping • Medication Prompting Housekeeping • Overnight Stays • Laundry • Administration • Appointments • Much More! To find out more about receiving care or working with us in and around 01323 912 303 WE ARE HERE TO HELP or visit our website © 2022 independently owned and operated © seniors helping seniors ® www.seniorshelpingseniors.co.uk Eastbourne A very personal commitment A helping hand at home: for seniors, by seniors Seniors Helping Seniors was founded in 1998, to offer older people the chance to stay in their own homes for longer, by providing them with help and care. We are fully committed to the highest standards and to help all seniors in our community to lead dignified and independent lives. As award winning social entrepreneurs we are proud to use profit with purpose to make an important social change. “It is only through the action of caring that we find our true purpose in the world.” KIRAN YOCOM CO-FOUNDER, SENIORS HELPING SENIORS The Seniors Helping Seniors in-home service is the place to call when help or future care planning is needed 01323 912 303 [email protected] www.seniorshelpingseniors.co.uk 01323 912 303 [email protected] www.seniorshelpingseniors.co.uk Are you looking for help for yourself or a loved one? We can help with: • Companionship • Meal times • Shopping • Transportation • Medical appointments • Hospital discharge • Welcome home and convalescence • Dementia Care • Respite care • Holidays and overnights • Housekeeping and laundry • Maintenance and repairs • Gardening • Pet care • ...and much more ©2022 independently owned and operated ©Seniors Helping Seniors® and all those who assist Pauline in counting the collections. I thank Paul Fella for his creativity and his willingness whenever I approach him with yet another project… There are expressions of thanks to many people in the Annual Report – I know that because I wrote it – so I am not going to thank every single person who helps by name at this meeting – this is a dangerous business, as I am bound to forget somebody. So please accept an overall thankyou for your service of Almighty God, his Church and his people, and do not take offence if I have not mentioned you specifically. Yes, there is growth and there is an optimistic and positive atmosphere, but we mustn’t rest on our laurels – there is always work to do. We need to encourage more volunteers to help deliver many of the key aspects of our hospitality and ministry. I think we also need to think about whether the time has come for us to employ a hall manager: Pauline has ’acted’ as such for too long now. Now that an appointment has been made to Christ Church and St Andrew’s, we look forward to continuing to act as a ‘hub/resource’ church with them as we enter an Apostolic Partnership together. We also look forward to receiving our new assistant curate, Richard Keeble, and welcoming Clara his wife to Eastbourne. We look forward to seeing the completion of the projects to replace the lights in the nave, and the ‘glassing in’ of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and we also look forward to continuing to explore the possibility of creating a new Memorial Garden. As we look back on – and give thanks for - the blessings of 2022 and look ahead to what we hope to achieve, we ask God’s blessing upon us and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all we seek to do in His name. Fr Mark …we mustn’t rest on our laurels – there is always work to do.
8 [email protected] www.everlastimprovements.co.uk 0800 112 3544 07833 469 190 EVERLAST IMPROVEMENTS • Design, supply and fitting of double glazing • Design, supply and fitting of kitchens and bathrooms • General building work and decking 100s Club The results for the April Draw were: 1st Prize Barbara Fisher £50 2nd Prize Julia Hacker £25 3rd Prize Pam Mayhew £10 The results for the May Draw were: 1st Prize Peyton Metcalfe £50 2nd Prize Oscar £25 3rd Prize Pauline Fella £10 The cost is £3 per month and the prizes will be £50, £25 and £10. There are still numbers available for those of you that want to take part, but as yet haven’t signed up. All of our services are open to the public and are also being livestreamed via Facebook.
