St Peter's Lodge

This is the micro-blog for St Peter's Lodge. Our homepage st-peterslodge.org Our Christian mission project is called: Sensing Salvation Wisbech: Arts-Enabled Evangelisation . It is based in St. Peter's Parish Church and St. Peter's Lodge, within the cultural precinct of Wisbech in Northern Cambridgeshire. It is a three years' research project (2013-16) for the Church of England, and is sponsored by the Archbishops' Council and the Church Commissioners.

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On Friday 16th January, our Opus Gratiae Youth Group met in St Peter's Parish Church Hall for the first time in 2015. A wonderful night! Initially only 6 children were present. So we sat in a circle of plastic chairs and prayed to God for more children to join us. Within 2 minutes of the prayer our numbers swelled and skyrocketed to 18 children. Our prayers then changed to: 'Thank you Lord... that's enough!' The theme of our traditional Friday night youth group was about meeting and seeing the God in Christ who calls us to himself. After some mad tearing-about games, we settled into a drawing workshop with Father Paul - 'Drawing is like prayer - God wants us to see our world and each other in his light'; word games with Sister Wendy and dramatic story-telling and theatre (the conversion of St. Paul from the Acts of the Apostles). We talked about the annual National Children's Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in early March: there was a great interest in going with many children having been last year. We asked the children what activities they would like to do, as a youth group family, this year. Thank you to Sister Wendy and Brother James for pastoral care and crowd management, and Janet and June for refreshments and general assistance. In all that we do together this year, as a youth group, and for our children and families - may Our Lady of Walsingham pray for us.

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More photos of our Opus Gratiae (work of Grace) Youth Group adventures. We had team building games, gingerbread decoration, pop-up choir rehearsal, procession and performance of candle-light carol singing to the residents at King John House, costumed drama of the Holy Nativity and reflection, more games and prayer. It was a great night - thanks to Sr. Wendy for the most spectacular slide and tumble of the evening: we hope her bruises heal quickly.

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Opus Gratiae Youth Group meeting in St. Peter's Hall for some Advent faith fun and fellowship. We had twelve children with us, and four other children sent their apologies. The youth group meets once a month just before the fourth Sunday of the month that is our 10am Family Mass. 

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Today, we made two child-saints in our local primary schools: Ramnoth Junior and Elm Road. Chloe became our Girl Abbess St Etheldreda and Harry became our Boy Bishop St Nicholas for the town of Wisbech 2014/2015. Father Paul gave a dramatic story-telling about the lives of these special saints. Then there was some reading, singing, praying and the formal commissioning of both these child-saints. They began their year of following Jesus and his saints by handing out candy-canes, to their class-mates, as a sign of the generosity and grace of Christ. Chloe and Harry will have an honoured place in the solemn procession at our glorious Christmas Eve Candle-Light Crib Service and they will have a number of civic duties in 2015. May St. Etheldreda and St Nicholas pray for Chloe and Harry, their families and friends, and for the proclamation of the Gospel to the people of our amazing market-town.

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Our monthly Family Mass and a dramatised homily with our Opus Gratiae (OG) Youth Group, acting and thinking about the Gospel for the Feast of Christ the King. Imagining ourselves walking about the National Portrait Gallery, we recognised the tradition of painting and remembering kings for their great power and wealth. King Jesus is powerful and almighty but also humble and caring - the king who doesn't just pass by in a royal parade. King Jesus lovingly puts his arm around us, walks with us, and speaks wise words into our hearts. We are his brothers and sisters and so we need to see ourselves as belonging to God's royal family. Thy kingdom come...

The quote of the day: when asked to come down from his throne, King Ernests (one of our Latvian altar-boys) says: "Where's my red carpet?"  Father Paul moaned: "I've created a monster!" Over-acting is a proud tradition at S. Peter's Wisbech.

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Today we welcomed our Guild of the Servants of the Sanctuary (GSS) friends, from our regional chapter under the patronage of S. Lawrence. Three young altar boys - Dylan (Australian), Ernests (Latvian), and Alans (Latvian), were welcomed into their probational year by the GSS chaplain Fr John. Fr John delivered the homily and spoke about the costs and joys of serving Christ at his altar and in the world.

Fr Paul intoned the Angelus at Midday and Jesus' Holy Sacrifice was offered with great solemnity and beauty. Following mass we retired to S. Peter's Lodge for a three course luncheon and good fellowship. Congratulations boys! And thank you to our GSS warden Fr David and acting head server Brother James. Thanks also to Angie, Janet, June, and Lesley for the great banquet at the Lodge.

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Last evening we held another successful youth group event in our beautiful parish church building. Great fun - team building games, prayer, lively catechism, and children acting out, and stepping inside, the story of the Annunciation, and its message of imitating Our Lady and saying YES to God in our lives: Mary was played by a Russian girl and Gabriel by a Polish boy - we take world mission and the promotion of international peace very seriously at S. Peter's Wisbech. 12 children and their families attended: our Opus Gratiae Youth Group is growing, the Gospel of Jesus proclaimed with love, and wonderful friendships are developing. This is the fruit of our Archbishop's Council Project: Sensing Salvation Wisbech at S.Peter's Lodge, and our Pax Tibi Theatre Company performances on Bible stories and the lives of the Saints, in our local primary schools. Thank you to Sister Wendy, Brother James, and June for a fabulous evening. 

