All Saints Margaret Street.

One of the best ways to keep a worthy Lent is to get it off to a good start. This means making time for God around Ash Wednesday and ensuring you are present at the Mass on that day in order to receive the imposition of ashes.

There will be three Masses on Ash Wednesday (18th Feb) and all will include the imposition of ashes: Low Masses at 8.00 am and 12 noon; and a High Mass at 6.30 pm.

The preacher at Ash Wednesday’s High Mass will be Fr Alan Rimmer and the music will include: Missa Emendemus in melius by G. P. da Palestrina; Nolo mortem peccatoris by Thomas Morley; and Emendemus in melius by Cristóbal de Morales.

There will be many opportunities to make your confession in preparation for the beginning of Lent. On Shrove Tuesday (17th Feb) confessions will be heard by me at 11.00 am and by Fr Alan at 5.00 pm. On Ash Wednesday Day, Fr Alan will hear confessions at 7.00 am, and I will be available again at 11.00 am and at 5.00 pm.

Please note that a number of extra liturgies and devotions will be available through Lent. Stations of the Cross will be celebrated each Wednesday at 12.30 pm after the noon Mass, and on Friday evenings at 7.00 pm after the evening Mass.

In addition to extra liturgies, can I draw to your attention our weekly Holy Hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament on Wednesdays at 5.30 pm? This is a wonderful way of making time for the stillness that we need to hear the voice of the Lord. It would be particularly appropriate to make attending the Holy Hour part of your Lenten routine if you are able.

There will also be a number of opportunities for study and reading this Lent. The first revolves around a parish trip to the theatre to see the production of Shadowlands which is one the stage in London at the moment. The play is about the life of the great Christian apologist and writer C.S. Lewis. This will take place on Thursday 5th March at 7.30 pm. Tickets are limited and cost £55 each. You can book a ticket and pay here.

The theatre trip will be followed by a teaching evening about C.S. Lewis’ writings on Tuesday 10th March at 7.00 pm. It will be led by Fr Peter and will be particularly focussed on his book Mere Christianity (which it would be useful for those attending the session to have read). All are welcome at the teaching evening and you don’t have to have seen the play to participate. If you are unable to join us for the play, you could also simply watch the film version of Shadowlands as preparation.

The Bishop of Fulham is also hosting a Lay Congress study day entitled ‘Ready with a Reason’ on 21st March 2026 at S. Alban’s, Holborn, from 10.00 am to 3.30 pm. Bishop Linday Urwin OGS will be the keynote speaker, reflecting on sharing the Gospel with others.

Fidelium, a network for young adults in parishes under the care of the Bishop of Fulham, will be organising a mid-week Lenten retreat at St Andrew’s Holborn on Wednesday 4th March from 6.30 pm-8.30 pm. This will be an evening of prayer, teaching, and a simple supper followed by the opportunity for participants to make their confession and spend time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.  Please be in touch with Charlotte Choley-Kovacevic if you want to know more or would like to attend.

Works of mercy and almsgiving also form part of a good Lent. Our annual Lent Appeal will be focussed on raising funds for the charity C4WS which is the body that runs the homeless shelter we help staff at the American International Church on Tottenham Court Road. We will no longer be accepting cheques or cash for our Lent Appeal. Instead, a link will be available from next week onwards allowing us to make a donation to C4WS online.

We are still looking for homeless shelter volunteers for the night of Wednesday 18th/Thursday 19th March, which will be the last shelter of the current winter season for which we are responsible. Please be in touch with Fr Alan if you would like to volunteer.

I pray God will give us all the grace to return to him over the coming days of this holy season through our fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. I wish you all a blessed and holy Lent, and pray that we will all be able to rejoice with hearts well prepared when we reach Easter.

Fr Peter

Joint dinner with St Timothy’s, Winston-Salem

We look forward to welcoming a group of pilgrims from St Timothy’s, Winton-Salem, North Carolina, over the weekend of 9th-10th May 2026. Their Rector, Fr Steve Rice, will be our preacher on the Sunday morning at our parish High Mass.

There will be a special joint parish dinner at Le Beaujolais restaurant on Saturday 9th May 2026. There will be a drinks reception in the Vicarage from 6.00 pm, and we will then make our way to Le Beaujolais in time for dinner at 7.30 pm. The cost of the dinner, which includes three courses, coffee, tip and wine is £65.

There are 20 tickets available for parishioners of All Saints’. To book your place, simply sign up and pay via this eventbrite link here.

Palm Crosses

Fr Alan is collecting old palm crosses to be burned to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday. Please hand them in to him or simply post them through the Parish Office letter box.

RIP John Martell

John Martell, who worshipped at All Saints’ for many years prior to the Pandemic, has died. All are welcome at his Funeral Mass followed by burial and buffet on Thursday 19th February 2026 at 11.30am, which will take place at St Michael and All Angels, Harbledown, Canterbury, CT2 8NW. Fr Alan will be preaching.

At some point in the near future we will celebrate a Mass of Requiem at All Saints’ for people who cannot attend the funeral in Canterbury.

Attendance last Sunday