All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear Friends,

Lent is almost over and we are on the verge of the Holy Week whose powerful acts and words draw us deeper into the mystery of God’s love.

There are words of scripture: psalm and lamentation, prophecy and passion. There are words of prayer and hymn, testimony to the devotion inspired by those acts and words down the centuries, and still able to inspire and move us.

There are actions which reveal both what the Palm Sunday Collect calls God’s “tender love for the human race” in sending his Son to share our nature and to suffer death upon the cross, and the  “example of his patience and humility” we pray to follow.

The humility which begins in the incarnation, is perfected in the passion, and reaches its goal in the resurrection, which we pray that we might share. 

We see that example:

• In the Messiah who comes to Jerusalem riding not a warhorse but a donkey
• The teacher who washes the feet of his disciples
• The Son who wrestles with human fear in Gethsemane and yet submits to the will of his Father and
• The King whose crown is thorns and whose throne a cross.

Holy Week asks of us both patience and humility. Patience, because we need to give it time – all those long services; humility, because in its drama we find ourselves judged as well as the world.

But it is worth persevering with. In it we can find anew the tender love of God reaching out in arms nailed to the cross to embrace us all.

Particular acts or words will speak to us at different times.  If I had to single out one which speaks of our attitude to them all, I would pick the gospel at Mass on Monday: the anointing of Jesus by Mary at Bethany (John 12.1-11).

Mary anoints the feet of Jesus with costly perfume.  The house, John tells us, was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.  If we are willing to give to Holy Week the devotion which it demands, then we find that our Bethany, our house of God, the place where we share at table with the risen Christ, our lives, our common life, will be filled with its fragrance.

There is a prayer for this season in the Scottish Prayer Book which you might like to use:

O God, whose blessed Son did suffer for all mankind: grant unto us that, rightly observing this holy season, we may learn to know thee better, to love thee more, and to serve thee with a more perfect will; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Alan Moses

Prebendary Alan Moses
Vicar of All Saints Margaret Street
Area Dean of Westminster & St Marylebone

Please pray for those who have asked for our prayers: Harry Allan, Alan Bishton, Susan Beauchamp, Jean Brackston, Rachel Clayton, Kate Down, Ursula Edwards, Canon David Garlick, Geoff, Yvonne & Philip Harland, Nicholas Harrington, Denise Inge, Jill, Katherine Lee, Molly Leng, Joshua Levy, Christine Loffty, Santa Luca, Kerry Manuel, Jonathan Mani-Weoki, Megan and Chantal, Norman Newby, Andrew O’Connor, Peter Royle, Stephen Short, Mary Thomas and Joy Wright.

For the recently departed: Sister Edwina S.L.G, Frederick Parrot, Shereka Marsch, Michael Powell, Christopher Hall, Geoffrey Hadfield, Beryl Harding (funeral at Golders Green Crematorium – note venue changed – during the morning of Tuesday 22 April), Rosie Davis.

At the anniversary of their death (during the coming week): John Rogers (one time Server), Denis Burke, Justin Kelly, David Evans, Stephen Edward Woolley, Rose Lethbridge, Christopher Dean, Evelyn Cowie, Mary Gotto, Geoffrey Heald (Priest), Marilyn Goggin, Ian Miller, Basil Harris, Margarita Ethel Clark, Judith Barrett, Sadie Campbell (Choir School cook), Tim Hewlett, Hugh Whittow, John Halliwell, Irene Vile, Kathleen Bates.

WORSHIP AT ALL SAINTS THIS SUNDAY, 13 April – PALM SUNDAY
Liturgy of Palms in Market Place, Procession to Church and
HIGH MASS, 10.45am
Preacher: Bishop John Flack
Mass in B flat – Rachmaninov
O Saviour of the World – Ouseley

A SEQUENCE OF PASSIONTIDE MUSIC AND READINGS
followed by BENEDICTION, 6pm
Music: Lamentations I and II – Tallis

EVENTS & NOTICES THIS WEEK

Sunday 13 April – ‘This is our Faith’ Group meets at 4pm in the Vicarage. This is the last meeting.

LENT 2014 – STATIONS OF THE CROSS – Friday evenings in Church at 7pm throughout Lent and 6.30pm on Good Friday.

ALL SAINTS’ LENT APPEAL 2014

Our Lenten self-denial is complemented by giving alms to those in need.
Almsgiving this year is divided between All Saints’ Mission Projects:

• The Church Army Hostel for Homeless Women in Marylebone, providing emergency housing and enabling them to find long-term accommodation and work.  
• The work of Us (formerly USPG) in Zimbabwe tackling the stigma associated with people having HIV-Aids

 and The Bishop of London’s Lent Appeal, which will support:

• ALMA (The Angola, London and Mozambique Association) and
• The Bishop of London’s Mission Fund, which is aimed at reaching ‘beyond the walls of the church’ to increase its mission work in areas of social need as well as keeping pace with the needs of the growing church in London. Since 2004, 100 projects + have received grants totalling £3.8M.

Lent Boxes are available for you to collect in church. Please return by Easter.

OTHER NOTICES

The POETRY TEA held on Sunday 6 April at Pamela’s raised £141 for the All Saints Restoration Appeal. Many thanks to Pamela, Sandra and all those who attended the event and raised these funds.

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SERVICES, 13 – 20 April 2014
For this particularly special time at All Saints, we welcome as our preacher an old friend of All Saints: Bishop John Flack. His ministry has stretched from West Yorkshire to Rome, as Director of the Anglican Centre and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s representative to the Holy See. More recently he has served as both a parish priest and an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Peterborough. All services sung by the Choir of All Saints.