9 The last of the Beatitudes in this series depicted by a mosaic in the Sanctuary is ‘Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake’. The mosaic above this is of St Stephen and the scripture reference is given as Acts VII : 59. Like St James last month there is more than one St Stephen. The St Stephen depicted however is St Stephen the first Christian martyr. The passage from Acts VII:59 reads as ‘While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus receive my spirit”. He then fell to his knees and cried out. “Lord do not hold this sin against them”. When he said this he fell asleep’. St Stephen was a Deacon in the early Church distributing food to the poor. He was one of seven Deacons appointed by the Apostles and being the eldest he was called ‘archdeacon’. It is assumed that he was one of the Hellenistic (Greek speaking) Jews. The Greek name Stephanos is the Greek form of Stephen. It was while preaching in various synagogues in Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia that some members of these synagogues challenged his teachings. While debating what he was preaching he won. Furious at this humiliation they accused him of false testimony. This led to accusations that St Stephen had preached blasphemy against Moses and also against God. He was made to appear before the Jewish Sanhedrin. In a long speech in his defence he touched on many principles of Christian faith which is recorded in Acts VII. He called the Sanhedrin as being ‘stiff necked’. He denounces them for not keeping the law and said that they had persecuted the prophets and killed those predicting the coming of the ‘Righteous One’ and even murdered him after his arrival. This, as one would expect, angered the members of the Sanhedrin and the listening crowd. He was therefore sentenced to be stoned to death. St Stephen is thought to have been stoned at either the north gate or the eastern gate to the city of Jerusalem. During the stoning a young man called Saul was present. He is said at the time to have approved of the stoning. This all before Saul was converted to Christianity and became Paul the Apostle. The disciples with the exception of the apostles fled from Jerusalem many in the direction of Antioch. There are a number of relics purporting to be of St Stephen and he even has a number of feast days named in his honour. We in the west of course celebrate St Stephen’s day on the 26th December, but there are some Churches who celebrate his day on the 3rd August and the 27th December. The Armenian Church even celebrates his day on the 25th December. Aslan The Art of St Saviour’s
10 If you are interested in joining our Walsingham Cell please contact Mary Delves on 735410 A lamp burns for this church in the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham A Few Gardening Tips for June Annette Smyth This month colour is everywhere: hanging baskets overflow with trailing lobelia, busy lizzies, petunias, orange nasturtiums and white Petunias and Tina oxalis pots outside the kitchen window open their pale pink petals. Bring out hardy house plants onto the patio or back yard. Just don’t put them in direct sunlight all day, shelter them under a bush or a tree. Please remember to keep those containers/tubs/ baskets watered in the cool of the evening. Examine your rockery plants and keep them cut compactly and pluck out any weeds that might appear. Also it’s important for all the plants to devise a plan to keep them thoroughly watered. On warm days you may need to water in the early morning or later on in towards the evening, but not in the mid-day sunshine. Should there be water rationing, use the rainwater you have hopefully been saving in a barrel. Yellow lamium obliterates weeds under the Apple trees. Ugly misshapen fruit should be removed from apple trees. You can now lift tulip/daffodil bulbs and store them in a dry place till autumn, but also leave a few in the ground. Honeysuckle and clematis flower together in a mass of foliage make a good show. Sow sweet peas plants at the base of the wood, as they will entwine themselves around the branches in lovely pastel shades and give pleasure all summer long. Roses should be dead headed when their flowers have faded and this continuous improvement will produce blossoms for much longer. If you leave them alone for a while, the flowering buds will multiple in no time. Also roses are plagued with an army of invading greenfly. Spray with soapy water around buds and underside of the leaves. Throw the rest of the sudsy water onto the bush to get rid of some of the other pests. Blackspot is rampart too. Remove and destroy any diseased leaves on the Rose bushes or on the ground that have recently fallen off. Gladioli should be staked as they grow heavier and also support delphiniums and Lupins too. Lilies need a cane for each stem while they are thriving in their pots. A top layer of grit discourages slugs. Smearing Vaseline regularly around the rim of flowing pots will also keep slugs at bay. Get some compost from your heap and mulch around containers/tubs/baskets and any other flowering plants.
11 The evening of the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla presented a wonderful and unique fundraising opportunity – a prestige Gourmet Dinner for a limited number of guests with the object of raising £1000 for church funds. An invitation was put out to those that might be interested and had no prior commitment along with a proposed menu to gauge response and thus decide on the viability of the project. The plan was to have 20 guests each paying £75 for a five course meal with matching wines (Mirabelle take note!!). A small team was put together and the necessary resources were assembled ready for the big day. Invitations based on the ‘Royal invitation’ were created along with a printed finalised Menu card from which guests were invited to make a selection from items such as ‘Gin-cured Salmon’ and ‘Pan Fried Ostrich Fillet’ – this ensured that waste was minimised. The team met up and worked out a table plan and other service issues and a ‘souvenir’ Menu including a description of the wines for each menu item was produced ready for the night. The whole event went very smoothly, and although, as it turned out, only 19 tickets were sold, the £1000 target was still achieved. While the celebration of the coronation was the excuse for this dinner it provided a very happy occasion where members of the congregation could relax and enjoy each other’s company in the true spirit of Christian fellowship. As an indication of how pleasureable the evening was there was not the merest morsel left on any diner’s plate! Many thanks to the ‘diners’ for their generous support and also to Paul Fella’s service and preparation team for their skill and hard work in making it happen. Noel Thompson Our Coronation Gourmet Dinner – a crowning glory! Our wonderful, almost tropical Church Garden. Well done the Gardeners!
