The Parish magazine of December 2023/January 2024 Volume LIV No.10 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 (not during November) 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 The Art of St Saviour’s 6 A Village called Angmering 7 Advent Course –The Four Last Things 9 The Curate’s Egg 10 100s Club Draw 11 Helping others in Grief 12 Christ the King our Patronal Festival 14 Burns Night 2024 15 The Thieves and Vandals Return 16 The Christmas Gala Concert 17 A Blast from the Console 18 Christmas Raffle 19 King Cake Christmas Services 20 Kitty 21 Dates for your Diary 22-23 Directory 24 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: Detail from ‘Adoration of the shepherds’ by Gerrit van Honthorst 1592-1656
3 My dear friends, Each and every Christmas we celebrate a simple, yet astounding, event – an event so simply expressed in the crib scene in front of the altar - yet so radical in its reach. We celebrate God coming to his people: He comes to us, in the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel, God-withus. The God who continually reaches out to His people comes to us, to share our life and to transform it. In the midst of our experience of life in this vale of tears we sometimes worry and puzzle over the reality of God, at times resisting the invitation to believe and at times, like Job, even protesting against it. For many of us, this might be particularly the case this year as the awful events of 7th October in the Holy Land and what has happened subsequently may have tested, or even may continue to test, our faith. But it isn’t just the Holy Land - the innocent continue to be killed, and tortured and kidnapped in numerous other places too – not least of which Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen to name just a few. Just where is God in all this? We may be tempted to fear that God would never deign to dirty himself with our messed-up world but remain aloof from it all, remote in divine and celestial splendour. In short, the temptation for us in the apparent victory of evil is that we fear that we are radically on our own in this world, and there is nothing or no-one to protect us when things are really bad. Yet, as we are reminded in that wonderful Christmas carol, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’, “…but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in”. Into this imperfect and often cruel world we see the coming of God into our midst, into our history, simply to be with us, a baby, without threat or coercion, just wanting to say in the middle of all of our struggles: “Here I am. Come to me.” He comes in the humility and poverty of the stable to invite us to discover afresh the deepest purpose and meaning of our lives, and to receive from Him the healing and the salvation we so desperately need. Come, come, come to the manger, People come to the people’s King; Sing, sing, chorus of angels, Star of morning, o’er Bethlehem sing. He lies ‘mid the beasts of the stall, Who is Maker and Lord of us all; The wintry wind blows cold and dreary, See, He weeps, the world is weary, Lord, have pity and mercy on us! He leaves all His glory behind, To be born and to die for mankind; With grateful beasts His cradle chooses, Thankless man His love refuses, Lord, have pity and mercy on us! To the manger of Bethlehem come, To the Saviour Emmanuel’s home; The heav’nly hosts above are singing, Set the Christmas bells a-ringing, Lord, have pity and mercy on us!
4 As I have so often reminded you, this is markedly not a “nice story” or a “sentimental tale” to uplift us in the depths of winter: nor is it a myth or a legend. It is an historical fact; it happened. The scriptures – and indeed other contemporary writers and historians – place the birth of our Saviour firmly in a particular place and a particular time. He truly lived on earth and went about amongst us (Jn 1:14). And so in faith we pinpoint the moment and the manner in which God has unequivocally entered our history – the history of the whole of humanity, and therefore the history of each and every one of us. What happened in that stable 2000 years ago still affects us now. It is news of great joy then, and it has continued to be news of great joy throughout the ages, up until our own day: the news that God is with us, always, everywhere. His very name means this – Emmanuel – God-with-us, and his birth in the poverty and simplicity of the stable means that He offers Himself to all people, at all times and in all places: Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). We see, and spiritually experience, this wonderful mystery of the Incarnation, and our salvation, set out before us in the simple, yet profound, crib scene. This is an ancient devotion, which began as the praesipio or ‘living crib’ in which a statue of the baby Jesus was placed in an enclosure where live