All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear friends,

It has been good over the past 18 months to develop renewed links with our sister parish in New York, St Mary the Virgin, Times Square. We are “twinned” with them through the partnership programme that exists between our diocese and the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It was a huge privilege and joy, for example, for me to be invited to preach at St Mary’s last July.

As we have been pondering ways in which our two parishes can support each other, one obvious thing that comes to mind is the possibility of shared online formation and teaching.

The immense potential of online learning is something we have particularly discovered at All Saints’ since COVID. What began out of necessity as a way of keeping in touch and connected during the Pandemic has increasingly allowed our wider family of friends, supporters and parishioners to participate in formational events and teaching sessions despite being separated by many miles and sometimes oceans!

The next week at All Saints’ exemplifies this, with two really interesting sessions offered online: our Zoom Theology seminar on “Holy Murder” on Tuesday evening; and the last class in our Lent discussion reading group focussing on Dante’s Inferno on Wednesday night. We frequently have participants at these sessions from North America, and it is a great joy to welcome them when they join us.

Fr Sammy Wood, the Priest-in-Charge of St Mary the Virgin, Times Square, has been in touch with me to invite our parishioners to an online teaching event organised by St Mary’s this Sunday (17th March). It takes place at 1.30 pm New York time, so that should be around 5.30 pm in London. It will be a “hybrid” event – with people present in person in New York but also people tuning in online if they are unable to be present in person. It looks to be to be a very worthwhile session focussed on the story of Holy Week and the history and geography of the Holy Land – led by Zoom from Jerusalem itself by Manuel Abu Ali, a very knowledgeable tour guide of the Holy City. I suspect this will be a very useful and interesting session for many of our parishioners as we prepare for Holy Week. Fr Sammy says the following:

“St. Mary’s is pleased to offer a special formation offering this Lent inviting us to walk with Jesus over the course of the last few days of his earthly life. Manuel Abu Ali is a Christian tour guide living in Jerusalem. Manuel grew up in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem and has lived his whole life in the Holy City. He has a B.A. in Theology and the History of the Holy Land. He describes his job as “bringing the Bible alive to pilgrims, leading them to walk where Jesus walked in the Holy Land, the ‘Fifth Gospel.’

Beginning with the Raising of Lazarus, which led to the plot to kill Jesus (John 11.53), Manuel will use photographs and insightful commentary to guide us as we visit sites of the events from Palm Sunday to the Last Supper, from the Garden of Gethsemane to the Via Dolorosa, culminating in the empty tomb of Easter. This event is free, but donations for Manuel are appreciated. For more information, contact frwood@smvnyc.org, and please join us from home via this Zoom link.”

Fr Sammy and I are discussing how we might explore more joint online teaching sessions over the next 12 months, and we are hoping that some of the All Saints’ Zoom Theology Seminars next year could be offered jointly to both parishes as a way of bringing us closer as we deepen our faith in Jesus Christ.

I commend Sunday’s online session organised by St Mary the Virgin from Jerusalem to you if you are free on Sunday afternoon, and ask that you keep St Mary’s in your prayers as we seek to support and encourage each other in our Christian vocation and witness.

Fr Peter

Online Zoom Coffee Hour this Sunday

An online Zoom coffee hour will take place this Sunday for our online worshippers and friends who would like to meet up via Zoom after the High Mass. It will be hosted by Fr Peter and will begin at 12.45 pm. The Zoom link is here.

These coffee hours offer an opportunity for those who worship with us online, and those who are housebound to meet online for a time of chat, conversation and fellowship. At the end of the High Mass, just make yourself a cup of coffee and join us online.

Doris Sanders RIP

The Funeral Mass of Doris Sanders will take place on Tuesday 19th March at 10.00 am at All Saints’.

The funeral will be followed immediately by a committal at Golders Green Crematorium.

Lent Appeal 2024

We will be following our usual custom of organising a Lent Appeal to provide a focus for parishioners’ charitable giving during Lent. All funds raised this year will contribute towards the costs of the Mental Health Worker who works at the American Church on the Tottenham Court Road. You can give to our Lent appeal here.