12 We need stewards for open church. COULD YOU GIVE two hours a week to welcome visitors? WE ALSO DESPERATELY NEED MORE volunteer cleaners to help clean the church on tuesdays – If you are able to help with either of these, PLEASE See A CHURCH WARDEN, THANK YOU.
13 June is bustin’ out all over. At last we have had some sunshine and my tee shirts have made their first appearance this year. Everything is so late; I’ve only just cut down the daffodils. Surely this would normally have happened about a month ago. I’m sure it’s not just me!! Any how. The summer season has started and Angela Brownridge treated her audience to super recital on the 21st May. That said it was a very disappointing audience of about thirty. There may well be reasons for this but if the Sunday series is to continue, we need better numbers than this. Come on, St Saviour’s; let’s be having you!! This month we have two organ recitals for you. The first of which is to be given by Timothy Guntrip. Tim is the organist at Holy Cross in Uckfield and a former organ scholar at Guildford. He is a very fine young player. Do come along and support him on Monday 5th at 1.00pm. The second recital, which I have told you about before, is by the fabulous Thomas Trotter. This concert is to be given in my late mother’s memory. Although mum wasn’t a great fan of organ music she was a great admirer of his work and had the utmost regard for his musical ability. His programme has a very popular feel and I can’t recommend it enough. He is including his own transcription of the overture to ‘The Thieving Magpie’. It promises to be a super concert. Please come along on Sunday 11th at 2.45pm; you will not be disappointed. As I have said before, it would mean a huge amount to the family if we were to get a good crowd for this. On the 18th we have our ‘Songs of Praise’ with all your favourite hymns!! This should be an absolute riot (in a very respectful, St Saviour’s way, of course) and I am really looking forward to it. Remember that this is a fundraiser for our brass candleholders for the choir so your support is essential for the success of this event. So that’s three dates for your June diaries. As always, details of these and our other concerts are available at the back of the church. The other thing that I wanted to mention this month was that I have now written to Nicholson’s organ builders to get a quotation for the building cost for the required work to the organ. We will also get a better idea of the viability of any of the schemes that we have in mind. As you know, I get quite excited by this and I am very much looking forward to hearing what they have to say. I will keep you posted. So, that’s it for another month. We now approach the long liturgical pause that is ‘Trinity’. Now that Easter and Pentecost are finished again for another twelve months, this is the time for us to learn new music and think about projects for next year. No peace for the wicked, eh!!
14 Hello Darlings Flaming June is upon us. Let us hope we have a wonderful month’s weather. A very popular month for birthdays, mine included. I’m currently plagued with sciatica which has seen me resorting to using a stick during the night for the now inevitable journeys. I’ve been doing quite a lot of work in the garden which of course has brought this on. I must remind myself that I’m no longer 18. The numbers have reversed. The dawn chorus here is quite spectacular. Unfortunately I’m inundated with pigeons and seagulls and the food I put out is devoured by the wrong species. Much as I love the antics of the squirrels they are most ungrateful and love digging up all my newly planted flowers. The Coronation has passed and we have a new monarch – the third in my lifetime. The ceremonial was magnificent and the Abbey service music had many differing styles. The TV coverage was long drawn out as usual by the BBC and on it’s two main channels – not necessary. I remembered with fondness the commentary by Richard Dimbleby at the 1953 event. Far more dignified and respectful. I felt like screaming at the screen “SHUT UP” as today’s team – it has to be numerous wafflers – never stopped talking. The ESO concert was fabulous. My only gripe was that in the Organ Symphony the organ wasn’t prominent enough. It could easily outblast a 75 piece orchestra, but didn’t. The first church recital since Christmas took place on 21st May. Angela Brownridge gave an excellent and varied programme, but the attendance was a