animals were housed so that the faithful could appreciate with all their senses the reality of that wondrous night. Not only would they have an opportunity to reflect on the wonder of the Incarnation and the inexplicable humility and self-emptying of God which lay behind it but they would also experience the sights, sounds and smells of the environment in which the King of Kings and Lord of Lords came to dwell. In that sense, the ‘living crib’ reminded them, and reminds those of us who reflect upon it now, that the Lord did not come into a perfect, spotless, uncomplicated world. Far from it; he came into a noisy, violent, dirty and stinking world surrounded by the noise – and stench – of farm animals. This gritty reality – and the consequences – of the Incarnation are the real meaning of the crib. The crib scene is not some pastel painted rural idyll as depicted on numerous Christmas cards, but a scene of stark reality – in Tennyson’s words, amongst nature “red in tooth and claw”. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us not in a perfect ordered world but in our imperfect, noisy, sad, troubled, war-torn world as God’s Supreme and wonderful gift and in order that the world, through Him, might be saved. St. Francis of Assisi famously reinvigorated this practice of the crib in Greccio, Italy. On Christmas night in 1223, Francis’s brothers and the local people gathered with him, bringing torches and candles. They brought in an ox and an ass, then laid some hay down between them, and filled the manger with hay and that was the first crib. That was it; no statues of any kind, no further decoration. Despite (perhaps because) of its simplicity all those present experienced a new and indescribable joy. Mass was celebrated over the crib. St. Francis’ biographer, Thomas of Celano, commented approvingly: “There, simplicity was honoured, poverty exalted, humility praised - and Greccio was virtually transformed into a new Bethlehem”. Bethlehem means “House of Bread.” Symbolically, in the stable at the House of Bread of Bethlehem, Our Lady laid her Son in an animal feeding trough – a manger. He …but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in.”
5 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 All of our services are open to the public and are also being livestreamed via Facebook. who would feed the multitudes, and He who continues to feed us today. Because God’s plan was not only that Jesus should take our flesh, but also that He should give us His Body and Blood as our spiritual food, that He Himself should be our Bread from Heaven. Heaven and earth in the womb of the girl from Nazareth: heaven and earth lying in the crib. Heaven and earth on our altars, in the form of bread and wine. The account of what happened that night in Greccio is the last part of St. Francis’ biography. The book then finishes like this: “The place has now been consecrated to the Lord and an altar has been built… so that in the place where the animals once ate hay… men can now eat the flesh of the… Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us with infinite and inexpressible love” This is why we deliberately place the crib underneath the nave altar at St. Saviour’s. As we look at the crib, our eyes are drawn upwards to the altar, and further upwards to the Lord on the cross on the reredos behind the High Altar. This deliberate placing draws our attention to a fundamental theological reality: that it is the same Jesus in the crib, as on the cross, as on the altar in sacramental form of bread and wine. What we celebrate in mystery in the Incarnation at Christmas is inextricably linked to the Cross of Calvary on Good Friday which is inextricably linked to the Eucharist, where our Living Lord, God and Word made flesh, is present among us until He returns in glory. Crib, cross and sacrament: infinite and inexpressible love, mercy, redemption and salvation. No matter what happens in our lives and in the world, He is with us still and the story of Bethlehem is being renewed and continued in our hearts and in our lives, and in the life of this broken world: “…but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in.” With my love and prayers for a holy and happy Christmas, and God’s blessings for the year ahead. Fr. Mark