Stations of the Cross: Thurs not Fri

Stations of the Cross will take place this week on Thursday 21st March rather than on Friday. Stations will follow the 6.30 pm Mass at around 7.00 pm.

Dante’s Inferno – this Wednesday

The last session of our Lent study course on Dante’s Inferno will be led by Fr Alan and will take place by Zoom on Wednesday 20th March at 7.00 pm. The Zoom link is here.

Zoom Theology – this Tuesday

Join us for our next Zoom Theology session on Tuesday, March 19th at 7pm, entitled, “Holy Murder.” We’ll be discussing two instances of detective fiction with an ecclesiastical context – P.D. James’ Death in Holy Orders and Murder before Evensong, by the Rev’d Richard Coles.

We’re especially excited to be welcoming the detective fiction writer Kate Charles to speak to us about her own work, and about this genre more broadly.

The link for the Zoom seminar can be found here. Meeting ID: 883 2739 3693 Passcode: 1234

Lent and Holy Week confessions

A member of our parish clergy is available every week in one of the confessionals in church at 6.00 pm on Saturday evenings to hear confessions.

Fr Graeme Rowlands will be available to hear confessions at All Saints’ on only one last occasion before Easter: Mon 18th March – 11.00 am.

In Holy Week, confessions will be heard each day before the evening Mass from 5.00 pm onwards, from Holy Monday to Maundy Thursday: Holy Monday – Fr Peter Anthony & Fr David Houlding; Holy Tuesday – Fr Alan Rimmer and Fr David Houlding; Holy Wednesday – Fr Peter Anthony & Fr David Houlding; Maundy Thursday – Fr Alan Rimmer & Fr David Houlding.

Holy Week 2024

Fr David Houlding will be our Holy Week preacher this year. He will preach at all the major liturgies from Palm Sunday to Easter Day.

Palm Sunday: 24th March 2024
11.00 am Procession and High Mass with sermon
N.B. Meet at Oxford Market, where Gt Titchfield Street meets Oxford Street, for the liturgy of palms.
Music: Mass in B-Flat after Rachmaninoff’s Op. 31, arr. by Walter Vale; God so loved the World – John Stainer.

6.00 pm Evensong and Benediction with short meditation in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament given by Fr Houlding.
Music: Canticles – Francisco Guerrero & T. L. de Victoria;  Solus ad victimam – Kenneth Leighton; Salvator Mundi – Thomas Tallis.

Holy Monday: 25th March 2024
5.00 pm Confessions – Fr Peter Anthony and Fr David Houlding
6.30 pm Low Mass and sermon
Please note that in Holy Week, there will only be one Mass each day in the evening – i.e. there will be no 12 noon Mass.

Holy Tuesday: 26th March 2024
11.00 am Bishop of Fulham’s Chrism Mass at St Andrew’s, Holborn
5.00 pm Confessions – Fr Alan Rimmer and Fr David Houlding
6.30 pm Low Mass and sermon

Holy Wednesday: 27th March 2024
5.00 pm Confessions – Fr Peter Anthony and Fr David Houlding
6.30 pm Low Mass and sermon
7.30 pm Tenebrae

Maundy Thursday: 28th March 2024
5.00 pm Confessions – Fr Alan Rimmer and Fr David Houlding
6.30 pm Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper with watch until midnight at the Altar of Repose
Music: Missa Brevis – Dieterich Buxtehude, Missa XVIII; O sacrum convivium – Thomas Tallis; Ave verum – William Byrd.

Good Friday: 29th March 2024
3.00 pm Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion
Music: Reproaches – G. P. da Palestrina;  Ecce quomodo moritur justus – Jacob Handl.
7.30 pm Stations of the Cross – Maria Desolata

Holy Saturday: 30th March 2024
8.00 pm Easter Vigil
Music: Messe Solennelle – Louis Vierne.
Voluntary: Grand Choeur dialogué – Eugène Gigout.

Please note that the Easter Vigil will take place a little earlier than usual at 8.00 pm because the clocks go forward in the night of 30th/31st March.

