Issue No 9 February 2017 Free Please take one InSpire Magazine In This Issue A Word from the Parish Priest ...................... Page 4 A Little Light Relief .......................................Page 33 Who is…? Our Lady of Lourdes ..................... Page 5 La La Land ....................................................Page 34 The movie taking cinemas by storm Holy Smoke! .................................................. Page 6 “Bells and smells” in worship Coffee Break ................................................Page 35 The Experience of an Altar Server ................. Page 7 Children’s Corner .........................................Page 36 Goa Anglican ................................................. Page 8 Making the Journey ....................................... Page 9 From the Additional Curates’ Society That February Feeling.................................. Page 10 From the Additional Curates’ Society This publication is offered free of charge Candlemas ................................................... Page 11 The Christian Festival of Light However, if you enjoy it, you can help Thank You Lord ............................................ Page 12 support its continued production by A Belated Welcome to Philip ....................... Page 12 making a donation Parish Social Group News ............................ Page 13 Final Idle Thoughts ...................................... Page 13 £2.00 A tribute to Tony Probert covers the cost of a single magazine. Midweek Meditation ................................... Page 14 £10.00 From the Additional Curates’ Society covers the cost of all issues of a magazine for a News from the Diocese of Bristol................ Page 16 year. My Favourite Hymn ..................................... Page 17 £20.00 To God Be the Glory helps us use the magazine to reach out and share When waiting is never a game .................... Page 18 the message with others. The realities for the Harbour Project Donations can be made via the Events Calendar ........................................... Page 20 Parish Office, S. Aldhelm’s Centre, Edgeware Road, Midweek Meditation ................................... Page 22 Swindon, SN1 1QS. Swindon Uganda Deanery Link ................... Page 24 Cheques should be made payable to The Parish of Swindon New Town. The Annunciation ........................................ Page 26 From the Additional Curates’ Society Happy Birthday S. Saviour’s Brownie Pack .. Page 27 Visit our website to download an Nursing in the 1940s ................................... Page 28 electronic copy of this magazine: The Jenny Lind Hospital, Norwich www.swindonnewtown.co.uk/news/magazine 6th Swindon (S. Saviour’s) Scout Group ...... Page 29 Announcements .......................................... Page 30 From the Registers ...................................... Page 30 Letters .......................................................... Page 30 Easter 2017 .................................................. Page 31 Dates for your diary Recipes ........................................................ Page 32 Daybreak Poem ........................................... Page 33 2 Back to Contents GET IN TOUCH Parish Priest: Fr Dexter Bracey Tel: 01793 538220 or (emergency) 01793 976569 Churchwardens Rainbow Bookshop John Bishop: 01793 526542 Opening Times: 9 am to 4 pm Mon-Sat Alasdair Skeil: 01793 322956 Telephone & Fax 01793 694583 Sandy Steele-Davis: 01793 526559 Manager Pat Mortimer Hall Managers MAGAZINE S. Mark’s—Helen Watt 01793 520738 Send us your letters, articles, announcements, recipes, S. Saviour’s—Mike Jell 01793 644371 jokes and anecdotes to: S. Luke’s—Christine McKinlay 07925 369792 Write: S. Aldhelm’s Church Centre (see left) (after 6pm please) Email: [email protected] S. Aldhelm’s Church Centre Tel: 01793 538220 Edgeware Road, Swindon, SN1 1QS Office Hours: 9 am to 1 pm Mon, Wed, Fri In person to the Editorial Team: Tel: 01793 538220 Fax: 01793 491065 John Bishop, Tracey & Andy Hudd, Mike Jell, Andrew Centre Manager Pat Mortimer King, Jill Pearce, Karen Vermeersch Parish Secretary Karen Vermeersch email: [email protected] Deadline for the next issue (April) is Monday 13th March Our Regular Service Times At S. Mark’s, Church Place, Swindon, SN1 5EH Sundays: Sung Mass at 10.30 am Mondays: Mass at 6.00 pm At S. Saviour’s, Ashford Road, Swindon, SN1 3NS Sundays: Sung Mass at 9.00 am Wednesdays: Mass at 9.30 am At S. Luke’s, Broad Street, Swindon, SN1 2DS Sundays: Sung Mass at 10.30 am Thursdays: Morning Prayer at 9.00 am, Mass at 9.30 am At S. Aldhelm’s, Edgeware Road, Swindon, SN1 1QS Tuesdays: Mass at 10.45 am And at other times during the year, please see the calendar For Baptisms, Weddings and Confessions, please contact the Parish Priest or the Parish Office 3 Back to Contents A Word from the Parish Priest I write this as we shiver in the midst of a cold spell in the middle of a dull January. At this point in