All Saints Parish Newsletter 13th June 2014
Dear Friends,
Trinity Sunday is not precisely the celebration of a doctrine. It is a celebration of God in his revelation of himself, of the focus of all our worship, prayer and praise. And it is a celebration of how that connection between us and God is made possible in the three persons of the Trinity and their perfect Communion. The word ‘communion’ is for us the key. Think of the best-known Trinitarian formula in scripture, the Grace. We know it best from the end of the Book of Common Prayer Evensong:
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all, evermore.
That word ‘fellowship’, KOINONIA in Greek, is actually the same word as that for ‘communion’, and it is so translated in many other verses. So ‘communion’ and ‘fellowship’ are in the same conceptual territory. ‘Communion’ denotes our participation in the primary act of our worship, the Mass, our receiving the body and blood of Christ as being ourselves, and being constituted, the Body of Christ.
But ‘communion’ is also a movement of love which constitutes the unity of the Holy Trinity, in whom we live and move and have our being. Communion is that activity of our being which expresses our lively participation in God’s creation, in the divine life itself. We ‘make our communion’, receiving the body and blood of Christ at Mass, in order sacramentally to nourish that connection of our enlivened selves, that which makes us more than dull existences, with God the life-giver.
We celebrate that truth at this time because we have just passed through our liturgical celebration of the great mysteries of our salvation, from Holy Week to Pentecost. On Sunday we pause a moment and celebrate, quite simply, God, in perfection and beauty, God’s own self and being. That is why we sing ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God almighty’ on Trinity Sunday. That hymn does not merely articulate a focus on the Holy Trinity: it describes that focus for us as primary worship, something to which we are drawn and which we rightly enjoy. Other hymns, such as ‘Bright the vision that delighted’ (with its triple use of the ‘Holy, Holy Holy’ formula from Isaiah 6) and ‘Immortal, invisible, God only wise’, do not spell out the Trinitarian doctrine of God: they express it through the worship of God in glory, rather like some of the psalms of praise or the liturgical canticles in Revelation. That focus on worship is a vital key to the truth and importance of this feast and doctrine.
So, with the Orthodox, let us pray:
Glory to you, all-holy and consubstantial and life-giving Trinity, for ever. Amen.
Fr Michael Bowie
Assistant Priest
All Saints Margaret Street
Please pray for those who have asked for our prayers: Harry Allan, Ellen Atkins, Alan Bishton, Susan Beauchamp, Jean Brackston, Rachel Clayton, Rosamond Clayton, Kate Down, Jean East, Ursula Edwards, Geoff, Yvonne & Philip Harland, Lewis Harvey, Kate Hickman, Jill, Juliet Jefferson, Katherine Lee, Molly Leng, Joshua Levy, Christine Loffty, Santa Luca, Kerry Manuel, Jonathan Mani-Weoki, Megan and Chantal, Norman Newby, Andrew O’Connor, Frances O’Neil, Malcolm Richards, Prebendary Tunde Roberts, Peter Royle, Marilyn Stansfield, Dilys Thomas, Mary Thomas, James Wheen and Joy Wright.
For the recently departed: Filipp Gramatica di Bellagio, Tony Stock, Arthur Ferns.
At the anniversary of their death (during the coming week): Eric Stedman, Roualeyn Cuming-Bruce, Clare Prince, William Upton Richards (First Vicar of All Saints), Ida Jones, Geoffrey Roundtree, Eric Davidson, Susanne Coles, Eric Griffin (one time Secretary of the All Saints PCC), Gwendolen Coldham, Patricia Cudmore, Rodney Smith, Dom Michael Warner, O.S.B, Hugh Douglas-Hamilton, Beverley Brentnall, Philip Bennett (former Chorister at All Saints).
WORSHIP AT ALL SAINTS THIS SUNDAY 15 June – TRINITY SUNDAY
HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: Fr Michael Bowie
Missa ‘Simile est regnum cÓ•lorum’ – Lobo
O beata et gloriosa Trinitas – Palestrina
CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION at 6pm
Preacher: Prebendary Alan Moses
The Second Service – Gibbons
I saw the Lord – Stainer
EVENTS THIS COMING WEEK
CORPUS CHRISTI – All Saints – THURSDAY 19 JUNE, High Mass and Procession of the Blessed Sacrament in the streets around the Church at 6.30pm. The All Saints choir and congregational singing will be supported by brass players accompanying the procession. Preacher: Canon Dr. Angus Ritchie, the Director of the Centre for Contextual Theology based at the Royal Foundation of St. Katharine in the East End. Mass setting: Missa Brevis in B flat—Mozart and anthem O sacrum convivium—Guerrero. Refreshments will be served after the service.
