All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear Friend

“Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.”

Some of our people are spending this weekend at Walsingham: not quite a deserted place, but undoubtedly a quieter and more peaceful one than central London; a place where they can rest a while with Jesus.  Others will be having much-needed summer breaks.

Jesus addresses these words to his disciples when they have returned excited, and probably exhausted too, from their first missionary venture.  In fact, his attempt to escape with them from the crowds surrounding them every minute of the day comes to nothing because those same crowds pursue them to their intended place of retreat. 

Our Lord’s response when he steps ashore and sees the crowd is not one of frustration and irritation, as ours might be when our peace is disturbed, but of compassion: “he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.”

Pope Francis speaks in his new encyclical on the environment of the “rapidification” of modern life.   (It’s a word which probably sounds better in Spanish than in English.)  New media of communication make us accessible to others to a greater extent than ever before.  That has its helpful side, but it can also mean that we become endlessly distracted; flitting from one screen to another and finding it difficult to concentrate on anything for any length of time. 

Retreats and pilgrimages give us an opportunity to go away and rest a while from all that disturbance.  But they can only be occasional interludes in the busyness of life.  But Jesus also invites us to come apart and rest awhile on Sunday, he sees that we are like sheep without a shepherd, and so he gathers us into his flock each Sunday to teach us many things, to listen and to rest in his presence.  This ought not to be limited to Sundays. If we take our spiritual health seriously, if we come to him for healing, then we need to do so each day.  We can do that at home or in a church. The statisticians tell us that people are so busy now that they cannot come to church every Sunday.  We must ask ourselves, “What is more important for our well-being than being with our Lord?”

The gospel reminds us that this is not merely for our own self-improvement but for the benefit of others. No sooner have Jesus and the disciples re-crossed the lake than people begin coming to him for help: “they begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.”  The gospel points to the relationship between our worship and our part in the world.

Fr. Richard Benson, the founder of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, based a prayer for retreats and quiet days on that first verse.  It need not be limited to such times but can be applied to our weekly and daily times of prayer and worship.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst say to thy disciples, Come ye apart into a desert place and rest awhile: Grant we beseech thee, to thy servants now gathered together, so to seek thee whom our souls desire to love, that we may both find thee and be found of thee; and grant such love and such wisdom to accompany the words which shall be spoken in thy name, that they may not fall to the ground, but may be helpful in leading us onward through the toils of our pilgrimage to that rest which remaineth for the people of God;  where, nevertheless, they rest not day nor night from thy perfect service; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest ever one God, world without end. 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: Asia Bibi. Ella Carroll, James Cary-Elwes, Ian Coull, Paul Curno, Michael Duggan, Helen Everett, Jonty Gordon, Fr Tony Halton, Tim Harding, Yvonne Harland, Lewis Harvey, Maxwell Hutchinson, Alice Jullien, Andrew Laird, Tom Leader, Anthea Lepper, Joshua Levy, William Lightening, Christine Loffty, Estelle Lovell, Simon MacGregor, Sister Martha (SMNC Tanzania), Hilary Morgan, Margaret O’Brien, David Pearce, Nick Russell, Jock Scott, Fr. Nicholas Stacey, Buzz Stokes, Christine van Dyck, Joy Wright and Marc Young.

For the recently departed: Peter Blackwell, Philip Harland (whose Funeral Mass took place at All Saints on 9 July), Betty Faulkner, Agnes Hagan, Monica O’Connor, those murdered at Emanuel Church, Charleston, Monica O’Connor, Michael Pearson (Priest), Marjory Grosvenor, Molly Leng, Hugo Gralka (whose funeral took place on 17 July), those murdered in Tunisia (including specifically Janet and John Stocker), Peggy Leeman (whose funeral took place on 16 July in Knowle Parish Church), Bruce Barnett- Cowan (Priest), Audrey Lewis (former Lord Mayor of Westminster and good friend to All Saints).

