On September 7th of this year, thousands of mourners gathered outside St Luka church in Belgrade for the funeral of Ratko Mladić. During the service, the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church said that Mladić would remain, “deeply etched in the memory and prayers of the majority of our Serbian Orthodox people, who feel and nurture a deep sense of gratitude towards him”. The former general came to be known as the ‘Butcher of Bosnia’ for the savagery of his actions in that country, most notably the massacre of some 8,000 Bosniak men and boys who were bussed away from Srebrenica and executed at sites around the region after Mladić’s troops had captured the town. His name will doubtless remain deeply etched in the memory of many in Bosnia too, but not with a ‘deep sense of gratitude’. It feels hard to understand how such recent history can be remembered so differently in neighbouring countries.

November is sometimes called the month of remembrance, beginning as it does with All Souls’ Day when we remember and pray for those whom we ‘love but see no longer’, and also being the month in which we share in our national acts of remembrance for those who have died in armed conflicts across the past century in particular. The story of the remembrance of Ratko Mladić reminds us that remembrance is not a neutral act: it is not enough just to remember, we have a duty to seek to remember the truth. Indeed, that commitment to truth was one of the spurs to the commemoration of the Great War, inspired by the belief that if people remembered the horrors of 1914-1918 then perhaps it truly would be ‘the war to end all wars’.

The central act of Christian worship is an act of remembrance, and one of our key callings as Christians is to remember the truth about the life and witness of a peasant Rabbi from Nazareth. That calling has always been important, but it has become increasingly so in recent years. When I was ordained in 2000, I don’t think I could have imagined that I would find myself writing parish newsletter articles about the rise of Christian nationalism: the ‘new atheists’ were in the ascendant and Alastair Campbell’s famous remark that ‘we don’t do God’ largely chimed with the view of the time that religion and politics really didn’t mix. These are clearly different days. The group Patriot Platform, which came to national prominence when their balaclava-clad members organised blockades of the ports of Dover and Portsmouth, rallies under the banner, ‘Faith. Family. Freedom.’  Personally, I think that there is something especially noxious about seeing the cross, a symbol of an outsider who was condemned and executed by the ‘establishment’, being used to rally support for protests against marginalised and minority groups. The remembrance of Jesus is being wilfully and persistently distorted by bad actors; we might dismiss them as ‘fringe’ groups today but given that just a decade ago we wouldn’t have been talking about them at all, it’s probably best not to be sanguine about their potential influence.

November is the month of remembrance. This November, it would be a good idea to ask ourselves who and what it is that we’re remembering when we remember Jesus Christ.

This week’s pew sheet

The Parish Office still does not have a printer, and so pew sheets cannot be printed for Sunday mornings. If you like to have the readings, music and parish news on paper, please download the sheet below and print it at home. Thank you to everyone who has been helping out by printing these each week, and to the Way Inn who have been printing posters.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible!

pew sheet trinity last

Sunday 1 November at 9:30 am
Sung Eucharist for All Saints

All are welcome to our sung Eucharist when we commemorate the saints of the church. We give thanks for the lives of the saints whose lives inspire us today.

God of holiness,
your glory is proclaimed in every age:
as we rejoice in the faith of your saints,
inspire us to follow their example
with boldness and joy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

Sunday 1 November at 6:00 pm
All Souls

As is our tradition, every year on the Sunday evening nearest 1 November, we mark All Souls' Day. This is a special time in the church calendar when we remember the dead - "those whom we love but see no longer". The choir will sing Gabriel Fauré's beautiful setting of the Requiem Mass.

During the service there's an opportunity to light a candle in memory of someone you have lost, and we read out the names of the departed. If you plan to come to this service and you'd like to include the name of a loved one, there will be list at the back of church. 

If you are mourning a loved one - whether someone who has died recently or many years ago - this service offers a time for quiet remembering and thanksgiving.

 www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk

Saturday 14 November at 7:00 pm
Casserole evening

We've enjoyed some fabulous lasagne evenings, but now for a change we are holding a fundraising casserole evening in the Court House. Join us for another evening of heert-warming good food and good company. £15 per head, bring a bottle, all proceeds go to the St Peter's Renovation Appeal (roof fund). Please let Carolynne know if you're coming, for numbers.

If you can provide a casserole, please contact Carolynne and let her know what you plan to cook - beef, chicken, pork, vegetarian, traditional English, something French, Irish stew.... what's your speciality? 

