Weekly Email – Advent 2
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Dear friends,
On a number of occasions this week, it has been brought home to me just how lucky we are in our parish to have the support and efforts of a hugely generous and talented group of volunteers. Without the time energy and effort put in by so many to various areas of the life of our parish, we would not be able to offer the mission and ministry which we do.
I want to say a word of heartfelt thanks to everyone who volunteers in any way, especially in our preparations for Christmas at All Saints’, and to emphasise how grateful our whole parish is for all they do.
The first thing to prompt this sense of gratitude in me has been the first round of carol services which have taken place this week. A huge number of volunteers have put immense effort into the complex and demanding job of providing refreshments and welcome to all those who use our church for their Christmas Carol services. It has been very gratifying indeed to see the love and commitment shown by those who have organised this effort – especially Kate Hodgetts, Chris Self, and Janet Drake.
It has been a great joy to welcome so many people to our church and it is the result of a huge amount of hard work on our volunteers’ part that I am repeatedly told by visitors how much they appreciate their visit to our church.
A second occasion was a wonderful event which took place earlier on this week celebrating the 40th anniversary of two of the members of our serving team first becoming servers at All Saints’.
On Tuesday our whole serving team had a night out at Le Beaujolais restaurant to celebrate this significant mile-stone for Stephen Miller and Quentin Williams. It was good to be able to thank our servers for all they contribute to the liturgical life of our parish. All the servers are grateful to Stephen for his generosity in organising the dinner.
As I look forward to the liturgical schedule that will characterise our keeping of Christmas I am struck again by how lucky we are to have such a dedicated and able team of servers. I am very grateful to them for their selfless commitment to our parish and to the worship of the people of God in this place.
I give thanks for the spirit of volunteering that exists in our parish, and want to express our whole parish’s gratitude to those who give of their time and talents in any way. Without you we wouldn’t be able to achieve so much of what we do – many thanks indeed!
Fr Peter
Changes to our service times this week
Please note that there will be no evening Masses next week on the following evenings because of carol services taking place: 10th; 11th; 12th; 13th Dec. There will still be a 12 noon Mass each day. In addition there will also be no Holy Hour on Wednesday 11th Dec.
Our serving team enjoys a celebratory dinner together at Le Beaujolais last Tuesday.
British Library: Medieval Women
A parish trip will take place in the New Year on Tuesday 28th January 2025 at 6.00 pm to the British Library to see a new exhibition called, “Medieval Women: in their own words.” The exhibition seeks to help us discover more about “the rich and complex lives of women in the Middle Ages, with over 140 extraordinary items that reveal their artistry, resourcefulness, courage and struggles.”
Our visit to “Medieval Women” will then be followed by supper together at Pizza Express on the Euston Road, opposite the Library. The exhibition costs £15 and the two course dinner at Pizza Express is £30. You can book your tickets and places for the dinner via Eventbrite here.
A week after our visit to the exhibition, there will be the opportunity to discuss, analyse and debate what we saw further through one of our Zoom Theology seminars on Tuesday 4th February at 7.00 pm.
Drinks before dinner last Tuesday in the Vicarage for our serving team.
British Museum: Silk Roads
There will be a parish trip on 7th February 2025, to see the splendid new exhibition at the British Museum entitled, “Silk Roads.” The exhibition examines the network of trade, travel and intellectual connections that linked East and West through the first Millennium.
I am particularly grateful that we have been able to obtain from the British Museum 15 free tickets for this exhibition. They will be apportioned on a “first come; first served” basis. We will meet at the British Museum at 6.00 pm and you can book your place on this trip here on our Eventbrite account. Our visit to the British Museum will finish with the option of dinner at Le Beaujolais restaurant in Soho. The 3 course dinner at Le Beaujolais is £55 per head with parishioners paying for their own drinks.
Our serving team enjoys a celebratory dinner together at Le Beaujolais last Tuesday.