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During the past week we have welcomed another two Lithuanian families to the Parish family of SS Peter and Paul, Wisbech. The photo above shows Father Paul with a grandmother and granddaughter (left-hand side) and her friend. The girls have been reading and serving at the altar during mass. On Saturday afternoon, they, with some other Lithuanian friends helped Father Paul set up for mass. When they came out of church they discovered that their bikes were stolen. Father Paul searched the area and found a group of older boy with the bikes. Fr Paul confronted them and gently encouraged them to do something good, and together they returned the bikes - putting them in the sacristy. Two of the girls came to the 8am Holy Communion service, the next day, and served at the altar. To their great surprise they listened to Father Paul retelling this story in his homily and they smiled at the happy ending. After they were reunited with their bikes, they were so excited that they rode them down the chancel and nave and out the Southern door. A member of the congregation turned to Father Paul and whispered: "I don't think God minded." God in Christ cares for each one of us: he cares about even the most ordinary events in our lives. Jesus is always close-by. 

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Monday and Simona, the mother of Domas, brings a large tub of Lithuanian chocolates and Baptismal cake to the Vicarage. She, and the family, were very happy about yesterday's baptism within the sung mass. Fr Paul joyously received this very sweet gift.

May Our Lady of Mercy Gates of Dawn and St Casimir pray for the Lithuanian community in Wisbech and Fenland.

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Today, within our Sung Mass, we welcomed Domas into the Body of Christ with his family and friends. They are Lithuanians living in Wisbech. Domas means house and Fr Paul used the giant drawing board to talk about family life, and what makes a house into a home - loving family relationships. He spoke about the household of God and that we are all brothers and sisters in the one human family. 11 years old Tomas and his three friends came into St Peter's to light candles for their family in Lithuania. They were invited to become instant altar-boys and they put on cassocks and cottas and were magnificent first-time servers. Tomas processed to the altar with a beautiful image of Our Lady of Mercy at the Gates of Dawn, Vilnius - Our Lady of Lithuania. It was a wonderful mass with Russian, Latvian, English and Lithuanian children. There was about 80 in the congregation. The New Evangelization work of Sensing Salvation Wisbech and our excellent parnerships with local schools are bearing fruit. Families are coming to faith by walking across the creative bridge of Christ into the worship and fellowship of the Christian Church. 

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Friday night and we re-launched the youth group with a fun night of ten-pin bowling. We welcomed ten young people from our town and their parents - many of them have got to know Sister Wendy and Father Paul through our Pax Tibi Theatre company productions in local primary schools and the recent giant processional puppets residency at the Lodge. Well done Nichole who demolished Fr Paul's dominance of the sport. 

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Official Website for the St Peter's Lodge has been updated with the latest Artist in Residence and new Galleries. Go check it out.

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The photos above show an afternoon of celebration with the finished giant processional puppets of St Nicholas and St Etheldreda. Thank you to our magnificent artist in residence, Pat Howe, for her vision, passion, and hard work over the past week. At 4pm, the puppets were ready. With a good crowd of students, families and school community members present, the puppets were blessed with holy water, and led out into St Peter's Park for a rowdy procession with Keith playing squeeze box and children with an assortment of bells. Bemused passers-by concentrated their i-phones on the unfolding drama. We are introducing people to a visible and generous God in Christ who changes lives and gives us the saints to inspire us to live well. Finally we returned to the church and feasted on Polish cake and sickly sweet cordial. Father Paul announced the Opus Gratiae Youth Group program, and we hope to welcome many of the students to explore the Christian faith and fellowship with us. 

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The Giant Processional Puppet Residency has been amazing. The photos above show our primary school students working together on the enormous sculptural forms of St. Nicholas and St. Etheldreda. Today the Lodge was a bee hive of creative action. Tomorrow at 3.30PM we all meet in St. Peter's Church for some story-telling, song, and then a noisy street procession to the Lodge and a celebration of the achievements of the week with Pat and some very fine Polish cake. SS Nicholas and Etheldreda pray for us.

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The giant processional puppet residency, began today, at St. Peter's Lodge in Wisbech. Pat and the year 4 students from Elm Road School began making the arms of our enormous saints: Nicholas and Etheldreda. Father Paul began with an introduction that included some story-telling and prayer before the Image of Our Lady of Walsingham. The students love the Lodge and have great fun coming to this very special place. We also welcomed a few members of our parish family, who rolled up their sleeves and expended some creative energy.

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Tomorrow we begin another 'Artist and Theologian in Residence Week, with Pat Howe who makes giant processional puppets. The photos above show one of Pat's creations, in glorious procession, at this year's Wisbech Rose Fair. We propose to make two giant processional puppets this week: St Nicholas and St Etheldreda.

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The Wisbech Art Colony Pilot Project The Frontier Zone was an astonishing creative adventure. Above are memories of our temporary community - the joy of being artists together; Paul in conversation with year 5 students from Elm Road Primary School; and our day pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham and discussion and reflection on sacred image-making with Bishop Lindsay.