Saturday 3 March 2007

Parish Day

Off we went to Roehampton today for the annual St. Patrick's parish day! We went to a convent of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God, an order begun by Mother Mary Magdalen Taylor for fallen women in Soho (her tomb was in the chapel). Sister Dymphna who is part of the parish team at St. Patrick's and a friend of the students is a sister of this order, hence the connection. Here are some of the resident parishioners of St. Patrick's - well, actually, most of them...

The day included two talks by Fr. Chris Connor on Prayer and the Mass. Fr. Chris has given us a lecture before, and his talks today brought back the theme of the Old Testament foreshadowing the New Testament which we remembered from all those months ago... What I hadn't remembered was that the Eucharist is a continuation of the todah sacrifice in the Old Testament - a sacrifice of thanksgiving which was foretold to be the only remaining sacrifice that would still be here after a significant intervention of God in human history (the Incarnation). Whew! While he talked to us, Vincent and Angela helped two girls in the parish prepare the children for their first confession. The children made these during Adoration, and received a certificate after Mass as well as a blessing for their rosaries which they had made in the morning. On the whole the children were pretty eager for blessings!

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