Weekly Email – Palm Sunday
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Dear friends,
As Holy Week approaches and we prepare to celebrate the Death and Resurrection of Christ together, I make only one simple, but important, request of you – that you give to God of your time over the next week and ensure you participate in as many of the great liturgies of the Triduum as you can.
By making the celebration of the Paschal Mystery through the liturgical life of the church our highest priority, we encounter Christ in our midst and are drawn into the power of the saving events we commemorate.
The tradition of the church offers us a deep treasure house of riches in its liturgy this week: stunningly beautiful music; moving liturgical action; public witness and powerful preaching. We will experience the whole range of human emotion from the silence and contemplation of Maundy Thursday, to the desolation and sorrow of Good Friday, to the celebration and joy we will know on Easter night. In all that, Christ comes to meet his pilgrim people as they re-inhabit the story of their salvation. This is a week not to be missed.
The full details of our Holy Week liturgies are laid out below, and I encourage you all to note them carefully.
I am very grateful indeed that we will be joined by Fr David Houlding as our guest preacher this year. He is a first-rate speaker and teacher and was until his recent retirement the Vicar of All Hallows’, Gospel Oak. Fr Houlding was also for many years a member of the General Synod and Master of the Society of the Holy Cross. I am sure those who have not yet met him will enjoy getting to know him. We all look forward to hearing his preaching over the coming days.
As the liturgies of Holy Week come into view, we still need a few volunteers for a few practical tasks. If you would like to volunteer as a steward helping to direct our procession on Palm Sunday, please be in touch with with Fr Alan or with our parish office (office@asms.uk).
We also need volunteers who are happy to have their feet washed on Maundy Thursday at the Evensong Mass of the Lord’s supper. Please email Fr Alan or the parish office if you are interested. There will also be a list available on Sunday morning for people to sign up on. The most important thing to remember is that if you do sign up, DO NOT TO WEAR TIGHTS to church on Maundy Thursday, so the celebrant can get to your feet without unnecessary complexity!
A further area in which we need help is raising awareness of our services on social media. We have a number of posts running on Facebook and Twitter advertising our liturgies and it would be good if parishioners could share/retweet them to get them to as wide an audience as possible. We have found this is a hugely potent way of raising awareness of our Holy Week services in the past. Links to Facebook and Twitter posts are laid out below in this email for ease – please share/retweet them.
Finally, do not forget that our High Mass begins on Palm Sunday at 11.00 am at Oxford Market – i.e. the small pedestrian square where Great Titchfield Street meets Oxford Street. It is there that our palm crosses and branches will be blessed. After hearing the Palm Gospel, we will process with joy back to All Saints’ to greet the Lord as he enters his own city and makes his way to Calvary in order to accomplish our salvation.
I wish you all a very blessed, holy and prayerful Holy Week.
Fr Peter
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
Holy Week Social Media
If you are able, please share/retweet the following posts on Facebook and Twitter. This will make a huge difference in raising awareness of our Holy Week liturgies.
Full details of Holy Week on Facebook here.
Tenebrae: Facebook here; Twitter here.
Easter Day: Facebook here; Twitter here.
Easter Day Evensong: Facebook here; Twitter here.
Tenebrae: Holy Wednesday – 7.30 pm
The name Tenebræ (a Latin word meaning ‘darkness’ or ‘shadows’) has for centuries been applied to the ancient monastic night and early morning services (Matins and Lauds) of the last three days of Holy Week, which in medieval times came to be celebrated on the preceding evenings.
Our celebration on Holy Wednesday is a truncated version of the full service, and forms a fitting introduction to the last three days of Holy Week.
The psalms and readings lead into Maundy Thursday, the day of the Institution of the Holy Eucharist, overshadowed by the impending passion and death of the Saviour.
Apart from the chant of the Lamentations (in which each verse is introduced by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet) the most conspicuous feature of the service is the gradual extinguishing of candles and other lights in the church until only a single candle, understood as a symbol of Our Lord, remains.
Towards the end of the service this candle is hidden, representing the apparent victory of the forces of evil.
At the very end a loud noise is made, symbolising the earthquake at the time of the Resurrection (Matthew 28.2). The hidden candle is then restored to its place, symbolising Christ’s victory over the grave, and by its light all depart in silence.