Easter Day: 31st March 2024
11.00 am: High Mass
Music: Krönungsmesse K317 – W. A. Mozart; Easter Hymn – Pietro Mascagni.
Voluntary: Toccata in F, BWV 540i – J. S. Bach.

6.00 pm Evensong and Benediction with Te Deum
Music: St Paul’s Service – Herbert Howells; Blessed be the God and Father – S. S. Wesley; Te Deum in B-flat major – C. V. Stanford; Tantum Ergo – George Henschel.
Voluntary: Résurrection from Symphonie Passion – Marcel Dupré, 1886-1971

Walsingham weekend Pilgrimage

Just three places remain on our weekend pilgrimage to Walsingham in July. Be in touch (email office@asms.uk) if you would like to take one up. The deadline is Easter Day.

The pilgrimage takes place from Friday 19th July to Sunday 21st July 2024. Cost:  £190 Friday pm to Sunday evening – including full board plus mini-coach from Kings Lynn. Pilgrims need to book their own train ticket to Kings Lynn.

There is an option for pilgrims who wish to stay on until the Monday and return on 22nd July – this costs £280.

Attendance last Sunday

Prayer List

The Friends of All Saints’ Margaret Street:

March 17th – Sue Feakin, Adrian Felaar, Daniel Fielden, Janice Fielden, Julia Fielden, Nigel Fisher, Mark Fleming
18th – Stuart Fletcher, Christopher Forman, Anthony Fox, Dr Ralph Donald Fram, Dr Jason Frost, Charlotte Gauthier, Dr Rebecca Gibbs, Pamela Goddard, Paul Golding, John Goldsmith
19th – Genevieve Gomi, The Ven Thomas M. Greene, Jack de Gruiter, Canon Michael Gudgeon, Sheelagh Gudgeon, Ginger and Del Hall, Monica Joan Hall
20th – Roger Hancock, Canon Richard Hanford, Paul Hannah, Jillian Hargreaves, Christopher Harrison, Patrick Hartley, The Rev’d Canon Jeremy Haselock
21st – Eoghan Healy, Rebecca Hirst, Fr. David Hobden, James and Gwendoline Holdcroft, Edwin Holmes, The Rev’d Canon Graham Holcombe, Bishop David Hope
22nd – Richard Hoskinson, David Hutt, Alfred Imhoff, David James, Andrew Jervis, Arthur Johnson, Stephen Jury, Malcolm Kemp
23rd – Alan Kimbrough, Brenda Koupis, The Very Rev’d Harry Krauss, Deirdre Laing, Graham Last, Christopher Laws
24th – Cornelius Logue, Frau Dr Christiane Loidl-Rainey, Nigel Lynn, Henry Macey, Bishop Michael Marshall, Robert Mason, Graham Mather

The sick:

Martin Berka, David Craig, Roger Dilks, Fr. Harry Hodgetts, Lesley Lee, Wendy Leech, Elizabeth Lyon, Frank Ottwell, James Roger, Bruce Ross-Smith, Susan McHale.

The faithful departed:

Doreen Harding, Doris Sanders, James Forde

Those whose anniversaries of death fall at this time:

March 17th – Edward Aubert, Frank Coomber
18th – Jessie Thwaites, Edward Mann, Evangeline De Fonseka, Joy Wright, Stewart Lyon
19th – Joan MacKintosh, Millie Cathcart
20th – Christine Tagoe
21st – Mary Steward, Hugh Wiley, Emily Pattisson, Margaret Baker
22nd – Charlotte Read, Olive Evans
23rd – Geoffrey Constable
24th – Constance Kirk

Tuesday 19th March – S. JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF BVM
12.00 pm Mass
6.30 pm Mass

Wednesday 20th March – Feria
12.00 pm Mass
6.30 pm Mass

Thursday 21st March – Feria
12.00 pm Mass
6.30 pm Mass
7.00 pm Stations of the Cross

Friday 22nd March – Feria
12.00 pm Mass
6.30 pm Mass

Saturday 23rd March – Feria
11.30 Rosary
12 noon Mass
6.00 pm Confessions
6.30 pm Vigil Mass of Sunday