On Shrove Tuesday, members met in Church House for their afternoon meeting. Ellen led the service and Betty read from Exodus. Members were saddened to hear of the death of Mrs. Winnie Lamb. Since joining Mothers' Union, she had been a faithful member and will be missed by all. Guest speaker for the afternoon was the Rector. In his talk, he outlined the meaning of Shrove Tuesday and the Lenten Fast, how people prepared by confessing their sins and being absolved of them (thus 'shriven') and how they physically prepared for the Lenten Fast by using up all the rich food left in the house by making 'pancakes', whether savoury or sweet. The idea was to draw closer to Jesus (who spent 40 days in the wilderness in fasting and prayer) and more importantly to walk with Him the Path to Calvary, before the completion of His triumph on Easter morning. The Rector went on to look at how Lent was observed in Tenby in times past, taking the Parish Magazines of 1869 (the first one) 1871, 1913, 1949 and 1957, when the Rectors were Rev. George Huntingdon, Rev. N. Chetwode Ram, Archdeacon Bickerton Edwards and Canon H. B. Hallam. The years changed, and the political concerns of the Church, but the purpose of drawing near to Christ 'with humble and contrite heart' remains. He wished everyone a good Lent. Janet warmly thanked the Rector for his informative and interesting talk. Pancakes and tea followed, served by the committee, which was a fitting end to a most enjoyable afternoon. Members are reminded of the Women's World Day of Prayer today (Friday) at 2.30 pm in Holyrood and St. Teilo's Roman Catholic Church. The next meeting is on March 6, at 2.30 pm, when the guest speaker will be Mr. John Beynon.