6 Next to the Venerable Bede in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, moving away from the altar, is a stained glass window depicting St Wilfrid. He was born in Northumberland in 633. The year of his death is uncertain, either 709 or 710. His feast day is the 12th of October. There is quite a lot written down about St Wilfrid and historians have used two main sources. The first is a monk from Ripon called Stephen who wrote his Vita Sancti Wilfriti shortly after St Wilfrid’s death. The second source was the Venerable Bede. The two did meet and this was described by St Bede as having ‘had a brush with St Wilfrid’. It is also said that the these two sources differ in their ‘tone’, Stephen’s account of St Wilfrid’s life being extremely complimentary and St Bede’s more measured. Reading about St Wilfrid I came across one comment: ‘Surely St Wilfrid did not gain his sainthood by the Christian virtue of humility’. Having founded several monasteries, being the Bishop of Northumbria and of noble birth, he was a wealthy man. Probably as a consequence of this and possibly an abrasive nature he fell out with several kings and rulers, having recourse to go to Rome to get the Pope to settle his arguments. His main achievements were to organise the Anglo-Saxon Christians into one body and to convert several pagan tribes to Christianity. On his way back from one trip to Rome his ship was beached in Sussex. Here he encountered hostile pagan tribes and a fight ensued which was brought to an end by the death of the pagan high priest. Escaping back to Northumbria he then returned to Sussex. St Wilfrid spent five years in Sussex converting the pagan inhabitants (the South Saxons). He also founded a monastery at Selsey. St Bede records that before St Wilfrid arrived in Sussex the area had been in the grip of a drought. The Art of St Saviour’s
7 However when St Wilfrid arrived and started baptizing, rain began to fall. St Wilfrid worked with the Bishop of London to establish a Church in Sussex. He became acquainted with King Caedwalia of Wessex and later converted him to Christianity. He was later given land to build a Cathedral in Selsey at the mouth of Pagham harbour. This building is now thought to be Church Norton in West Sussex. He also converted the pagans on the Isle of Wight and was given one quarter of the land on the island as a gift. Returning to the North he built a cathedral at Hexham, said to be large enough to accommodate two thousand worshipers. The structure was described by pilgrims who had returned from Rome to rival the churches there. St Wilfrid was a great advocate of the use of music in religious ceremonies. He is also known for bringing saints’ relics back to England from Rome. Before this Rome did not allow any relics to leave, excepting objects such as cloth or dust which had been in physical contact with the relic. After his death in 709-710 St Wilfrid was interred at Ripon. Upon the destruction of the church at Ripon by King Eadred, the relics were transferred to Canterbury. They are now thought to be distributed to eleven of the churches dedicated to him. That is, eleven of the forty-eight so dedicated. He is often described as one of England’s greatest saints, however some historians’ accounts are more pithy. For example, one is to be said to have remarked of St Wilfrid: “Wilfrid left a distinctive mark on the character of the English Church in the seventh century. He was not a humble man nor, so far as we can see, was he a man greatly interested in learning, and perhaps he would have been more at home as a member of the Gallo-Roman episcopate, where wealth which gave him enemies in England would have passed unnoticed and where his interference in matters of state would have been less likely to take him to prison”. Notably, the hospice in Eastbourne is named after him, possibly in recognition of the great Christian works he performed in this county all those years ago. Aslan The village of Angmering boasts many cottages with thatched roofs. The village of Angmering was once considered a small market town and was granted a charter by King Richard II in 1384. It was also the location of an annual district hiring service for labourers and shepherds. This charter undoubtedly helped Angmering to grow in importance. One of the oldest buildings in the village is the delightful Pigeon House, which is a listed building. The farm buildings surrounding Pigeon House are not without their merit and include a barn which was added in Tudor times. The Agricultural Revolution combined with emerging technology on several fronts. It had its impact on Angmering, bringing a railway in 1846 which allowed.. greater movement of the population and made it easier to export produce. This growth in abundance of produce was largely the result of a market gardening industry which developed to serve the needs of emerging markets such as London. Angmering Park Estate is well known for its ‘carpets‘ of blueblells and these spring flowers can be seen throughout the whole of the grounds. Angmering has a standard beach for this West Sussex coastal stretch, with groynes, pebbles and compact sand at mid to low tide. As there is difficult access to the beach, it tends to be mainly used by the locals. Annette Smyth A village called Angmering
8 We need MORE volunteer cleaners to help clean the church on tuesdays If you are able to BECOME INVOLVED, PLEASE See A CHURCH WARDEN, THANK YOU.