Contact:

Carolynne Charman    07503 156 751

 Email Carolynne Charman

Sunday 7 February
Confirmations 2027

Bishop Jane will be with us to confirm those who have been prepared on Sunday 7th February next year at our 9.30am Parish Eucharist. If you would like to be prepared for confirmation, please complete this form and return it to Fr Stuart. A handful of printed forms are also available in church. If you are not sure whether or not you would like to be confirmed at this time but would like to know more, please contact Fr Stuart for a conversation.

confirmation application form

Contact:

Fr Stuart Owen    01442 879 739

 Email Fr Stuart Owen

Sound system

As explained in last Sunday's pew sheet, we have had some technical problems with the sound system in church, and this means that the hearing aid loop is temporarily unavailable. We apologise for any inconvenience. We thank everyone for their patience and understanding while our sound volunteers work hard behind the scenes to get the problem fixed.

A Parish Pilgrimage

Last Saturday, Fr Stuart led a small but perfectly formed group of St Peter's people on a walk to Aldbury. The 10-mile round trip in blazing October sunshine reached the beautiful church of St John the Baptist, Aldbury, where our pilgrims received a very warm welcome from Aldbury parishioners. The plan is to do three pilgrimages in the year, of different distances, so there's an opportunity to take part for people with a range of abilities. 

Parish calendar

Just a reminder that one of the many ways you can find out about services and events at St Peter's is to look at the church website, which has an online calendar. The web address is very easy to remember:

www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk/events

Forthcoming events will normally be highlighted in the Parish News email a couple of weeks beforehand, but if you want to look slightly further ahead, the website calendar is there to help you.

Festival of Light: volunteers wanted!

The Berkhamsted Festival of Light will take place on Sunday 22 November. This is a wonderful opportunity for St Peter's to reach out to the wider community and welcome through the door people who may not normally set foot inside a church. As part of the town's celebrations, we lay on a spectacular display of the church lit by thousands of candles, and we sell refreshments. Will you help us this year? We get lots of helpers to share the work, and if you've never helped before, we encourage you to come and help! Young people are especially welcome!

Please sign up as a volunteer using the online form button below. (This is just to indicate your willingness to help - once we have all the contact details, there will be an opportunity to allocate duties). If you don't want to sign up online, there will be a paper form in church on Sunday. Please use this form rather than just agreeing to help in a conversation, as this makes planning so much easier.

 www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk

Open mornings for prospective families

Looking for a Reception or Nursery place for your child to start September 2027 in the local area? Victoria School are holding open mornings for prospective families to have a tour of the school:

• Friday 23 October at 9.15am
• Friday 6 November at 9.15am
• Thursday 3 December at 9.15am
• Thursday 7 January at 9.15am
• Friday 19 March 1.45pm-2.30pm - Nursery Stay and Play
  Come along with your child to have a taster of Victoria Nursery.

Victoria also currently have spaces in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 to start immediately. Follow the link below here for details on 'in year' admissions and how to apply directly through the school.

Download the Castle Federation Schools Prospectus

 www.victoria.herts.sch.uk

Abbey by Night

St Albans Cathedral are running their hugely popular Abbey by Night events again this autumn and winter. Be transported back in time to the medieval abbey as you encounter the fantastic stories of the past under candlelight, in the company of monks and pilgrims from the past. Tickets: £23 (includes a glass of wine on arrival). Visitors must be 12yrs+.

 www.stalbanscathedral.org

Saturday 31 October at 7:00 pm
The Berkhamsted Ball

The last few tickets are left for Berkhamsted Castle Trust's fundraising ball - snap them up while you can! This glittering black-tie event will feature a three-course dinner, live music and dancing with The X Tones, and a Gala Charity Auction hosted by Antiques Roadshow experts John Bly and Eric Knowles. Auction lots will include holiday home stays, a painting of your house by Mary Casserley, a private plane flight, a fly fishing experience day, and a personalised visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum with John Bly. All proceeds will go towards the Castle Fields Appeal, saving the historic battlefield site next to Berkhamsted Castle. 

