Weekly Email – Christ the King
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Dear friends,
As we celebrate the feast of Christ the King this Sunday, the liturgical year comes to its close and we look forward to the beginning of Advent the Sunday after.
Whilst the secular world around us, and especially that incarnation of it present in the shopping streets around All Saints’, leaps to celebration of Christmas for weeks before 25th December, the Church calls Christians to prepare for the birth of Christ in an altogether different way, and at an altogether different pace.
All Saints’ Church will be bedecked in purple from Sunday 1st Dec onwards as we look with penitence of heart and eagerness of spirit to God for salvation, and yearn for the coming of his Son.
A number of different patterns of worship characterise these weeks of Advent at All Saints’.
The first thing to bring to your attention is the parish’s candlelit Advent Carol Service which takes place on Sunday 1st December at 6.00 pm. This will take the place of Evensong on that day. It is a beautiful way of preparing our hearts for the birth of the Christ Child, and marking the formal start of liturgical Advent. The music this year will include: This is the truth, Ralph Vaughn Williams; Laetentur Caeli, Byrd; O thou, the central Orb, Gibbons; Ubers gebirg, Eccard; and Im Advent, Mendelssohn. In addition, there will be the opportunity to sing a wide range of some of our favourite Advent hymns. The liturgy moves from darkness into light, and finishes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Do put this in your diary and make an effort to be there if you can!
As we make our way through Advent, please keep a close eye on the liturgical calendar if you regularly attend the evening Mass. We often have external bodies using All Saints’ for their carol services. On any weekday night when there is a carol service, there will be no 6.30 pm evening Mass (i.e. the only Mass celebrated on each of those days will be at 12 noon). There will be a total of nine external carol services this year, so there will be no evening Mass on the following dates: 4th; 5th; 6th; 10th; 11th; 12th; 13th; 17th; 19th Dec.
We need volunteers to help with welcome and staffing of these many carol services. This is an important ministry which welcomes hundreds of people into our church building each year and which also raises crucial revenue. Please be in touch with Kate Hodgetts via the parish office (office@asms.uk) if you can offer time to help with this important work.
There will also be the opportunity for you to make your confession in preparation for Christmas. Priests will be available from 5.00-6.00 pm on the following evenings in the week before Christmas: 16th; 18th; 20th; 21st; 23rd; Dec.
We will keep our parish candlelit Carol Service on Sunday 22nd December at 6.00 pm. Christmas itself will be celebrated with two High Masses on Christmas Eve: one at 6.30 pm for those who find it easier to get into town earlier in the evening; and one at 11.00 pm for those who want to be present for the later celebration of Midnight Mass. On Christmas Day itself there will be an 8.30 am Low Mass and an 11.00 am High Mass.
I wish you all a joyful feast of Christ the King and a prayerful and holy beginning to Advent as we seek to prepare our hearts together for the Lordship of Christ, the Prince of Peace.
Fr Peter
New Parish Paper out now
A new edition of the Parish Paper is out now. This is the bi-annual journal of the Friends of All Saints’ and contains a wealth of interesting articles about the life of our parish, along with the latest news of forthcoming events. In order to receive a copy, you can join the Friends of All Saints’ here. If you live in the United States and wish to pay in US dollars, you can join the American Friends here.
Our autumn programme of formation came to a close on Wednesday with a “book club” style discussion evening looking at The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. Thanks to all who participated, and especially to Fr Alan for all his hard work in organising this fascinating series of lectures and seminars over the past few weeks.
Confirmation
Please be in touch with the clergy via the parish office (office@asms.uk) if you would like to be confirmed and/or baptized. Our confirmation will take place on Sunday 18th May and is preceded by a course of confirmation preparation through the early months of next year.
Please keep in your prayers a number of young pilgrims from All Saints’ who are making their way by foot to Walsingham for the Adoremus pilgrimage this weekend. We pray for dry weather and a joyful arrival for them at England’s Nazareth!
Requiem Masses
November is the month of Holy Souls. There will be a Low Masses of Requiem on 27th November. If you would like a departed loved one named at one of those Masses, please be in touch with the Parish Office.
Last Saturday, our parish rambling group had a splendid day walking in the countryside around Guildford towards the Surrey Hills, taking in Albury, Shere and Blackheath.