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10 The Light in the Darkness The days are getter darker. But it’s no coincidence that the Church chose this time to mark the birth of Our Lord. I’ve been thinking about how the Church celebrates the coming of the Light of the World during the darkest part of the year – when the nights are long and darkness seems to dominate the day. If you work anything approximating 9-5, these days it can feel like you never see the daylight. In the northern hemisphere the Winter Solstice takes place just a couple of days before Christmas, usually the 21st or 22nd December. At that time the North Pole reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. That day features the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year, and the Sun is at its lowest maximum elevation in the sky. It’s no surprise that this time has been significant for many cultures throughout history, marked by countless rituals and festivals going back even to prehistoric times. For many it marked the Sun’s symbolic death and rebirth; the gradual waning of light reaches its dark zenith and is reversed, beginning to grow again. Each day afterwards gets just a little lighter, until the glories of spring and new life come to fruition. This is why the feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle, ‘Doubting Thomas’, historically took place on 21 December: it embodied his journey from doubt to faith, marking his enlightenment in a physical and symbolic way. Even more significantly, it’s why the Church celebrates Christmas when it does. I remember an atheist friend of mine at school once claiming that Christianity was unbelievable because the story of Christ mirrored so many pre-Christian stories and religious traditions. That’s one way of looking at it. Another, masterfully described by J.R.R. Tolkien as ‘myth made fact’, is that Christ is the central point of history: the realisation and culmination of creation, with all its patterns and rhythms. Human beings, made through the ‘Word’ (the ‘Logos’), could intuit something of His being and express this in their myths and legends. The movement of the Winter Solstice, from darkness to light, is mirrored in countless stories of good overcoming evil, of quests by great heroes entering dark caves, fighting monsters and emerging back into the light, victorious. We see the same movement again and again in novels and films. There is usually a sacrifice along the way, or the hero learns something new and develops because of the darkness he had to get through. The light at the end of the story is not the same as before, it’s stronger and more valuable for what it has had to overcome. Christ is the ultimate realisation of that universal narrative of light overcoming darkness, made real in his physical presence among us. This is summed up beautifully by Saint Thomas Aquinas in words we usually sing kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament at Benediction: Therefore we, before him bending, this great Sacrament revere; types and shadows have their ending, for the newer rite is here; faith, our outward sense befriending, makes the inward vision clear. Speaking of kneeling, this talk of light reminds me of the hassocks in my dad’s old church in North London. There were dozens of knitted specimens arranged along the backs of all the pews. You may have seen this in other churches – very colourful kneelers with all sorts of patterns, usually commemorating particular occasions, knitted by a dedicated team from the congregation. It was some years before I discovered (by happening to kneel on it!) one of these hassocks was made to mark my birth. It said on it: ‘Jesus is the Light of the World’. That line has stayed with me ever since. At Christmas we celebrate the coming of light in its ultimate
11 sense: the Light of the World. And on the topic of light, it’s been a real joy watching the new installations at St Saviour’s. The mosaic images along the side aisles, so long neglected by dim, dreary lighting, now pop out at you. They’re such arresting scenes from scripture and Church history that I often find myself staring at them, admiring their fantastic use of colour. The new bespoke light covers in the nave are also fantastic and look like they’ve always been there. I sometimes have to remind myself that they’re not original, they blend so well with the rest of the church. Father Mark and I were especially struck by seeing the image of Christ in Glory in (literally) a whole new light. This wonderful image has yet to receive any direct lighting itself at the time of writing, but the light emanating from the aisles and nave is already enough to give it an amazing clarity. It feels most appropriate that these lights are going in now, of all times, as we look to the coming of Christ at Christmas. It’s also fitting, I think, that the church is at its brightest when it is dark outside. There’s something reassuring in that, but it’s also theologically accurate. The Church has traditionally held that Christianity is not a ‘good versus evil’ battle, in the sense that these are two equally strong and opposing forces. Evil has no force, it is an emptiness, the absence of good. It’s no coincidence then that good is always associated with light: you know where you are with light, nothing is hidden. Light brings out the true nature of things. Again we see this borne out at St Saviour’s: the improved lights reveal countless details which otherwise we’d never see. Someone commented to me recently that the church looks like a different building with all the new light thrown on it. Christ does the same for each of us, bringing us a sense of clarity both internally and externally, as he shows us how to live and be pleasing to God. And that is the point of Christmas: the Church, and each one of us, is getting brighter! Before Now 100s Club The results for the November Draw were: 1st 16 Tricia Sneath 2nd 14 Martin Stone 3rd 41 Gillian Dilloway The cost is £3 per month and the prizes are £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.
