RECTOR'S LETTER TO PARISHIONERS - EASTER 2004

Dear parishioners,

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

What a wonderful Holy Week & Easter we have just celebrated! In fact it started at the beginning of Lent, and as Holy Week drew closer we moved onward into the great mystery of Our Lord's death & resurrection. When Palm Sunday arrived we knew that something special was upon us. And so it proved to be.

I can honestly say that I have never experienced a Holy Week & Easter quite like it. We were inspired & carried along, arriving excitedly at that beautiful Holy Saturday night and glorious Easter morning. Many have told me what an impression the week made on them, & how they were strengthened in their faith. At the beginning of Lent I promised that the season & the liturgies had the power to renew our parish. We have all indeed been renewed!

Once again may I express my thanks to everyone who worked, contributed or assisted to make our Holy Week & Easter so marvellous. Now we have some new standards and traditions to maintain!

EASTERTIDE

We are in the joyful Easter season. What a wonderful time it is to be a christian, and to be a member of All Saints' Church. In May there is a special event happening, and I want to tell you about it. On Sunday May 2nd the School 8th Grade students will present their legacy gift to the parish. This will be a statue of the Madonna & Child. I am delighted about this, because the one thing we lack in our church is a shrine of the Virgin Mary, where people can pray & light votive lights. The statue will be placed near the lecturn. Thus we will honour the Mother of the Incarnate Word near the place where the Word of God is read.

The statue is that known as "Our Lady of Walsingham". Walsingham is the great Church of England shrine of the Incarnation, and is in Norwich. It was the most famous shrine of the Virgin Mary in England before the Reformation, and was the last destroyed by Henry VIII. The shrine was restored in 1933, and today thousands go there on pilgrimage.

WALSINGHAM

Some people will be familiar with Walsingham. Fr Satrang led a parish pilgrimage there 30 years ago. It is a great center for Anglocatholic parishes and priests. There is a painting of Our Lady of Walsingham in St Paul's cathedral, and most anglocatholic parishes have a Walsingham shrine. Having our own at All Saints' will be a way of proclaiming our Anglocatholic tradition, in union with similar parishes throughout the Anglican Communion. This is very important at this time in the history of our parish and the Episcopal Church.

Enclosed with this letter are 2 leaflets to assist your understanding of what Walsingham means.

I have a particular love for Walsingham. When I lived in London in 1974/5 I went there several times. It was following one such visit that I felt the distinct call to be a priest. The shrine has been a great focus for me spiritually ever since. I have visited it for spiritual renewal and encouragement over many years. More importantly, the prayers of Our Lady of Walsingham have sustained me, and made me the sort of priest I am.

PILGRIMAGE

An annual pilgrimage to Walsingham is part of my priestly life. I am a priest-associate of the shrine, and also of the convent attached to it. Last year the prayer intention was my future ministry....& you all know the result! This year I am returning to give thanks for those prayers being answered. I will also be making particular intercession for our parish, and all of you who are its parishioners. I will have you in my heart as I offer prayers & Mass in that holy place. I will be away from the parish May 17 - 28.

SISTERS SHOP

A sadder note concerns the Sisters Shop. After discussions at Vestry & with the shop co-ordinators, it has been decided to close the shop at the end of May. This was not an easy decision, & I want to pay tribute to Melinda Freese & Franell Prather. They have worked hard for many years, with no personal reward. The shop has been a special ministry for them, in their busy lives. Thank you, Melinda & Franell.

I continue to thank God for all that he is doing in our wonderful parish. May the joy of Christ Risen fill your hearts.

This comes with my blessings & prayers,

Fr Tony