News & Events - Parish News

February's Pastoral Letter from the Vicar

What might a good Lent look like?

Posted on Sunday 1 February 2026 at 7:00am

Fr Nicholas

By the time you are reading this, Christmas will already feel like a fond (and possibly slightly blurry) memory, Epiphany will be drawing to a close, and the Church will be quietly, but firmly, steering us towards Lent. Like it or not, the desert looms.

Lent has a rather unfair reputation. For some it conjures images of grim faces, joyless self-denial, and the sort of resolutions that are abandoned by the Second Sunday. But Lent, at its heart, is not about spiritual misery. It is about honesty, attentiveness, and re-centring our lives on Christ – and that, while demanding, is ultimately life-giving. 

My hope for each of us this year is that we might keep a good Lent: not necessarily a heroic one, but a faithful one.

Traditionally, we think of Lent in terms of giving something up. There is real value in that, especially if what we forego genuinely matters to us and serves a spiritual purpose. Going without something we enjoy can sharpen our awareness of Christ’s forty days in the wilderness, his temptations, his vulnerability, and his trust in the Father. Chocolate can indeed be theological.

But Lent also invites us to do something extra. This is often where the deepest growth happens. Perhaps this might be attending a weekday Mass occasionally – or even regularly – allowing the rhythm of prayer and Scripture to shape the week. You might consider joining the parish Lent Course, or coming along to the Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings, where we walk prayerfully with Christ through the final hours of his earthly life.

Lent is also a particularly fitting time to think about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. For some, this will be a familiar and much-loved practice; for others, something distant, uncertain, or even daunting. If you have never made a confession before – or not for many years – Lent offers a gentle invitation to find out more, with a view to making a first (or renewed) confession before Easter. It is not a test to be passed, but a gift to be received.

Whatever shape your Lent takes, I would encourage you to set aside some dedicated time each day for prayer – even if it is brief – using Lenten themes, Scripture, or a simple prayer of quiet attentiveness. Consistency matters more than quantity.

Above all, Lent prepares us to relive, in heart and mind, the saving events of Holy Week, not as distant history, but as something that still speaks powerfully into our own lives and our world today. If we allow ourselves to engage deeply with Christ’s passion, then our Easter joy will not be forced or superficial, but genuine and hard-won. So let us encourage one another to keep

So let us encourage one another to keep a good Lent – faithful rather than flashy, honest rather than heroic – trusting that God will do far more with our small offerings than we could ever imagine.

With every blessing for the journey ahead,

Fr Nicholas

January's Pastoral Letter from the Vicar

Renewed purpose in the depths of winter

Posted on Thursday 1 January 2026 at 7:00am

Fr Nicholas

As we stand at the threshold of a new year, the Church invites us not merely to turn a page on the calendar, but to enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s revealing love. January is often a month of contrasts: the world around us feels cold and dim, the festive lights have been packed away, and yet the liturgy of the Church glows with the bright promise of Epiphany. In the very heart of winter, when the nights are long and the earth appears dormant, the Gospel speaks insistently of manifestation, illumination, and hope.

We begin this season with the great feast of The Epiphany of the Lord, when the wise men from the East – Gentiles, strangers, seekers – are drawn by a light they do not fully understand. They come with gifts, not knowing exactly what they will find, but trusting that the star has guided them to truth. Their journey is our journey. Like them, we offer what we have – our time, our talents, our material wealth – placing them at the feet of Christ so that he may use them for the building up of his Church and the blessing of the world. Epiphany reminds us that our generosity is not just a practical necessity for parish life, but a spiritual act: a participation in the self-giving love through which God reveals himself.

This revelation continues in the feast of The Baptism of the Lord. In the waters of the Jordan, Jesus steps into the depths of our human condition, sanctifying the very elements of creation and opening for us the way of eternal life. As the heavens are torn open and the Spirit descends, the Father proclaims, “This is my beloved Son.” It is a moment of profound unveiling: Christ is made known, not only to Israel, but to all nations. And in our own baptism, we share in that epiphany. We, too, are called to make Christ known, to be living signs of his presence in a world that often struggles to see beyond its present darkness.

Epiphanytide, coming as it does in the deep midwinter, invites us to persevere in faith even when warmth and light seem distant. This season teaches us the spirituality of winter: to trust in what we cannot yet see, to keep the flame of devotion alive when the winds of life blow cold, and to root ourselves more firmly in prayer, worship, and acts of charity. Like the Magi journeying by starlight, we walk by faith, guided by the quiet but unwavering radiance of Christ.

Our journey through this season finds its fulfilment next month in the feast of Candlemas, or The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, when we celebrate Christ as the Light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of God’s people Israel. On that day, candles are blessed and carried – a reminder that the light which shone over Bethlehem and guided pilgrims from afar now burns in our own hearts. Candlemas marks the hinge between Christmastide, the unfolding story of his earthly ministry, and the events of Holy Week and Easter. It invites us to carry the light of Christ forward, not as something fragile, but as something triumphant, entrusted to us for the sake of the world.

May these weeks of Epiphanytide be for us a time of renewed clarity and purpose. As we journey through the coldest and darkest part of the year, may we do so with confidence that the true Light has come into the world, a light the darkness cannot overcome. Let us offer our gifts with generosity, our lives with devotion, and our witness with courage, that Christ may be revealed afresh in our parish, in our community, and in our own hearts.

With my prayers and every blessing for the year ahead.

Your sincere friend and parish priest,
Fr Nicholas

Live-streaming, GDPR and Your Consent

Posted on Monday 16 September 2024 at 11:30am

Online live-streaming of services

Some of St Matthew's services (most Sunday mornings and some special services) are live-streamed or recorded for those who cannot attend church in person. Under GDPR, the church must gain the consent of anyone whose image may be captured, as this constitutes collection of "personal data". This includes clergy, readers/intercessors, musicians and congregation.

Whilst every attempt is made not to capture the faces of members of the congregation, this may occasionally happen if people turn around or move around the church during the service. The exception is communion, when the congregation is not filmed. The side aisles and back of the nave are so far as possible film-free areas not covered by the camera. Anyone whose personal data is collected must give their consent. Consent forms are available in church and online . The full policy can be read on our parish website or on the noticeboards in church.

Please read Our Privacy Policy - Filming & Photography and if you are happy to, give your consent by downloading, printing, signing, and handing in the form to a church representative or the Parish Office on your next visit. The consent form can be found at the bottom of the page.

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