Easter services 2020
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Coronavirus Update - 23 March 2020
It is with great sadness that we have taken the decision to close both the church and church hall and suspend all worship and outreach activities in them for the foreseeable future. This means there will be no services during Holy Week and at Easter. Our worship of God and our care for each other continue, but cannot safely be done in our buildings in the present circumstances. If you would like a prayer said for yourself or others, please use our confidential Can we pray for you? link. To protect the vulnerable among us, please do not leave your home except for essential trips. If you live at a distance from elderly or vulnerable friends or family who reside in our neighbourhood, or are yourself required to self-isolate, please let us know if they need any assistance in obtaining supplies or other support and we will try to help. Phone: 01273 698601 This means there will be no public services during Holy Week and at Easter. ********************** For Christians, Easter is the most important season of the year - a time for reflection and learning, filled with the promise of God's grace, redemption and healing. But you don't have to share Christian beliefs to know that the observance of Easter is a big part of our cultural heritage and has shaped its art, music and literature. If you would like to explore the symbolism and meaning of Easter, please feel free to visit us and know that we will welcome you warmly. Palm Sunday - Liturgy of the Palms and the Passion Sunday, 5 April, 10am We begin Holy Week on Palm Sunday with a traditional procession of palms and hymns. The service includes the moving narrative of Christ's Passion from the Gospel of St Mark. Stations of the Cross Tuesday, 7 April, 6.30pm A prayerful pilgrimage around our large painted Stations of the Cross by Hove artist Harry Mileham. The paintings, which date from the 1910s to early 1930s, originally hung in the church of St Thomas the Apostle in Davigdor Road, Hove, and were transferred to St Mary's in 1993, when St Thomas's was closed as an Anglican church. They suit St Mary's space remarkably well and have a wonderfully immediate and human character to them. Open Day, Wednesday of Holy Week, 8 April The church will be open all day on the Wednesday of Holy Week, beginning with Morning Prayer at 8.30 am, which is followed by Stations of the Cross at 11 am, the rehearsal of Stainer's Crucifixion at 4.30 pm and its performance at 7 pm. Please drop in to experience the very special atmosphere of the church on this day of worship through art and music. Stations of the Cross Wednesday, 8 April, 11am Another chance to share in prayerful contemplation of Hove artist Harry Mileham's beautiful Stations of the Cross paintings. The Crucifixion by John Stainer Wednesday, 8 April, 4.30pm and 7pm Our traditional 'come and sing' performance of John Stainer's oratorio The Crucifixion (1887) is conducted by Gregory Moore with tenor Andrew Mackenzie Wicks, bass Mark Beesley and organist Simon Lawford. Singers are welcome to join the choir for rehearsal at 4.30 pm. Please bring a score if you have one, though we will have spares to hand. The performance is at 7 pm and entry is free. We will be serving refreshments for the choir after rehearsal and for everybody after the performance. For further details please call 01273 698601. And here is a reminder of the sheer beauty of Stainer's music - a sublime version of 'God so loved the world' from the choir of St Paul's Cathedral. The Pedilavium - Washing of the Feet Thursday, 9 April, 8pm The Maundy Thursday liturgy includes the ceremony of the Washing of the Feet. It is followed by the vigil in the intimate space of the Lady Chapel at St Mary's, which is beautifully decorated with flowers to represent the Garden at Gethsemane, where Jesus spent the night in prayer before his crucifixion: 'Could ye not watch with me one hour?' Good Friday Liturgy Friday, 10 April, 2pm Our Good Friday service commemorating the suffering and death of Jesus is held at St Mary's at 2 pm. We leave the church in silence. Easter Vigil and the Service of Light Saturday, 11 April, 8pm A beautiful service that begins in darkness and erupts into light and song as we celebrate the risen Christ. Easter Day Eucharist Sunday, 12 April, 10am The culmination of Passiontide - a beautiful, joyous service that brims with the sense of new life, hope and redemption. Followed by refreshments and children's Easter Egg hunt. Back to Services Back to Home |
Jesus is Condemned to Death. Second Station of the Cross, by Hove artist Harry Mileham, 1923.
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