|
Every year Good Friday is marked by Liturgy of the Passion. This solemn and moving service features the reading of the Passion according to St John, the veneration of the Cross, and the distribution of Holy Communion from the reserved Sacrament taken from the Altar of Repose. In most churches the veneration of the Cross takes place with the unveiling of a wooden crucifix which is then exposed before the faithful. At All Saints’, however, we are very blessed to be custodians of a relic of the True Cross, and it is this relic that is unveiled before the congregation and held up for veneration. Photos courtesy of Mrs Rachael Plüss
0 Comments
Today we have begun the celebrations of Holy Week in Houghton Regis with the Parish Mass for Palm Sunday. This is the day in which Christians remember the Lord’s entrance in Jerusalem accompanied by his disciples and a cheering crowd; however, this is also the day in which we read one of the Passion narratives from the gospels – the story of Jesus’ suffering and death of Calvary for our salvation. For these reasons, Palm Sunday is now mostly associated with the colour red in the Western Christian tradition – the colour of royalty and the of blood. The service started in Bedford Square with the Blessing of Palm Crosses and a procession of All Saints’ Church via the Memorial Path. The preacher, who delivered a cracking and genuinely inspiring sermon, was the Rev’d Tim Haines, Pioneer Minister in the Bidwell West. Photos courtesy of Dr Matthew Hurley Here are a few photos to capture a year in the Parish of Houghton Regis. 2021 was a difficult year for many, including for our Parish; a lockdown, restrictions on gatherings and singing, and a couple of sad losses. But there were also many blessings and graces, and two day-pilgrimages (All Saints’ Margaret Street for the Feast of the Assumption and Walsingham). For another year journeying together with the Lord Jesus; for growth in Faith; for all that God kindly provided; let us praise and thank the Lord!  Legal restrictions brought in during the pandemic have come to an end across England on Monday 19th July 2021; however, both the Church of England and HM Government have issued advice to churches on how to manage future months.
After considering the guidance received, the Parish of All Saints’ Houghton Regis has implemented (or retained) the following measures. Face coverings and social distancing People are required to wear them indoors (unless medically exempt). This policy is in line with both the Government’s and the Church of England’s advice. Seating arrangements implemented during the lockdowns at both All Saints’ and St Thomas’ to facilitate social distancing remain unchanged. Hand Sanitising Hand gel stations are available in both churches. Please, sanitise your hands on entering and exiting the buildings. Test and Trace and Checking-In The QR codes used at All Saints’ and St Thomas’ to check-in using the NHS app remain in place. Please make use of these during your visits. Ventilation With fewer restrictions in place ventilation of our buildings during worship becomes all the more important. Main doors and certain windows will be open during services, save in extreme circumstances. Singing Evidence shows that aerosol particles are emitted by singers in greater quantities than if they were speaking. Therefore, masks should be worn by anyone in the congregation intending to sing (with an exception we can make for choir members), while social distancing will enable us to minimise the risk of transmitting the virus. Mass and Distribution of Holy Communion Holy Communion will continue to be distributed in one kind only. The Sacrament will continue be distributed to the faithful in the nave, and to choir members and servers from their places. Sign of Peace The liturgical exchange of peace which takes place at Mass will remain in the form of a hand wave to safeguard those who need to (or prefer to) keep at a safe distance from others. Refreshments after Mass Refreshments after services can be served again. Bellringing Ringing with a full number of ringers can resume, as can ringing practice. Ringers are expected to wear face masks whilst indoors. Updated 1 January 2022 Created 18 March 2020 Our service of Carols by Candlelight to place on the Fourth Sunday of Advent – the last Sunday before Christmas. The first known Christmas service of lessons and carols took place at Truro Cathedral on Christmas Eve 1878. Since then countless churches world-wide have adapted that first liturgy for their use - including King’s College Chapel, whose yearly broadcast of Lessons and Carols begun in 1928. Following this time-honoured pattern of worship, our service alternated reading and singing. As we listened to the readings, and sung joyful carols of prayer and praise, we travelled in spirit to the stable of Bethlehem, to see with the eyes of faith heaven united with earth, and our humanity united to the divine nature in the Child of Mary, Jesus the Son of God. Another carol service – Carols around the Crib – took place earlier in December. At that service the congregation, helped by children and young people, set up the Crib in anticipation of Christmas. Images of the Pontifical Mass on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Holy Cross Day) with the celebration of Confirmations. The service took place on Sunday 15 September at conclusion of the five-day mission led by Bishop Richard Atkinson, Bishop of Bedford, in Houghton Regis. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, usually celebrated on 14 September, recalls three historical events: the finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine; the dedication of churches built by Constantine on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Calvary; and the restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem by the emperor Heraclius II. However, in a deeper sense, the feast also celebrates the Holy Cross on which Our Lord Jesus Christ died as the instrument of our salvation. This instrument of torture, designed to degrade the worst of criminals, became the life-giving tree that reversed Adam's Original Sin. Inscribed upon the Cross we see in shining letters, 'God is love'; He bears our sins upon the tree; He brings us mercy from above. (Thomas Kelly, 1769 - 1855) The Sacrament of Confirmation is a response to God’s love for us, and a special way of receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of the Bishop’s hands in preparation for a life of Christian faithfulness and service. Confirmation is also a step of personal faith: the candidates confirm that they take on for themselves the promises made at Baptism, confirming their faith and their membership of the body of Christ, the Church. The Solemnity of Corpus Christi (literally meaning “The Body of Christ”) was celebrated in Houghton Regis on Saturday 22 June. Our Parish and the Parish of the Holy Cross, Marsh Farm, came together to mark this great celebration. This feast calls the whole Church to give special thanks to God for the inestimable gift of the Holy Eucharist, the Sacrament of Jesus' Body and Blood. For this reason the Blessed Sacrament is traditionally taken in procession at the end of the main Mass. One of the hymns sung at Corpus Christi describe the Blessed Sacrament in this way, O Bread of Heaven, beneath this veil Thou dost my very God conceal: My Jesus, dearest treasure, hail! I love Thee and, adoring, kneel; Each loving soul by Thee is fed With Thine own Self in form of Bread. The Celebrant and Preacher was Father Norman Banks, Bishop of Richborough, and a number of other priests attended the celebrations in choir; including Father Richard Brown SSC, parish priest of Marsh Farm. The Pontifical Mass was followed by a procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the churchyard and Bedford Road, and by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. BBQ and refreshments were also available after Mass. Photos below by Myles Pluss. The Easter Vigil, which is the greatest and most noble of all solemnities, marks the end of the emptiness of Holy Saturday, and leads into the celebration of Christ’s victory over Death and Hell. The word ‘Alleluia’ (meaning “God be praised”) which has been silent throughout Lent, returns. Alleluia! sing to Jesus! His the sceptre, his the throne. Alleluia! His the triumph, his the victory alone! (William Chatterton Dix) By most ancient tradition, this is the night of keeping vigil for the Lord (Ex 12:42), in which, following the Gospel admonition (Lk 12:35-37), the faithful, carrying lighted candles in their hands, should be like those looking for the Lord when he returns, so that at his coming he may find them awake and have them sit at his table. The Vigil is arranged in such a way that after the Lucernarium (or lighting of the Paschal Candle) and the Exultet (or Easter Proclamation), we will meditate on the wonders the Lord God has done for his people from the beginning., focusing on the theme of “Renewal”. After this, we will be invited to renew our Baptismal commitments to the life the Christian life before being called to celebrate the Eucharist, the living memorial of his Death and Resurrection. Main Service - Celebration of the Passion Today’s liturgy centres on Jesus’ Passion (his sufferings) and death on the Cross for our salvation. In order for us to enter more deeply into this great mystery, the “Celebration” is marked by deep silence. Please use these quiet moments to recollect yourself in the presence of Our Crucified Lord, accompanying him in spirit through the pain he endured - like the Mary and John did at Calvary. Here might I stay and sing, no story so divine: never was love, dear King, never was grief like thine. This is my friend, in whose sweet praise I all my days could gladly spend! (Samuel Crossman, 1664) On this and the following day, by a most ancient tradition, the Church does not celebrate the Sacraments at all, except for Confession and the Anointing of the Sick. Holy Communion is distributed from the Sacrament reserved last night at the Altar of Repose. The church remains stripped of all decoration. It continues bare and empty through the following day, which is a day without a liturgy: there can be no adequate way of recalling the being dead of the Son of God, other than silence and desolation. But within the silence there grows a sense of peace and completion, and then rising excitement as the Easter Vigil draws near. Family Service - Stations of the Cross |
Archives
April 2022
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
