From the Parish Priest

This year Easter Day is on March 23rd - almost as early as it can be. A previous article in this magazine explained why the date of Easter changes from year to year. For Christians and Church members an early Easter means an early Lent. Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent is on February 6th, and so with Christmas and New Year only just behind us, we’re already looking to our Lent programme.

There’ll be the usual Lent services, with a weekly Stations of the Cross, and in Holy Week we’ll follow the ancient custom of different forms of worship every day. It’s planned to have Taizé style evening service during Lent and to hold a Passover Seder again on Holy Saturday to prepare us to meet the risen Christ on Easter morning.

During Lent members of St. George’s Church will be invited to follow a Lent course based on the Lord’s Prayer. Among the speakers on CD will be Dr. David Hope, Canon Margaret Sentamu and our own Bishop, Kenneth Stevenson. During the Bishop’s illness he has written a number of papers and books, and his contribution to the Lent Course comes from the wretched times he’s experienced. The course is divided into five chapters and it’s hoped that groups will once again meet around the parish to listen to the speaker, read the material and then discuss the subjects raised. Details of the groups will be in the special Lent, Holy Week and Easter leaflet which will be available from early January.

Although it’s early, I hope that you are already making plans to keep Lent in a reflective way and to celebrate Easter with great joy and happiness.

Fr. Mike