As well as our regular Sunday and Wednesday services and Daily Prayer, we celebrate the big moments in the Church’s year with special services. And right now it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas:
5pm Christmas Eve (Weds 24th) Crib Service: part panto, part carol service, part nativity – come in costume or pick one upon the door.
11pm Christmas Eve (Weds 24th): Midnight Mass: welcome the light of the world – candlelight, mystery, joy
10am Christmas Day (Thur 25th): Christmas Family Service – a simple friendly service of holy communion
The pattern for the year is usually as follows:
In Advent we have a couple of Carol services: an Advent Carol service earlier in December, and a Christmas Carol service on the last Sunday before Christmas – these happen in the evenings, by candlelight.
We also have a Crib service, 5pm on Christmas Eve – half panto, half carol service, half nativity – come in costume or get one on the door – act out the Christmas story and sing favourite carols.
And at 11.30 on Christmas Eve, Midnight Mass by candlelight – welcome the coming of God into the world in traditional style.
On Ash Wednesday we have one or more services during the day to keep the start of Lent, with imposition of ashes to remind us all that we are but dust and ashes as we begin the penitential season.
In Holy Week, the week before Easter, we will have services in church every day except Saturday. We have Communion services in the evenings of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday we have the Maundy Service, with foot washing, again in the evening. Then during the day on Good Friday we have a join walk of witness with our neighbouring churches including a Good Friday service at Holy Trinity.
Easter begins with the lighting of the Easter Fire outside the North Door at 6am, bringing the fire into Church, and rejoicing that Jesus Christ is alive.
We always have an evening service on the Feast of the Ascension on the fortieth day of after Easter; a week and three days after that is Pentecost Sunday, followed by Trinity Sunday a week after that (both of the latter celebrated at our regular 10am Parish Communion). Trinity Sunday is always a party at HTR!
In November we always have an All Souls service on the evening of 2nd of November, when we read aloud the names of all those we love but see no more. These names are also read at Evening Prayer all that week.
And then on the Sunday nearest the 11th of November we keep our 10am service short and go out to the War Memorial for an Act of Remembrance.
We also intercalate evensongs from time to time, resources allowing to celebrate significant days – Michaelmas, Candlemas and so on.