A message from Fr John

Dear Friends

Thank you for all your prayers and support over these last few days. Michael’s funeral went well - albeit, like every other one in these strange and difficult times, we were limited to only a few people and there was a time limit. He is in God’s hands and free from pain - where would we be without our shared faith in the resurrection? Thank you, again.

Please remember our funeral directors and cemetery and crematorium workers; they are working hard to ensure that these sad times for families and friends can be gentle and dignified

We remember too our key workers:
Joseph, Lisa, Patrick, Chris, Catherine, Anne, Terry, Mark, Andrew, Theo, Clare, Richard, Anthony, Jane, James, Mary, Francis, Ruth.

We commend them to the love of God and the strength and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

General Sir Nick Carter was on the radio this morning commenting on VE Day; the interviewer was trying to elect comparisons between those days of the war and our current crisis. He was rightly very clear that they are very different kinds of events but made an interesting observation: that in the midst of the darkest days of the war in 1943, a man of vision produced a blueprint for our NHS - the Beveridge Report led to all the wonderful services that we have come to depend on through all aspects of our health service.

We need men and women (and it might be the turn of women) now who can help produce a vision which will help build a fresh sense of care for children, for families, for the vulnerable, for those in prison, for immigrants and refugees. It might take years to implement but, I think he is right, now is the time to start building.

Dear St Joseph, patron of the sick and dying, pray for us

Every blessing

Fr John

PS the roads are even quieter today - pollution levels are declining but for how long