All Saints Margaret Street.

Dear Friend,

‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’

We began our short season of Lenten films last night in our own ‘Cinema Paradiso’, the chancel of All Saints Margaret Street.

The first film was Romero, the story of Oscar Romero, the martyred Archbishop of San Salvador. He was a shy bookish man whose instinct to avoid conflict was put to the test by being catapulted into high ecclesiastical office in a context where the collusion of the CIA with established interests in his country led to that violence, torture and repression which overtook so much of Central and South American life in the 70’s and 80’s.

Romero’s authentic faith led him slowly but surely to realise that the Church could not actively or passively support the military dictatorship, even though he instinctively deplored the tactics of some ‘guerilla priests’ who had embraced not only Liberation Theology but also armed struggle. He was shot while celebrating Mass at the altar of his cathedral. He is in our Calendar as a martyr. The Roman Catholic Church is only now allowing his canonization to proceed: the delay is variously ascribed to Pope St John Paul II’s anxieties about Liberation Theology and North American sensitivities about the undoubted involvement of the CIA with the regime Romero opposed (and probably in his murder).

There are many nuances in Romero’s story which echo the Passion of Our Lord. Some can be noted in this Sunday’s Gospel: Jesus is told by some Pharisees that King Herod, a puppet of the foreign empire controlling his country, wants him dead. Jesus responds spiritedly that they are to ‘tell that fox’ what he is doing: the work of God, making his people whole. To that he adds a prophecy of his own judicial murder (which had, ironically, more pretence of due process about it than Romero’s murder). The prophecy is sealed with a quotation from psalm 118: ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord’.

This has, for us, a double resonance: the welcoming shouts of the crowd on Palm Sunday (which human fickleness so quickly abandoned in favour of ‘crucify him’) and the ‘Benedictus’ which we say or sing at every Mass. You probably know that the Benedictus was a contested text at the Reformation: placed after the Preface and before the Consecration it explicitly proclaims the imminent real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament (you won’t find it in the Book of Common Prayer for this reason).

Next Thursday’s film, Calvary, is fiction, about a Roman Catholic priest in modern Ireland faced with his own particular Passion Narrative in a context slightly nearer to home for us. I won’t give a spoiler in case you intend to watch it for the first time (incidentally I know that some who are unable to come to the screenings have obtained DVDs of the films; I would be happy to lend my copies to others if asked).

What strikes me about both films is the thinness of so-called civilized culture which stands between us and behaviours which we would abhor. We all know how that happened in Germany 75 years ago. But I have worked in two environments in England where a similar loss of consensus about what we take for granted as civilized behaviour could very quickly degenerate into degraded and degrading actions becoming routine and apparently irresistible. It can happen anywhere. That is the meaning of sin. But repenting and standing up for the truth can also happen anywhere, and that is our calling.

‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ As we approach the altar in the faith of that proclamation, rightly applying it to the Sacrament which makes the Church, we may recall that it is a proclamation of Christ’s presence that also stands for holding firm to the truth, against violence, institutional sin and every departure from God’s loving purpose for his people. And we may renew our determination to be, ourselves, people who come ‘in the name of the Lord’ into every situation of our daily lives.

Yours in Christ,

Fr Michael Bowie
Assistant Priest
All Saints Margaret Street

Please pray for those who have asked for our prayers: Asia Bibi, John Bailey, Fr Allan Buick, Vivien Caplowe, James Cary-Elwes, Dennis Davis, Elizabeth Day, Mark Dougly, Kate Down, David Fettke, Jonty Gordon, Adrian Gunning, Ghislain Hamelin, Lewis Harvey, Minnie Hodgetts, Julia Holland and family, Myrtle Hughes, Pat Hunt, David Jewkes, Alice Jullien,  Julie Knight, Andrew Laird, Tom Leader, , Miriam Nelson, Oliver Orr, David Pearce, Canon John Rees, Jock Scott, Patricia Searle, Stella and Helen Skinner, Rose Stephens, Christine van Dyck and Joy Wright.   

For the recently departed:  Peter Burbidge (whose Memorial Service is on 19 February), Robert McWatt, Roger Radford, Hilary Morgan, Kate Thomas, Frederick Porter, Brother Damian SSF, Norman Newby, Ian Coull, David Garlick (Priest), Gaby Grace (whose Funeral is at 11am on 19 February), Richard Wood, Dora Parsons, Dorothy Laird, Christine Loffty and Margaret Humphries.

