If you have anything you would like to share, not just with the parish but with the wide world, here is your chance! Just as with Living Water (the former parish magazine), please send contributions to Gwen at gwen@chiosso.com and they can be posted up here.
Reflections for the Month of August
They called it ‘Freedom Day’, and it’s been a long time getting here. Covid is still about but we hope not too close to us.
The mantra “With Freedom comes Responsibility” is and must be foremost in our lives. What does this mean for us? As Christians we seek to follow Christ by caring for those around us. This should involve continuing to be cautious and curtailing some things that could make us vulnerable and propagate the spread of the infection and possible variants. We know now that Covid, like Flu, is not stopping. Our situation now will be a matter of controlling rather than eradicating the infection.
Deacon Joseph
Congratulations to parishioner Joseph Gulliford who, on Saturday 3rd July, was ordained a deacon at St John’s Seminary in Wonersh as part of his journey to becoming a priest. Joseph has been studying at the seminary for the past five years, and next year will be ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Southwark.
Reflections for the Month of July
It’s Summertime. Normally, we should have a full diary of events and plans for holidays and days out with family and friends. Most of us are eager to be getting out in the fresh air and to use open spaces. Even going shopping now has some attraction for the non-shopper, who hasn’t been out for such a long time.
Getting married in a pandemic
On Tuesday 6th April 2021, two days after Easter Sunday, in St Stephen’s Church, I had the privilege of marrying Preethi – the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with.
Deeper and Deeper
Parishioner Joseph Gulliford is in his fifth year at St John’s Seminary, Wonersh, which sadly is closing at the end of this academic year.
“Now I find fulfilment pouring my life out completely” is the last line to a song I wrote recently on the theme of Vocation.
No matter what our path or vocation is, these words testify that there is wholeness in living the life God is calling us to live for Him. It echoes some of Jesus’ most challenging words, “for those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). The secret of finding our life lies not in the loose sense of ‘living life to the full’ by seizing every possible opportunity that comes to us, but in the paradox of denying ourselves and taking up our cross (as Jesus calls us to do in the previous verse).