Do join us for this fascinating and moving liturgy this Holy Week!
Chrism Mass
The Bishop of Fulham extends a warm invitation to all parishioners of All Saints’ to attend the Chrism Mass that he will celebrate at St Andrew’s Holborn on Tuesday 26th March at 11.00 am.
The Chrism Mass is the celebration in Holy Week at which the oil of the sick, the oil of catechumens, and the oil of Chrism which will be used in sacramental celebrations through the year at All Saints’ are blessed.
The Chrism Mass is also the occasion when priests renew their ordination vows and pledge themselves afresh to the service of the people of God in the name of their bishop and as part of his presbyteral college.
The Bishops of Southwark and London will also be present at the Chrism Mass at St Andrew’s as a sign of our shared ministry in Christ’s church.
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.
What a terrific evening we had on Tuesday night with our online Zoom Theology Seminar entitled, “Holy Murder.” We were joined by crime writer Kate Charles who explored the theological and ethical conundrums which murder mysteries are often so good at teasing out.
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.
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.
At the High Mass for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Fr Alan explored in his sermon the many passions we think about today: Christ’s Passion in the sense of his suffering which saves us from the passions of human sin that draw us away from God; but also the passionate love at the heart of God which wins our salvation. You can watch Fr Alan’s sermon here.
Attendance last Sunday
Prayer List
The Friends of All Saints’ Margaret Street:
March 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, The Rev’d Peter McGeary, Nigel McNeill, John McWhinney, Anne Merritt
26th – Thomas Moller, Barry Moore, Dr John Morrell, Fr. Stephen Morris, Inger Mosbery, Carol Mundell
27th – Christopher Naylor, Brian Newman, Elaine Norman, Graham Norman, Richard North, Fr. Paul Ockford
28th – Fr. Peter and Anna Oesterby-Joergensen, Fr. Barry Orford, Samantha Parker, Malcolm Parr, Bhaven Patel, Alma Pearson
29th – Pat Philips, Colin Podmore, Nick and Cecilia Powell, Simon Pusey, Simon Rainey, Gordon Reid, Heikki Repo
30th – The Sisters of All Saints’
31st – Friends of All Saints’ in need
The sick:
Martin Berka, David Craig, Roger Dilks, Fr. Harry Hodgetts, Lesley Lee, Wendy Leech, Elizabeth Lyon, Frank Ottwell, James Roger, Bruce Ross-Smith
The faithful departed:
Doreen Harding, James Forde
Those whose anniversaries of death fall at this time:
March 24th – Constance Kirk
25th – Belle McCarthy, Beryl Williams, Ralph Ballard, Yvonne Burgess-Jones
26th – Mary Montgomery
27th – John Davies, Amy Burnett-Brown, Maya Dean
28th – John Hosier, Diane Suzans
29th – Georgina Carlton-Williams, Joseph Semlyon
30th – William Ingarfill, Mani Blake, Cecil Saltford-Beaman, Hilary Chadwick-Healey, John Hanvey
31st – Holbrook Gaskell, Charles Gage-Brown, John Rowe Pr, Robin Powis
Service times this week
Saturday 23rd March – Feria
12.00 pm Mass
6.00 pm Confessions
6.30 pm Vigil Mass of Sunday
Sunday 24th March – PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION
11.00 am High Mass
N.B. Meet at 11am at Oxford Market, where Gt Titchfield Street meets Oxford Street.
5.15 pm Low Mass
6.00 pm Evensong and Benediction
Monday 25th March – Monday in Holy Week
5.00 pm Confessions
6.30 pm Mass
Tuesday 26th March – Tuesday in Holy Week
5.00 pm Confessions
6.30 pm Mass
Wednesday 27th March – Wednesday in Holy Week
5.00 pm Confessions
6.30 pm Mass
7.30pm Tenebrae
Thursday 28th March – MAUNDY THURSDAY
5.00 pm Confessions
6.30 pm High Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Friday 29th March – GOOD FRIDAY
3pm Solemn Liturgy of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ
Saturday 30th March – HOLY SATURDAY
8pm Easter Vigil
Sunday 31st March – EASTER SUNDAY
11.00 am High Mass
5.15 pm Low Mass
6.00 pm Evensong and Benediction with Te Deum