All Saints Parish Paper MARGARET STREET, LONDON W.1 JULY 2005 £1.00 VICAR’S LETTER what a wonderful occasion it was by people The Corpus Christi People: Part II from St Paul’s, Rossmore Road, who had joined us. We were also joined by people Last month, in anticipation of our Corpus from the Annunciation, Marble Arch. They Christi celebration, I shared with you some brought their own banner and loaned us thoughts about Eucharistic worship. This processional torches. Their servers joined month, we publish Fr Edward Dowler’s ours in the sanctuary and the procession. excellent sermon which continues that theme in very helpful ways and gives us This was the second year we have gone outside and processed along Oxford Street much to reflect on as a congregation. through the traffic and the crowds of Tony Halton, who is training for the Thursday night shoppers and those eating priesthood on the North Thames Ordination out in the restaurants of Market Place. Course, has been doing a project on his home Children scattered rose petals. Bells were parish. He undertook some research on who rung. Hymns were sung. This was only the comes to All Saints and why. A questionnaire second time we have done this, so we are was issued with the recent stewardship still learning. Paul Brough had organised renewal pack. Tony presented the results of trumpets which helped us cope with the his survey to a group of parishioners and his background traffic noise. A leaflet had been tutor Canon Lucy Winkett, the Precentor of produced so that we had something to hand St Paul’s Cathedral. He is preparing a report to people explaining who we were and what for the PCC. we were doing. Some of our new neighbours from the Jesus Army stood on the steps of Like Fr Dowler’s sermon, the results of No 82 to watch and Yvonne Craig explained the questionnaire give us a good deal to what we were doing. We encountered hardly ponder. At this stage, I want to pick up only any hostility and the police dealt tactfully one thing. People were asked about their but firmly with one motor cyclist who had hopes for the future of All Saints. One disobeyed an instruction to stop. request was for more outdoor religion, more processions. Many people stopped to watch, take photographs, capture us on their mobile Since the questionnaires were filled in, phones, record us on video. Jim Rosenthal, we have had our Corpus Christi celebration. Director of Communications at the Anglican People are still talking about it. Our Communion Office and a member of the archdeacon reported that he had been told Friends of All Saints, risked life and limb to 1 take some excellent shots and these are on Can we do more of this sort of thing? Well display in the church. He tells me that the we have already introduced outdoor carol Church Times declined to publish any of singing and the Palm Sunday procession them. A group of joyful Christians stopping begins in Market Place. “What about the traffic on Oxford Street must not be news. something on Good Friday?”, I have been asked by more than one person. Something Some who stopped to watch even joined used to be done in Fr Sparrow’s day. Perhaps in the procession and came back to church we can revive it. It might be something we with us for Benediction. Then there was a can do which people of less catholic happy party in the courtyard which went on tradition would be comfortable with. When so long that we had to rescue the preacher we have digested Fr Dowler’s sermon we to give him supper and send him home to must look again at how we organise non- Oxford, tired but rejoicing. A delightful eucharistic worship as a way into the life of Egyptian Muslim couple who had been out the Church for some. shopping came to look, thinking it must be a wedding party. There was a huge amount of organisation involved, much of which was enthus- A number of people have said to me that iastically shouldered by our head server they were sceptical about the idea when they Cedric Stephens. Paul Brough marshalled first heard of it, but had been won over not only the musicians but, at one stage, the completely after taking part. I must admit that congregation too. The catering committee when I first suggested it, I wondered if it was refreshed us in body after our spiritual the right thing to do, in a culture where people exertions. The Marylebone police served us are unused to it. However, I thought it was extremely well and we are grateful to them. time that people on Oxford Street got to see some Christians who were not haranguing If such events do attract people to All them about sin through a megaphone. We do Saints, we must be ever more conscious of recognise a need and responsibility to reach our responsibility to them in a number of out to the people of our parish, including ways: those who work and shop in it, to show them something of Jesus Christ. Could we do this to be a place and people of welcome. I in a way that is welcoming and not have been heartened as recently as my judgemental; that demonstrates to people that visit to St Barnabas in Pimlico to receive Christians enjoy their faith and worship; so unsolicited testimonials to the friend- they might do so too? liness of All Saints these days; to not relax our efforts to improve our It is also, like our other weekday feasts, programme of teaching, to which Fr Ivan an opportunity for people from other has brought such an infusion of energy parishes, which do not have our liturgical over the last year and a half; and musical resources, to join us. People to maintain the spiritual vitality of our have always come as individuals but now life through worship and prayer. we are welcoming them as representatives of their parish communities. They share Yours in Christ, with us in a great communal act of witness. Alan Moses 2 church. They were rescued in time to get to PARISH NOTES church just before 11.00 a.m. Kirsty had time to calm down before the baptism and Norman Caplin Barnaby showed himself to be entirely Norman, our honorary assistant organist, unflappable, demonstrating a keen interest celebrated his 80th birthday on Sunday June in everyone and everything around him; 5th. The choir sang Vierne’s “Messe including the Vicar’s beard. He is such a Solenelle” and Norman’s own setting of the good-natured young chap that he continued Venerable Bede’s “Christ is the Morning to smile at Fr Alan even after having water Star”, as well as a number of his descants poured over his head. on hymn tunes. There was a happy drinks party in the courtyard afterwards and the Ordinations Vicar spoke of the special place Norman Petertide is the principal season of and Lily enjoy in the life of All Saints. ordinations and this year two people with All Saints connections are being ordained. Norman has enriched our worship with his musicianship, both as organist and as Sarah Eynstone was a member of the composer. He is working to complete the congregation here in her student days and Credo for his “Missa Omnium Sanctorum” while she was recovering from a major road and the whole setting will be sung at the accident. After pastoral placements at the All Saints Festival this year. More than that, King’s College Chaplaincy and St Mary’s, both he and Lily have contributed far more Primrose Hill, she went to Westcott House than can be said to the life of so many at in Cambridge. She will be one of the 34 All Saints by their gifts of friendship and deacons to be ordained for the diocese in hospitality. St Paul’s Cathedral on Saturday June 25th and is to serve at Hampstead Parish Church. Norman Caplin writes: Norman wishes to thank all concerned for Christopher Woods, a member of the the overwhelming weight of good wishes Friends of All Saints, is the curate of St heaped upon him on his 80th on 5th June Mark’s, Dundela in Belfast. St Mark’s was — not only those who individually sent him designed by William Butterfield. Christopher birthday greetings, but also all who signed is to be ordained priest on June 19th. the gigantic card given to him on the day. St Barnabas’, Pimlico A Baptism Fr Alan preached at St Barnabas for the At the other end of the age range, we church’s Patronal Festival Mass on June welcomed into the fellowship of the Church 11th. On the previous day he had been Barnaby David Munro Crawford who walking along Marylebone Road on his way was baptised at High Mass on Sunday June to visit Wendy Roberts in hospital when he 12. Barnaby and his mother Kirsty had noticed a traffic warning about a managed to get themselves locked in their “ceremonial event” in central London the flat after his father James had left for next day. This was not Mass at St Barnabas 3 but the Trooping of the Colour. With this where our former curate Fr Ian Davies is in mind he set off in good time, only to find Rector. Fr Ian has been in touch to say that that there were no underground trains a group from St Thomas’s is coming over stopping at Sloane Square.