All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear friends,

Lent begins on Wednesday. All Christians should try to get to church on that day to receive communion, and make a good start to the season of preparation  for Easter.

There will be three Masses at All Saints’ on Ash Wednesday to enable as many people a possible to make their communion and to receive the traditional imposition of ashes: at 8.00 am; 12 noon; and at 6.30 pm. The evening celebration will be a High Mass. The preacher will be Fr Julian Browning, and the music will include, Missa Emendemus by Palestrina;  Emendemus in melius by Byrd as the Offertory anthem; and Nolo mortem peccatoris by Morley at the Distribution of Ashes.

The first day of Lent has been observed for many centuries as a day of particular fasting and abstinence as we bring to God our sins. It is an especially appropriate day to make your confession. Priests will be available on Tuesday and Wednesday to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Fr Graeme Rowlands will be with us to hear confessions from 5 pm on Shrove Tuesday. On Ash Wednesday itself, Fr Alan will hear confessions from 7 am, I will be available from 11 am, and Fr David Houlding will be present from 5.00 pm onwards before the High Mass.

Since the earliest of days, Christians have observed a season of penitential preparation for Easter. The Christian tradition had inherited the notion that ashes signified penitence from the Hebrew Scriptures. Tertullian tells us in the 3rd Century, for example, that repentance should always be accompanied by lying in sackcloth and ashes.

The period before Easter was particularly important for those who had been separated from the communion of the Church through sin. They would undertake public penance in order to be re-admitted to communion on Easter Day. Eusebius tells us, for example, of an apostate who covered himself with ashes in order to petition Pope Zephyrinus for forgiveness.

Gradually, these two practices became conflated and universalised by the 10th Century, when it had become pretty widespread for Christians to receive ashes on their heads on the first day of Lent. Pope Urban II introduced the custom to the Roman Church in 1091.

The words used by the priest to impose the ashes tell us all we need to know about the theological significance of the act: “Remember thou art dust and to dust shalt thou return!” The placing of ashes on our foreheads confronts us with our mortality in the light of God’s presence. It presents us starkly with the consequence of our sins – the death that every one of us will experience.

From that place of admitted mortality and abject dependence on God, the key to spiritual growth is to be found. It is only through abasing ourselves and admitting our reliance on God that we can empty ourselves of the pride and folly that keeps him at arm’s length. By acknowledging our creaturely dependence on him, we can inhabit afresh our place as God’s beloved son or daughter. By confessing our sins, God is able to forgive us and pour his grace into our hearts. I pray this grace will be yours and that our preparation for Easter together will be a springtime of the soul.

I wish you all a holy Lent,

Fr Peter

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Party

Fr Alan will be hosting a pancake party for our young adults after the 6.30 pm Mass on Shrove Tuesday (4th March). Please be in touch with him if you would like to attend.

Stations of the Cross

During Lent, the Stations of the Cross will take place at 12.30 pm on Wednesdays and at 7.00 pm on Fridays. This begins on Friday 7th March. The service takes around half an hour.

Holy Hour

Do remember that there is a Holy Hour of silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament every week on Wednesdays from 5.30 pm until the evening Low Mass at 6.30 pm. Lent is a good opportunity to make time for quiet time with the Lord, and the Holy Hour is a great way of taking time out to be in Christ’s eucharistic presence.

Lent Visit to the National Gallery

A Lent visit to the National Gallery will take place jointly with the parish of St Paul, Winchmore Hill, on Tuesday 11th March at 2.00 pm. Fr Peter will give a guided theological tour of the gallery, looking at a number of images. The idea is that we will be finished in time for tea at the Gallery tea room. All parishioners of All Saints’ are welcome to attend – please signal your intention of coming by emailing the parish office (office@asms.uk).

