Eastertide is 50 days!

Following a rather amazing Easter Day service with lots of joy, celebration and a fair bit of chaos we are firmly in Eastertide! You may notice subtle changes in the service during this time: the colour remains white until Pentecost, the penitential rite during the Mass is different, we have the Gloria and the Alleluia back and the Angelus after the Mass is replaced by the Regina Coeli.

See below some photos from Holy Week and Easter Day.

Compline & Benediction and ‘Thirsting after Righteousness’ after Choir Practice

Maundy Thursday & Good Friday

Easter Preparations and Easter Day

The next few weeks are going to be busy (nothing new under the sun) and I am going to list what’s going on in order of things happening – there are plenty of opportunities to get involved and there is help needed with a number of things:

• Cleaning the church on Saturday, 29th April, 9.15am to 11.15am (You will be surprised how much fun this is!)
• May Festival: help is needed on Monday 15th May from 4pm in various capacities – please talk to Elizabeth who will have a sign-up sheet on Sunday!
• Hospitality and Welcoming on Sundays generally. See below.

Funeral Arrangements for John Rossiter

A memorial service for John will be held at St Andrew’s on Wednesday, 19th April at 3pm, followed by drinks at the Sir Robert Peel at John’s request. John’s wish was for any donations to go to LOROS and Motor Neurone Disease Research at the University of Sheffield. There is a collection box in the pub (just ask the staff) and donations will also be possible at the service. Louise and Moira have set up a JustGiving page here.

Hospitality & Welcoming – HELP NEEDED

So far we have had 4 teams for hospitality and welcoming people to church on a Sunday and Feast Days. This is becoming arduous as we are growing in numbers and the two roles need splitting: welcoming or hospitality. Every Sunday we need 3 people in the kitchen and 2 people to welcome people. Could you do either of those once a month? If you cannot promise a regular Sunday a month due to work commitments could you help on an adhoc basis? For either role you need to come early to church – you need to be here by 10 (and there is now a nice group having a tea/coffee from about 9.30am in the morning).

Full training and induction given – it is perfectly ok to try this once or twice and see whether you enjoy doing this. Welcoming is suitable for (supervised) children from the age of 10 – for the hospitality role you need to be 16 or above.

Please speak to me if you would like to give any of those a try!

Mick McQuade’s Church Visits

I am pleased to confirm that the next lunch, church exploration and walk will be on Thursday 4th May when we will visit St Mary’s Church at Cotesbach. We will meet at the Yard Café, Main St, Cotesbach, Lutterworth LE17 4HX, at 12.00 noon but, as the café is small we will eat in the Village Hall next door. After lunch we will adjourn to St Mary’s Church where we will be welcomed by Peter Carter, the Churchwarden. Peter has researched his church and has offered to give us a short commentary and share interesting information and show some of his discoveries about St Mary’s. 

If the weather is suitable, I will lead a short walk across open fields, through the Golf course to finish at Lutterworth. For those who do not wish to walk, Annie at the Yard Café will be delighted to serve you afternoon tea. 

Please note that our walks are “Pick-and-Mix”, that is, join us just for the part(s) that you enjoy.

If you would like to join me on this outing to feed the outer and the inner man, please let me know by email (mick.mcquade@ntlworld.com) and I will forward details of the church and café.

Church Cleaning – Saturday 29th April, 9.15am to 11.15am

We are definitely not meeting to do some cleaning on the Coronation Day – so the final Saturday in April is the next useful date. Please join us if you can.

Coronation of King Charles III, Saturday 6th May

The BBC made the broadcast of the Coronation of the King free of license – so we can watch it on the big (-ish) screen in the church hall and have some cucumber sandwiches with Pimms and other such delights in the garden. I will go round with a sign-up sheet to see whether there is sufficient interest and whether people can bring some bits for everybody.

May Festival – Monday 15/05, 7pm

After the success of last year we are going to have the traditional May Festival in honour of Our Lady, Queen of the May (see pictures from last year below). Due to the coronation of King Charles III we have moved it by one week to the 15th of May to avoid the clash. Our preacher this year is going to be Fr Christopher Johnson from the Wigston Team Ministry. This event involves quite a lot of hospitality – help is needed on the day itself, both in the afternoon from 4pm and in the evening. Elizabeth Amias got a spreadsheet – please talk to her if you can offer some help!

Corpus Christi Project Choir – starts 24th May

Following the success of the Easter Project Choir the next project is right around the corner! We move Corpus Christi to the nearest Sunday (11 June) and the same deal applies: you need to be able to commit to 2 out of 3 rehearsals.

National Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, Monday 29th May

Special offer for St Andrew’s Regular Congregation (tickets from Fr Johannes): 

• Ticket for Transport, Reserved Seat and Fish & Chips £10 
• Children (under 18) go FREE 
• FREE unreserved seats first come first served on the day
• Non-congregation tickets £25 

Programme for the Day 

• 0745 Arrive at St Andrew’s (free parking) 
• 0800 Coach leaves St Andrew’s 
• 1100 Coach arrives 
• 1200 Mass in the Abbey Grounds (outdoor) 
• 1300 Picnic in the Abbey Grounds 
• 1430 Sermon
• 1500 Procession through Abbey Grounds and Village 
• 1530 Benediction
• 1600 Finish and return to coach 
• 1630 Coach stops for Fish & Chips
• 1900 Coach arrives at St Andrew’s 

Bring with you

• Food and drink for yourself for the day 
• Something to sit on (blanket or folding chair, ask Fr Johannes if you need to borrow something) 
• Clothes for all weather (we are outdoors all day and the weather can be anything from hot and sunny to cold and wet) 
• A small amount of pocket money if you want to buy something in the shop 

What’s so special about Walsingham? 

Little Walsingham is a small village in Norfolk in the east of England. It is located near the coast in an area which is both very beautiful and ancient. Walsingham has been England’s busiest place of Pilgrimage for hundreds of years, following an apparition of Our Lady in 1061. After the destruction of the Shrine during the Reformation it was re-established in 1931 and has again become a place of Pilgrimage for Christians of different denominations and backgrounds. 

A lamp for our parish has been continuously burning at the Shrine for many years. Besides the official parish link people from St Andrew’s have been travelling there for decades and many here feel attached to the place. We have a Cell of Our Lady of Walsingham in the parish formed by those who regularly travel there (speak to Fr Johannes if you want to find out more). It’s a place which is soaked in prayer and unfailingly touches many of us in ways which are difficult to explain.

Baptisms, Confirmations and Receptions with Bishop Peter, Sunday 09/07, 1030am

I am delighted that Bishop Peter is going to join us again in July for baptisms, confirmations and receptions into the Church of England. Children are baptised with the permission of their parents and they often cannot make a personal statement of faith – particularly if they are babies. In contrast, adults speak for themselves and the sacraments of baptism and confirmation are usually given together. See pictures below from last year’s baptism & confirmation service with Bishop Christopher.

Please talk to me if you are interested in baptism, confirmation or reception into the church.