Christmas Services 2024
Sunday 22nd December 2024
8.30 am Low Mass for Advent 4
11.00 am High Mass for Advent 4
5.15 pm Low Mass for Advent 4
6.00 pm Christmas Carol Service: Service of 9 Lessons and Carols
Tuesday 24th December 2024
6.30 pm First High Mass of Christmas
11.00 pm Midnight High Mass
Wednesday 25th December 2024
8.30 am Low Mass
11.00 am High Mass
Sunday 29th December 2024
11.00 am High Mass
N.B. No evening Mass or Evensong on 29th December
Attendance last Sunday
Drinks before dinner last Tuesday in the Vicarage for our serving team.
Flowers
The flowers for the Second Sunday of Advent and Monday’s Feast of the Immaculate Conception have been given in memory of Ray Oram and his family.
If you would like to have flowers put in church to mark a special occasion or if you would like to make a contribution to the flowers for Christmas, please contact Shawn directly or via the parish office (office@asms.uk).
For your prayers
The Friends of All Saints’ Margaret Street:
8th – Martin Woods, The Rev’d John Wylam, William Yale, Michael Young
9th – Mark Allan, Martin Amherst-Lock, Robert Austen, Richard Ayling, James Babington Smith, Ruth Baker
10th – Stephen Baldwin, Stephen Barber, Jonathan Beck, Dr William Benefield, William Bonnell
11th – John Bristow, Paul Brough, David Blunden, Fr. Michael Bowie, Dr Graham Burns
12th – Derek Bussey, Katherine Butler, Maureen Cambrey, David Caplowe, Adrian Carlton-Oatley, Timothy Cassady, Kate Charles, Stuart Chillingworth, Robert Chote, Sandy Christian
13th – Roger Clark, Catharine Clarke, David and Mavis Cleggett, Graham Colville
14th – Karolyn Cooper, William Cooper Bailey, Peter Coulson, Steven Cox, Dr Yvonne Craig, Juliet Cridland
The sick:
Bishop Christopher Chessun, David Craig, Tony Hawkins, Fr Harry Hodgetts, Arthur Johnson, Michael Lamprell, Katherine Lee, Elizabeth Lyon, James Rodger, Fr James Rosenthal, Jan Smith, Fr Peter Strange, Christine Vaughn-Lillie.
The faithful departed:
Alvin Emery, Graham Norman, David Weller, Elizabeth Rankin, Pauline Ellis, Michael Parslew, Lee Nyuk Chin.
Those whose anniversaries of death fall at this time:
10th – Marian Borton, Hamish Gray, Natalie Dyrnes, Daniel Thomas
11th – Amelia Jones, Alice Trevor, Annie Jevons, Roscow Shedden Bp, Margaret Butterworth, Guy Pritchard, Ros Tagoe
12th – James Burling, Chris Fairbairn, Richard Eyre Pr, Ian Stevens
13th – Mary Packer, David Vickery Pr, John Turner, Lindsey Boynton
14th – William Lloyd Pr, Robert Kirk, David Paton Pr
15th – James Forsyth, Doris King, Leonard Beeken
Service times this week
Friday 6th December– Feria
12 noon Mass
6.00 pm Carol Service – Old Diocesans, Cape Town
Saturday 7th December – St Ambrose of Milan
12 noon Mass
6.30 pm Vigil Mass of Sunday
Sunday 8th December – ADVENT II
8.30 am Low Mass
11 am High Mass
5.15 pm Low Mass
6.00 pm Evensong and Benediction
Monday 9th December – IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BVM
12 noon Mass
6.30 pm Mass
Tuesday 10th December – Advent Feria
12 noon Mass
6.00 pm Carol Service – Somerville College, Oxford
Wednesday 11th December – Advent Feria
12 noon Mass
6.00 pm Carol Service – Queens’ College, Cambridge
Thursday 12th December – Advent Feria
12 noon Mass
6.00 pm Carol Service – Magdalen College, Oxford
Friday 13th December – St Lucy
12 noon Mass
6.30 pm Carol Service – St Peter’s College, Oxford
Saturday 14th December – Walsingham Devotion
11.30 am Rosary
12 noon Mass
6.30 pm Vigil Mass of Sunday
Sunday 15th December – ADVENT III
8.30 am Low Mass
11 am High Mass
5.15 pm Low Mass
6.00 pm Evensong and Benediction