Bill Goodyer RIP

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Bill Goodyer who died recently, aged 44yrs. Please also remember his wife, Stella and their family in your prayers.

May his/her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Anima eius et animae omnium fidelium defunctorum per misericordiam Dei requiescant in pace.

Bill was a member of the Church of England and his funeral will be at St Andrew's, Court Road, Mottingham on Wednesday 30 August at 1.45pm, followed by committal at Eltham Crematorium. There will be a reception afterwards at the Large Hall at Our Lady of the Rosary.

Parishioners of Our Lady of the Rosary and friends of Bill and Stella will be warmly welcome at the funeral service.

Parish Newsletter restarts

There will be a new Parish Newsletter this weekend at the end of the summer holidays. Please email me any items for the newsletter by Thursday lunchtime.

Icon Tour

The Stella Maris Icon (see below) is being taken to different Churches by the Apostleship of the Sea (AOS). The AOS ask for our prayers for their work. They also seek volunteers who may be able to give some time to help in the various tasks of caring for the many seafarers who visit ports in England.

Stella Maris Icon

The Icon Stella Maris is set in the context of the night and reflects the difficulties of life sensed more deeply at night and perhaps also of the times of the ’dark night of our souls.’

The triangles are symbols of fire which in turn are symbols of the Spirit.

The star is Sirius, the largest and most brilliant star in the heavens. A major star of navigation but also known in mythology as the God Star or the Dog Star that leads. This star was (and is) an object of great worship in many cultures around the world. In the middle east the rising of Sirius in the heavens in June coincided with the annual floods of the Nile upon which the lives of the ancient Egyptians depended.

The visible circulation of the minor stars Sirius A and Sirius B around Sirius itself were also part of this worship culture and form the basis of the Star of David symbol.

The Virgin and Child are positioned in the upward pointing triangle of the Spirit -linking to Sirius the lead star of navigation Mary is herself the Star which illuminates our inner darkness and leads our souls to her divine Son.

The sea has always been the most feared elements of nature because of its enormous power to sustain life or destroy. We are powerless and insignificant in the midst of its rage. Yet in its benign aspect the sea is a source of untold beauty and nourishment for mankind. The sea is therefore a metaphor for life and its perils but also for its wondrous joy and beauty. The world wide ocean also represents all the peoples of the world.

The four fish are a reference to the four Gospels, and ultimately Christ Himself who was know to the early Christians as the Great Fish (Ethos)

The boat in the background is a symbol of the individual soul of the believer on the spiritual path. This boat of life can be navigated safely by turning to Christ as guided by Our Lady star of the Sea, the star of our life.

The boat is also an image of the Church Militant navigating through time, through life and to the promised land.

Our Lady is depicted standing on the moon, again an object of worship in ancient religions. The image also recalls the verse in Revelation Chapter 12. “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”

Parish music evening

Our parish music evening was a great success. We had a series of performances by the children and young people of the parish, followed by a sing-song with various Music Hall, old standard and Irish numbers. Some of our young performers are included below.
The photos are low resolution for the internet; if any parents would like a high-resolution copy to print out, please email me.

Two young singers who begin our evening

a virtuoso trumpeter

two sisters on flute and piano

a young jazz pianist

a brilliant young singer who appears in shows in the West End

a clarinettist working towards Grade 8 (i.e. top standard short of university)

... and a whole chorus of children and young people singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Joe Minchin and Lizzie Bromley baptised

Congratulations to Joe Minchin and Lizzie Bromley who were recently baptised at Our Lady of the Rosary.

I'll be happy to post a photo here of your baby's baptism at Our Lady of the Rosary if you would like to email me with one.

Congratulations to Patrick and Sally-Anne

Congratulations to Patrick Sullivan and Sally-Anne Steer who were married today at Our Lady of the Rosary.