The Parishioner - Edition 26|Spring 2016

Parishioner
THE PARISH OF ST FRANCIS
GROVE HOUSE, 126 WEEK STREET, MAIDSTONE,
KENT ME14 1RH.
Telephone: (01622) 756217 Fax: (01622) 690549
Email: stfrancis_parish@yahoo.co.uk
Web site: www.stfrancisparish.org.uk
Parish Priest: Canon Luke Smith
Assistant Priests: Fr Bartlomiej Dudek, Fr Peter Kucharski
Ordinariate Priest: Fr Paul Gibbons
Parish Deacons: Rev. Tom Coyle & Rev. Ian Black
Parishioner Editors: Denis & Ross Neale.
Telelephone: 01622 200025.
Email: denisneale@blueyonder.co.uk
A word from Canon Luke
Welcome to the latest instalment of the ‘Parishioner’ It
seems no time at all since I wrote the introduction for
the last issue; I’m not sure about you but it seems that
time is flying by at an increasing rate of knots and here
we are, over halfway through Eastertide! However, our
parish magazine bears witness that this time has not just
passed by in a vacuum, it has been full of fruitful activity.
Once again I would like to thank our editors Denis
and Ross Neale for the time they have spent eliciting,
chasing and editing the various contributions. Similarly I
would like to thank all those parishioners who have
kindly sourced and prepared articles and photographs.
The ‘Parishioner’ provides a rich tapestry of our
parish’s life; reflecting something of the rich diversity of
people, gifts, activities, prayer and witness. As the latest
issue is published it is wonderful to see that the works
on the roof and exterior of St Francis are now well
underway. Although bricks, mortar, slates and stone, and
our need of a worthy house of prayer in which we, the
living stones making up the Church are formed and
nourished, is not the be all and end all of the Church’s
existence; our Church building itself is a symbol of the
presence and action of Christ and His people in our local
area and in the world. St Francis’ certainly has a prime
location in Maidstone and many people drop in
throughout the day; hopefully we increasingly provide
an oasis of peace and prayer enabling all who enter our
doors to open their hearts and minds to the presence of
God.
Things are beginning to move with the proposed
re-development of the old school buildings and hopefully
we will have something concrete to report in the near
future; suffice for now to say: please pray for the success
of a certain planning application!
The Jubilee of Mercy has certainly made an impact on
us both as a parish and as individuals; the ‘24 hours for
the Lord’ during Lent was a wonderful oasis of prayer.
The Light Fever initiative that invites people from the
street into an atmosphere of prayer was particularly
moving with around one hundred people coming in to
light a candle and leave a prayer intention. During Holy
week and the Easter Triduum the priests of the parish
spent over 40 hours hearing confessions: wonderful to
see so many encountering the loving mercy of the Lord.
As you peruse this snapshot of the parish I hope it
will encourage and inspire you to take an increasingly
active part in our parish’s worship and activities, this in
turn deepens the bonds of
faith and fellowship which
knit us together as a parish
community and part of the
universal Church.
Canon Luke
Good News!
Good News! Roof repairs to begin soon!
Currently we have raised £88,626.44
(which includes the £30,000 legacy of Teresa
De Franca) for our roof repairs and thanks to a
confirmed offer of a substantial interest-free loan we can now
publish the proposed schedule for the works. However. we still have to
raise money to repay the loan, so all donations and current fundraising
events need to continue.
Project Start Date: 21st March
Scaffold Main Roof Install: 21st March - 1st April
No structure work will begin during Holy Week and no will take place
over Easter weekend.
Main Roof Works start: 29th March - 13th May
Scaffold removal to one side: 9th -13th May
Remaining Scaffold removal: 16th - 20th May
Flat Roof Works: 16th May 10th - 10th June
Decorations: 23rd May - 10th June.
OUR ROOF IS IN A STATE .....SO PLEASE BUY A SLATE!
Slates sponsored to date 2,352.
Sponsorship forms can be found at the back of the church and
obtained from the office. Please help us reach our target of the
6,000 tiles needed for the main roof!
Our New Tabernacle.
Our new Tabernacle,
which stands behind
the altar on a raised
pedestal in the apse,
was purchased last
year to replace the old
square one which had
been used for many
years for the
reservation of the
Blessed Sacrament.
Many parishioners will
remember when the
church was vandalised
in 2003 and the
Tabernacle was
removed a from the
church and found,
badly damaged, in
Brenchley Gardens. At
that time it proved too
expensive to replace, or even repair it
to its former glory so it was cleaned
up, the damaged parts of the brass
decoration removed and it was fixed
back onto its pedestal.
The new Tabernacle is taller and has
plenty of room to take the ciboria and
other sacred vessels and has a set of
veils in all the liturgical colours.
Different colours are used in Divine
Services as symbols.
Different truths or
sentiments are
symbolized by different
colours. The altar
cloths, the chalice
covering, and the veil
match the vestments
worn by the priest at
Mass.
The decoration on the
top of the Tabernacle is
of a pelican, a symbol
of
sacrifice,
selflessness and
generosity, the emblem
of the Eucharistic
Christ, whose blood
resuscitates the living
soul, as the female
pelican was thought to
to nourish her young with blood from
her own breast. In the hymn ‘Adoro
Te’. St. Thomas Aquinas addressed
the Saviour, “Pelican of Mercy,
cleanse me in Thy Precious Blood.”
As a sign of God’s mercy and
solicitude, this seabird is often
depicted in ecclesiastical writings,
painting, murals and stained glass.
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