Weekly Email – Easter 7
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Dear friends,
This week is an occasion to express our thanks to so many people in our parish as we experience a period of new beginnings, departures, anniversaries and retirements.
The first person to whom we should express our thanks is Fr Michael. This Sunday will be his last Sunday with us as he prepares to move back to Australia. I hope as many people as possible will make an effort to be with us on Sunday for the 11.00 am High Mass to share in his farewell celebrations and to thank him personally for all we have received from him.
Fr Michael’s 30th anniversary of ordination jazz concert was simply wonderful on Tuesday night and we all join in congratulating him on this significant priestly milestone. We will keep him in our prayers as he begins his ministry at St Peter’s, Eastern Hill, Melbourne.
Fr Michael was a tower of strength during the lockdowns, and helped lead our parish through some very difficult times as our whole country and church struggled to respond to the exigencies of the COVID pandemic. It is Fr Michael’s energy and imagination that prompted the start of our online ministry of live-streaming the liturgy during those dark days when we were prevented from worshipping together.
Fr Michael also tirelessly guided the sacramental and liturgical life of our parish during the recent interregnum. Many people have spoken to me of how much they have appreciated his priestly ministry over the past 8 years, and how much they will miss him.
We also owe a huge debt of thanks to our two outgoing churchwardens, Chris Self and John Forde, who stepped down from that role last Sunday at the Annual Meeting. Between them, they have served 39 years as church wardens! Without them, our parish would not be the same.
Chris’ friendly smile and attention to so many details of parish welcome and hospitality is legendary. John’s contribution is equally enormous in the realm of his love and knowledge for our church building. He is a walking encyclopaedia of the history of All Saints’ and the quirks of our church building.
We are hugely grateful to those who have stepped forward to be our new church wardens, Kate Hodgetts and Huw Pryce. We wish them well and assure them of our support and prayers as we prepare for their swearing in on 3rd July.
We also thank those who have recently stepped down as PCC members, Charlotte Black, Paul Faithful, Ian Lyon, and Shawn Welby-Cooke. We are grateful to them for their service to our parish. In their place our PCC now has several new members: Kirill Dashkovskiy; Richard Everton; Daniel Fielden; and Rachel Foss.
Our PCC committed itself in its most recent Mission Action Plan last year to ensuring new members were encouraged to stand for the PCC. It stated it would seek to find two new church wardens, and that by July 2023, we would aim to have “5 people under the age of 50 on our PCC, of whom at least 2 will be under the age of 40, and at least one under the age of 30.” As a result of our Annual Meetings last week, we have already fulfilled these aims a year earlier than planned.
A further cause for thanks this coming Sunday will be the Friends of All Saints’, as it will be our annual “Friends Sunday.” I want to express my gratitude to all who have joined our renewed Friends scheme, and whose generosity has made a big difference to the financial resources our parish has at its disposal. Our Friends and Benefactors are prayed for each day at the Mass, but this coming Sunday is a day when we can thank them particularly for their help and fellowship, for which we are very grateful.
Let us give thanks this week for all who have given so much to our parish and who are stepping down from roles of leadership or leaving us. Let us commit ourselves to praying for them and for those who will be taking their place, as we seek to respond to Christ’s call, and see the signs of his Kingdom being ushered in through our corporate life together.
Fr Peter
What a joy it was for so many friends and parishioners to join Fr Michael for an evening of jazz organised to celebrate his 30th anniversary of ordination. Stephanie Trick and Paolo Alderighi offered an outstanding concert. Every foot in the house was tapping away all night long!
Bank holiday Masses this week
Please note it is our parish custom not to have evening Masses on bank holidays. There will be no evening Mass at 6.15 pm on the two Jubilee holidays this week, Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June. There will, of course, continue to be a 12 noon Mass on both days.
Parish visit to the Raphael exhibition at the National Gallery
A parish visit to this summer’s extraordinary Raphael exhibition at the National Gallery, followed by dinner at Le Beaujolais restaurant, is planned for Friday 1st July.
The National Gallery describes this blockbuster exhibition as follows:
“His life was short, his work prolific, and his legacy immortal. A painter, draughtsman, architect, archaeologist, and poet, Raphael captured in his art the human and the divine, love and friendship, learning and power.
In his brief career, spanning just two decades, Raphael shaped the course of Western culture like few artists before or since.
This exhibition, one of the first ever to explore Raphael’s complete career, looks at his celebrated paintings and drawings as well as his work in architecture, poetry, and design for sculpture, tapestry and prints.
With loans from the Louvre, National Gallery of Art, Washington, the Prado Museum, Uffizi Museum and the Vatican Museum this is an unprecedented opportunity to see the breadth of Raphael’s skill, creativity, and ingenuity.”
We have booked 30 tickets for a visit to the exhibition at 5.30 pm, and dinner at Le Beaujolais will follow at 7.30 pm (also maximum capacity 30). The cost of a standard adult ticket for the exhibition is £26, and dinner at Le Beaujolais (including service charge but not wine) is £45.
To book, please email Jonathan, our new administrator, via the parish office (office@ASMS.uk) to signal how many tickets you want to reserve and whether you want to come to the dinner. Please also say if you have a reduction or membership card for the National Gallery. Reservations will be apportioned on a “first come, first served” basis. Once you secure a reservation, Jonathan will contact you shortly to arrange payment.
Email our parish office to reserve your tickets for our parish visit to the National Gallery’s Raphael exhibition on Friday 1st July, followed by dinner at Le Beaujolais.
