The palm crosses caught light well this year.
My Lenten regime was kick started on Monday when my boiler broke down. As your scribe scribes, he is wearing a very thick jumper (green, naturally, but I will have a purple one on tomorrow!) and feeling rather cold and austere. I would be feeling more austere if I did not have a supply of bacon and hash brown sandwiches by my side, but it is a start and lent does not begin until tomorrow!
After today's Mass of St Agatha I prepared the Church for Lent by taking down all the hangings, statue backdrops, altar frontals and putting the relics away until Holy Saturday. The Church looks quite bare already as we will have no flowers now, except lilies in the Lady Chapel, until then either. I have put a purple High Mass set out for tomorrow and burned all of last years palm crosses for ash, as you can see above. Last year they were reluctant to light, so I helped them along with some turpentine from the shed, however, one of our parishoners developed a nasty rash on their forehead afterwards and one or two marvelled at the powerful feeling of the Mass and said that they could still almost feel where the cross had been made the week after. The truth, now, is out! This year they burnt on their own, thankfully and have made a lovely fibrous, ashy compound. We now have enough to last us until 2775 as well, so that must be a good thing!
LENT AT SAINT HILDAS, PRESTWICH.
MASSES AS USUAL,
SUNDAY HIGH MASS 11AM
MONDAY LOW MASS 11.30AM
TUESDAY LOW MASS AND ANOINTINGS 9.40AM
WEDNESDAY LOW MASS 6.30PM
FRIDAY LOW MASS 9.30AM
SATURDAY LOW MASS 9AM.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS EVERY SUNDAY AT 6PM.
ASH WEDNESDAY MASSES.
LOW MASS 10AM
HIGH MASS 7,30PM.
THURSDAY PRAYER GROUPS.
14TH FEBRUARY 7PM. SISTER THERESA.
28TH FEBRUARY 7PM. GIVING UP ON LENT?
13TH MARCH . LENTEN DISCIPLINE?
PALM SUNDAY HIGH MASS AND PROCESSION 11AM FROM THE SCHOOLYARD.
HOLY WEEK.
MONDAY LOW MASS 11.30AM
TUESDAY LOW MASS AND ANOINTINGS 9.40AM
WEDNESDAY MORNING STATIONS OF THE CROSS
WEDNESDAY EVENING LOW MASS 6.30PM
MAUNDY THURSDAY. HIGH MASS OF THE LORDS SUPPER 7.30
WATCHING AT THE ALTAR OF REPOSE UNTIL MIDNIGHT
MIDNIGHT, COMPLINE.
GOOD FRIDAY LITURGIES AND COMMUNION 2PM
HOLY SATURDAY HIGH MASS AND LITURGIES 8.30PM
EASTER SUNDAY FESTAL HIGH MASS 11AM
There is an enormous amount of hard work involved in producing Lent and Holy Week liturgies of dignity, not least of which involves holding my ladders whilst I have a paddy trying to hang the enormous veil over the reredos! We are always happy of any offers to help and, of course, we are delighted to see new faces at any of the services.
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