Dear friends in Christ

This Sunday’s liturgy warns us that an excessive concern for comfort and the things of this world will inevitably lead us to a neglect of God and neighbour. The Gospel relates the parable of Dives and Lazarus: the man who fell into this very trap and was blind to his neighbours plight. Instead of winning Heaven through the use of his wealth, Dives lost it forever. The rich man didn't do anything wrong. His sin was that of omission and neglect. We all have people living along side us, like Lazarus, who need our sympathy, understanding and practical help.

We have become acutely aware of the rising cost of living and above all of the cost of energy. This affects us all and you will appreciate that with such a large plant here we need to be mindful of forthcoming costs as well as being good stewards of the resources of the planet. Some years ago we installed low energy lighting in the church. The Parish Centre is heated by hot-water underfloor heating throughout, powered by air-source heat pumps, which take the warmth from the outside air, even in the depth of winter, to heat the building to a comfortable level. Apart from the electricity needed to power the pumps, this is a totally renewable energy source. Lighting is by energy-saving fittings, most of the main areas are illuminated with LED spotlights, which give a high-quality of light at minimum energy consumption. The church, however, is heated by gas and although a new boiler was installed last year and is more efficient, the cost of the energy will be very high. Bearing this in mind, I am sure we will all appreciate that we should not keep the church heated to the temperatures we have been used to. During Covid we got used to wearing extra layers, and as we face the Winter months and the growing costs for energy, we could think about how we can conserve our energy and resources once again.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support, prayers and appreciation of all that happens in the Parish.

God bless you!

Msgr Kevin Hale