Parish of St Wilfrid’s, and St Edward the Confessor, Keymer

with

St George’s Convent, Ditchling and St Anne’s Convent, Burgess Hill Parish Priest Father Rick McGrath with Father Maksym Krat Deacon Liam McIlvenny : [email protected] The Priest’s House Station Road Burgess Hill RH15 9EN

Tel: 01444 232358 email: [email protected] website:www.stwilfridsbh.com Parish Office open: 9am - 3pm Tuesday, Thursday, Friday Sunday 5 April 2020 ~ Palm Sunday Lectionary Cycle A - Year II Having something to add emphasis or visibility is, of course, a very common phenomenon. We tend to use flags, for instance, or in old films you see waving handkerchiefs at boat or train departures.

The Jewish people used palm branches prescribed in the Torah (palm willow, myrtle and some fruit) for the feast of Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles, celebrating both the harvest and the years of the Exodus. The time of year wouldn’t have been right for any but the palm branches for Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem, but it would have been something familiar, and probably also influenced by the Greco-Roman custom of palms as a sign of victory. The laying down of branches and cloaks again a custom for giving honour and reverence on dusty, bumpy roads.

While the donkey seems a lowly sort of creature, it was inf act much honoured, and a ‘peaceful’ animal: the horse was used by conquerors, the military, so Jesus’s use of the donkey should be seen not simply or even especially as a sign of humility, but of goodwill and benevolence. A possibly interesting historical note: when Kaiser Wilhelm II paid a state visit to Jerusalem in 1898, a new opening was made next to the Jaffa Gate so horses and carriages could go through, the Kaiser himself riding in on horseback. There were unfavourable comments at the time. When General Allenby arrived to take possession of Jerusalem in Dec. 1917, he dismounted outside the city and entered on foot in a pointed gesture.

There is evidence that the custom of blessing and processing with palms was already customary in Jerusalem in the 4th century, and throughout Europe by the 8th century. It is an ancient and lovely liturgical custom. Father Max and I will bless palms as always, and according to guidelines, privately (although for the camera at St. George’s) but the blessed palms will be available when possible. Our walking with Jesus this year will be even more symbolic than usual, but try to take some time this week to read the Passion accounts in the Bible or from the newsletter, and to reflect on all the events of Holy Week. A list of televised times for St. George’s is listed, as well as online references for times and places where you can follow the Holy Week liturgy. May we all walk safely and fruitfully with the Lord in this week of His passion, death and resurrection. Fr Rick

Please do visit our website, the Diocesan website and St Paul’s website, where they have a number of links including streamed Masses and Vatican Live: www.vaticannews.va www.stwilfridsbh.com www.dabnet.org www.sphh.church

Other sites where you may join a streamed Mass include: www.churchservices.tv www.heavensroadfm.com

Also St Paul’s Hayward’s Heath have a facebook page with a link to daily Mass www.facebook.com/St.Pauls.RH16/

Holy Week and Easter Services Easter Offering By tradition the The following are Masses that will be televised at collection taken at Easter is your St. George’s and may be viewed on their TV channel: personal gift to the Parish Priest. Your donation is given and shared between Monday 6 April - Mass 10:00am Fr Rick and Fr Max for their support in Tuesday 7 April - Mass 10:00am lieu of a salary. With no opportunity to Wednesday 8 April - Mass 10:00am take up a collection - if you would like to make your donation by online The Sacred Paschal Triduum banking the Parish Account details are: Thursday 9 April - Holy Thursday: Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 3:00pm Sort Code: 40-05-20 Friday 10 April - Good Friday Passion: 3:00pm Account Number: 81076914 Saturday 11 April - Easter Vigil: 5:00pm Account Name (not that is it needed): Sunday 12 April - Easter Sunday: 10:00am Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton St Wilfrid, Burgess Hill. Please Please note that all of these ceremonies will be simplified as the full make the reference ‘your name/Easter liturgy implies the presence and participation of all of you. Offering’ (or words to that extent).

St Paul’s Haywards Heath will be streaming Bishop Richard’s services Many of us already make our weekly from the Maundy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper offertory by monthly standing order to the Easter Vigil Mass (this is why some people don’t put on their website: www.sphh.church money in the basket when it goes (we understand the Cathedral Chrism Mass round) with Masses suspended and no will be rescheduled) offertories being taken, this will soon have a financial impact on the parish Easter Sunday Mass from St Paul’s Haywards finances. If you would like to set up a Heath will be at available to watch at 10.30am regular standing order the details are Their website also has Stations of the Cross above and please ensure the reference available from Monday 6 April at 7pm. is ‘your name/St Wilfrid’s offertory’. Please keep reviewing their website Many, many thanks. www.sphh.church Mass Intentions/Service Times ~ from Saturday 4 April 2020 Prayers for the sick With the suspension of the daily Mass and weekend Masses, we shall not be Please remember in your prayers those from printing a Mass Intention Schedule. our community who are unable to join us for Fr Rick and Fr Max will be celebrating Mass in private, without the faithful - in Mass: accordance with instructions from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Carol Budgen, Father Tony Collins, Joan de and Wales.

