St Anne's Wappenbury

23/05/2025

Were you married by either myself or Fr Bill Clarkson since 2000 or are you a family whose children have been baptised by either of us since 2000? I would love to invite you to a family celebration on Sunday 15 June 2025.

I would be delighted if you would message me as soon as possible.

06/05/2025

Come for any evening of music and song on Wednesday 11 June 2025 from 7.30pm to 9.15pm at Our Lady of the Angels' Chapel, Princethorpe College, Princethorpe, Rugby CV23 9PX, for an evening of music and song with St Martin's Gospel Choir, Finham, Coventry.

For more information please contact Loretta Curtis, Parish Secretary, at [email protected]

18/06/2021

“To Change is to Grow and to be Perfect is to have Changed Often” (Cardinal Newman)

I am living a sort of parable at the moment. In these last weeks of lock down (there may be more, of course, but let’s imagine!), I have chosen to clear from the presbytery many superfluous items and to renew others. I keep finding documents of little (and not historic) importance going back to the era of Frs Jim and Bill and earlier. You’ll know how familiar this is - we seldom clean out enough before we make any change, do we? While it is interesting to read about the past, it is also healthy to leave it behind.

While we are doing this ‘clearing out’, there is often a sense of insecurity – might I need again what I have just thrown out? Will I regret it? Yet, I am blessed with people who assist/direct (?) this behaviour of mine – you know the old saying that can paralyse: “you’ll never know when it might come in handy”. And so cupboards fill up, drawers bulge and boxes are stored - “just in case”.

Yet the ‘new’ will not find a place when all is filled up with the ‘old’. Wise St Paul knew this. He wrote to the early Jewish converts to Christianity about the “kenosis” (emptying out) and the “pleroma” (filling up anew). He knew that there could be no sensible “re-filling” if all was filled up already. And Jesus knew that as well, when he spoke of the stupidity of putting new wine into old wine skins and suffering the loss of both. And we know that, too, do we not? As much as we want to avoid facing the inevitable!

Pope Francis has this in mind as well as he plans for a 2023 gathering of church people in what is called a ‘synod’ (more about as the year progresses). He has delayed the synod from 2022 in the hope of wider consultation. Archbishop Bernard, too, is of the same mind (you might indeed say, ‘what bishop has not had these notions before Francis or Bernard?!) and Bernard has presented this in the Pastoral Letter issued recently.

It is a long letter and ‘churchy’ in places. If you’ve not read a bishop’s letter before, I am inviting you to read this one and to respond to it as well. Realistic? Maybe not, but optimistic, yes! Hope does (and needs to) spring eternal and my hope remains that you will not expect the “same old” when you again return regularly to church. That is implied in Bernard’s letter.

What is realistic is this: that for any revival of ‘religion’ and for any growth in our ‘church’, I must change and renew. And you must change and renew as well. Individually and collectively. There will be more about this as the weeks and months progress. For this not to happen, as Francis preached in one of his first homilies, “the church will crumble like a sand castle”.

So what is my hope now as Boris considers ‘releasing’ us? That you will at least insert the notion of a renewed and changed individual/parish/church/community into your conversation. And that you will also insert into conversation what it would mean for us individually and community if we were changed.

Change is seldom easy. Growth can be very painful. But, in the end, experience teaches us that it is worthwhile. And again, Julian of Norwich: “all will be well, and all will be well, and all manners of things will be well”

Are you up for this now in the weeks, months and years ahead?

Fr Teddy O'Brien - MSC

09/06/2021

Tomorrow at 6pm, take a quiet hour before the Blessed Sacrament for the Feast of the Sacred Heart. This will be streamed live here.

06/06/2021

"You have made us for yourself, O God, and our hearts will never rest until they rest in you”. (St Augustine)

On this great feast of the body and blood of Christ, I offer the words of an ancient Catholic hymn (Francis Stanfield 1835-1914) so popular in my younger days and generally considered now not be ‘modern’ enough. Yet, perennial cravings emerge regularly within our human hearts - who among us does not crave peace, an end to yearnings, a listening ear, rest in the hustle and bustle of life, sentiments enshrined within this hymn, or rather should I call it a prayer?

I ask whether we have, too much, become ‘people of the head’ and I suggest that we have wandered far from the core of our very humanness in search of something. Pandemic seemed to have brought us ‘back’ to our core and now the ‘cravings’ again emerge – or so it seems.

Augustine had spent many years wandering, losing himself in the good things of life - in study, in sport, in pleasure, in s*x, in career, in friendship. Yet he never found the truth, or the happiness he was seeking. Because eventually he realised that he was looking outside. Only when he entered into his own heart did he find rest and happiness.

