Dear friends,
What a beautiful beginning to Holy Week – congratulations on a hugely encouraging turnout on Palm Sunday!
Today begins the Sacrum Triduum, or Three Holy Days – of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the celebration of Easter. The Mass of the Lord’s Supper will be celebrated this evening at 8pm, and afterwards the Watch of the Passion will continue until midnight (although you are welcome to come and go as you please): volunteers are required, to have a foot washed during Mass. On Maundy Thursday we commemorate the institution of the sacraments of Holy Order, and the Eucharist – before joining Christ, spiritually, in Gethsemane.
Tomorrow is Good Friday: the Kenton Group of Churches Walk of Witness will depart from All Saints’ Church shortly after 9am, and then arrive at St Mary’s around 9.45am: if you cannot walk the distance, please come to church for the concluding prayers at 9.45am – before coming into the Hall for refreshments: volunteers are required, to open and set up the Hall, and then to serve tea, coffee and hot cross buns to our Christian brothers and sisters from other local congregations.
The Liturgy of the Passion will take place tomorrow at 3pm. After this, volunteers are kindly requested, to help set up the Hall for the Easter Vigil Party. (Please see Pat to contribute a dish to this bring-and-share celebration.) In this Liturgy, we listen to the dramatic retelling of the story of Christ’s Passion; we pray for the world; we venerate the wood of the Cross, and we receive the Pre-Sanctified Sacrament.
On Holy Saturday, “all hands on deck” are required, completely to clean and decorate the church for Easter, and to arrange our beautiful Easter flowers: we will begin with devotions at 9.30am, and continue for as long as necessary – please come for as long or as little as you can manage.
The Vigil and First Mass of Easter will be on Saturday at 8pm, and followed by a party. This is the most complicated, and most beautiful, liturgy of the entire Church year: we first bless the new fire of Easter, and then listen to the prophetic anticipation of the Lord’s suffering and death; as the Vigil ends – and the Mass proper begins – bells ring, the organ sounds and the church is flooded with light!
On Sunday, Easter Day we will renew our baptismal promises during the 10.30am Mass; afterwards (and weather permitting), there will be a children’s Easter Egg hunt in the memorial garden, plus celebratory refreshments in the Hall.
Do encourage family, friends and neighbours to join us for these celebrations!
Judith and Paul Bruni, who were married here in 1975, and joined us for Mass on Passion Sunday, 6 April, as they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary, have written to me to say, ‘We just wanted to thank you so much for welcoming us to the Sunday [Mass] on 6 April, and for presenting us with the beautiful golden certificate of our marriage of 50 years ago. It was just so lovely to receive, and we shall put it in a place of honour in our home. We couldn’t believe how warm and welcoming the congregation was also: it was such a lovely occasion, and a real blessing.’ Thank you for making them welcome!
Please find attached an invitation from Bishop Jonathan to join him for this year’s Fulham Festival, on Saturday, 31 May (the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary), at Southwark Cathedral. Those who would like to travel together from St Mary’s should sign up in church: Morning Prayer will be said at 9am, and we will leave shortly afterwards, at around 9.15am. There will thus be no morning Mass at St Mary’s on 31 May.
Thank you for all your hard work to date preparing for Holy Week and Easter, and for the wonderful contributions you will doubtless continue to make during the remaining days of this special time. Please note that I will then be on annual leave Monday 21 – Monday 28 May, to recover after these Easter exertions! Please consult the pew sheet for changes to the Mass schedule, in my absence.
Our Easter incense is Orange Blossom.
The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight:
With my very best wishes, and every blessing, for Easter,
Fr Richard