Saint Ignatius Loyola

Collect:
O God, who raised up Saint Ignatius of Loyola in your Church
to further the greater glory of your name,
grant that by his help we may imitate him
in fighting the good fight on earth
and merit to receive with him a crown in heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer of Saint Ignatius Loyola
Teach us, Good Lord,
To Serve Thee as Thou deservest;
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To labor and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do Thy will.
Through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.

VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND IN 2013

A JOINT PILGRIMAGE FOR ST. AUGUSTINE’S RUSH GREEN and ILFORD HOSPITAL CHAPEL.WITH FATHER MARTIN AND FATHER MERVYN

Brochures are now ready for the Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2013.  We are stopping at two excellent hotels and all entrance fees, three meals a day, and all gratuities are included. We plan to visit all the well-known holy places including Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem, Tiberius, the Sea of Galilee, the River Jordan etc. using air-conditioned coaches with an excellent Tour Guide. There will be a Daily Mass.  Travel Insurance is extra if needed (many people have an annual policy so don’t need the cover offered by the travel company) This is a trip of a life time organised for us by one of the best and most experienced travel companies McCabe.
The Pilgrimage is open to all who are interested so if you would like more details contact Father Mervyn or Father Martin .

EMPTY SEATS

I was very disappointed when I discovered that I had managed to secure none of the tickets I had applied for, for the 2012 Olympics. It is therefore rather annoying to see rows of empty seats at various events. It now appears that not all seats were sold and that some are still available.Figures released today indicate that between 100,000 and 120,000 remain unsold. Looking on the Olympic Website to investigate I discovered I could buy a ticket for £205 for swimming but no way could I afford that, and even if I could I would be asking the question as to whether I should spend that on a ticket. Of course, there are some even more expensive.

I have been surprised at how the lottery for tickets worked because it seems to me that not everyone had an equal chance. How can you explain how some managed to get so many tickets whilst others got none at all.

PAID BY CASH

Tory Minister David Gauke has condemned people who pay tradesmen in cash as they can avoid paying VAT or Income Tax. He says families who settle bills cash-in-hand are as bad as tax avoiders. But are there any options? Since cheque guarantee cards were abolished  by the banks I’ve found more and more traders ask for cash. To quote a few examples: our window cleaner, my local tyre garage, my local car servicing garage. None of them take payment by credit or debit card so there is no option and all insist on cash. The implication is that any trader who takes cash is on a tax fiddle and whilst I don’t doubt there are some I don’t believe for one moment that they are all like that and I personally object to the inference that by paying tradesmen in cash I, and many thousand others, are as bad as tax avoiders.

It is interesting that the Daily Mail features this information about the Minister:-

“David Gauke has branded those who avoid tax as ‘morally’ questionable – but he is open to charges of hypocrisy.

In 2006/7, Mr Gauke used his parliamentary expenses to ensure that taxpayers bore the cost of his stamp duty payments when he moved house.

He claimed £10,248.32 in ‘mortgaged payments’ on his second home that year. That broke down as ‘Inland Revenue Stamp Duty’ of £8,550. 

The rest was accumulated solicitors’ fees, land registry and property searches.

He was later cleared of any wrongdoing and has not had to pay any of the money back.”

SUNDAY TRADING LAWS RELAXED FROM TODAY

From today the restrictions on shops opening on Sundays are ended until after the Olympics. This, the Government argues, will boost the income of retailers. But, as many small shops have pointed out, the only benefit will be to the large shops and supermarkets and this will be detrimental to the smaller business.We have been reassured that this is only a temporary relaxation but is this really true. The reassurances were made by George Osborne initially in the March budget but his record on changes to his budget proposals are well known.

THE BBC REPORTS “Under current legislation shops of more than 280 square metres (3,000 square feet) can open for a maximum of six hours on a Sunday, and only between the hours of 10:00 and 18:00.

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said larger shops would be "free to choose their opening hours on a Sunday" with "no restrictions on these hours" until the Olympics and Paralympics were over on 9 September.

Chancellor George Osborne said the move would help maximise the economic benefits of the Olympics”.

I believe this is the thin edge of the wedge. Retailers will assert that this “relaxation” has been a wonderful success and put pressure on a sympathetic Government to make this temporary change become permanent. When the restrictions on Sunday Trading were first lifted  I warned about the effects and campaigned against them as, of course, did the Keep Sunday Special Campaign. Sadly, since those days, we have seen the nature of a Sunday as a day for the family, a day for attending church, radically change.

I read today an opinion which said that as we now live in a multi-cultural society, a society which has many different religions, the majority of which don’t regard Sunday as a day for religious observance, we should enable total abolition of Sunday Trading Law as soon as possible. It then said Britain is no longer a Christian country. WRONG! Britain is a Christian country which has welcomed members of differing faiths but has never rescinded its Christian heritage.

WHAT ECTASY?

I thought some readers may have missed this interesting piece of information which is to be broadcast on Channel 4.

“This week in the church press from the BIBLE SOCIETY NEWS WATCH

A female vicar agrees to take ecstasy on live TV show

An, as yet, un-named member of the clergy has agreed to take the drug along with a former MP, actor Keith Allen and a disparate group of participants, including policemen and soldiers. They will take 83mg of MDMA, the pure form of ecstasy, to explore the effects of the banned substance. The programme is called: Drugs Live: The Ecstasy Trial. (Read more, Premier, 19/7)”

To my way of thinking this is a totally irresponsible gimmick and will fulfil no useful purpose whatsoever. One wonders what we can expect to see in the future.

THIS WEEK (so far…………………)

On Tuesday Ann and I went to the Institution and Induction of The Revd. Father William Obedoza as Vicar of St. Barnabas, Woodford Green. Father Williams appointment ends an interregnum which has gone on for over 3 years. During that time the parish has been cared for by retired priest Father Donald May with assistance from other local priests (including me). The service was conducted by the Bishop of Barking and the Bishop of Richborough who preached a really first-class sermon. As this parish is under Royal Patronage the Crown was represented by the Deputy Lieutenant of Redbridge. Amongst the congregation were the Mayor and Mayoress of Redbridge, The Consul General of the Philippines Embassy, the local MP Lee Scott, the Police and Fire Brigade and many clergy, friends and members of Deanery Chapters and Churches, members of SSC, and the St. Barnabas Congregation. Father William’s training incumbent Father David Waller was present with Father Robert Page who are both now members of the Ordinariate and it was good that they felt able to be present and robe to support Father William. Afterwards it was good to see so many friends at the reception.

Yesterday evening I celebrated Mass for the Redbridge & Havering Ordinariate Exploratory Group.which was attended by 12 with 2 apologies. We discussed the recent happenings at General Synod and in the USA.

Today I celebrated and preached for the lunchtime Mass at the Ilford Hospital Chapel.