Farewell to our Dear Deacon Peter

We said our farewells to Deacon Peter Hinchey at 3 special services in July.

Peter was received into Church at 5pm on Monday 16th July and then over 200 people came to a special Mass that evening which Fr Frank had arranged to give everyone a chance to say their goodbyes.

The next morning Peter's Requiem Mass was celebrated by Bishop Declan, supported by nearly 30 clergy members and was attended by just over 500 people.

Peter had already selected all the prayers and music of the Mass and it was a beautiful tribute to him and his ministry.

His family were all involved during the service, including the newest member of the Hinchey family, his great-grandaughter at just 2 days old, who received a blessing from Bishop Declan.

The family read a wonderful tribute to their father, with such great memories and reflections on his long and interesting life.

As he left the Church to go on to the final part of the service he was given a Guard of Honour by the District and Local leaders of the Uniformed Organisations of which he had been involved for most of his life.

Rest in peace dear Peter.

~

David, Dominic & Philip Hinchey would like to thank everyone for their kind messages & for their support over the last few weeks since the passing of our father. We really have appreciated it. It was so lovely to see so many of you at the services for him, especially the Masses which will live in our memories for ever. May God bless you all, Amen.

Not So Young Trip 2018

Our intrepid Not So Young Explorers had a wonderful week away together recently taking in the delights of Cumbria.

From seeing the local football clubs, to walking Hadrian's Wall, to shopping in Newcastle and Durham to visiting the holy island of Lindisfarne. They all had a wonderful trip!

Where will they be heading next?

Deacon Peter Hinchey RIP

 











It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our own Deacon Peter Hinchey.
He died on Saturday 23rd June surrounded by his family in hospital and he was at peace.

God bless him.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen
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Details of his Requiem are as follows:

At 5pm on Monday 16th July Peter will be received into the Church with a short vigil service.
At 7.30pm there will be a special Mass for Peter, this will give all those who cannot attend his Requiem the next day an opportunity to pay their respects - the Church will remain open until 10pm that evening.

His Requiem Mass, led by Bishop Declan, will take place at 11am on Tuesday 17th July at St Augustine's followed by his committal at Westerleigh Crematorium at 1.15pm.

Then there will be a reception at Mangotsfield Football Club.

St Augustine's COLOURFEST 2018

Saturday 30th June ~ 12noon until 4pm.

It is going to be a fantastically colourful day with lots to see and do & eat and drink - BBQ and bars, festival facepainting, bouncy castle, afternoon tea stall, tombola, toy pig racing, PLUS a local graffiti artist will be there making name plates - we are even staging a series of mini “Colour Runs” for all ages throughout the afternoon! We would love you all to be there to enjoy the day together as a Parish Community and to help us welcome many others from our wider community too and to raise much needed funds and local promotion for the Parish, the School, the Preschool & Uniformed Units. Thank you, from Fr Frank & the Summer Event Committee.

* RACE MARSHALLS NEEDED * We need your help! Could you volunteer to help with marshalling the colour run on the day? Can you help by coming along to the event, relaxing & enjoying the day, then popping on a ‘high viz’ jacket to help direct the runners for the short, fun, mini runs during the afternoon? Please contact the parish office if you can help.

* * Could you donate a bottle or a box of chocolates or an unwanted but new gift for our Tombola stall? Please bring any donations to the parish office  (PLEASE, NO 2nd hand items) 

* * We would love donations on the afternoon before or morning of the event of bought or homemade, cakes or scones for the afternoon tea stall. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

"Canterbury Belles" A review with special guest of honour!

