We all know the rhyme which starts “Remember, Remember the 5th November”, however I am suggesting that we should also be remembering certain other very important days in this month.
On the 1st is the Feast of All Saints – remembering all those who have departed this life and who are safely in heaven but whose names are not recorded.
On the 2nd we celebrate the Feast of All Souls when we are encouraged to take time to pray for the repose of the souls of all who have passed away that they may all take their place with the saints in heaven.
The 14th is Remembrance Sunday – when we take the time to remember all those who fought and died in war so that we may continue to live in freedom. At St Hilda’s we shall be holding a solemn Requiem Mass.
On 21st we remember our Patron Saint – Hilda, Abbess of Whitby who did so much to help to establish the True Faith in Britain.
We could perhaps wish each other a Happy New Year on 28th as we set off into another Church Year on the 1st Sunday of Advent. Let us hope and pray that the changes in the offing in the Diocese will, in whatever form they take, be of benefit to all in our little community.
God Bless
“In the days of Thanksgiving one psalm let us offer, for the saints who before us have found their reward…
These stones that have echoed their praises are holy and dear is the ground where their feet have once trod”
How the words of this hymn are at this time so appropriate for St Hilda’s, as on the 17th of this month we celebrate the anniversary of our Dedication.
In October 1904 Bishop Knox consecrated St Hilda’s and therefore in 2021 we shall be celebrating 117 years of service in God’s Name to the people of Prestwich.
St Hilda’s has stood as a bastion of Faith through all those years and we continue today to provide a haven of Welcome and Worship.
The memory of the Dedication reminds us of the debt that we owe to all those parishioners who through the intervening years have helped to preserve and pass on this wonderful heritage. It is our duty to continue this and to ensure that it is always there for the generations still to come.
On Sunday 17th at the Solemn High Mass, along with Canon Denby, I shall be giving thanks for all the blessings that we have received and praying that St Hilda’s will be always a Beacon of Light and Hope as it continues to serve the needs of our Parish, our Children and the Community around us.
God Bless