This is an invitation to find a little time – time alone with yourself, time to enter your own heart and there to find………...time to silence the reasoning part of yourself...
Sweet Sacrament divine,
hid in thine earthly home;
lo! round thy lowly shrine,
with suppliant hearts we come;
Jesus, to thee our voice we raise
In songs of love and heartfelt praise
sweet Sacrament divine.

Sweet Sacrament of peace,
dear home of every heart,
where restless yearnings cease,
and sorrows all depart.
there in thine ear, all trustfully,
we tell our tale of misery,
sweet Sacrament of peace.

Sweet Sacrament of rest,
ark from the ocean's roar,
within thy shelter blest
soon may we reach the shore;
save us, for still the tempest raves,
save, lest we sink beneath the waves:
sweet Sacrament of rest.

Sweet Sacrament divine,
earth's light and jubilee,
in thy far depths doth shine
the Godhead's majesty;
sweet light, so shine on us, we pray
that earthly joys may fade away:
sweet Sacrament divine.

Fr Teddy O'Brien - MSC

06/06/2021

++ Today's Gospel: Mark 14:12-16, 22-26++
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the day the lambs for the Passover meal were killed, Jesus' disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and get the Passover meal ready for you?”
Then Jesus sent two of them with these instructions: “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house he enters, and say to the owner of the house: ‘The Teacher says, Where is the room where my disciples and I will eat the Passover meal?’ Then he will show you a large upstairs room, prepared and furnished, where you will get everything ready for us.”
The disciples left, went to the city, and found everything just as Jesus had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.
While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. “Take it,” he said, “this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God, and handed it to them; and they all drank from it. Jesus said, “This is my blood which is poured out for many, my blood which seals God's covenant. I tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine in the Kingdom of God.”
Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

++Gospel reflection++
What do you remember from today’s reading?
Did any of the words sound familiar? Which ones?

Today we hear how Jesus got ready to share the Passover meal with his friends. And then, when he was at the meal he broke the bread, blessed it and shared it with his disciples. What happened next?

Jesus took a cup, said a blessing and shared that with his disciples too.

Every time we go to Mass we remember this – and the priest uses the very same words that Jesus did in this reading. This is a very important moment each week as the parish shares in the bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ.
With older children, who have made their First Holy Communion, you could talk more about the significance of the Eucharist at this point. For younger ones, we have chosen to focus more on the idea of sharing and community.

So each time we go to Mass, we remember a special meal that Jesus had. And we are invited to share in that special meal with him, through Holy Communion, even if we only have a blessing.

Can you think of any other special meals that you have shared with friends or family? What was it that made it so special?

04/06/2021

04/06/2021

BLESSED JOSÉ MARÍA GRAN CIRERA AND
COMPANIONS,PRIESTS AND MARTYRS

Blessed José María Gran Cirera was born in Barcelona on 27 April 1945.
He made his perpetual profession on 8 September 1969 and was
ordained prieston 9 June 1972. After a period of pastoral service in
Valencia, in 1975 he was sent to Guatemala, where he exercised his
pastoral ministry in the parishes ofSanta Cruz del Quiché, Espíritu Santo
de Zacualpa and, later, San Gaspar de Chajul. On 4 June 1980, returning
from a pastoral visit, he received the palm ofmartyrdom together with
the sacristan. Blessed Juan Alonso Fernández was born in Cuérigo
(Asturias) on 28 November 1933. He made his perpetual profession on
8 September 1958 and, after he was ordained priest on 11 June1960, he
was sent to Guatemala. From 1963 to 1965 he was a missionary in
Indonesia, returning to Guatemala where he founded the parish of Santa
María Reina de Lancetillo. He received the palm of martyrdom on 15
February 1981 in La Barranca. Blessed Faustino Villanueva Villanueva was
born in Yesa (Navarra)on 15 February 1931. He made his perpetual
profession on 8 September 1952and was ordained priest on 25 February
1956. After serving as Master of novices and teacher at the seminary, he
was sent to Guatemala in 1959. He carried out his pastoral work in
various parishes, especially in the parish of the Assumption in Joyabaj,
where he received the palm of martyrdom on 10 July 1980. They were
beatified on 23 April 2021.

01/06/2021

“Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds……..” (Shakespeare: Sonnet 116)

Pope Francis is taking his job very seriously at present. He has never been happy with a top down church and he is determined to effect a change in this matter. Pope John XXIII opened the gates to a new vision of church in convening the Second Vatican Council in 1965 (a mere memory now for most!). Baptism – of each and every Christian – was to be the foundation of this renewal. There were many gatherings since then – diocesan, national, international – and yet the diminishment of the Christian Church continues, in some countries at quite an alarming pace. Bishops, clergy, and ‘experts’ have gathered in Rome over many decades. They have formulated documents, policies and protocols. All the while, there has been a missing essential ingredient – YOU and ME.

