The Church year starts with Advent. (The First
Sunday of Advent is usually at the end of November or early December) The
pictures on this page highlight some of the key events at St. Luke's from
Advent up to Easter.
The page Gallery 2 continues our Church Year with
events in "Ordinary Time".
Advent Sunday, 3rd December 2006, was
Family Support Gift Day.
The picture left shows the Advent banner
hanging
on the east wall and a child from the congregation lighting the first of the
Advent candles. Around the altar are presents brought by the congregation
for the Diocesan Family Support Team to distribute at Christmas..
Candlemass was celebrated in February
with the help of Stone Cross School Choir.
Holy Week before Easter
The Blessed Sacrament Chapel becomes the
"Garden of Gethsemane" during Holy Week.
One of the Good Friday services is
"Stations of the Cross".
The Church is stripped bare and pictures of
each stage of Christ's Passion are displayed
on the walls at each station.
Easter
At eight in the evening of Holy Saturday the
Easter Vigil starts with a fire lit outside the Church.
From this fire the Pascal Candle is lit and
the flame carried inside the Church for a series of readings and psalms by
candlelight in the west end of the Nave.
At the end of the vigil readings the Church
is flooded with light and the candle is taken to the font which is filled
with water and blessed by dipping the candle in the font.
The service continues with the First Mass of
the Resurrection.
The Parish Retreat at Ashburnham Prayer
Centre.
Day visitors join the weekenders for a series of bible readings, meditations, music, projected images and
prayer.