12 Helping Others in Grief By Fr Richard Keeble, Curate On Wednesday 15 November, Father Mark and I attended a training day entitled “Helping Others in Grief” at St John’s Church, Meads. Unfortunately at St Saviour’s we have experienced a great deal of loss and bereavement in our community, especially in the last few months. Bereavement will never be absent from our lives this side of salvation, and will be a reality for everyone at one point or another. I wanted to get better at helping those who suffer with grief, and be more prepared for when it comes my way. What follows is a brief summary of the day and an idea for what we could do about it at St Saviour’s. I didn’t really know what to expect from this training session, which ran from 10:00am to 3:00pm in the St John’s church hall. It was led by Sarah-Jane Bell, an experienced hospice chaplain and trainer of the Beachy Head chaplaincy team. Having suffered many bereavements herself, which she described in some detail, Sarah established the Life Loss Hope initiative some years ago to help provide support and guidance for addressing grief in oneself and others. “Helping Others in Grief” was effectively a summary of her experiences, with helpful practical input for addressing the pain of loss. Perhaps surprisingly, in a room of about 25 people, Father Mark and I were the only clergy present other than Giles, the vicar of St John’s. The rest were lay people from a variety of churches and chaplaincy teams, many of whom were involved in one form of bereavement ministry or another. Most were there for the same reason as me: to improve their ability to help people who are grieving. The first thing Sarah emphasised was that grief is as ‘unique as fingerprints’: we all experience it, and we all do so in different ways. It’s impossible and inappropriate to try and compare or relativize grief. The first thing we did was go around the room and introduce ourselves, where we’d come from, and why we’d come for the course. Spontaneously, every attendee also shared their own story of bereavement. It quickly became apparent that each one of us had suffered loss, and still felt its impact very deeply. Though she didn’t use this language, Sarah’s approach to helping others in grief was deeply incarnational. It was all about presence. You don’t need to try and say the right thing to someone who’s grieving. Far more important is to be present with them, to share the experience with them in-person without trying to explain it away. Sarah quoted St Paul in Romans 12:15, noting that as Christians we’re called to ‘rejoice with those who rejoice, [and] weep with those who weep.’ Jesus modelled this Himself, weeping at the death of his friend Lazarus alongside his family. The sure and certain promise of the Resurrection does not take away the pain we feel here and now, because that pain is the product of love. In one instance Sarah pointed directly at me and said: ‘Richard, when you are with a bereaved person, that is hallowed ground.’ And of course she was right: any encounter with another human being is hallowed ground because we’re in the presence of someone made in the image of God. As Father Mark preached recently, ‘When we encounter each other we are miracles. God is in us, God is with us. And the Lord who comes to us at the end of time is present to us in and through all our daily activities in this life. [He is] present in all things… for “In Him we live and move and have our being” as St Luke reminds us in Acts [17:28].’ As with any Christian conversation about loss, this day was ultimately grounded in hope. But it did not shy away from the difficulty of grief, its capacity to be allconsuming, even sickness-inducing. Sarah was also keen to describe the ways we can misunderstand what grief is. Our society is poorly equipped to deal with it, not realising its depth or longevity. People in grief are
13 not broken and we must resist any urge to ‘fix’ them. Grief is not an illness or a performance task and there is no ‘cure’, though it can result in physical illness if it is suppressed or bottled up. No advice is necessary (though this may depend on the circumstances), more important is that grieving people are heard, seen and accepted. We can share in the journey and be a reliable, patient guide on the long road towards healing. And grief takes a great deal of time. Early grief is widely considered to be the first two years after the initial loss, before becoming mature grief and more integrated into life. Having attended this course, and continuing to reflect on our experiences, Father Mark and I have been exploring the possibility of leading a similar training day at St Saviour’s for anyone who would like to attend. Our hope would be to discuss in similarly practical terms how we as a community, ordained and lay, can be better equipped to help others in grief. It would also be our hope to integrate these practical lessons within the sacramental life of our tradition as Catholic Christians, relying on the gifts the Church has for the suffering and dying. Anointing with oil, the sacrament of Reconciliation, the Last Rites: all of these are vital ways the dying and their loved ones are comforted by the Church’s provisions. There is plenty of scope to explore these together, so if you are interested in such a day at St Saviour’s (likely to take place sometime after January), please feel free to talk to Father Mark or me about it. We would very much like to hear your thoughts and ideas, as we continue to love and support our brothers and sisters who grieve.