Guest preacher

We look forward to welcoming Fr Thomas Plant as our preacher at the 11.00 am High Mass on Sunday 9th March. He is currently Chaplain at Rikkyo University, Tokyo. He will be joining us with a group of his students who will be visiting England from Japan and are learning more about the Anglican liturgical and musical tradition. Fr Thomas will soon be moving back to England to be the new Vicar of St Margaret of Antioch, Iver Heath

Lent Walk

Our next parish walk will be a circular route of around 9 miles in the environs of Leigh-on-Sea and Hadleigh Castle and will take place on Saturday 15th March and include a Low Mass and the opportunity to eat together in Leigh after the walk. We aim to catch the 10am train from Fenchurch St Station, and to be back in London by 6pm. Please let Fr Alan (assistantpriest@asms.uk) know if you plan to join us.

Attendance last Sunday

For your prayers

The Friends of All Saints’ Margaret Street:

2nd – Greg Round, Jamie Rundle, Mary Sherred, James Shrimpton
3rd – Ingrid Slaughter, Naomi Slippe, Vaughan Snook, Harvey Solomon-Brady
4th – Richard and Louise Stallwood, Iain Stewart, Robert Stoltz, Madeleine Storer, Ian and Veronica Summers, Colin Symes, Ann Tacchi
5th – Sebastian Taite-Ellis, Michael Taylor, Kitty Thompson, Charles Thomson, Dr James Thomson, Jeremy Thorp, Jane Turner, The Rev’d Roger Turner, Dr Christine Vaughn Lillie
6th – Christopher Walsh, Philip Wayne, Fr. Benjamin Weitzmann, Fr. Mats Wendt, Michael Westcott
7th – Matthew Whittaker, Tim Widdowfield, David Wilcox, T. Bradford Willis, Ian A. Wilson, Fr Michael Witcombe
8th – Martin Woods, The Rev’d John Wylam, William Yale, Michael Young

The sick:

David Craig, Janet Crispin, Suzanne Goodstien, Eckhart Grimm, Tony Hawkins, Fr Harry Hodgetts, Elizabeth Lyon, James Rodger, Felicia Prodomous, Prodromou Prodomous, Tecla Prodomous, Fr Gwyn Clement.

The recently departed:

Magdalena Grimm, Michael Brotherton, priest.

The faithful departed:

3rd – Catherine Packer, Ernest Gittins, Walter Freeth, Bridget Wright, Marion Badger
4th – Kenneth Edwards, Alfred Gorse
5th – George Holden Pr (Fourth Vicar of All Saints), Gwen Ogilvy
6th – Alice Sutton
7th – Phyllis Wickner, Brigid Beattie-Moriarty
8th – George Gorse, Hope Harris, John Cook

Services this week

Saturday 1 March – St David of Wales
12pm Low Mass
6.00 pm Confessions
6.30 pm Vigil Mass of Sunday

Sunday 2nd March – SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE LENT
8.30 am Low Mass
11 am High Mass
5.15 pm Low Mass
6.00 pm Evensong and Benediction

Monday 3rd March – Shrove Monday
12 noon Low Mass
6.30 pm Low Mass

Tuesday 4th March – Shrove Tuesday
12 noon Low Mass
5.00 pm Confessions – Fr Graeme Rowlands
6.30 pm Low Mass

Wednesday 5th March – ASH WEDNESDAY
7 am Confessions: Fr Alan Rimmer
8 am Low Mass with Imposition of Ashes
11 am Confessions: Fr Peter Anthony
12 noon Low Mass with Imposition of Ashes
5.00 pm Confessions: Fr David Houlding
6.30 pm High Mass with Imposition of Ashes

Thursday 6th March – Thursday after Ash Wednesday
12 noon Low Mass
6.30 pm Low Mass

Friday 7th March – Friday after Ash Wednesday
12 noon Low Mass
6.30 pm Low Mass
7.00 pm Stations of the Cross

Saturday 8th March – Saturday after Ash Wednesday
12pm Low Mass
6.00 pm Confessions
6.30 pm Vigil Mass of Sunday

Sunday 9th March – FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
8.30 am Low Mass
11 am High Mass
5.15 pm Low Mass
6.00 pm Evensong and Benediction