A huge thank you to all who walked last Sunday and to all those who sponsored the walkers. A really special thank you to everyone who contributed to the banquet and helped us set up/tidy away; so many good helpers. Also, thank you to David for taking the photo’s. These will be put onto the website once we have consent from parents. Dennis had brought a collection of his mothers fans, and my they were put to good use, they will be on sale after Mass in St Wilfrid’s Hall. What a wonderful buzz of conversations, people meeting people they haven’t seen for some time, especially our over 50’s who came in for a natter. The confirmation young people led the walk and had their last rehearsal in our church before being confirmed in Arundel Cathedral on 18th June. We wish them well. It was so lovely to see so many devoted young Catholics among us. The future of our religion is assured with youngsters like them. Hopefully this will become an annual event with us walking to St George`s next year. Now it is the time for the walkers who have been sponsored to collect their donations. Once collected please hand in to Jackie in the office or Jean on Wednesdays or Sundays at Mass at St Wilfrid’s. Mary will be collecting at St Georges.
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Fr Rory Writes
A moment of special inspiration and grace from Deacon John’s Homily Sunday last, ‘The Feast of Corpus Christi’.
Apollo 11 landed on the moon on Sunday, July 20, 1969. Most people remember astronaut Neil Armstrong’s first words as he stepped onto the moon’s surface: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. But few know about the first meal eaten on the moon. Buzz Aldrin, the NASA Astronaut had taken aboard the spacecraft a tiny pyx provided by his Catholic priest. Aldrin sent a radio broadcast to Earth asking listeners to contemplate the events of the day and give thanks. Then, blacking out the broadcast for privacy, Aldrin read, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit”. Then, silently, he gave thanks for their successful journey to the moon and received Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, surrendering moon to Jesus. Next, he descended on the surface of the moon and walked on it with Neil Armstrong. Aldrin’s actions remind us that in the Lord’s Supper, God’s children can share the life of Jesus from any place on Earth, even from the moon. God is everywhere, and our worship should reflect this reality. Buzz Aldrin celebrated that experience on the surface of the moon. Thousands of miles from earth, he took time to commune with the One who created, redeemed, and established fellowship with him.
A very updated, well fit for purpose replacement for the Corpus Christi procession was our sponsored walk with our shared beneficiary, Foodbank. The great turn out from the candidates for confirmation which takes place this Sunday at Arundel Cathedral was their energy and gift for life. A new generation for our future is required.
St George’s Table Sale:
needs more quality donations suitable to sell – puzzles, unwanted gifts, quality books, small nearly new toys, unused stationery, costume jewellery all sell well. Please leave at the back of the church or under the table in the hall.
The Charity Breakfast
Thank you to all those who supported last week’s Parish Breakfast for Kipling Ward, we raised £150. Our next breakfast will be onSunday 25th June, 10am after mass. Charity for June is Foodbank and Audio/Media technology for hall social activities. All Welcome.
Please continue to pray
Please continue to pray for all students currently finishing their GCSEs and A-Levels exams and our confirmation candidates who will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sun 18th June at 3pm in Arundel Cathedral. All welcome at the service.
Gazebo checking and hall key holders:
On the 17th June at 10.30am we need volunteers to come along to the presbytery garden at St Wilfrid`s to check the Gazebos for our garden party on 16th July. We are also asking that all key Holders of the Parish Hall come along for a meeting after at about 12pm.
Urgent – Hailsham Foodbank Supporters.
Hailsham foodbank recently became a charity in its’ own right as the Crosslink Trust (Churches Together in Hailsham) will be no longer active. We need to close down our old Lloyds bank account and have opened a new CAF bank account but haven’t been able to make contact with all of our regular givers to ask them to change their details if they still wish to give. If you do give monthly to our old Lloyds account and would like to continue supporting us please see our website for the new bank details or get in touch for a new form (and gift aid form if applicable). We very much appreciate the practical support and prayers of all the local churches. Thank you Julie, 01323 398358 or [email protected]
Sponsored Walk
This afternoon at 3pm our sponsored walk will take place from St George`s Polegate to St Wilfrid`s in Hailsham. If you have not yet sponsored anyone you can after Mass at St Wilfrid`s you, have two options. To use the card machine in the porch or to add your name to Fr Rory`s form which will be in the porch.
For those who are walking this afternoon please remember to bring a bottle of water with you and also to use sunscreen.
Thank you to all those who are walking and who have sponsored them, who has supplied cakes and to those preparing and manning the hall for the get-together afterwards.
Fr Rory Writes
Our Sponsored Walk Today
With the help of God, our walk will do me and indeed all of us some good. My ability to ask for sponsorship money does not bode well for its financial outcome; but its social value is of great importance. Quite a number of key persons for our cause are away, but hopefully it presents an important opportunity for our parish communities to reach out.
I am always impressed by Mary’s Meals. As well as reaching more than 2.4 million hungry children every school day with our life-changing meals, we do everything we can to help in emergency situations. It is thanks to your kindness that Mary’s Meals is a shining beacon of hope in dangerous and desperate times. Already this year we have responded with urgency to the earthquake in Syria and the cyclone in Malawi. We are also providing emergency aid to people in Tigray, a region in Ethiopia that was locked in brutal civil war for two years from November 2020.
Our Mary’s Meals family longs for the day that it is safe for classrooms to reopen so that we can return to serving our school meals to children as they learn. In the meantime, your donations to our Crisis in Ethiopia Appeal will enable us to keep doing all we can to bring hope to the people of Tigray as they try to rebuild their lives.
Thank you for all you do for the world’s poorest children.
Parish Social Events
Parish Social Events provide a life to our parish and its wider community beyond our spiritual devotions, however we need many more volunteers to reduce the workload of just a few. If you can offer even just occasionally to help, please give your name and details to Jean Barnham at St W or Sandra King at St G. We need as many willing helping hands as can be offered!