Advent and Christmas 2021
28 November - First Sunday of Advent
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6:00pm Advent Carol Service
At All Saints. Hymns, carols, readings, and Benediction to begin the season of Advent and our preparation for Christmas. Seasonal refreshments served after the service. |
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4 December
5:00pm Mayor's Carol Service
At All Saints. The service is followed by the blessing of the Christmas tree in Bedford Square and the switching on of the town Christmas lights. This service is ticketed (free).
At All Saints. The service is followed by the blessing of the Christmas tree in Bedford Square and the switching on of the town Christmas lights. This service is ticketed (free).
11 December
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9:00am - 2:00pm Christmas Fayre
At All Saints. Stalls, crafts, seasonal refreshments, and activities for the whole family. |
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18 December
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3:00pm Christmas Crafts
At St Thomas'. Craft colourful Christmas decorations! Informal worship, carol singing, and children's activities in preparation for Christmas. Seasonal refreshments served. |
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19 December - Fourth Sunday of Advent
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6:00pm Carols by Candlelight
At All Saints'. A service of carols and readings by candlelight to celebrate the approaching Christmas season and the birth of the Lord Jesus. Seasonal refreshments served after the service. |
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24 December - Christmas Eve
3:00pm Family Service and Building of the Crib
At All Saints'. An informal service of carols and readings for the whole family.
Seasonal refreshments served after the service.
At All Saints'. An informal service of carols and readings for the whole family.
Seasonal refreshments served after the service.
5:00pm Vigil Mass at All Saints'
At All Saints'. Vigil celebration of Christmas with carol singing and refreshments.
At All Saints'. Vigil celebration of Christmas with carol singing and refreshments.
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11:00pm Midnight Mass
At All Saints'. Traditional Midnight Mass with carols and the Blessing of the Crib. |
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25 December - Christmas Day
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8:30am Dawn Mass at St Thomas'
10:30am Parish Mass
At All Saints'. Bring your Christmas gifts to the Parish Mass to be blessed! |
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26 December - Sunday of the Holy Family
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8:30am Dawn Mass at St Thomas'
10:30am Parish Mass at All Saints'
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27 Dec to 1 January - Christmas Octave
27 Dec - St John the Apostle - 9:30am Mass at All Saints'
28 Dec - The Holy Innocents - 9:30am Mass at All Saints'
29 Dec - St Thomas Becket - 9:30am Mass at St Thomas'
1 January - Mary, Mother of God - 11:00am Mass at Holy Cross, Marsh Farm
2 January 2022 - Second Sunday of Christmas
8:30am Mass at St Thomas'
10:30am Parish Mass at All Saints'
6 January 2022 - Epiphany of the Lord
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10:30am Sung Mass
At All Saints'. To celebrate the Visit of the Wise Men to Jesus and the Epiphany of the Lord. |
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About the Seasons of Advent and Christmas
Advent
This is a season of expectation, as the Church prepares for fours Sundays to celebrate the coming (Latin “adventus”) of Christ in his incarnation, and also looks ahead to his final advent as judge at the end of time. The readings, hymns, and liturgies not only direct us towards the celebration of Christ’s birth, but they also challenge our reluctance to confront the theme of divine judgement:
Lo! He comes with clouds descending,
Once for favoured sinners slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of His train:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
God appears on earth to reign.
- Charles Wesley
The characteristic note of Advent is therefore expectation. The anticipation of Christmas under commercial pressure has also made it harder to sustain the appropriate sense of alert watchfulness, but the fundamental Advent prayer remains ‘Maranatha’ – ‘Our Lord, come’ (1 Corinthians 16.22). Church decorations are simple and spare, no flowers are used, and purple is the traditional liturgical colour. The Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete or ‘Rose Sunday’) has been observed since medieval times with a splash of colour in the restrained atmosphere of Advent. The lighting of candles on the Advent Wreath, at Christingle services, and during “Carols by Candlelight” helps to focus on the coming of Jesus as the light of the World.
This is a season of expectation, as the Church prepares for fours Sundays to celebrate the coming (Latin “adventus”) of Christ in his incarnation, and also looks ahead to his final advent as judge at the end of time. The readings, hymns, and liturgies not only direct us towards the celebration of Christ’s birth, but they also challenge our reluctance to confront the theme of divine judgement:
Lo! He comes with clouds descending,
Once for favoured sinners slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of His train:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
God appears on earth to reign.
- Charles Wesley
The characteristic note of Advent is therefore expectation. The anticipation of Christmas under commercial pressure has also made it harder to sustain the appropriate sense of alert watchfulness, but the fundamental Advent prayer remains ‘Maranatha’ – ‘Our Lord, come’ (1 Corinthians 16.22). Church decorations are simple and spare, no flowers are used, and purple is the traditional liturgical colour. The Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete or ‘Rose Sunday’) has been observed since medieval times with a splash of colour in the restrained atmosphere of Advent. The lighting of candles on the Advent Wreath, at Christingle services, and during “Carols by Candlelight” helps to focus on the coming of Jesus as the light of the World.
Christmas
The celebration of Christ’s incarnation at Christmas is one of the two poles of the Christian year. The wonderful mystery of God’s dwelling among us in the fullness of humanity, as Emmanuel (God-with-us), foretold by the prophets and born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, provides the material of the feast:
Salvation’s author, call to mind
How, taking form of humankind,
Born of a virgin undefiled,
Thou in man’s flesh becam’st a child.
- tr. J.M Neale
Christmas is much more then than just a joyful celebration of Jesus’ birth. The task of the Christmas liturgy is to recall us, amid all the joyful customs and celebrations of Christmas, to this central truth of the Word made flesh for our salvation.
In the Church this holy season of Christmas is celebrated for twelve days (“The Twelve Days of Christmas”), beginning to count from 25 December and ending with the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January.
The celebration of Christ’s incarnation at Christmas is one of the two poles of the Christian year. The wonderful mystery of God’s dwelling among us in the fullness of humanity, as Emmanuel (God-with-us), foretold by the prophets and born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, provides the material of the feast:
Salvation’s author, call to mind
How, taking form of humankind,
Born of a virgin undefiled,
Thou in man’s flesh becam’st a child.
- tr. J.M Neale
Christmas is much more then than just a joyful celebration of Jesus’ birth. The task of the Christmas liturgy is to recall us, amid all the joyful customs and celebrations of Christmas, to this central truth of the Word made flesh for our salvation.
In the Church this holy season of Christmas is celebrated for twelve days (“The Twelve Days of Christmas”), beginning to count from 25 December and ending with the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January.
