Category: Lent
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News for 24th March
Holy Week
Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday are essential periods in the ecclesiastical calendar that we all look forward to. We have been fasting for some weeks with sober reflections, acts of penance, prayers, and almsgiving.
Palm Sunday is with us now, where the triumphal entry of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is re-enacted through the procession of palms. This event is recorded in the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. People waving palm branches and shouting ‘hoshi’ana’ (Save Please) as Jesus enters Jerusalem. Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord is the first day of Holy Week, and it teaches us how important it is for all of us to welcome Jesus into our lives and always follow him.
Maundy Thursday, also called Holy Thursday and other names, is when Jesus Christ washed his disciples’ feet and the institution of the Holy Eucharist, also called the Last Supper. This is a significant day in the life of the church. The Latin word ‘mandatum’ means commandment because, on this day, Jesus said to his disciples in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”
Maundy Thursday is followed by Good Friday, the day our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified and died for all our sins. This day is a very solemn day and momentous day for all Christians because since Jesus was crucified, the message of the cross has been propagated throughout the world. The cross signifies man’s salvation, and it is only through it that hope is assured.
Holy Saturday is also known as Great Saturday; this is the day that the Paschal Lamb is blessed, the day of lights, and the day that the Gloria we have missed for some time is sung with bells tolling. This is the last day of the Holy Week. On this day, we wait for the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Easter vigil service is celebrated. The vigil leads us to the climax, where Jesus Christ’s resurrection occurs.
This Easter will be unique as we thank God for the ministry of Fr. Matthew Cashmore, Catherine, and Edmund. They continue with the work of God in a new parish.
Other News
Chrism Mass is on Holy Tuesday, 26th March at 11am, St. Andrews, Holborn. Poster on the Notice Board.
We will do a little get together party in honour of Fr. Matthew, Catherine and Edmund as they move to their new parish on Easter Sunday. So, we are humbly encouraged to bring something to share with them.
If you want to be baptised or know someone who want to be baptised on Easter Sunday, please see Fr Josiah for a baptism form.
Please support us with donations for Easter Flowers
Services for Palm Sunday and Holy Week:
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week – 3pm, Stations of the Cross, 7pm Confessions and 7:30pm High Mass.
28th – Maundy Thursday – 8pm High Mass of the Lord’s Supper with Washing of feet.
29th – Good Friday – 3pm Liturgy of the Passion with Veneration of the Cross
- 31st – Easter Sunday, Easter Mass with Procession – 10am
Please support the church generously through your giving at stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving
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News for 17th March
Easter Garden
In the notices, we will realize that on the 24th of March (Palm Sunday), all the young people in St. Anselm and Sunday School teachers will work together to build the Easter Garden for us immediately after mass. It is important to note that last year, it was so exciting to see them share ideas to make the Garden beautiful, with interesting creative ideas coming from everyone. When we try to present the resurrection scene with kids, it becomes a privilege and an opportunity for them to be innovative and to picture the resurrection scene, which will linger in their minds for a long time.
If you do not know what the Easter Garden is about, I will encourage you to join them after mass on Palm Sunday. I bet there will be a lot to learn from them. Making the Easter Garden, apart from being exciting, is a Christian tradition that allows us to depict and retell the Easter story creatively. You may wonder what you will see at the Easter Garden. The Easter Garden always have the tomb, hill, cross, rock and all the wonderful flowers and grass that make it so beautiful and full of life.
A reflection on the Easter Garden brings a lot of scenes together and moves us to meditate on the start of the passion through Holy Week and, ultimately, the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Easter Garden is about hope and encouragement that even if things become complex or challenging, Jesus Christ will come to rescue us. It is a call to all of us to encourage all the kids to see this as an avenue to do the little they can for the church of God.
Other News
We will do a little get together party in honour of Fr. Matthew, Catherine and Edmund as they move to their new parish on Easter Sunday. So, we are humbly encouraged to bring something to share with them.
If you want to be baptized or know someone who want to be baptized on Easter Sunday, please see Fr Josiah for a baptism form.
Please support us with donations for Easter Flowers
Services for Palm Sunday and Holy Week:
24th March – Palm Sunday – 10am, The Children will be building the Easter Garden after Mass.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week – 3pm, Stations of the Cross, 7pm Confessions and 7:30pm High Mass.
28th – Maundy Thursday – 8pm High Mass of the Lord’s Supper with Washing of feet.
29th – Good Friday – 3pm Liturgy of the Passion with Veneration of the Cross
- 31st – Easter Sunday, Easter Mass with Procession – 10am
Please support the church generously through your giving at stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving
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News for 10th March
The Gift of a Mother
God, in His infinite mercy, has given us a mother. Some of us still have our mothers around; some might have lost their mothers after birth, but the point remains, which is we all have a mother. A mother is a gift that God has given to all of us, and we must appreciate and cherish them because their role is vital. A mother is an excellent gift from God himself and He alone. God has bestowed on us many gifts, but the gift of a mother is unique, which is why it is important to cherish and celebrate.
God made the Blessed Virgin Mary a mother through the Holy Spirit’s power; through this, we receive salvation. The Blessed Virgin Mary sacrificed everything for the baby Jesus, which is what every mother does: sacrifice everything for the child. At the birth of a baby, all that the mother thinks of is the child’s well-being, even to the detriment of her own life.
No mother can say that she does not go through trials; every mother goes through it. To be honest, mothers have worries, challenges, struggles, pains, failures and many more, but they are always focused, and their main aim is to make their children better people. Because of this, they put all their difficulties aside and press on to reach their goals. Amanda Idleman, contributing to the article ‘5 Ways Mothers are Truly a Gift from God’ (April 19th, 2023), wrote “Mothers lay down their bodies, give up their sleep, cry many tears, pray so many prayers, and hope daily that God writes a good story for our kids. Sometimes, we hope this despite our failings.” While reading this, I began to reflect on how my mother could take care of me and my five siblings. A mother is a gift indeed. Mothers, you are indeed a blessing.
Other News
The funeral services of the late Wayne Campbell is on This Tuesday 12th March at 11:00 am and that of the late Simone Gomez is on this Wednesday 13th March at 1:30 pm, here in St. Anselm.
If you want to be baptized or know somebody who want to be baptized on Easter Sunday, please see Fr Josiah for a baptism form.
Please take note of the services for Palm Sunday and Holy Week:
24th March – Palm Sunday – 10am, The Children will be building the Easter Garden after Mass
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week – 3pm, Stations of the Cross, 7pm Confessions and 7:30pm High Mass
28th – Maundy Thursday – 8pm High Mass of the Lord’s Supper with Washing of feet
29th – Good Friday – 3pm Liturgy of the Passion with Veneration of the Cross
31st – Easter Sunday, Easter Mass with Procession – 10am
Please support the church generously through your giving at stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving
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