Remember past priests, benefactors, friends, and all whose year’s mind occurs this week including: Guida Crowley, Joan Williams, John Vickery (Priest, All Saints), William Butterfield (Architect of All Saints), Thomas Skeffington-Lodge, James Lumsden Keen, Eleanor Alaway, Derek Beavan (MC and Server and Member of the All Saints’ PCC), Diana Stonebanks, Lionel Ryan and Catherine Thomas,

For full service information: www.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk.

WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY 21 FEBRUARY – LENT 2
HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: The Vicar, Prebendary Alan Moses
Mass for Double Choir –
Frank Martin
Der Mensch lebt und bestehet nur eine kleine Zeit – Reger 

There is no Sunday Lunch service this week but there will be next week, 28 February – when Jean Castledine and Christine Levy will be the chefs. Tickets £5 on sale in the Parish Shop in the Parish Room before and after Mass (subject to availability).

CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm 
Preacher: Fr Michael Bowie
Service for Double Choir in G – Wood 
Dear Lord of life – Tomkins

WORSHIP NEXT SUNDAY 28 FEBRUARY – LENT 3
HIGH MASS, 11am
Preacher: Fr Julian Browning
Mass for three voices – Lotti
O Lord, in thy wrath – Gibbons 

CHORAL EVENSONG & BENEDICTION, 6pm
Preacher: Fr Michael Bowie
The Short Service – Weelkes
Ne irascaris – Byrd

PARISH NOTICES

REVISION OF THE ALL SAINTS’ ELECTORAL ROLL
The Electoral Roll has to be revised before the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) on 10 April 2016. Inclusion on the Roll is the qualification to attend, participate and vote at the Meeting, or to be nominated for office. The Roll will be closed for revision between Thursday 17 and Thursday 24 March. No further entries may be made to the Roll between 18 March and the close of the APCM. Would members of the Roll please check their entries on the copy of the Roll available in the Parish Office? Alterations should be notified to me, c/o the Parish Office. Anyone else who wishes to be included on the Roll, and who fulfils the qualifications, is welcome to apply. Completed forms (to be found on the table in Church) should be returned via the Parish Office.

Catherine T Burling,
Electoral Roll Officer

ALL SAINTS LENT APPEAL 2016 
As part of Lenten almsgiving, collections for our Appeal will be shared equally between the following three charities:  

1. Bishop of London’s Lent Appeal 2016
   Fundraising for two reputable charities active among the beleaguered Christian communities in Iraq and Syria:
   Open Doors – providing emergency food supplies and hygiene kits to 10,000 families every month in Syria and
   Aid to the Church in Need – focusing in Iraq on urgent needs for housing, medicine and education to allow the Church to maintain its Christian presence and witness Jesus Christ. 

2.         Us (formerly USPG) 
Supporting the church in Zimbabwe working with those affected by HIV and AIDS and providing local clergy and lay leaders with skills and training to undertake that work. 

3.         The Marylebone Project – our regular year-round mission project, run by the Church Army – empowering homeless women into independent living. Our money goes towards the emergency bed unit, providing urgent accommodation for women escaping domestic violence, financial crisis, sexual exploitation and mental health issues.

In 2015 we raised a total of £3,900 (including applicable Gift Aid).  Please give generously this year so we can try and raise over £4,000 in 2016.

Lent Coin Boxes are now available in church and plate collections will take place at particular services in Holy Week. Please make cheques payable to: Parochial Church All Saints (Lent Appeal). Please Gift Aid donations wherever possible – signing and completing a yellow envelope to accompany cheque or coins to increase the value of your donation by 25%.

Please return donations to the Parish Office by Sunday 3 April.

Please see the noticeboard in Church where other events may be advertised as space is limited in the Newsletter.

UPCOMING SERVICES & EVENTS – at ALL SAINTS

LENT at ALL SAINTS – Reading and Meditating on God’s Holy Word
In addition to our normal reading and preaching on scripture in the liturgy at All Saints, we are providing some opportunities for study:

FEBRUARY/MARCH FILM NIGHTS
A series of films will be shown in church on Thursdays after the 18.30hrs Evening Mass.
There is no charge for these viewings, but a retiring collection will be taken in support of the All Saints’ Lent Appeal. Please give generously, using Gift Aid wherever possible if you are a UK tax payer – which increases your donation by 25% at no cost to you.