PALM SUNDAY, 13 APRIL
10.45am Liturgy of Palms in Market Place, W1
                Procession to Church and HIGH MASS                

6pm Passiontide Music, Readings and BENEDICTION

MON – WEDS in Holy Week, 14, 15, 16 APRIL – 6.30pm Low Mass with Homily

WEDNESDAY, 16 APRIL, 7.30pm      
TENEBRAE for Maundy Thursday         

MAUNDY THURSDAY, 17 APRIL 6.30pm       
Concelebrated HIGH MASS of the Lord’s Supper             

GOOD FRIDAY, 18 APRIL, 12 noon   The Preaching of the Passion                  

1 – 3pm The Solemn Liturgy & Veneration of the Cross
6.30pm Stations of the Cross

HOLY SATURDAY, 19 APRIL, 12 noon Liturgy of the Day and
9pm HIGH MASS of the Easter Vigil

EASTER DAY, SUNDAY 20 APRIL

11am Procession, Blessing of the Easter Garden and HIGH MASS
Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses

6pm Festal Evensong, Te Deum and Benediction
Preacher: Fr Michael Bowie, Assistant Priest  

LOOKING AHEAD – DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES

CHURCHES TOGETHER IN WESTMINSTER – Visit to All Saints – Thursday 24 April. Hosted by All Saints Margaret Street, from 6 – 8.30pm. All are welcome to join this visit to this Grade 1 Listed Anglican Church regarded as one of the foremost examples of High Victorian Gothic architecture in Britain. 6pm Evening Prayer – 6.30pm Low Mass (Anglican) Communicant members of other Churches are welcome to receive Holy Communion at this Mass, or receive a blessing. Followed by a welcome from Prebendary Alan Moses (Vicar), Talk/Tour of the Church by John Forde (Churchwarden) and Refreshments.

ALL SAINTS’ OLD CHORISTERS’ EVENSONG – Saturday 3 May – 4pm
Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis specially written for the occasion by Martin Bruce (Headmaster, Christ Church Cathedral School, Oxford). Anthem “Let all the World in every corner sing” by Louis Halsey. Organist: Harry Bramma. Afternoon Tea is offered after the service in the Courtyard (if the weather is fine), with a chance to meet up and reminisce. All welcome – please come and support the former Choristers

ALL SAINTS PARISH RETREAT – Friday 30 May to Sunday 1 June 2014
This year’s Retreat, conducted by Father Julian Browning, is now well – but not fully – subscribed. We need two more people, and can take up to six. The cost (standard room) is £130. Enquiries to m.g.woolley@btinternet.com please or on 0207 436 2858 or 07976 275 383.

POETRY TEA – Friday 23 May 3pm at Pamela’s.  All welcome.  The subject will be “Hot and Cold”.  To accept or to find out Pamela’s address please speak to Pamela or Sandra in the courtyard or ring Sandra on 020 7637 8456 and leave a message with your name and phone number.  Please book early to avoid disappointment.  Cost £6 towards the All Saints Restoration Fund.

WORSHIP NEXT SUNDAY – 20 APRIL – EASTER SUNDAY  
PROCESSION, BLESSING OF THE EASTER GARDEN and HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: Bishop John Flack
Krönungsmesse – Mozart
Easter – Vaughan Williams

FESTAL EVENSONG, TE DEUM & BENEDICTION, 6pm
Preacher: Fr Michael Bowie
The Chichester Service – Walton
Dum transisset Sabbatum – Taverner

ALL SAINTS RESTORATION – Lighting & Electrical Renewal Update
The display of our proposals for this Restoration Project continues in the Baptistery. We have now received approval to proceed with this essential work in our Grade 1 Listed Church, but must secure all the funds to go ahead. We are delighted to announce that we have now raised or had pledged £215,000 (86% of target), but still have a further £35,000 to find to match the budget figure. While we are approaching Trusts and other Grant-giving bodies for the short-fall, if there is anyone who has not yet contributed, please do so via the Parish Office (with Gift Aid wherever possible). Thank you to everyone who has already contributed donations large and small; we are extremely grateful. We hope that works will commence later this in 2014.

Further Communications or Assistance from All Saints Margaret Street:-
* If you would like to encourage others to take an interest in All Saints/keep up with what is happening here, please forward this email on to them, or to people you would like to invite to services.

* If you know of others who would like to receive this correspondence please encourage them to sign up for the email on the All Saints website – see the tab News & Events> Weekly Newsletter.

* If you would like prayers offered at All Saints, please email the Parish Administrator Mrs Dee Prior at: astsmgtst@aol.com.

If you would like any pastoral assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses: alanmoses111@gmail.com.

DAILY SERVICES (the Church is open every day of the week from 7am to 7pm)

SUNDAYS
Low Mass at 6.30pm (Saturday), 8am and 5.15pm
Morning Prayer at 10.20am
HIGH MASS AND SERMON at 11am
CHORAL EVENSONG, SERMON and BENEDICTION at 6pm          

MONDAY TO FRIDAY
Morning Prayer at 7.30am
Low Mass at 8am, 1.10pm and 6.30pm
Confessions from 12.30pm -1pm and 5.30pm
Evening Prayer at 6pm

SATURDAYS
Morning Prayer at 7.30am
Low Mass at 8.00am and 6.30pm (First Mass of Sunday)
Confessions at 5.30pm
Evening Prayer at 6pm

On major weekday feasts, High Mass is sung at 6.30pm.

A priest is available in church for confessions or counsel every weekday from 12.30-1pm (except Saturdays) and at 5.30pm, or by appointment. The clergy are always happy to see anyone for whatever reason. Please enquire at the Parish Office (to the right as you enter the church courtyard).

www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk and e-mail: astsmgtst@aol.com.