A message from Fr John

Dear Friends

Good morning - blessings for this feast day of St David.

We have no doubt all spent time in North Wales for family holidays - Abergele, Rhyl, Prestatyn, Snowdonia and so on.wonderful scenery and beaches. Good memories for sure

I held a special place in the memory of Gerald Manley Hopkins, jesuit priest, pastor and poet.

And so.. this is one of those memories:

In the Valley of the Elwy

I remember a house where all were good
To me, God knows, deserving no such thing:
Comforting smell breathed at very entering,
Fetched fresh, as I suppose, off some sweet wood.
That cordial air made those kind people a hood
All over, as a bevy of eggs the mothering wing
Will, or mild nights the new morsels of Spring:
Why, it seemed of course; seemed of right it should.

Lovely the woods, waters, meadows, combes, vales,
All the air things wear that build this world of Wales;
Only the inmate does not correspond:
God, lover of souls, swaying considerate scales,
Complete thy creature dear O where it fails,
Being mighty a master, being a father and fond.

It evokes memories not only of North Wales but also of those times when we have enjoyed hospitality and friendship, and all in the comforting sense of the presence of God, the presence of sheer goodness in people and nature.

If you’re out in the countryside enjoy the new daffodils and, if you’re cooking, maybe the odd leek or two - but forget Saturday’s rugby!

St Joseph, pray for us

Every blessing

Fr John