Tickets are £75 each and include a welcome drink. Book online - individuals or couples welcome, or get friends together and book a table of 8!
Nash Hall, Berkhamsted Girls' School, Kings Road

 buytickets.at

Sunday 1 November
BerkoFest Book Festival

Tickets are still available for BerkoFest Book Festival in Berkhamsted Town Hall. Discussions, readings, Q&A sessions and book signings, hosted by Robin Ince and Nigel Barden, with appearances by Alexei Sayle, Lucia Osbourne-Crowley, Athena Kugblenu, Ellen Jones, Caroline Litman and Ben Jennings.

 tickets.matterpay.com

Saturday 7 November
Fleetwood Mac by candlelight

The Rumours are true...! Experience the hits of Fleetwood Mac as you've never heard them before, played by a string trio! We welcome Lumos back to St Peter's for an enchanting evening of classical rock by candlelight. We wouldn't tell you Sweet Little Lies - it's such a popular concert that there will now be three performances at 5pm, 7pm and 9pm. Don't Go Your Own Way - book now! Tickets £20-£45 - booking links on our website:

 www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk

Sunday 8 November at 2:00 pm
Bulb planting on the Moor

Berkhamsted in Bloom are holding an afternoon of free family fun 2pm-3pm on the Moor (end of Castle Street, by the canal). Come and help to plant 2000 bulbs, which will bloom in spring 27. There will also be a children's I-spy trail!

Thursday 12 November at 6:30 pm
Talk: The Battle of Rorke’s Drift

Berkhamsted Castle Trust presents a speaker event with South African historian Douglas Rattray, examining the events of the Battle of Rorke's Drift, one of the most dramatic battles of the Anglo-Zulu War - made famous by the 1964 film Zulu. The evening is kindly being supported by Ashridge House and is in aid of the Save Castle Fields appeal. Spaces are limited (there are not "thousands of 'em, sir") so booking is essential. 6:30pm to 8pm - doors open from 6pm. Location: Brindley Room, Ashridge House, Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 1NS - room located off the Bakehouse Coffeeshop Courtyard.

 www.berkhamstedcastle.org.uk

Food Banks Harvest Appeal

As the winter months begin, local charities find that demand for help rises. As energy bills soar, many people are forced to turn to food banks just to feed themselves and their families. There are many ways you can help people who are struggling:

• Inside St Peter's, Berkhamsted Food Hub have a pantry table, which allows people to come in and pick up food. Demand is now outstripping supply, and Food Hub have requested more donations. You can leave cans/jars/packets of non-perishable food on the table. Toiletries such as shampoo and shower gel are also especially welcome.
• At the supermarket, local charity DENS collect Food Bank supplies in donation points near the checkouts. If you're in Waitrose or Tesco this weekend, please pick up a few extra things  to help DENS and leave them at the collection point. You can view the DENS Harvest Appeal shopping list of most needed items below.

Your donation could make a life-changing impact for local families and individuals who are struggling to get by.

dens havest appeal

Christmas cards

If you're starting your Christmas cards soon, please remember to support our local Christian bookshop, the Way Inn. They have a wide selection of Christmas cards, as well as a range of books, gifts and picture frames. If you like to do a Christmas letter to all your friends and family, the Way Inn also have a print shop. They can do photos, scanning, video transfer and much more. Drop in to see what they have on offer - they're just in the back of the Post Office on Berkhamsted High Street. 

Grave gardens

The Friends of St Peter's run a lovely "Adopt a Grave" programme, in which you can volunteer to look after one of the many forgotten graves in our parish's Victorian burial ground, Rectory Lane Cemetery, and plant it out with flowers and perennials. The grave gardens are still looking beautiful and colourful as we slide into autumn, but there are still more to be planted and cared. Adopting a grave can be a real labour of love, and volunteers find that they "talk about them at home like they are old relatives and stop by to say hello and sit a while on the way home from town." It's also a lovely way to enhance our community and help the environment!

You can learn more about adopting graves and other volunteering opportunities in this month's Cemetery newsletter.

 us17.campaign-archive.com

Black History Month

Black History Month (observed in the UK during October) gives us an opportunity to look at our history in a different way and to shine a light on sometimes forgotten stories.

Here in Berkhamsted, The Hospice of St Francis have been remembering Jamaica-born Pam Macpherson, a passionate Black woman who founded The Hospice of St Francis here in 1979. Pam died in 2016 but left behind a cherished legacy - the wonderful work of the Hospice of St Francis, providing compassionate, end-of-life care for thousands of people in our local community.

There are many other fascinating stories that can surprise us. In the September 2020 edition of Your Berkhamsted Magazine, our esteemed local historian Jenny Sherwood explored Berkhamsted's links with the slave trade. Pilkington Manor, which once stood on the High Street, was built on the wealth generated from slavery by plantation owner Charles Gordon, who lies buried in St Peter's. In the same period of history, the poet William Cowper, son of our Rector, campaigned (successfully) with Wilberforce and Newton for the abolition of slavery. In the 20th century, Cowper's poetry was quoted in the Civil Rights speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. Download the archive copy of the magazine to read more about our fascinating local history for Black History Month.

 www.stfrancis.org.uk