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This year has brought many joys and blessings from God. Our congregation has been growing both in numbers and in commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. The year opened with the celebration of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, on the last Day of Christmas Octave, 1 January, and a few days later with our first Epiphany Carol Service at which we blessed the incense, charcoal, and candles used in divine worship and the chalk used for home blessings. Both services were encouragingly well attended. Our preparation for the holy seasons of Lent and Easter started with the burning of palm crosses to make the ash used on Ash Wednesday. During Lent we reintroduced a regular service of Stations of the Cross, we were visited by Bishop Richard of Bedford, and we had the honour of hosting the Marie Curie's Day of Reflection in partnership with Houghton Regis Town Council. All Saints' out-of-date sound system was finally replaced thanks to parish fundraising and the contributions of Central Bedfordshire and Town councillors. The most important week of the Christian calendar, Holy Week, opened with the celebration of Palm Sunday. Over the course of the week we welcomed hundreds of people coming to celebrate the Passion, Death, and glorious Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Fr Diego travelled to Walsingham for the Chrism Mass celebrated by Bishop Norman of Richborough, and Thomas Whitehead Academy attended Mass at All Saints' on Maundy Thursday. In April we celebrated High Mass for St George's Day for the fist time. Father Yenda from St Mary' Sundon deaconed the Mass and provided us with wonderful red vestments for the liturgy. At the end of Mass the people received a blessing with the relic of the Martyr. A group of pilgrims from All Saints' travelled to Walsingham for the National Pilgrimage in May and we held a special celebration of Corpus Christi, again with the invaluable help of Fr Yenda. The Mayor's Civic Service also took place in April at the Parish Church and it was really well attended and beautiful occasion, which this year also included a civic procession from All Saints' View to the church via the Memorial Path. Regular worship with Thomas Whitehead academy featured the celebration of Mass twice a term, weekly gatherings at All Saints', and the Blessing of a new Reflection Garden in July. Parish volunteers welcomed pupils from several schools who visited All Saints' to complement their local history and RE curricula. We have had also the great pleasure of working with Christian brothers and sisters from other denominations in the schools of our town. In October we welcomed Bishop Richard of Bedford to Houghton Regis for the second time this year! Bishop Richard administered the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation , commissioned our two Lay Leaders of Worship, and commissioned our Eucharistic Assistants - the youngest of whom is 14 years old! It was a particular pleasure to see so many individuals saying "Yes" to God and embracing vocations to the Christian life and to lay ministries. Remembrance Sunday was marked by the Solemn Requiem Mass at the Parish Church and the Act of Remembrance on The Green. The preacher at the Requiem was the Revd Tim Haines, the Baptist Minister for Bidwell West. The whole occasion was marvellously supported by the uniformed organisations of our Town. A new purple altar frontal and a purple lectern fall, made using upcycled fabric, were presented to All Saints' just in time for Advent. Advent and the first week of Christmas saw a record number of schools children, worshippers, and visitors through our doors for the various carols services, events, and celebrations we hosted. We welcomed the pupils from All Saints' Academy, and Revd Tim Davis, their Chaplain, for their Christmas services for the first time. We also introduced Joyful Voices a new, ecumenical carol service for the LGBTQ+ community of Bedfordshire and their friends. The Mayor's Carol Service, the Christmas Fayre, Carols by Candlelight, and Midnight Mass were very well attended indeed. 2024 has been a challenging year on many fronts: the loss of beloved members of our church family, vandalism in the churchyard, urgent repairs needed to the roof, and severe constraints on our parish finances (which continue to run a deficit of £30k year-on-year). But this year has also been a great year for growth and commitment to the faith, and for the renewal of our buildings, with new projects for the future beginning to take shape. For all these things, for all the graces, mercies, and blessings we have received from the Lord, let us always be thankful and sing his praises! For the tireless work of our our parish volunteers, let us be grateful and cherish their invaluable efforts!
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Our traditional service of Carols by Candlelight took place on Sunday 22 December, the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Thanks you the efforts of our volunteers, All Saints' looked beautiful and ready to welcome so many worshippers from across the town. Our next Carol Service will be at the End of the Christmas Season, on Sunday 5 January; the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. Just before schools broke up for the Christmas holidays we celebrated the second School Mass of the Autumn Term with Thomas Whitehead Academy. The theme for the Mass was "Advent Celebration", bringing together elements of both Advent and Christmas. Pupils led the readings and composed the intercessions. Parents and members of the congregation we also invited to attend the Mass. Photos Copyright: Thomas Whitehead Academy, used with permission.
On Saturday 14 December we held Houghton Regis Christmas Fayre at All Saints' Parish Church. The fayre was organised to run alongside the Christmas events planned by the Town Council at Houghton Regis Library. Hundreds of visitors came through our doors and the fayre was accompanied by handbell ringers, carolling from our choir, and music by our organist. We are very grateful to all our parish volunteers, members of PCC, and churchwardens for running such an engaging and fun event in the run up to Christmas. |
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