the year, it can be hard to call to mind the joys of Christmas, the excitement of the new year celebrations, and the hope that the start of a new year brings. January can so often feel gloomy, so it is important to remember words that we will have heard at Christmas services from S. John’s gospel: “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:5). The light of which S. John speaks is, of course, our Lord Jesus Christ, and he is present with us even in the depths of gloom and darkness. We will be reminded of that when we celebrate Candlemas, which properly falls on 2nd February, but which this year we will observe on Sunday 29th January. On that occasion, we will carry candles as symbols of the light of Christ, as we ponder the description of the infant Jesus by Simeon as “the light to lighten the nations” (Luke 2:32). As we do so, let us recall all those who find the dark days of this time of year difficult, and all who find themselves in any kind of darkness, be it spiritual, emotional or the result of the south aisle of the roof of S. Mark’s was completed in difficult circumstances. You will find an article with time for Christmas, and the building is much dryer as a more about Candlemas elsewhere in this magazine. result. Thanks are due to our wardens for their work on But inevitably, January is a good time to look back on the Fabric and Finance Committee for making sure that our celebrations of Christmas, and there is much to give that, along with a lot of other work during the course of thanks for. We had a well-attended Crib Service at S. last year, was completed. Saviour’s on Christmas Eve, and it was good to have a This, of course, is not the place to give a full report on variety of different people involved in the preparations 2016—that will come in the annual report to be for that. I hope that this will encourage us to think presented at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting on further about our work with children and families. We 27th April. But for now, we give thanks for all that has had the best attended Midnight Mass for some years at been in the past year, and look forward with faith and S. Mark’s, and S. Luke’s was, as always, very well- hope to all that 2017 will bring. attended for the Mass of the Nativity. It is good to see that when we allow each church to play to its strengths, encouraging things can happen. Having now begun to With my prayers for you all, establish a pattern for Christmas services, we now think Fr Dexter ahead to Holy Week and Easter. You will find details of those services elsewhere in this magazine. My hope is that people from each church will play their part in offering things which will be of benefit to the whole parish. Of course, before Christmas there was the season of Advent, and I want to say a particular word of thanks to the choir of S. Mark’s, who staunchly continued their preparations for the Advent Carol Service despite the choir loft having been flooded by rain water that week. Those who attended the service spoke appreciatively of the service, and it cannot have been easy to continue with that in such circumstances. However, the work on 4 Back to Contents Who is…… Our Lady of Lourdes? Our Lady of Lourdes is a title of the apparition was not of evil origin: “The Blessed Virgin Mary, venerated in honour second time was the following Sunday… of the Marian apparitions that reportedly Then I started to throw holy water in her occurred in 1858 in the vicinity of Lourdes, direction, and at the same time I said that in France. if she came from God she was to stay, but if not, she must go. She started to smile, In 1858, Bernadette Soubirous reported a and bowed… This was the second time.” vision of Our Lady of Lourdes. A simple 14- year-old peasant girl of no significant Soubirous’s companions are said to have educational experience, Soubirous claimed become afraid when they saw her in she saw uo petito damizelo, “a small ecstasy. She remained ecstatic even as maiden,” in white, with a golden rosary they returned to the village. On 18th and blue belt fastened around her waist, February, she spoke of being told by the and two golden roses at her feet. In Lady to return to the Grotto over a period subsequent visitations she heard the lady of two weeks. She quoted the apparition: speak to her, saying Que soy era “The Lady only spoke to me the third time… Immaculada Concepciou (I am the she told me also that she did not promise Immaculate Conception), and asking that a to make me happy in this world, but in the chapel be built there. At first ridiculed, questioned, and next.” belittled by Church officials and other contemporaries, Soubirous was ordered by her parents never to go there Soubirious insisted on her vision. Eventually the Church again. She went away and, on 24th February, Soubirous believed her and she was canonised by Pope Pius XI in related that the apparition asked for prayer and penitence 1933.