Remember past priests, benefactors, friends, and all whose year’s mind occurs this week including: Mark Williams, Muriel Latter, Lucy Heales Anne Finley, Edward Pressland Jones, Elizabeth Pressland, John Holden (former Assistant Priest, All Saints 1980 – 83), Jeffrey Tapley, Ada Rivington, Peter Champion Jones, Edith Wallis, Muriel Williams and Enid Ingle.

WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY 19 JULY – SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 
HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses
Missa Brevis – Gabrieli 
Exsultate Deo – Palestrina

There is no Sunday Lunch on this date as it coincides with the Parish Pilgrimage to Walsingham.

CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm 
Preacher: Father Michael Bowie 
The First Service – Morley
When Mary through the garden went – Stanford

WORSHIP NEXT SUNDAY 26 JULY – EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Today we thank God for, and mark twenty years of, Fr Alan Moses’ ministry as Vicar at All Saints with music that Fr Alan has selected for the services of the day.

HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: Father Julian Browning 
Missa Omnium Sanctorum – Caplin 
Alleluya! This is the day – Harry Bramma

Sunday Lunch is being cooked by Robin Clutterham and Alan Kimborough. Tickets on sale in the Parish Room before and after Mass – £5.

CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm
Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses 
Collegium Magdalenæ Oxoniense – Leighton 
Hymn for the Dormition of the Mother of God – Tavener 

NOTICES

Please mark Saturday 15 August, 12 noon in your diaries for the HIGH MASS OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (with a circular outdoor procession of the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham from Church along Oxford Street and back to Church for the first time at All Saints).

Please consider offering your services as a steward as well as attending.
If you can assist as a procession steward (essential for safety reasons) or by playing a role in the procession itself, contact Dee Prior in the Parish Office on 020 7636 1788 or see Dee or Cedric Stephens, Head Server, after High Mass.

The Corpus Christi procession this year (see photos on the All Saints website) was particularly successful with choir and small marching band (with drummer) accompaniment. It attracted a goodly number of friends of All Saints from a broad range of other parishes. We should like to establish in the annual calendar a similar profile for the Feast of the Assumption so do encourage friends to attend. The opportunity to be visible in Oxford Street at lunchtime during the summer is especially welcome.

PENNY BOX COLLECTIONS (in aid of the All Saints Foundation) – COUNTING 
Please return your Penny Boxes for counting – either to Church on Sundays 19 or 26 July or to the Parish Office Monday – Friday 9am – 1pm or 2 – 5pm. Thank you!

EVENTS AT ALL SAINTS in JULY

Thursday 9 July, 6.30pm – the FUNERAL MASS for Philip Harland took place as planned, but attendance was sadly impacted by the tube strike in London that day. If anyone would like to see the Order of Service, copies are available on the Church table and you can read the Sermon preached by the Vicar on the Church website:
http://www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk/worship/sermons.

Philip’s family invited donations in his memory to the All Saints Foundation. If you would like to contribute – please use Gift Aid envelopes wherever possible and pass your contribution (cheques payable to All Saints Foundation) to the Parish Office, a Churchwarden or a Priest. Thank you. 

Monday 20 July 7pm– there is a meeting of the Standing Committee of the PCC after Evening Mass.  

EVENTS ELSEWHERE in JULY and AUGUST

THIS WEEKEND – Friday 17 – Monday 20 July – ALL SAINTS’ PARISH PILGRIMAGE TO WALSINGHAM, led by Fr Julian Browning.

Saturday 1 August 2015 – FESTIVAL OF THE EASTERN CATHOLIC CHURCHES at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family, Duke Street, W1. 10.30am Syro-Malabar Qurbana – Sung Liturgy in English. 4.30pm Ukrainian Catholic Great Vespers in English. The day includes: Films: Kerala, Cradle of Christianity in SE Asia,Aramaic, Jesus, India & Music: the Syro-Malabar Church; a Talk: The Music of the Syro-Malabar Church by Revd Dr Joseph Palackal; The Suffering Eastern Churches: Presentation from John Newton, Aid to the Church in Need. All welcome (requested Fee – £10, including donation for Aid to the Church in Need). Please bring a packed lunch – tea and coffee provided. Booking essential at – johnchrysostom@btinternet.com.