Sponsorship of sacristy supplies
We were so touched by the generosity which parishioners displayed in our efforts last year to cover the cost of sacristy supplies through sponsorship. A new order of altar hosts which should cover us for the next six months or so has just been received, and which has cost £133.25.
If anyone would like to sponsor part or all of that cost, please be in touch with the parish office (office@asms.uk). We would be hugely grateful!
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 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
Flowers
The flowers are given by Stephen Miller in loving memory of his mother Lovinia and in heartfelt thanks for 40 years of serving at the altar in this place.
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 big festivals, please contact Shawn directly or via the office.
For your prayers
The Friends of All Saints’ Margaret Street:
24th – Cornelius Logue, Frau Dr Christiane Loidl-Rainey, Nigel Lynn, Henry Macey, Bishop Michael Marshall, Robert Mason, Graham Mather
25th – Judith Mather, The Ven Fr Stephen McClatchie, John McWhinney, Colin Menzies, Amanda Miller
26th – Thomas Moller, Michael Mortensen, Barry Moore, Deacon Christopher Morash, Grace Morgan, Dr John Morrell, Fr. Stephen Morris, Inger Mosbery, Lachlan Moyle, Carol Mundell
27th – Christopher Naylor, Brian Newman, Barry Newsome, Elaine Norman, Richard North, Fr. Paul Ockford
28th – Fr. Peter and Anna Oesterby-Joergensen, Daniel Oliver, Fr. Barry Orford, Nicholas Page, Samantha Parker, Malcolm Parr, Bhaven Patel, Alma Pearson, Gladys Pearson
29th – Pat Philips, Dr Colin Podmore, Nick and Cecilia Powell, Susan Prain, Vasileios Psomas, Simon Rainey, Heikki Repo
30th – The All Saints Sisters of the Poor
The sick:
Bishop Christopher Chessun, David Craig, Tony Hawkins, Fr Harry Hodgetts, Arthur Johnson, Katherine Lee, Elizabeth Lyon, James Rodger, Fr James Rosenthal, Jan Smith, Fr Peter Strange, Christine Vaughn-Lillie.
The faithful departed:
Graham Norman, David Weller, Elizabeth Rankin, Pauline Ellis, Michael Parslew, Lee Nyuk Chin.
Those whose anniversaries of death fall at this time:
24th – Henry West, Gladys Howard, Alyo Purdon, Mary Rowe
25th – Agnes Mackay, Mabel Egerton, Marjorie Gilley, May Beeken
26th – Philip Burrage, Thomas Tomlinson, Priscilla Sedgewick, John Clayton, Barbara Morrissey, Thomas Ellis
27th – Edith Martin, Margaret Mack, Charles Hawksley, James Crompton, Joseph Kirkham, Margaret Pickering, Valerie Oram, Ann Cook, Phyllis James, Valerie Reddington
28th – Annie Marshall, Doris Harmsworth, Lovinia Miller
29th – John Clough
30th – Walter Ward, Archibald Ward Pr, Emily West, Katherine O’Neil, Chris Gudgeon
December 1st – Sarah Eynstone Pr, James Mason
Service times this week
Saturday 23rd November – Our Lady on Saturday
12 noon Requiem
6.30 pm Vigil Mass of Sunday
Sunday 24th November – OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE
8.30 am Low Mass
11 am High Mass
5.15 pm Low Mass
6.00 pm Evensong and Benediction
Monday 25th November – Feria
12 noon Mass
6.30 pm Mass
Tuesday 26th November – Feria
12 noon Mass
6.30 pm Mass
Wednesday 27th November – of Requiem
12 noon Requiem
5.30 pm Holy Hour
6.30 pm Requiem
Thursday 28th November – Feria
12 noon Mass
6.30 pm Mass
Friday 29th November – Feria
12 noon Mass
6.30 pm Mass
Saturday 30th November – St Andrew, Apostle
12 noon Mass
6.30 pm Vigil Mass of Sunday
Sunday 1st December – ADVENT SUNDAY
8.30 am Low Mass
11.00 am High Mass
5.15 pm Low Mass
6.00 pm Advent Lessons and Carols