Halfway through Lent is Laetare Sunday, when the penitential colour of purple lightens to rose, a day of refreshment before diving into the deeper end of Lent, Passiontide and Holy Week.
We had a rather joyful celebration yesterday and it was good to see different shades of pink for the group photo after the Mass!
Next weekend I am away and Fr Stephen will continue and finish the mini sermon series about ‘Liturgy for the Perplexed.’ If you want to catch up, the first two talks by Fr Barry and myself are here.
Due to my absence there is NO MASS ON SATURDAY 25th MARCH.
Easter Egg Extravaganza
We will be holding a fundraising raffle on 26th March and 2nd April.
How can you help? If you can gift an Easter egg, any size or make, that would be marvellous. There is a bag near the back of the church for your donations.
If you are able to buy a raffle ticket they will be available in the Hall at coffee time on both dates at £1 single or £5 per strip.
All monies raised will go towards our building project with its unexpected deficit. Thank you!
Choir Rehearsal No. 1 on this Wednesday 22nd March!
- People of all abilities and experiences are welcome to join.
- You do not have to be able to read sheet music.
- Each voice will be supported by a professional singer you can follow and ‘hang on to’ – making things both stable and easier. This also means that the project cannot fail, the professionals will carry everybody along.
- I am delighted that Leicester based musician, teacher, singer, organist, pianist and conductor John Gull has accepted leading this project at St Andrew’s.
The three rehearsals are (you need to able to firmly commit to at least two of those):
- Wednesday 22nd March, 7pm – 8.30pm
- Wednesday 29th March, 7pm – 8.30pm
- Wednesday in Holy Week, 5th April, 7pm – 8.30pm
On Easter Sunday 9th April the project choir will sing during the 10.30am Festival Mass at St Andrew’s.
Interested in taking part? Talk to me! And do turn up this Wednesday, 22nd March at 7pm.
Community Meal, Wednesday 19th April, 7pm
There are new faces all the time and getting to know each other takes some effort and time. As usual, doing stuff together makes things easier than just sitting together and talking – in contrast just talking can be a bit awkward (we are English after all! 😁). On this occasion we do very simple Indian food and please bring your own drinks – water will be provided.
You can buy your tickets on Sunday from Sam Thobiyas – they come at the highly competitive price of £1 (seriously!). Children eat free.
If you would be able and willing to help with setting up and tidying up please talk to me – help would be most welcome.
Passiontide
Next Sunday is the 5th Sunday of Lent and it marks the beginning of Passiontide – the more strict and solemn part of Lent. When you enter the church you will immediately notice the covered crosses and statues – they are impossible to miss and might even look a bit sinister.
To cover crosses at a time when the Passion and cross of Christ is the focus of attention is somewhat counterintuitive. Originally only precious items like gold or gems were supposed to be hidden, as this felt a bit inappropriate whilst remembering the crucifixion. I very much like the practice for another reason: the point of hiding is to focus the intention. To hide something with purple veils is so blatantly obvious that it immediately raises attention – and an involuntary curiosity about what is hidden underneath. To unveil the cross on Good Friday and the statues during the Easter Vigil helps us to see afresh what we are completely used to seeing all the time.
The pictures are from last year – and I find it striking to see that the restoration of the sanctuary and the altar is less than one year ago!
Easter Lilies and other flowers
As every year it would be lovely if people were going to sponsor some of the Easter flowers in memory of a loved one. Please write “EASTER FLOWERS” on a GiftAid! envelope.
