Remembrance Sunday

OLOL was represented at the Remembrance Sunday observance in Ashby by Lewis and Oliver laying a wreath on behalf of the parish.

Pastoral Letter on Vocations

Click here to read Bishop Patrick's Pastoral Letter on Vocations. People throughout our diocese are hearing these words this weekend.

New Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

Bernadette Westmoreland with Catherine and Martin.

Bishop Patrick has commissioned Mrs Ruth Elmore, head teacher at St Charles School, and Mrs Bernadette Westmoreland as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. We thank them both for their willingness to undertake this ministry, and take this opportunity to thank all our Extraordinary Ministers for their contribution to the life of our parish communities.

Ruth Elmore

It is also worth mentioning that six of our musicians from OLOL sang with the Diocesan Choir for the Commissioning Mass.

Newsletter for 26/27 November - Advent 1(A)

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Our Annual OLOL Advent Gift Day/Coffee Morning is this Saturday in the crypt, 10am - 12noon. Please drop in with your Gift Day envelopes and enjoy refreshments with your fellow parishioners. Feel free to bring friends and family. Spare envelopes will be available if you have lost yours!!

Thought for the feast day of the Patron Saint of Musicians

Many people of my generation will have read "The Screwtape Letters" by C S Lewis. The book is written in the form of imagined letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, who writes from headquarters to his nephew, Wormwood, who is a tempter on active service on earth. On this feast day of St Cecilia, I have been remembering this vivid passage in which Screwtape tells us how much the forces of darkness detest music and silence, and love noise. I think it has a lot to teach us today...

“My dear Wormwood: Music and silence–how I detest them both! How thankful we should be that ever since our Father entered Hell–though longer ago than humans, reckoning in light years, could express, no square inch of infernal space and no moment of infernal time has been surrendered to either of those abominable forces, but all has been occupied by Noise–Noise, the grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exultant, ruthless, and virile–Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples, and impossible desires. We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. We have already made great strides in this direction as regards the Earth. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end. But I admit we are not yet loud enough, or anything like it. Research is in progress.”

I can't post any silence. You'll have to find that yourself! But as we pray for all musicians today, here are two contrasting pieces of music for this day, both by English composers:

Close of Jubilee of Mercy

Our Parish and St Charles School are being well represented at Diocesan Celebrations to close the Jubilee of Mercy. On Friday seven pupils and two members of staff attended the Bishop's Mass for schools with four of the pupils serving at the Mass, a wonderful honour. You can still watch the Mass here. There is around an hour of introductory material before the Mass starts.

On Sunday evening, we have two parish representatives and one of our young people attending the Diocesan Mass for the end of the Jubilee Year, the latter with a Loughborough University CathSoc contingent. I gather the students are having cakes with the Bishop!

Newsletter for 19/20 November - Christ the King (C)

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