Friends Sunday – 29th May 2022
This Sunday 29th May will be an opportunity to celebrate many things: it will be Fr Michael’s last Sunday with us; it will also be our dedication feast, when we celebrate the anniversary of the the consecration of our church; and it will also be our annual “Friends’ Sunday,” when we give thanks for the support of the Friends of All Saints’.
The High Mass will be followed by a presentation to Fr Michael and a parish bring-and-share lunch to welcome the presence of visiting Friends of All Saints’. We look forward to a celebration of so many aspects of our parish life together!
It would be good for everyone to bring food to share. Please be in touch with Chris Self to find out what would be best to bring: chris_self@btinternet.com
If you would like to join the Friends of All Saints’, you can find out more here.
Many thanks congratulations to those elected to our PCC last Sunday; and huge thanks to those who are stepping down after many years’ service to our parish in roles of lay leadership.
Jubilee Sunday – 6th June 2022
We will celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen’s reign in a number of ways on Sunday 6th June.
The music at the High Mass will reflect the character of the day. Amongst other pieces, we will hear Vaughan Williams’ O Taste and See at the offertory, which was written for the Coronation in 1953. This will be followed by an offertory hymn, Jerusalem.
At the end of the High Mass, the choir will sing a Domine, salvam fac reginam nostram Elisabeth by Simon Biazeck and the special Jubilee prayers will be offered. We will then sing the National Anthem together in thanksgiving for Her Majesty’s tireless service to our country.
After the Mass, there will be a bring-and-share parish lunch, at which the Platinum Pudding trifle will be served! Again, please be in touch with Chris Self to signal what food you intend to bring.
In our sermon last Sunday, Fr Julian spoke about the way in which we human beings are made for life with God, and the means by which we experience God’s presence in our lives is love. Our worship week by week draws us back to this fundamental human vocation. Watch again here.
Parish theatre trip: The Southbury Child
A parish trip to the Bridge Theatre to see The Southbury Child starring Alex Jennings has been organised for Thursday 11th August at 7.30 pm.
The Bridge Theatre describes the production as follows:
“Sharp-witted, wilful and frequently drunk, David Highland has kept a grip on his parish through a combination of disordered charm and high-handed determination.
But when his conscience forces him to take a hard line with a parishioner who wants Disney balloons at a family funeral, he finds himself dangerously isolated from public opinion.
As his own family begins to fracture, David must face a future that threatens to extinguish not only his position in the town, but everything he stands for.
Stephen Beresford’s very funny new play is a deeply humane exploration of family, faith, tradition and tolerance in a rapidly changing world.”
We have bought 15 tickets at £39.50 each. To reserve a place, please email Jonathan, our new administrator, via the parish office (office@ASMS.uk). Reservations will be apportioned on a “first come, first served” basis. Jonathan will then contact you to finalise your booking by arranging payment.
The Southbury Child – a “deeply humane exploration of family, faith, tradition and tolerance in a rapidly changing world.”
Links for Sunday
The link for the Propers for Easter 7 is at the end of this email. Click here for the YouTube live stream.
Evensong and Benediction on Sunday is at 6pm. The music includes Gabriel Jackson Truro Service, Phillips Ascendit Deus, and Lassus O salutaris and Andriessen Tantum ergo.
In our homily at the High Mass for the Ascension on Thursday, Fr Peter explored what the Ascension tells us about our humanity. The ascended Christ reveals our vocation as destined for glory, and all that mars our human existence as doomed to failure and defeat. Watch again here.
Flowers
We are looking for volunteers to help with the flowers in church. If you have a particular talent for flower arranging and would like to help from time to time or on a regular basis, please contact Shawn on 07988 287 663 or shawnwilbe@outlook.com.
If you would like to make a donation for flowers, please contact Shawn or speak to Chris Self.
Prayer list
The sick
Fr Harry Hodgetts, Elizabeth Lyon, James Shrimpton, David Robin, Martin Berka, Gloria Fleming, Laura Bevan, Fr Victor Stock, Brian Parker, Jim Robinson, David Craig.
Those known to us recently departed
Simon Preston, Chrys Street, Wessel de Kock, Ted Luscombe (Bp.), Sister Benedicta SLG, Michael Philip Learoyd
Anniversaries of death
29th – Agnes Barry, Brenda Lusha, Dominic Borg
30th – Henry Pelham-Clinton, Constance Porter
31st – Olga Gaunt
1st – Mary Bonar, Edna Hutt, Annie Key, Donald Barnes Pr
2nd – Ronald Self
3rd – Ada Tomlinson, Bob Terwilliger Pr, Vyvian Hall, Gwen Rice
4th – Joan Arnold
Supporting All Saints
Parish Giving Scheme
You can set up a regular donation to All Saints here.
We use the Parish Giving Scheme, which allows contributions to be anonymous and deals with GiftAid, saving our office a lot of time. You can read about how the scheme works here.
Donations for general church purposes
To give by BACS please use the following details, advising the Administrator to collect Gift Aid:
PCC All Saints (Charity no. 1132895)
Sort Code 60-09-15
A/C 04559452
Parish Legacy Policy
We are always delighted to hear from anyone who wants to support us with a donation. Our PCC Legacy Policy encourages people to leave bequests specifically to one of our two related charities to be used for purposes of lasting value (rather than day to day costs):
All Saints Choir & Music Trust (Charity # 802994)
or The All Saints Foundation (Charity # 273390).