WORSHIP NEXT SUNDAY – 22 June – FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: Prebendary Alan Moses
Jugendmesse – Haydn
O pray for the peace of Jerusalem – Howells
CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION at 6pm
Preacher: Fr Neil Bunker
Service in G (upper voices) – Sumsion
Ave Maria – Fauré
SPECIAL EVENTS IN JUNE at All Saints and Elsewhere
THE ALBAN PILGRIMAGE – SATURDAY 21 JUNE 2014 at St. Alban’s Abbey – the Shrine of Britain’s First Martyr.
Please aim to arrive by 10.30am, for procession set off 11am prompt.
PROGRAMME FOR THE DAY:
11am Pilgrimage Procession begins through the City Centre
Route begins from St Peter’s Church, St Albans, continues to the Town Hall and then will process to the West End of the Cathedral.
c. 12noon Festival Eucharist following the Procession) Preacher: The Most Reverend Dr Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop & Primate of the Episcopal Church in the United States. Service sung by the Abbey Girls’ Choir.
12noon Children’s Worship and Activities – in the Abbey Primary School.
2pm Orthodox Service and Veneration of the Relic at the Shrine of Saint Alban Organised by the Ecumenical Chaplaincy and the Fellowship of St Alban and St Sergius – all welcome.
3pm Anointing for Healing in the Lady Chapel.
4pm Festival Evensong and Procession to the Shrine Preacher: John Bell of the Iona Community. Service sung by the Cathedral Choir.
The Abbot’s Kitchen will be open 10-4.30 serving breakfasts, lunches, afternoon teas, and a range of snacks and drinks. The Cathedral Shop & Bookstall will be open 10-5 selling pilgrimage merchandise, books, greeting cards, CDs.
ALL SAINTS MARGARET STREET- BAPTISM & CONFIRMATION
FRIDAY 27 JUNE, 6.30pm Evening Mass – Bishop Michael Marshall will be with us for the celebration of Baptism and Confirmation at the Evening Mass. Please come and support those being baptised and confirmed.
DIOCESE OF LONDON, PETERTIDE ORDINATION OF DEACONS, St Paul’s Cathedral – SATURDAY 28 JUNE 2014 at 3pm (doors open at 2pm, please be seated by 2.40pm). We have an allocation of eight tickets to support All Saints’ Ordinand Michael Lynch. If anyone would like to attend the service, please contact the Parish Administrator Mrs Dee Prior on 020 7636 1788 to obtain a ticket. First come, first served!
SPECIAL EVENTS IN JULY
ALL SAINTS PARISH PILGRIMAGE TO WALSINGHAM (Friday 18 – Sunday 20 July) will be led this year by Fr Michael Bowie. Please let Ross Buchanan (Assistant Secretary Cell of Our Lady of Walsingham, All Saints Margaret Street) know of your interest on Tel: 020 7221 1312.
NOTICES
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HOST TWO DUTCH CHRISTIAN GIRLS THIS SUMMER?
Carola Groenewold and Anne-Louise Dekker are Nijmegen University students in their first year, studying Business Administration and Communication, with English as a foreign language. They met through the same Christian student association. They want to improve their fluency in English, and are hoping to stay with a family – perhaps with children of their own age. Both have experience with babysitting children of different ages, and would like it to be of use in families. Their main goals are to improve their English and have contact with native speakers, and they say they ‘would consider all options! We would very much appreciate it if you would pass on our message to your church members’. The period they hope to stay is: 4th – 23rd August. If anyone is able to help them: please email carola@polygre.com and annetjed@live.nl.
ALL SAINTS RESTORATION APPEAL UPDATE
The Programme
The electrical scheme is progressing well. Preparations continue to advance each week, with the Butterfield designed lighting fittings now commissioned and in construction at the blacksmiths.
We hope to have tenders returned for the work by Friday 20 June. After these have been reviewed a recommendation will be made to the PCC for approval. Then the work of stripping out the existing installation can commence. The earliest date for that is in July, subject to sufficient funds being available.
As in previous phases of the restoration programme, weekday worship, except on major feasts, will take place in the Parish Room. This will enable to contractors to have more uninterrupted working time, keep costs down and speed the whole process.
The Fundraising Appeal
Fund-raising continues. Applications are in to a small number of charitable trusts we hope may be sympathetic. So far the extended family of All Saints has donated or pledged a total of £219, 321 towards our target of £250,000. This is over 88% of the sum required, an excellent result in a little over six months. Our thanks to all who have so generously contributed to date. With some £31,000 still to find – further donations are of course welcome! Cheques should be made payable to: All Saints Church Restoration Appeal and be sent to the Parish Administrator. Please indicate where Gift Aid may be applied as it increases the value of your contribution by 25%. Thank you!
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. Or Assistant Priest Fr Michael Bowie: mnrbowie@hotmail.com.
DAILY SERVICES (the Church is open every day of the week from 7am to 7pm except on Bank Holidays, when it opens for the lunchtime Mass only)
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
(Except bank holiday – 1.10pm Mass only)
Confessions from 12.30pm -1pm and 5.30pm
(No Confessions on bank holidays)
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 with Evening Prayer at 5.45pm.
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.