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This week we celebrated the first School Mass of the Autumn Term with Thomas Whitehead Academy. The value for the first half of term was Courage and in the readings we looked at God's instruction to Joshua to "Be Courageous" (Joshua 1:1-9) and Jesus' great commission to his disciples (Matthew 28:16-20). As is it our custom, the 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.
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Pdf files of the services for Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day 2024 are available below.
On Monday 1 July Father Diego visited our church school, Thomas Whitehead Academy, to conduct a service of blessing for the Reflection Garden in the school grounds. To bless a place means to invite God to be there in a special way, so that all those who visit that place may be refreshed by his presence and his love for them. Blessing, in a sense, sets a place apart for a purpose that connects us with God. The readings at the service were adapted from Genesis 2 and the Canticle of Creatures by St Francis of Assisi, to help the children reflect on our common and God-given responsibly to care for the environment. Photos Copyright: Thomas Whitehead Academy, used with permission.
On Sunday 14 April, the Third Sunday of Easter, we had the great pleasure of hosting the annual Civic Service for Houghton Regis. The Service was held in the presence of the Town Mayor, Councillor Jimmy Carroll and attended by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire and the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire, along with the Mayors of Luton, Dunstable, Biggleswade, Sandy, Shefford, Stotfold, Kempston, Ampthill, Harpenden, and Leighton-Linslade. Many members of local uniformed organisations were present and formed a guard of honour for the dignitaries and the congregation. At the service the Town Mayor spoke passionately about the Neighbourhood Town Plan and about the history of Houghton Regis. He also wrote a history of the town which was included in the order of service. Father Diego, the Priest-in-charge of Houghton Regis, preached on the first reading, Philippians 4:4-9, and the choir of All Saints’ sung the anthem “Rejoice in the Lord alway” by Henry Purcell. Photo Copyright: All Saints' PCC Houghton Regis
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! On Easter Day we gathered to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, to celebrate the Eucharist, and to welcome new members of the Church coming forward for Baptism. It was a special joy and blessing to mark the beginning of the Easter season in this way. From the order of service: Today we rejoice with our Christian brothers and sisters around the world at the resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the grave. This is the central truth of our faith: death has no more power over Jesus and in his resurrection we contemplate our future; eternal life in him. As St Paul’s wrote to early Christians, “your life is hidden with Christ in God, and when Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory” (Col 3:3-4) Photo Copyright: All Saints' PCC Houghton Regis
Good Friday, the day in which the Lord Jesus Christ died on Calvary, is a day of great solemnity and deep reflection, as we gather around the Cross of Jesus. We traditionally hold two services on this day; a children celebration accompanied by crafts and refreshments in the morning, and a the Good Friday Liturgy in the afternoon. The afternoon liturgy is marked by moments of silence to facilitate our recollection before the crucified Lord, and it includes the reading of the Passion according to Saint John, the veneration of a relic of the True Cross, and the distribution of Holy Communion from the reserved Blessed Sacrament. Photo Copyright: All Saints' PCC Houghton Regis
The Solemn Mass of the Lord's Supper, the first part of the Easter Triduum, was celebrated at All Saints' on 28 March at 8:00pm and it was followed by a vigil (or watch) at the Altar of Repose. Maundy Thursday (marks the end of Lent and the beginning of the sacred "Easter Triduum”. These three days are the holiest days of the Christian year. The word Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum, meaning ‘commandment’, used in the entrance antiphon I give you a new commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you. (John 13.34) At this Mass, the holy oils, blessed by the bishop for the sacramental life of the parish, are received by the congregation, and the Priest washes the feet of few members of the congregation to symbolise Christ’s washing of his twelve Apostles. And so, this Mass stresses the importance Jesus puts on humility and service within the Church. Also emphasised are the fundamental importance of the Eucharist and the sacrifice of Christ’s Body, which we now find present in the Blessed Sacrament. Photo Copyright: All Saints' PCC Houghton Regis
Maundy Thursday celebrations opened with the Mass of the Lord's Supper with the Key Stage 2 pupils of Thomas Whitehead Academy. The children lead the readings from Scripture and composed the prayers of intercession. At this service we recalled how Jesus washed the disciples' feet during his last supper with them, and how he left to them the gift of his own very self in the Eucharist. Photo Copyright: Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy
Yesterday, Sunday 24 March, we celebrated Palm Sunday. The Parish Mass began in Bedford Square with the blessing of palm crosses and olive branches as we recalled the entrance of the Lord Jesus into Jerusalem. After this we processed to All Saints' signing praises to the Lord. Later in the afternoon, at 4:00pm, we concluded Palm Sunday with a service of Stations of the Cross and Benediction. About the Celebration: Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week and the Sunday before Easter. On this day we remember the glorious entry into Jerusalem of Jesus riding on a donkey, while a great multitude of people welcomed Him and waved Him on. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and John tell us how the crowds took leafy branches from the trees that lined the road (traditionally identified as palm and olive trees) and waved them in the air shouting “Hosanna”, and threw their clothes and palm branches on the path in front of Him with great jubilance. Photo Copyright: All Saints' PCC Houghton Regis
On Sunday 17 March, Passion Sunday, Bishop Richard of Bedford visited All Saints’ to celebrate the Parish Mass and to preach. It was a great honour and pleasure to welcome our bishop once again to Houghton Regis. The service included Ecce Sacerdos by Lorenzo Perosi (1852-1956), sung at the Solemn Reception of the Bishop, and Lord, I trust Thee by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) as the post-Communion anthem. Father Diego would like to thank all the volunteers who worked very hard to make this service such a lovely and powerful occasion. The last two weeks of Lent (sometimes called Passiontide) are marked by darker tones than the rest of the season, as we approach Good Friday. During Passiontide sacred images are veiled so as to hide some of the glory and splendour of the church building and of the liturgy, and to focus our attention on the sorrowful Passion and Death of Our Lord.
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