On Sunday 13th May a very special tribute was paid to Deacon Peter Hinchey, in celebration of 40 years since the birth of 'Canterbury Belles', the long running show from the Scouts & Guides organisations and the Parish.
Graham Williams produced a review DVD for us all to watch in 2 parts - with an interval - just like in the show, with so many acts from over the years for us to remember.
We saw lots of singing, dancing, acting (?!), forgetting of words and laughs, fondly remembering those who took part in the show who are no longer with us.
The school hall was filled with well wishers who gave grateful thanks to Peter for all the hard work in writing, producing and co-coordinating over such a long time.
The Belles themselves even made a surprise appearance for Peter having been promoted to Ladies in Waiting for Meghan Markle!
After the event, Peter spoke of his own fond memories of the show and gave thanks to those who closely helped him to bring the show together over the years.

Peter says: "Having written so much material for Canterbury Belles from 1978–2011, I am now lost for words as I try to compose my appreciation for the tribute in my honour on Sunday 13^th. More than anyone, I am fully aware of all the planning and preparatory work that goes into an event and this makes me all the more appreciative of the units and supporters for such wonderful memories that I could share with so many of you. In the tradition of the gang shows I mention no names as all involved are in stars in their own right. We are all equal, as in the eyes of God, and each one is important so I ask God to bless each and every one of you. Deacon Peter."

Charity Walk for Brain Tumour Support

What a scorcher!
Over 40 parishioners, young and not so young, came out after the rain had passed on Sat 21st April to walk together in aid of Brain Tumour Support.
The sun shone down on them all as they walked together for over 3 hours from St John Fisher grounds in Frenchay, through to Downend High Street, up through the whole of Staple Hill and through to Fishponds (with ice creams and plenty of water and sun cream along the way!)
The generous patrons of all the pub gardens along the route and kind passers-by on the high streets and in the park helped them collect £342.80 for the charity.
They then enjoyed a picnic and games in the evening sun.

Thank you to Clare Davis and Angela Serle for helping to organise the event and to all of you who came along for such a lovely afternoon.

Our wonderful Soup Run!

On Sunday 11^th March approx. 30 people came along to an open meeting to talk about the homelessness situation in Bristol, what is being done to help and how people can get involved.

Philip McWilliams spoke about The Bristol Soup Run Trust – a charity set up in about 1980 whose aims are to ensure that, on every night of the year, food, advice and other essential supplies are made available, free of charge, to homeless and other needy people on the streets of Bristol.

Philip shared his many years’ of experience with the soup run and we learned that, while some of the clients are homeless and sleep on the streets, others may actually have accommodation of some kind. However, they are often people who lead chaotic lives, possibly down to loneliness, breakdown in relationships drug or alcohol addiction or mental health issues. Clients turn up at the Soup Run for many reasons:  hunger, isolation, companionship, advice.  Whatever the reason, the volunteers are not there to judge:  their job is to provide food, refreshment, a sleeping-bag, a pair of socks, toiletries, advice if needed and, above all, a friendly smile and a willing ear.

St Augustine’s Church in Downend got involved with the trust back in the 90’s and now provides 2 of the 20 teams who operate the 28 day, constant cycle of soup runs for the trust. Theirs operates on alternate Saturdays, nicknamed by some of the clients as ‘Super Saturday’ due to the large amount of food and supplies they are able to offer.

The Church’s teams have 62 ‘back office’ volunteers who, as part of a large rota, take turns to make rolls, heat soup, make cakes and even cook and fill a ‘hot box’ of burgers, pasties or sausages (it is Super Saturday after all!) ready for the ‘front line’ volunteers to take out and serve to those who turn up to the well-established meeting points in the centre of Bristol.

They also have a generously stocked store of essential supplies, such as blankets, sleeping bags, rain ponchos, toiletries, snacks, clothes, underwear etc that parishioners and friends kindly donate throughout the year when stocks run low and a small hard working team organise and prepare for every run – being as creative with the limited storage space as possible!

The soup run is a fantastic success story of the Parish. As Fr Frank Bermingham, Parish Priest, said, “This is a true example of Christianity in action.”

Phil concluded by saying that “If many do a little, something big can happen” proving that the willingness to help others, who, for whatever reason, are in need is alive and well in the community.

If you would like to find out more about the Bristol Soup Run trust, visit their new website at www.bristolsoupruntrust.org.uk