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Highlights of parish life in 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
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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. Yesterday, on the Last Sunday before Lent (the Sixth in Ordinary Time) we ended the Parish Mass with the burning of last year’s Palm Crosses to make the ash used on Ash Wednesday to mark the beginning of Lent.
This simple rite is adapted from liturgical material produced by the Scottish Episcopal Church and available online. The reading from Isaiah 58 invites us to reflect on the spiritual meaning of fasting and repentance as we approach the holy season of Lent. Photo-post from the Parish Mass with Blessing of Palms in Houghton Regis on 2 April 2023.
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, and it recalls the triumphant entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem a few days before his blessed Passion. On Palm Sunday it is customary to bless Palm Crosses and leafy branches for people to carry in procession. Photo Copyright: All Saints' PCC Houghton Regis The holy season of Lent started on Ash Wednesday (22 February). On Ash Wednesday we welcomed the pupils and staff of Thomas’ Whitehead Academy to church for a special service where blessed Ashes were distributed. The other photos below were taken at the Parish Mass on Sunday 26 February, the First Sunday of Lent.
About the Season Lent invites us to deeper repentance; to make meaningful changes in the way we live so that we may learn to follow the Lord Jesus more closely. To facilitate this Lenten repentance, we are invited to follow three core practices: Fasting, Giving, and Prayer. These should be hallmarks of the Christian life, but we are especially encouraged to engage with them now as we prepare to celebrate Easter. The last two weeks of Lent (sometimes called Passiontide) assume darker tones 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. The liturgical colours of Lent are purple, “Roman purple”, and violet to signify penitence. On the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Lætare Sunday) the liturgical colour is a cheerier rose. Photos: Thomas Whitehead Academy and Mr David Steele Photo Copyright: Thomas Whitehead Academy and All Saints' PCC Houghton Regis We celebrated a Solemn Mass of Requiem for the repose of the soul of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday 11 September 2022. The Mass was the first occasion for our town of Houghton Regis to come together with our Mayor following the sad news of the Queen’s death on Thursday evening.
At the service we commended Queen Elizabeth to God’s mercy and love, we gave thanks for her life and her long reign, and we prayed for the His Majesty King Charles III as he accedes to the throne. In the sermon the Parish Priest, Father Diego, invited the faithful to reflect on the meaning of “a life well lived” – the way in which King Charles paid tribute to the life and reign of his late Mother. This meaning, he said, can only be found in a life that is lived as a gift to and for others, a life of service. The Town Mayor signed a Book of Condolences which was opened on Saturday 10 September and that will remain available for people to sign until the day after the Queen’s funeral. The Mass ended with the singing of God save the King. Indeed, may God bless our new King and bless his reign with his wisdom. Photos: Mr Myles Plüss Copyright: All Saints' PCC Houghton Regis 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 On Sunday 6 February we marked the 70th anniversary of HM The Queen’s accession to the throne, and the beginning of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The Parish Mass on Accession Day at All Saints’ Houghton Regis was attended by the Town Mayor, Cllr Clare Copleston, by members of 1st/3rd Houghton Regis Scout Group, members of the Girlguiding Houghton Regis, and pupils from Thomas Whitehead Church of England Academy. After Mass 6 Jubilee trees were planted in the churchyard as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.
As part of our celebrations music with royal connections was played and sung before, during and after Mass. 'Nimrod' from Elgar's 'Enigma Variations' and Ronald Binge's 'Elizabethan Serenade' was played before the Service. The Introit Hymn 'Praise my soul, the King of heaven' is known to be a favourite of Her Majesty the Queen. During the distribution of Holy Communion movements from Handel's 'Water Music' was played, and the concluding Organ Music was John Stanley's Prelude and 'Bell' Allegro, an excerpt from his Concerto Op2 No3 arranged for organ, and played from a facsimile copy of a contemporary keyboard transcription. In 1924 Elgar succeeded Walter Parratt as Master of the King's Musick, a post which he held until his death ten years later in 1934. Ronald Binge's 'Elizabethan Serenade' was written in 1951, but was renamed in the early years of the Queen's reign. John Stanley, like Elgar, was appointed as Master of the King's Musick in 1779 until his death in 1786. Handel was never appointed master of the King's Musick, but his music was held in considerable regard by bothe King George I and King George II in the first half of the 18th Century. Jubilee Trees: Two Crataegus prunifolia (Hawthorn) Two Liriodendron tulipifera Snow bird (Tulip Tree), Two Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Glaucum' (Blue Giant Sequoia) |
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