Welcome Back!

On Shrove Tuesday we had to send our dear friend 'Alleluia!' packing - it was not welcome in the Chapel of the Resurrection during Lent. Well, I returned to work today after the Easter break, and the first thing I did was welocme our friend back. This lovely ceramic greets everyone as they enter the Chapel of the Resurrection, and prepares them for the multitude of Alleluias which resound in the Chapel during these Great Fifty Days.

All the fun of the fair!

This week-end we have had a fair on Ham Common, and I have been watching it from my living room window. I am fond of fairs, and felt attracted by the bright lights and music, and was eager to have a ride on the big wheel. However, I was rather hesitant to go, because I thought I might look a right twit if one of my parishioners were to see me!

However, the opening prayer at Mass this morning gave me courage:

God our Father,
may we look forward with hope to our resurrection,
for you have made us your sons and daughters,
and restored the joy of our youth.

So, with my youth renewed, I went and had a great time!

It is the Lord!

In the Gospel for the Third Sunday of Easter (Year C) we hear John say to Peter 'It is the Lord!' John and Peter recognise the Risen Lord and are filled with joy. We recognise the Risen Lord hidden beneath the forms of bread and wine. The most important place in St Thomas Aquinas Church (other than the altar when Mass is being celebrated) is the tabernacle, for there we see the Risen Lord. We too should be filled with joy when we meet Jesus.

Here our humblest homage pay we;
Here in loving reverence bow;
Here for Faith's discernment pray we,
Lest we fail to know thee now.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Thou art here, we ask not how.

St Thomas Aquinas

Here is the famous statue of our Patron Saint. Famous, because it bears absolutely no resemblance to the great Doctor of the Church! The one thing that every schoolboy knows about St Thomas Aquinas is that he was very fat - whilst our statue shows someone who is extremely thin. How on earth Archbishop's House approved of this design in 1974 is beyond me! Still, the Easter flowers are very attractive!

St Thomas Aquinas is shown holding a chalice, and of course we are grateful to him for his wonderful Eucharistic hymns such as 'Godhead here in hiding', 'The heavenly Word proceding forth' (which includes the O salutaris), and 'Of the glorious body telling' (which includes the Tantum ergo).

Regina caeli, laetare!

Regina caeli, laetare! Alleluia!
Quia quem meruisti portare, Alleluia!
Resurrexit sicut dixit; Alleluia!
Ora pro nobis Deum; Alleluia!

This is the statue of Our Lady, which is in the Lady Chapel at St Thomas Aquinas, Ham. Many people light a votive candle when they visit the shrine and ask Our Lady to pray for them.

May the Mother's intercessions
On our homes a blessing win,
That the children all be prospered,
Strong and fair and pure within,
Following our Lord's own footsteps,
Firm in faith and free from sin:
Hail Mary,
Hail Mary,
Hail Mary, full of grace!

Easter Lilies at Ham

After the lack of flowers in church during Lent, it is always a joy to see the church so beautifully decorated for Easter. I have always liked white arum lilies - to me they speak of resurrection. We have two arrangements this year - either side of the sanctuary. They stand out well against the gold curtain on the sanctuary wall.

The Paschal Candle at Ham

Here we see the lovely Paschal Candle at St Thomas Aquinas, Ham. The candle was a gift from St Boniface's German Church in the Archdiocese of Westminster. They use our parish for a Mass each Sunday at 11.30 am, and asked us if we would like to have a candle like the one in St Boniface's. How kind!

The candle is a powerful symbol of the light of the Risen Lord, and is lit at all services during the Easter Season.