Lacey, Ben de Souza, Haslum Owen Gotting, Below we have listed the Mass Intentions so you can still see when your Father Gerard Hatton, Elmira Irasga, Ros request and Mass Intention has been celebrated. Kennedy, Mary Klimek, Catherine Mooney, John Mooney, Anywhere Muriro, Mrs Muriro, Sat 4 Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord Philip Swyny RIP Special Intention Alex Murray, Val Parris, Peter Ramage, Mariette Richardson, Damian Sewell, Barry Sun 5 Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord Sexton, Mark Swallow, Sister Pat (Convent People of the Parish Sister Mary Augustine RIP of the Poor Clare's, Crossbush), Mary Mon 6 Monday of Holy Week Stapleton, Doris Thorne, Father George Mary and Eddie Richards RIP Intentions of Sister Monica

Vincent, Margaret Vincent, Vicky, Mary Tues 7 Tuesday of Holy Week Wallace, Brenda Walsh, Sheila White, Canon Special Intention Vaughan Stone RIP

Colin Wolczak and all those with long term Wed 8 ‘Spy’ Wednesday of Holy Week ** illnesses. Kate Duffy RIP Deceased Benefactors

In order to keep the Prayer List up to date - The Sacred Paschal Triduum names will remain on for one month. If you have a name you would like added or one Thurs 9 Maundy Thursday Fr Rick’s Intentions Fr Max’s Intentions you would like to remain on please advise the parish office. Thank you. Fri 10 Good Friday, Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion No Mass

Message from our Burgess Hill SVP Sat 11 The Solemn Vigil of Easter With the current guidelines regarding social Fr Rick’s Intentions Fr Max’s Intentions distancing and isolation, many people may Sun 12 Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord be feeling more isolated than usual. Please People of the Parish Intentions of the be aware of your friends, parishioners and Augustinian Sisters local neighbours who may be housebound. at St George’s Convent Our SVP volunteers (and additional parishioners who have volunteered) are able Homily - Palm Sunday to keep in contact by telephone with parishioners who are likely to be hit by self One of the topics of discussion isolation. Telephone calls are not infectious. for priests is preaching and one Once a week may be enough. of the complaints is often,

If anyone mentions to you that they need around the big feasts, of finding help with supplies and you are unable to “something new” to say. It is a help, please contact the SVP through the problem, I suppose, but on the parish email [email protected] other hand, like the Scriptures or directly on [email protected] themselves, it is all there: day after day, year after year, If assisting someone, we shall need a full millennium after millennium. It name, address and phone number and as is the constancy of God’s message of salvation, the permanence of many details as possible. Please do ask your our salvation in Jesus Christ, that should be our chief source of contact if it is OK to disclose these, as we comfort, the source of our hope and the foundation of our faith. can only assist with their permission.

Still, as anyone knows who comes to Mass regularly or reads the ~ RIP ~ Scripture or reads about the Scripture, the same old familiar message Of your charity can all of sudden have a new and sometimes quite exciting facet: please pray for the looking at exactly the same thing with a very different insight. I hope Repose of the Soul of that may be the case for all of you this year especially. David Baird who died on 3 April 2020. Our reading from Isaiah is “the suffering servant.” We can clearly

We offer our sympathy and prayers to Mel apply it to Jesus. It may seem presumptuous to apply it to ourselves, and their family and friends. especially, for most of us, as we compare our sufferings to those of the poorest people or those being persecuted or those in war zones, May his soul and the souls of all the faithful but all of us are “suffering” if only from worry, a little more now than departed, through the mercy of God, rest in we would have been otherwise, and perhaps we can sympathize, a peace. Amen. little more at least, with Our Lord, during Holy Week, but also with those who suffer so much more every single day, with no prospect of Children’s Liturgy the suffering passing away. Suffering of one kind or another, in one Just as home schooling settles into a routine way or another, is part of the human condition, part of the humanity (!?) we have now broken up for the Easter in which God incarnated Himself. holidays. So during Holy Week and as we approach Easter Sunday families may like to Paul reminds us of that in our second reading: he is as we are; he link to a Children’s Liturgy site with assumed the condition of slave, and even accepted death. But, God resources, worksheets, etc., raised Him on high, and has promised to raise us as well. www.cafod.org.uk/Education/Children-s- liturgy There wasn’t room in the newsletter for the editors to include the Also St Paul’s Haywards Heath have a whole Gospel Passion account. Find one of the accounts in the Bible ‘Children’s Liturgy at home’ link or online and make a point of reading it this week, remembering that www.sphh.church whatever is happening, Jesus does understand, has been there as well, and has promised us that we too will rise again because of His ** ”From this moment on, Judas sought an passion, death and resurrection. opportunity to betray Jesus”. God Bless You. Fr Rick In reference to Judas Iscariot's intent to betray Jesus, formed on Holy Wednesday, the day is sometimes called "Spy Holy Places of Jerusalem At Easter it is customary to take up a Wednesday". (The word spy, as used in special collection for The Holy Places of Jerusalem. Pope Francis has the term, means "ambush, ambuscade, approved the proposal that this be rescheduled to 13 September 2020 snare".) near the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.