Fr. Aaron Writes :27th February 2022
Dear Friends,
We are all very conscious of the need to pray for peace in Ukraine at this time. I woke this morning (Thursday) to the distressing
news that Putin has ordered the invasion of, and attack on,the country. We pray for a de-escalation of violence and for a peaceful
end. We pray for parishioners and for their families and friends who live in that region.
The Holy Season of Lent begins this week. It may seem like we have all had a very long Lent experience that is the pandemic!
There will be the usual Lent devotions such as Stations of the Cross. Why not take the opportunity for confession at the start of
Lent to begin our time with the Lord in the wilderness?
Ash Wednesday – falls on the 2nd March. There will be three Masses in the Parish at 10am, 12 Midday and 6pm. St John’s school
Key stage 2 will be attending the 10am Mass and so this Mass will be very busy. I would urge as many people as possible to attend
the 12 Midday or the evening Mass instead, if you can. I will also be celebrating an Ash Wednesday liturgy at St Robert’s school
at 2pm.
Finance Committee – will be meeting on Monday 28th February at 7pm in the Hall. If you have any questions or queries, please
email the Parish Office or David Innes, whose details are in the newsletter.
First Holy Communion Children – At whichever Mass the children attend next weekend (5/6 March), they will be asked to come
forward and prayed for as they begin their preparations. Their first session takes place that same weekend on Saturday 5th March
at 2pm.
Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) - It was great to hold our inaugural meeting last Wednesday. Whilst we didn’t discuss any business,
I shared my vision for the PPC and listened to members’ own hopes and visions. We will look at how we move on from here and
on the best ways of communicating with the Parish. The work has begun in our Parish’s restart and renewal.
Children’s Liturgy – It is my hope and wish that this restarts in the next few weeks. We are just awaiting the completion of
Safeguarding training for the volunteers. Thank you for your patience.
Deanery Business – As many of you know, in addition to my duties in Horsham, I am also the Dean of Crawley. This means that
I help co-ordinate the pastoral life of the Crawley Deanery parishes and have a special role in the wellbeing of my fellow clergy.
As part of this role, I have to make visitations of the neighbouring parishes and meet with the clergy in order to submit a report
to the Bishop. I will be carrying out these visitations over the next few weeks, so my availability in the Parish Office will be limited
at times until I complete my task. This week I visit Horley and East Grinstead. Thank you for your understanding.
COVID regulations – With the end of COVID legal requirements, it is a personal choice whether to wear a face covering in Church.
Please respect the decision of those who continue to wear masks and those who do not.
In Memoriam – Please pray for the souls of Brenda Farley RIP, Denis Walton RIP and Jose Aguilar RIP; also keep their families in
your prayers as they mourn at this sad and testing time.
With my very best wishes and prayers for you all.
Fr Aaron