14 [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 Christ the King Sunday 26th November was the Solemnity of Christ the King. It was celebrated in great style with a full Solemn Mass , procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. To round off the celebration of our ‘feast of title’, the Events Group provided a wonderful array of canapés sparkling by sparkling wine, for those that ventured into the Church Hall after the Mass. Well done and thank you to all those that made it such a special occasion.
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16 Not a great start to the Church’s New Year... the War Memorial was damaged and had part of the lead removed in a despicable act of desecration, vandalism and theft on the night of the 26th/27th November. This is the second time in three years that this has happened. Fortunately after the last theft, Clarkes Roofing undertook an amazing repair and restoration of the damaged memorial. Hopefully we will be able to enlist their help again. The warnings of having CCTV did not appear to have deterred the perpetrators, but the thieves only managed to remove a small amount of the lead from the base. However, the damage that they did in their attempt to remove the covering will run into hundreds, if not thousands of pounds. We are now seeking a stronger deterrent or a way of making our memorial safer from this kind of attack in the future. The Thieves and V
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18 You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I’m telling you why; Santa Claus is coming to town! Here we go again. Christmas is just around the corner. As I type this there are only twenty six sleeps to go. As always it’s an incredibly busy time for me and it’s just getting started. Gala concert rehearsals are in full swing. We’ve had two excellent practices and the choir is in great voice. It’s very encouraging and it looks like it’s shaping up to be a great event. As you would expect, there will be all your favourite carols, great music from the brass band, festive readings and some lovely Yuletide songs: it’s a cliché, but there will be something for everyone. Please come along. It’s a great way to kick start your Christmas. There are flyers at the back of the church. Please take some and get them around the town. It would be great to fill the church. 19th December at 7.30. Tickets are £10 on the door and includes mulled wine and a mince pie. Absolute bargain! If you prefer something a little less chaotic then the carol service on Christmas Eve is always a lovely occasion. There’s something magical about the quiet gloom of the candlelit church, heavy with anticipation just before the service starts. I absolutely love it. We are fortunate to be able to bring in reinforcements to bolster the choir numbers so we can tackle some more detailed music. And… and we’ll have our new, brass candle holders. Then we find ourselves in the new year. The Renaissance Singers will be performing a concert of Epiphany music with some echoes of Christmas. Please look out for publicity for this and try to come along; it will definitely brighten a dull January afternoon. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I will soon have to turn my attention to Easter. It’s early next year; falling at the end of March, so I’ll have to get my skates on. Anyway, back to Christmas. I’ve been invited along to the hospital radio programme to talk about my favourite Christmas music. That should fun and I’m really looking forward to it. I will, of course, tell them all about the music at St Saviour’s. Happy Christmas, everyone..