 ALL SAINTS RESTORATION PROJECT UPDATE

The last of the long-awaited glass lampshades has now been fitted, so that all five pendant lights are fully illuminated. Still to come is the fitting of the specially made light fittings for the choir stalls (to be attached to the wrought iron grilles). When all are in place we will be able to fine-tune the settings of the overall lighting scheme, although some of this work will have to wait until the darker days of autumn.

As well as the lighting, the switchover of the complete new wiring above and below decks to new electric meters has now taken place. The smoke detection system has been installed and activated.

Funds for the project continue to be raised and the total received at the time of writing is now a splendid £410,000.

As this complex project reaches its conclusion, and the final invoices are received, we have recently had a number of generous gifts that have eliminated the loans of £35,000 that we initially relied upon for the project to get underway. Any more gifts will allow us a small reserve against the final cost of the works. If there are any surplus funds when all bills are paid, these will go towards future restoration projects at All Saints.

We are indebted to all those donors who gave so generously to replace the out-dated electrics and to relight the church so that all the achievements of earlier phases of restoration work are now revealed. Thank you! 

HOW YOU CAN HELP………. please make cheques payable to: 
All Saints Church Restoration Appeal and send them to:  
The Parish Administrator, 7 Margaret Street, London W1W 8JG. 

Please indicate where Gift Aid may be applied or send in a completed Gift Aid envelope from in church, as it increases the value of your contribution by 25% at no cost to yourself. Thank you!

ONGOING SUPPORT for HOMELESS PEOPLE through:
MARYLEBONE PROJECT run by the CHURCH ARMY – A Day Centre, Residential and Transitional accommodation provider, re-settlement project and Educational and Training Unit for women. The Emergency Bed Unit – for which we have for some years helped to provide the funds for one of the 4 beds – offers a safe haven and refuge for women escaping domestic violence, financial crisis, sexual exploitation and mental health issues.

Seasonal Appeals – The grand total collected at All Saints for mission activities in 2014 was £6,463 through the All Saints Festival and Lent Appeals. £3,463 went to the Marylebone Project and a further £3,000 to Us (formerly USPG).

Year Round Support – we also support the Marylebone Resettlement Project with non-perishable food and toiletries or household necessities like cutlery or bed linen/blankets.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed so generously recently – a good number of parcels and bags of food and household essentials have been left in Church or handed in to the Parish Office recently and we shall need to arrange a drop off to the Project to deliver them. Thank you!
Please continue to donate these so we can help more people in need.

Day-to-day Support – we respond to the needs of homeless people who visit the church, providing luncheon vouchers for the West London Day Centre for rough sleepers who apply to the office and allowing a few individuals, who need a place to shelter or sleep during the day, to rest in the back of the church. We have created an information resource for Church Watchers, giving useful advice to homeless and vulnerable people seeking particular support or services. In the face of a rising tide of homelessness in London, please help us fund and support people in need through our Mission project.

Want to help someone sleeping rough but don’t know how?
Call Streetlink on 0300 500 0914 and they will get a visit from the local Street Team who can put them in contact with the services they may need.

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 or tell them about our website www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk, which has a full colour 360 virtual tour for viewing the wonderfully restored interior of the Church – see www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk/history/virtualtour – before a visit or if unable to travel.

* 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. Or make use of the prayer request facility on the website at: www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk/prayer.

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 AT ALL SAINTS
On major weekday feasts, High Mass is sung at 6.30pm

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

MONDAY – FRIDAY
Morning Prayer 7.30am
Low Mass – 8am, 1.10pm and 6.30pm
Evening Prayer 6pm
(Except Bank Holidays – 12 noon Mass only)

SATURDAY
Morning Prayer 7.30am
Low Mass – 12 noon and 6.30pm (First Mass of Sunday)
Evening Prayer 6pm

Confessions
A priest is available for confessions/counsel Monday – Friday from 12.30-1pm and at 5.30pm Monday – Saturday, or by appointment. (Special arrangements apply in Lent and for Holy Week.)

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