Roman Catholic Church - Newmarket Parish
Although I am writing this even before Advent arrives, five weeks and more before the big day, I am aware that Christmas is coming. I have bought my Christmas cards, arranged with Frances that our present to one another will be a New Year break in Paris, and even found a new website from which I have acquired some favourite malt whiskies at delightful prices (although they may not stayed sealed until Yuletide!). So I do feel able to wish anyone who bothers to read this column a very happy Christmas. I am still dashing up and down to Manchester to help my ailing mum with my ailing dad, but it is not all bad news. I have found listening to the wonderful Naxos recordings of Shakespeare plays absolutely wonderful (try the Richard III or the Othello). They are co-produced by Naxos and Cambridge University Press and are available for a snip from the Press Bookshop on the corner of Market Square and Trinity Street (it might even solve the odd present problem!). The plays all last slightly longer than the journey to Manchester, so if I hit a traffic jam it is good news - it means that I will get to the end. I had a clear run when I was listening to King Lear, and as I parked my car, Cordelia had snuffed it but Lear was still ranting! And since these journeys also take me past my grandson's door (and my daughter and son-in-laws come to think of it), there is compensation for the sadness that takes me north. But it is all causing me to get very behind with things - sorry about the continuing intermittence of these columns!
Anyway, I do need to let you know of the changes in the parish. With both our priests retiring, we have only one replacement, Fr Michael Griffin, who looked after us while Fr Paul was on sabbatical about 4 years ago, and someone we already know and like. But we have had to cut the number of Masses. Instead of the five Masses we have had recently, we will for the foreseeable future have three: on Saturday evenings at 630pm and Sunday mornings at 1030am in Newmarket and on Sunday mornings at 900 am in Kirtling. There is also still (but for how much longer?) at 9am Mass in St Mary's Bottisham, served from Cambridge. And at Christmas there will be Masses as follows
- 24 December: 6pm Family-centred Mass (Newmarket)
- 24 December Midnight Mass (Newmarket - carols from 1130pm)
- 25 December 9am Kirtling
- 25 December 1030am Newmarket
And as usual there is a free Christmas lunch for anyone on their own who would like to get together (and anyone who would like to help - ie for anyone and everyone) in the Parish Hall on Christmas Day. It would help greatly if you could let us know that you want to come. But if you decide to come on the day, you will not be turned away. As a Christian community, we can hardly say that there is no room at our inn!
And, come to think of it, have a very good new year too!