From the foundation of the ‘church’ by Jesus Christ, and following His example, men and women have gathered in prayer and reflection, refusing to act without the vision provided through God’s Holy Spirit. Personal transformation, informing personal and communal discernment, always preceded action. And perhaps here lies the ‘weakness’ in past efforts to enliven the Christian Church – insufficient emphasis was placed on the Christian’s personal transformation as providing the most valuable, and indeed essential, ingredient of any renewal within a Christian community.

We are reminded this week, on this Feast of the Blessed Trinity, of the centrality of God’s love. It is fascinating just how Shakespeare condenses, in a brief sonnet, the unconditional love of God – a love that creates, sustains and never withdraws. Such is the love that is intended to inhabit the lives of married couples and priests – the former in an exclusive loving relationship and the latter in a non-exclusive love for people. Such love calls out for renewal.

It is this very love that must now be enlivened, enhanced and deepened within the Christian and wider community as a prelude to the transformation of the Christian community itself. I have frequently said that I, and my fellow clergy, must experience, in the first instance, a radical transformation if we are to be the effective channels of God’s unconditional love for the world and if we are ever to enhance leadership ministry. I suggest that Francis will be wasting his time in convening any synod or gathering in Rome in 2023 unless you and I, on a very local level – and the wider diocesan communities on national levels - accept our need for change. “Good marriages” will become fantastic marriages. “Good priests” will experience deep conversion and then watch this space. The invitation is to be open to this happening to us all when opportunities are presented to us.

Today is a feast of wonderment, just as I would be enthralled by the stars on a moonlit night or attend to the dawn chorus or the evensong of the birds on the lengthening days of summer. It is a feast to wonder about love, love received and love shared, love without judgement or condition, love, as Lloyd Webber wrote, that “changes everything”.

The ‘pre Covid normal’ will never be enough again. Neither may we rest with it. ‘Pre Covid love’ will never be enough again. We may not rest with that either. A present – and a future - generation demands more and we must provide it.

Are you ready?

Fr Teddy O'Brien - MSC

23/05/2021

“There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, ……….” (Shakespeare: ‘Julius Caesar Act 4 Sc 3’)

In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Brutus seems the wiser in advocating, against the view of Cassius that they act now against the enemy while they still can. "There's a tide in the affairs of men," he insists; that is, power is a force that ebbs and flows in time, and one must now ‘go with the flow’. Otherwise, “all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries”.

Covid 19 provided us with an unprecedented (that word again!) opportunity through social media, of being in touch virtually with many people who would never previously have ‘tuned in’ to any form of religion. Now as Covid 19 moves towards being a memory, we must not lose this God- given opportunity. Indeed, we must continue to enhance our use of social media in the service of faith and religion.

If Marshall McLuhan is correct, when he writes that “The Medium is the Message” (in his book “Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man” 1964), then for us the tide is right now and must “be taken at the flood” and hopefully it will “lead on to fortune”. People have ‘tuned into’ St Anne’s for some good reason. So far they have heard only one voice. Soon your voices will join in as we dispense with many of our Covid restrictions.

And here is your Pentecost invitation and challenge. While it is true that our very lives become ‘the message’ (that Jesus Christ is alive), the Word of God proclaimed in our daily readings must be clear and unambiguous. Soon, you may be reading (or, rather, proclaiming) God’s Word at a Mass streamed far and wide. Some will hear the Word of God for the first time. Because of how you present the Word, some will hear God’s Word in a way they have never heard it previously. Lives may be changed forever and for the better because of your proclamation of the Word. More than in previous years, your presentation will now assume a new and huge importance. A privilege? Certainly. A responsibility? Most definitely. Scary? Perhaps. But then so were the apostles until they were empowered by God’s Spirit.

For your presentation, for this tide, to be a flood, you will try to understand the meaning of what you are presenting. You will read with a conviction that says: ‘I believe what I am saying and I so want to share this with you’. You will be ready to experience new ways of presenting God’s Word. And, because you hear God calling you to this ministry, you will develop your God given gifts so that God’s Word is listened to with enthusiasm. Because of this also, you will find that others will ‘catch’ your conviction. Communicating with conviction is so catching!

Your life, too, will be changed because the Word of God is effective in the very act of speaking it. You will be blessed and even excited in this new way of touching others’ lives. All of this because, on this Pentecost Sunday, you will have been filled with the Spirit of God’s power. And you will be changed…..

