Concerts in February: Elvis & Bands

The Mayor’s Charity Concert on February 1st will feature North Monmouthshire Youth Wind Band, Synergy, Abergavenny Borough Band and Abergavenny ATC Squadron Drums.

Tickets are available from the Town hall or Tithe Barn.The proceeds of the Concert will go to St Anne’s Hospice and other local charities including the Church.

The latest Concert in aid of the Winston Memorial Fund will be a Gospel Rock night performed by a local Elvis impersonator, Keith Davies, along with the Memphis Mafia and the Sweet Inspirations.

Tickets for the Concert on February 8th at 7.30pm are available at the Tithe Barn

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Holocaust Memorial Day

We will mark HMD on Friday (February 1st) at 11.am.

Please do join us and the pupils of King Henry VIII School as we mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

Holocaust Memorial Day (27 January) is a national event in the UK and throughout the world dedicated to the remembrance of the victims of The Holocaust and subsequent genocides. It was first held in January 2001 and has been on the same date every year since.

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Valedictory blog from Malta

To mark his Birthday the RC Archbishop of Malta launched a Facebook page.

The Times of Malta

It is interesting to see other churches going where we at St Mary’s have gone some time before. We have a Facebook page, 3 blogs and 3 twitter accounts.

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Vicar in Malta -Wednesday

Today I visited the ancient Fortress of the Kinghts of John and the Cathedral of St Paul at Mdina

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Feast of the Conversion of St Paul @Malta

The Feast of the Conversion of St Paul is celebrated in style in Malta

“The Collegiate Church of St Paul’s Shipwreck has a relic containing a piece of St Paul’s wrist bone and a piece of the pillar on which St Paul is supposed to have been beheaded.” writes Fr Mark. ” A wooden statue of  St Paul carved in 1657 by Melchior Gafà was carried by local boys in procession to mark the Feast”.

“As my third visit comes to a close I realise I am some  way off from visiting all 365 churches on the Island.”

Arm of St Paul

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Vicar in Malta-Thursday

The BBC 2 programme last week showed how badly Malta was bombed in World War II. Among the places bombed was the Church of our Lady at Mosta. With three hundred people in church the bomb came through the roof, but miraculously did not explode.

today I visited the church and saw a replica of the bomb. I lighted a candle and remembered everyone back at St Mary’s Priory.

The weather has turned a little stormy here, so a good time to take a walk to the believed site of St Paul’s shipwreck , passing by the nearby church of St PAul.

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Vicar : A little wine for my stomach’s sake

The vicar takes St Paul’s advice

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Vicar in Malta blog 2

After a delay due to poor visibility I finally arrived at Malta. I must compliment Air Malta for the way way they looked after me during the delay. I spent the time reading Hanbury-Tenison’s book on his ride through Albania, and reminiscing about my time there.

 

i arrive in Malta as thet start their General Election Campaign. Today’s edition of The Times of Malta asks why non of the political parties dare ask the question labour Gay marriage, unlike elsewhere in Europe “Is it because of the power of the church” they ask.

 

 

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Malta Pilgrimage post 1

Well Ive arrived at Heathrow and the AirMalta flight is still expected to take off…

…so here we go

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Vicar goes on pilgrimage to Malta GC

According to the Book of Acts St Paul was shipwrecked on Malta when being taken as a prisoner to Rome, probably in the year 60AD. This week Fr. Mark Soady , our Vicar, is returning to Malta  (weather permitting) so as to be there for the Celebrations surrounding the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul on Friday (January 25th).

He plans to visit the many very lovely churches on the Island, but will be at St Paul’s Shipwreck Church, Triq San Pawl, Valletta for the Festival Mass Friday evening.

The visit will also include a trip to  the site of the believed ship wreck.

As a mark of respect King George VI awarded Malta the George Cross, hence it being Malta GC.

Easter 2012  to Easter 2013  is the Monmouth Diocesan Year of Pilgrimage. IT permitting there will be a daily blog here.

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