All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear friends,

I would like to draw your attention to the next stage of our campaign to raise funds for our Music and Choir Trust over the coming months. Our efforts will revolve around two significant events this summer, which I would ask you all to put in your diaries.

The first is a significant concert of music by J.S. Bach to be given by our Director of Music, Stephen Farr, on harpsichord and Margaret Faultless on baroque violin. It is entitled, using Bach’s own words,” Music for connoisseurs for the refreshment of their spirits,” and will include the Goldberg Variations along with chamber music for violin and harpsichord.

We are so grateful to Stevie for offering this concert in aid of our fundraising efforts. It is exceptionally generous of him. We are also more than delighted that Margaret Faultless has also agreed to play for us. Margaret is an internationally renowned specialist in historical performance practice, well known as an interpreter of eighteenth-century repertoire.

The concert begins at 7.00 pm on Friday 29th May 2026 at All Saints’ and tickets are £20 per head. You can buy your tickets here. Please make it a priority to attend – it will be a wonderful evening!

The second major event will take place on Sunday 7th June 2026, and will be a Sunday exploring the musical connections our parish has with Sergei Rachmaninov.

The Sunday will include music at all the liturgies by Rachmaninov, especially his Mass in Bb which was performed for the first time at All Saints’ in November 1915.

Our Director of Music at the time, Dr Walter Vale, had adapted movements from Rachmaninov’s Liturgy of St John Chrysostom to the words of the Ordinary of the Mass from the Book of Common Prayer. The adaptation was sanctioned by Rachmaninoff, who attended a performance of the Mass at All Saints’ in 1924.

I am exceptionally pleased that Bishop Rowan Williams, a good friend of our parish, and surely the greatest Anglican theological authority on matters Orthodox and Russian, will be coming to preach at the High Mass on 7th June.

After the High Mass there will then be two short lectures given by Professor Ian Quinn and Professor Geoffrey Norris about Rachmaninov’s involvement with All Saints’, and his Mass of St John Chrysostom.

Our Rachmaninov Day will conclude with Evensong and Benediction with works distinctly from our parish’s repertoire inspired by the composer.

In the 1970s, Vale’s successor as Director of Music, Eric Arnold, followed up on the Mass setting by creating a set of Evensong and Benediction canticles similarly adapting Rachmaninov choral pieces and fitting English words to them. He used other movements not only from the Liturgy but also from the Vespers or All-Night Vigil with which in 1915 Rachmaninov followed up the Liturgy of 1910.

These pieces are distinct to the musical patrimony of All Saints’ and represent a particular contribution our parish has made to English reception and understanding of orthodox liturgical sensibility.

I hope these two events will draw wide interest and will prompt people to re-double their efforts to support and re-endow our Music and Choir Trust Fund.

Fr Peter

Electoral Roll

The electoral roll is being updated in preparation for the Annual Parochial Church Meeting which takes place on Sunday 17th May.

If you added yourself to the electoral roll this time last year, don’t worry – you don’t need to do anything, as your name will remain on it.

If, however, you are not on the electoral roll, please make sure you fill in a copy of the electoral roll form which will be available in church on Sundays, and is also enclosed with this email.

It is important that all regular worshippers are on our electoral roll so it forms an accurate picture of our congregation’s make-up.

To join the electoral roll you need to have worshipped at All Saints’ in person regularly for at least 6 months, be baptized, over 16 years of age, and consider yourself a member of the Church of England, (or of a church in communion with the Church of England, or of another Church that believes in the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity).

Please ensure all filled-in forms are returned to Daniel Fielden, our electoral roll officer, by Saturday 25th April.

St George’s Day Mass & drinks

Fidelium, a group for young adults drawn from parishes within the Fulham family, will be meeting for “Mass and Pub” on St George’s Day at All Saints’ on Thursday 23rd April at 6.30 pm.

Low Mass for St George’s Day at 6.30 pm will be followed by drinks afterwards in our parish bar.

More information is available from Charlotte Choley-Kovacevic. She is always eager to hear from new people who might want to join Fidelium events.

Walsingham Pilgrimages

You can now book your place on any of the three pilgrimages which will be taking place this year to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham:

National Pilgrimage: Monday 25th May 2026
£45 per head. Setting off 7.30 am from Margaret Street, returning to central London in the late evening. Sign up and pay here.

Weekend Pilgrimage: Friday 18th – Sunday 21st September 2026
Set off early afternoon on Friday 18th September; return late evening Sunday 21st February. The cost is £240 Friday and includes full board plus mini-coach from Kings Lynn Station. Please note that we travel up to Kings Lynn by train and pilgrims need to book their own train ticket. Please book your place and pay via Eventbrite here.

Advent Retreat: Friday 4th – Sunday 6th December 2026
This year’s retreat leader will be Bishop Peter Eagles. The cost of the retreat is £274.  We will set off around midday on Friday 4th December and travel by train to Kings Lynn, returning to Kings Cross on Sunday evening around 7.00 pm. Please note that pilgrims need to book their own train ticket. Please book your place and pay via Eventbrite here.

Music sponsorship

The music at High Mass this Sunday is sponsored by Simon Rainey KC in memory of his friend Anthony Clarke, Baron Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, former head of Quadrant Chambers and former Supreme Court Justice, who died yesterday afternoon.

Sunday’s Mass is offered with special intention for the repose of his soul.

Flowers

The flowers in front of Our Lady are given by Charlotte Black in memory of her mother Priscilla Black.

If you would like to make a donation for flowers or the courtyard garden, please contact Shawn directly or via the office.

Attendance last Sunday

For your prayers

The Friends and Music Patrons of All Saints’ Margaret Street

20th – Fr Michael Maine, Fr David Mason, Thomas McBryer, Fr Stephen McClatchie, John McWhinney, Peter Medine, Colin Menzies OBE, Jane Elliston

21st – Stephen Miller, Thomas Moller, Barry Moore, Grace Morgan, Dr John Morrell, Fr Stephen Morris, Michael Mortensen, Inger Mosbery

22nd – Carol Mundell, Brian Newman, Sasha Nixon, Elaine Norman, Fr Paul Oakford, Anna and Fr Peter Oesterby-Joergensen, Amanda Oldman, Daniel Oliver

23rd – Fr Barry Orford, Nicholas Page, Malcolm Parr, David Parrott, Bhaven Patel, Alma Pearson, Pat Philips, Dr Colin Podmore

24th – Cecilia and Nicholas Powell, Susan Prain, Vasileios Psomas, Frau Dr Christiane Loidl-Rainey and Simon Rainey KC, Michael Readman, Hekki Repo, Fr Steve Rice, Fr Peter Roberts

25th – Hilary Rodger, Charlotte Rouche, Greg Round, Jamie Rundle, Mary Sherred, James Shrimpton, The All Saints’ Sisters of the Poor, Ingrid Slaughter

The sick

Jean Castledine, David Craig, Asuncion Gines, Fr Harry Hodgetts, Daniel Oliver, Ingrid Slaughter, Nanello, Shirley Thompson, Juliet Windham, Martin Wright

Recently departed

Dame Averil Cameron, Anthony Clarke, Lord Clarke of Stone-cum-Ebony, Melanie Holdsworth, Carol Simmons, Warwick Whelan Pr

Anniversaries of death

Services this week