25 February – Calvary 
The personal calvary of an Irish priest threatened by death.

3 March – The Gospel According to St. Matthew 
Pier Paolo Pasolini’s masterpiece

10 March – Of Gods and Men Xavier Beauvois’ film of the life and death of Trappist monks in Algeria amidst Islamist violence.

READING GROUP – Fridays at 11am from 5 February, the Vicarage. 
We are reading the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book: I Am With You, written by the Revd. Dr. Kathryn Greene-McCreight who is a chaplain at Yale University and is an assistant priest at the Christ Church, New Haven.  In I Am With You she explores the scriptural portrayal of God’s presence among us as light in darkness. Readings of Scripture are woven into a framework patterned on the seven monastic hours of prayer and the seven days of creation.  

The devotion of STATIONS OF THE CROSS will take place after the Evening Mass at 7.05pm on Fridays during Lent (starting Fri 12 February).

PARISH RETREAT, 6 – 8 May 2016 
The 2016 All Saints Parish Retreat will be from 6 – 8 May at Bishop Woodford House in Ely. It will be conducted by Fr Barry Orford. If you want to come, or would like further information, please contact Martin Woolley on 07976275383 or at m.g.woolley@btinternet.com. Rooms will be allocated in the order in which bookings are received.  

EVENTS FOR FEBRUARY 2016 BEYOND ALL SAINTS

LENT LECTURE – John Keble Church, Mill Hill, Dean’s Lane HA8 9NT, 11am – 2.30pm, Saturday 20 February

‘No Abiding City: Christian presence, problems and possibilities in the Middle East’. Lecture to be given by: The Rt Revd Michael Lewis, Bishop of Cyprus and Gulf in the Episcopal Province of Jerusalem and the East.

This is a free event, but a small contribution of £3 on the day would be appreciated to cover the cost of lunch. For further information please contact: revrana@hotmail.com.

JESUIT REFUGEE SERVICE INFORMATION EVENING, Tuesday 23 February, 6.45pm at Farm St Jesuit Church Hall, 114 Mount St, London W1K 3AH.
Come and hear about how JRS is supporting refugees in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon as well as here in the UK and find out what you can do to help.  Speakers: Fr Michael Zammit SJ, Regional Director JRS Middle East and Sarah Teather, Director JRS UK.   Free with a retiring collection for the work of JRS.

POETRY TEA PARTY, Saturday 27 February 3pm, at Pamela’s.  All welcome.  Please bring Poetry and Prose for ST DAVID’S DAY (coming up soon).  To accept, or to ask for Pamela’s address, please speak to Pamela or Sandra in the courtyard or ring Sandra on 020 7637 8456 leaving your name and phone number.  Cost £6 towards the All Saints Restoration Appeal.

HUGH PRICE HUGHES LECTURES 2016  
All lectures will be held at Hinde St Methodist Church at 7.30pm.  Admission is free & all are welcome! www.hindestreet.org.uk/hph

This series will invite you to reflect on how other ways of knowing and seeing – “faith” commitments for some – relate to their Christian faith. These alternative and complementary ways of knowing and seeing, sometimes portrayed negatively by people of faith, have the potential to deepen our understanding of our faith commitments and enable us to engage more constructively with the wider world.

Thinking globally, act locally
8 March – Polly March
Head of Campaigns & Policy at Global Justice

12 April – Rev Ric Stott
Artist & Methodist Pioneer minister

Identity, Modernity and Faith 
10 May – Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
Journalist

Living as Christians in Multi-faith Britain and
the Importance of Religious Literacy
14 June – Michael Wakelin
Religion & Media Consultant

From 6.30pm, Tuesday 1 March 2016
Churches Together in Westminster MEET THE NEIGHBOURS hosted by
The Salvation Army, Regent Hall, 275 Oxford Street (opposite BHS)

The visit will include: an act of worship together, a short talk about the history of Regent Hall and the Salvation Army including its activities and outreach, music (a chance to hear the Regent Hall Band playing) and refreshments. All are very welcome to join.

ALL SAINTS MISSION ACTIVITIES:-

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. 

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 contributes food and household essentials via the basket in Church or handed in to the Parish Office. Please continue to donate these so we can help more people in need during the cold weather.  

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 activities.

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 websitewww.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk, which has a full colour 360 virtual tour for viewing the wonderfully restored interior of the Church – seewww.allsaintsmargaretstreet.org.uk/history/virtualtour – before a visit or if unable to travel. 

* If you know of others (near or far) who would like to receive this regular update on what’s happening at All Saints 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@gmail.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