Today I have erected the epiphany house. The crib is still up, of course and will be until Saturday night and this is behind a screen, but I just thought you would appreciate a sneak preview. Epiphany houses are an old Anglo Catholic custom. On Christmas day, the three kings were placed near the High Altar (in the east) and were then moved further and further towards the House as the days rolled on, obviously missing the crib, as that would spoil the surprise for them. The most famous one was in Holy Trinity Reading, where Fr Brian Brindley of blessed memory had life sized remote control figures who he would propel around the Church towards the House. He also used to paint the heels on his shoes red as well when he had been made a Canon and sport an elaborate Periwig style haircut so we will hear more about him later in the year. I think we have a very good Epiphany House this year so hopefully it will spur more people on to sponsoring an epiphany gift for the year. We always leave a list of the consumables for the year (candles, incense, etc) by the House and people are kind enough to put their name by something. This year I have reckoned that we will need £525 to place an order to last the whole year, now that we have moved to a cheaper supplier. And we still need a green High Mass set! I am hoping and praying.
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