19 CHRISTMAS RAFFLE The Events Group are running a raffle to raise money for some new kitchen equipment. Tickets will be on sale from 3rd December and the draw will take place on 17th December. Tickets are £5 per strip and will be available from Krys Breeze Lots of Great Prizes to be had. Good luck Everybody! King cake What is king cake? A sweet, circular pastry, cake, or bread that is the centerpiece of a meal on Epiphany, which falls on January 6. Variants can be made from cake batter or bread dough or pastry, but almost all versions are shaped into a circle or oval to mimic the appearance of a king’s crown. Every king cake contains a trinket – often a figurine of a baby – symbolising Christ. Whoever finds the trinket in their slice of cake gets to be the ‘king’ for a day. Where did it originate? King cake is said to have originated in Old World France and Spain and came to be associated with Epiphany during the Middle Ages. How is king cake made? To make it, sweet dough is twisted into a round and sometimes adorned with colored sugar doughs before being baked. Some versions are split and then filled with cream or fruit; others are topped with candied fruit, icing, and sugar. What other countries serve king cakes? In France, galette des rois translates literally as ‘cake of kings,’ and is a flaky pastry cake made from puff pastry that is typically filled with a frangipane almond cream. A decorative pattern is scored into the top of it before baking, and the finished cake is topped with a paper crown. Traditionally, there is a “fève,” or bean inside. Rosca de reyes, served in Spain and Latin America, is a ring-shaped sweet bread that can topped with candied frui and a layer of icing. Bolo rei, the Portuguese version of king cake, is also ring-shaped and is filled with candied fruit and sometimes nuts. Bulgaria’s banitsa is generally served on New Year’s Eve. It consists of sheets of phyllo dough wrapped around soft cheese and it contains charms as well as written fortunes. Vasilopita in Greece and Cyprus is traditionally served on New Year’s Day, and closely resembles the French galette. The common denominator between all of these cakes is that they all have a small trinket or figurine hidden inside. Whoever finds the trinket in their slice of cake gets to be ’king’ for a day and is also said to have good luck.
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21 Hello Darlings Don’t I look wonderful!… Another month has flown by and here I am poised with the keyboard in front of me ready to compose another helping of whatever. I’m not helped by that irritant called predictive text which inevitably decides what it thinks I should be saying. Modern technology – who needs it? I read recently that one of the northern supermarkets has decided to do away with self checkouts and bring back staff. What a sensible idea. I seem to need a personal attendant every time I use one because I always find something that won’t scan. And of course I need to be verified as over 25 to buy my gin and get a human to remove the security seal. Another gloomy damp day as I sit here. What is wrong with the weather? This must be the wettest November on record. A local supermarket was playing ‘White Christmas’ the other day. I thought ‘you’ll be lucky’. Anyway is it politically correct? This is a two month double issue so one is supposed to cover January as well – oh dear! I need January to recover. There are 34 days to Christmas today. Oh dear again! The concerts have started and we had Sir John Tomlinson and friends on 19th November. St Saviour’s major production is our annual Gala Concert - I hesitated and the laptop inserted Pie. Pie it ain’t. An excellent programme awaits us and the wonderful sound (to my Northern Ears) of the Beddingham Brass Band. Can’t wait. Make a note in your diaries. Tuesday 19th December at 7.30pm. Before that on Sunday 3rd December the Renaissance Singers present a programme of music ‘From Advent to Christmas’ at 3pm. On Christmas Eve all good regulars should be ‘churched out’ with the normal Sunday Mass at 10.30am as a starter. 4.30pm brings the annual Nine Lessons and Carols – we will see the new Candle Holders in use in the Choir Stalls. To end the day we have Midnight Mass at 11.30pm. We pray for good weather. Then Christmas morning High Mass at the usual 10.30 time. Then it’s home to the Cat and a snooze. Can’t be bothered with Lunch. Kings speech at 3pm if awake. Set recorder in case. Think about food later. Feet up... drink to hand. TV and bed. A nd another Christmas Day passes – the joys of being old and living alone. New Year resolutions. Tosh! Waste of time. I should have had a career on the stage. I would have been a marvellous Scrooge. I’m letting January fend for itself. To all of you I wish you a peaceful, healthy and holy Christmas and a prosperous and safe New Year. Now the check list... Gin yes. Gin yes. Gin yes. Gin - what do you mean you’re sold out? Chin Chin Kitty xx