huge disappointment. I hope you all make an effort and attend the Marcia Collins Memorial Recital by international organist Thomas Trotter. He hails from my neck of the woods on the Wirral. Make a note now and BE THERE! The Church desperately needs VOLUNTEERS – coffee after mass isn’t made by the magic fairies; our beautifully maintained gardens don’t appear by magic; flower arrangers, cleaners… the list goes on. We have readers aplenty, but Intercessors are hard to find. Altar servers are also thin on the ground. The present team never get a Sunday off. They also cover the six weekday masses as part of their labour of love. Things happening this month include the arrival of our new curate and his wife. A new priest in charge has been appointed for St Andrew’s and Christ Church Seaside – arrival date to be confirmed. Richard Keeble will be ordained Deacon in Chichester Cathedral on 25th June and a group will be attending from St Saviour’s to support him. So things move on and all three parishes will move forward together. Soon be the school summer break with lots of youngsters and foreign students causing mayhem in the town centre – can’t wait! Chin Chin Kitty xx
15 Thur 1 10.30am Mass Our Lord Jesus Christ the Eternal High Priest Fri 2 12 noon Mass Feria Sat 3 10.00am Mass The Ugandan Martyrs Sun 4 09.00am Mass The Most Holy Trinity 10.30am Solemn Mass Mon 5 10.30am Mass S. Boniface M. Tues 6 11.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 12 noon Mass Feria Wed 7 10.30am Mass Feria Thur 8 10.30am Mass Feria Fri 9 12 noon Mass Feria Sat 10 10.00am Mass Saturday Memorial of the BVM Sun 11 09.00am Mass Corpus Christi 10.30am Solemn Mass, Procession and Benediction Mon 12 10.30am Mass Feria Tues 13 11.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 12 noon Mass S. Antony of Padua Pr. Dr. Wed 14 10.30am Mass Feria Thur 15 10.30am Mass Feria Fri 16 12 noon SSC Chapter Mass S. Richard of Chichester Patron Sat 17 10.00am Mass The Immaculate Heart of Mary Sun 18 09.00am Mass The 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time 10.30am Solemn Mass and Ministry of Healing Mon 19 10.30am Mass Feria Tues 20 11.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 12 noon Mass S. Alban M. Wed 21 11.00am Mass Requiem Mass and Funeral (note change of time) Thur 22 10.30am Mass Ss. John Fisher Bp. and Thomas More Ms. Fri 23 12 noon Mass Feria Sat 24 10.00am Mass The Nativity of S. John the Baptist Sun 25 09.00am Mass The 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time 10.30am Solemn Mass Mon 26 10.30am Mass Feria Tues 27 11.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 12 noon Mass Feria Wed 28 10.30am Mass S. Irenaeus Bp. Dr. M. Thur 29 10.30am Sung Mass Ss. Peter and Paul Aps. Fri 30 12 noon Mass Feria Dates for your Diary – June
16 THE DIRECTORY Church Officers Telephone Vicar Fr Mark McAulay SSC (Fr Mark’s rest day is a Monday) 01323 722317 The Vicarage Spencer Road Eastbourne BN21 4PA Hon Associate Clergy Fr Anthony Fiddian-Green MA, Cert Ed 381796 Canon Richard Harper SSC 733927 Canon Robert Fayers SSC 07706 067496 Canon Anthony Delves SSC 893695 Fr David Weaver 07811 145656 Churchwardens Mrs Pauline Fella 656346 Mr Keith Metcalfe 645145 Secretary PCC Dr Simon Thorp 07711 986695 Treasurer and Chair of Finance Mrs Beverley Thorp 07845 713771 Other Officers Director of Music Mr Paul Collins 647969 Parish Hospital Contact Mr Robert Ascott 728892 Mrs Veronica Gottlieb 07801 069991 Car Park Manager / 100 Club Mr Steve Gilbert 469078 Acting Church Hall Manager Mrs Pauline Fella 656346 Safeguarding Officer Mrs Marilyn Benzing 07767 264801 Electoral Roll Officer Mrs Susan Metcalfe 645145 Deanery Synod Mr John Vernon 412061 Librarian Mrs Krystyne Breeze Open Church Mrs Tricia Sneath Flower Arranging Mrs Krystyne Breeze Church Grounds Ms Megan Humphreys, Mrs Lynette Newman, Mr Ross Piper Events Coordinator Mr Paul Fella 07379 679741 Church Cleaning Mrs Judy Grundy, Ms Francesca Fairs, Mrs Judith Coe, Mr Terry Brookes , Mr Richard Mayston Webmaster / Magazine / Publicity Mr Paul Fella 07379 679741 Church Office Answerphone 729702 Church Organisations Book Group Vacancy Reach Out Team Ms Ruth Figgest 729702 Family Support Work Mr Robert Ascott 728892 Chatstop Fr Anthony Fiddian-Green 381796 Lunch for One Mrs Yvonne Dyer 07702 199844 Guild of All Souls Vacant Our Lady of Walsingham / CBS Miss Mary Delves 735410 Mission to Seafarers Mrs Isobel Nugent 725796 Additional Curates Society Vacancy