Are you ready?

Fr Teddy O'Brien - MSC

23/05/2021

++ Today's Gospel: John 20:19-23 ++
It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Then Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive people's sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

++ Gospel reflection ++
What do you remember from the reading today?

The disciples were scared of people they thought would hurt them and so they were hiding away. But when Jesus came they rejoiced, and he gave them a very special gift, the gift of the Holy Spirit.

What do you remember from the first reading today?

Suddenly the room that the disciples are sitting in is filled with the sound of a strong wind. Then the disciples are filled with the Holy Spirit. They go outside to tell people about Jesus and everyone can understand them – even people from far away who speak a different language! How do you think this happens?

Why do you think Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to the disciples? What difference do you think the Holy Spirit made to them?

The Holy Spirit can be a difficult idea to understand. We can’t see it, like we can see each other.

The Holy Spirit is like the wind. We can’t see the wind, but we can certainly feel it on a windy day. We can see the leaves moving in the trees because of the wind, or a kite flying high in a sky. The wind can be very strong and powerful.

Can you think of any other ways that you can see the wind? Can you think of ways in which the wind is helpful? (eg windmills, sailing boats etc.)

Just like the wind, we can see the effects of the Holy Spirit. Can you think of how we might see the effects of the Holy Spirit in our world?

The Holy Spirit can work through us when we are kind to our family and friends, when we think about other people around the world, and when we work for people who are in need. Can you think of the last time you did any of these things?

The Holy Spirit can also give us courage to speak out, just like the disciples in today’s readings. Can you think of a time when it might be difficult to say what you really think?

17/05/2021

“Memories are the Treasury and Guardians of All Things” (Cicero 106BC - 43BC)

The Royal British legion was founded 100 years ago yesterday, receiving its royal charter in 1971. Founded to support members of all branches of the UK and Commonwealth forces, it continues to be supported by over 177000 people.

On 6 December 2021, the Republic of Ireland will ‘celebrate’ the signing of the first Anglo-Irish Treaty leading eventually to the creating of the Irish Republic.

The centenary of any event provides memories, memories that have a power to make present again events and experiences that can create great joy and equally great sorrow. Memory has a power to unite the deceased with the bereaved as if they have never been separated, as if they are, once again, united in real time. Memory can, likewise, arouse and make lived again, suffering and injustice from a past one might wish to forget. Yet such memories provide a validation for the victim’s pain which time can so easily render intrusive while supporting a continued quest for a justice that risks being denied by being delayed.

Memory will not succumb to suppression without inflicting violence on the one who remembers. Indeed, it is surely memory that fuels the present violence in the land of the three faiths of Abraham. Here Jew, Christian and Moslem have failed to sufficiently acknowledge their common origin. And is it not memory that drives the Palestinians’ continued quest for justice and for the right to life and liberty. Memory, too, keeps alive the intercultural divisions (because they really do not have anything to do with religion) that emerge in violence from time to time in Northern Ireland, especially for those who cannot accept the 1921 treaty or the people who signed it, the result of the treaty signed 100 years ago still affording ‘reasons’ for violence.

More immediately – and perhaps seemingly (only) of less importance – will be our memories of how we lived pre-Covid. Whenever we reach a time when Covid 19 becomes but a memory, we must surely not hanker after the ‘way things were’. This will be to fuel division and to support a ‘them and us’ culture. We may not be at ‘war’, yet there may be sentiments in our hearts that impact negatively on the unity that Jesus prayed for, a unity of mind, body and spirit underpinning the unity of communities and people.

There is a continued violence (quiet and silent) being inflicted within our ‘civilised’ cultures that belies the fact that life is short, to be treasured day by day, and to be lived to the fullest possible, underpinned by the motto of the British Legion: “Service Not Self”. From womb to tomb this violence is perpetrated, each act creating memories that impede the unified world that Jesus prayed for. There is a sustained and yet unspoken denial of the value of another’s human life - the unborn, the ‘disabled’, the elderly, those who differ in colour, code, creed, gender - all of which is compounded by a refusal to accept our common humanity, storing up memories as fuel for continued pain filled memories, and consequent divided and broken individuals, families and communities.

Jesus prayed that we might be one. This unity cannot be achieved while unhealed memories are treasured. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget (or, perhaps, do not want to forget) creates a new and life enhancing way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future. This healing, whether in this life or delayed until a future world of perfect love, is the gift of God’s Holy Spirit alone. Here, in 2021, lies the importance of the Feast of Pentecost to be celebrated next Sunday.

Do you have memories that cry out to God’s Holy Spirit for healing?

Fr Teddy O'Brien - MSC