Choral Eucharist

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Above: In the central panel of the gorgeous triptych behind the Chantry Chapel altar of Saint Thomas Church, there is a brilliant representation of the Wedding at Cana, recounted in today’s Gospel according to Saint John. Note the humiliation on the bride’s face, the despondency on the groom’s, the incredulousness on the Governor’s, and the sadness (at the prospect of no more wine) on the guests’. In the face of all those faces, Jesus is as calm as the water he later walked on, and the servant boy is attentive and obedient.“Whatever he saith unto you, do it,” Mary had told the boy.

Included in this Choral Eucharist are hymns sung by the congregation and choir, additional music sung exclusively by the choir, lessons, prayers, a sermon, and a Rite I Mass. All baptized Christians are welcome to receive Holy Communion. Details of the service may be seen in the leaflet and service card, which are posted at the bottom of this page, where you will also find links to the webcast during and after the service.

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany falls in the midst of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which began, as it always does, with the Feast of the Confession of Saint Peter on January 18, and ends with the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul on January 25. On the Sunday that falls within this octave, we have a guest preacher, often but not always from outside the Episcopal Church.

This year, we welcome Bishop Lindsay Urwin OGS. He was born and brought up in Australia but travelled to the UK in 1976 at the age of 20 to ‘see the world.’ He stayed, and after ordination in 1980 served in the inner city of south London until 1988 when he was invited to be diocesan missioner in the diocese of Chichester, encouraging spiritual renewal and evangelism. In 1993 he became the Area Bishop of Horsham in the same diocese. Just 37 years old at the time, he became the youngest bishop in England and remained so for the next ten. In 2009 he resigned to become Administrator of the Shrine at Walsingham and is also an assistant bishop in four English dioceses.

Bishop Lindsay is a well known speaker and has travelled extensively throughout the Communion leading retreats and preaching missions. In addition to his duties at Walsingham, he is the Archbishop of Canterbury’s bishop with responsibility for school chaplaincy, and Provost of the Woodard Corporation of schools. He is a professed brother in the Oratory of the Good Shepherd, a celibate order of priests and lay brothers in the Anglican Communion.

‚ñ∫In this weekly audio message, the Rector speaks about the Conversion of St Paul, which we celebrate not only the feast day itself but also at a special Festal Evensong on January 24.

Music notes: From the pen of the venerable Palestrina came a number of masses which were based upon Gregorian chant tunes and motifs. The Missa Papae Marcelli is unique among his many settings of the mass in that it bears a dedicatory title. It is recorded in 1555 that, upon hearing a thoughtlessly-sung celebration of the Good Friday liturgy in the Papal Chapel, the dismayed Marcellus II ordered that ‚Äúwhatever was to be performed when the mysteries of the Passion and Death of the Saviour were celebrated must be sung with properly modulated voices, and written so that everything could be understood properly.‚Äù Although printed in 1567, Missa Papae Marcelli was composed much earlier, perhaps even before Marcellus’ admonition. Palestrina, recognizing that the exceptional textual clarity and rhythmic vitality of this particular mass setting might satisfy the Pope’s stylistic requirements, may well have dedicated it to him for those very reasons.

• Choral Services
• Worship Services