22 Fri 1 12 noon Mass Feria Sat 2 10.00am Mass Saturday Memorial of the BVM 4.30pm Deanery ‘Angels’ Civic Carol Service Sun 3 09.00am Mass The 1st Sunday of Advent 10.30am Solemn Mass Mon 4 10.30am Mass Feria Tues 5 11.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 12 noon Mass Feria Wed 6 10.30am Mass Feria Thur 7 10.30am Mass S. Ambrose Bp. Dr. Fri 8 12 noon Mass The Immaculate Conception of the BVM Sat 9 10.00am Mass Feria Sun 10 09.00am Mass The 2nd Sunday of Advent 10.30am Solemn Mass Mon 11 10.30am Mass Feria Tues 12 11.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 12 noon Mass Feria Wed 13 10.30am Mass S. Lucy V. M. Thur 14 10.30am Mass S. John of the Cross Pr. Dr. Fri 15 12 noon Mass Feria Sat 16 10.00am Mass Feria Sun 17 09.00am Mass The 3rd Sunday of Advent 10.30am Solemn Mass & Ministry of Healing Mon 18 10.30am Mass O Adonai Tues 19 11.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 12 noon Mass O Radix Jesse Wed 20 10.30am Mass O Clavis David Thur 21 10.30am Mass O Oriens Fri 22 12 noon Mass O Rex Gentium Sat 23 10.00am Mass O Emmanuel Sun 24 09.00am Mass The 4th Sunday of Advent 10.30am Solemn Mass 4.30pm Nine Lessons and Carols 11.30pm MIDNIGHT MASS OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD Mon 25 09.00am Mass of the Dawn THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD 10.30am Solemn Mass Tues 26 11.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 12 noon Mass S. Stephen, Protomartyr Wed 27 10.30am S. John, Ap. Ev. Thur 28 10.30am Mass The Holy Innocents, Ms. Fri 29 12 noon Mass S. Thomas Becket Bp. M. Sat 30 10.00am Mass 6th Day within the Octave of Christmas Sun 31 09.00am Mass The Holy Family 10.30am Solemn Mass Dates for your Diary December 2023
23 Mon 1 10.30am Mass Mary, the Holy Mother of God Tues 2 11.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 12 noon Mass Ss. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen Bps. Drs. Wed 3 10.30am Mass The Most Holy Name of Jesus Thur 4 10.30am Mass 4th January Fri 5 12 noon Mass 5th January Sat 6 10.00am Mass 6th January (before Epiphany) Sun 7 09.00am Mass The Epiphany of the Lord 10.30am Solemn Mass Mon 8 10.30am Mass The Baptism of the Lord Tues 9 11.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 12 noon Mass Feria (Wk. 1 O.T., Year II) Wed 10 10.30am Mass Feria Thur 11 10.30am Mass Feria Fri 12 12 noon Mass Feria Sat 13 10.00am Mass Saturday Memorial of the BVM Sun 14 09.00am Mass The 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) 10.30am Solemn Mass Mon 15 10.30am Mass Feria Tues 16 11.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 12 noon Mass Feria Wed 17 10.30am Mass S. Antony Ab. Thur 18 10.30am Mass Feria Fri 19 12 noon Mass Feria Sat 20 10.00am Mass Saturday Memorial of the BVM Sun 21 09.00am Mass The 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 10.30am Solemn Mass & Ministry of Healing Mon 22 10.30am S. Vincent Dn. M. Tues 23 11.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 12 noon Mass Feria Wed 24 10.30am S. Francis de Sales Bp. Dr. Thur 25 10.30am Mass The Conversion of S. Paul Ap. Fri 26 12 noon Mass Ss. Timothy & Titus Bps. Sat 27 10.00am Mass Saturday Memorial of the BVM Sun 28 09.00am Mass The 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time 10.30am Solemn Mass Mon 29 10.30am Mass Feria Tues 30 11.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 12 noon Mass Feria Wed 31 10.30am S. John Bosco Pr. Dates for your Diary January 2024
24 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 Assistant Curate Fr Richard Keeble c/o Parish Office 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 SSC 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 Gill Goff Deanery Synod Vacancy Librarian Mrs Krystyne Breeze Open Church Mrs Tricia Sneath 725709 Flower Arranging Mrs Krystyne Breeze Church Grounds 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 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