Lent 2023
St Richard’s Aldwick and St Thomas à Becket, Pagham
As we look towards this season of preparation and penitence, we find ourselves needing to consider how we will intentionally walk these days both individually and as the body of Christ in this place.
Below is outlined all that will be on offer this year in the parishes of St Thomas à Becket, Pagham and St Richard’s, Aldwick
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday- 22nd February
Ash Wednesday is a Principal Holy Day in the Church of England. As disciples we are called to intentionally mark this day out as special, acknowledging it as the start of the season of Lent and our journey towards the passion, crucifixion, death and resurrection of our Lord at Easter. Traditionally we mark this day by attending a service of ashing with the celebration of the Eucharist. There are a number of opportunities for us to gather and mark this day and the start of the season.
10:00 St Thomas à Becket, Pagham Said eucharist for Ash Wednesday with ashing
14:00- 16:00 St Thomas à Becket, Pagham Ashes-to-go: a drop-in ashing (particularly for our younger people) an opportunity to start the season in prayerful preparation and commitment.
19:30 St Richard’s, Aldwick Sung eucharist for Ash Wednesday with ashing
Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.
Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ.
The Holy Land through Holy Week
The Lenten season gives us permission to find a time for sabbath rest, to be in silence and in prayer. It allows a time for imagining ourselves in the land of the Holy One where Jesus’ life, death and resurrection took place.
Through this year’s Lent course, you are invited to explore the Holy Land through the language, prayer and ritual of the key liturgies of Holy Week. Journey deeply in the familiar services of Holy Week – Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Day – and journey The Way of Christ through the scripture and sacramental acts of these liturgies of this most holy of weeks.
The course will run:
Mondays at 19:30 – 27th February. 6th, 20th, 27th March – Mosse Hall Committee Room, St Richard’s, Gossamer Lane
Wednesdays at 11:00 – 1st, 8th, 22nd, 29th March – Pagham Parish Church Centre, Nyetimber Lane.
Praying together through the season
The Daily Office is prayed as follows:
Monday 09:00 Morning Prayer- St Thomas à Becket, Pagham
Monday 17:30 Evening Prayer- St Richard’s, Aldwick
Tuesday 09:00 Morning Prayer- St Richard’s, Aldwick
Tuesday 17:30 Evening Prayer- on Zoom
Wednesday 17:30 Evening Prayer- on Zoom
Thursday 09:00 Morning Prayer- St Thomas à Becket, Pagham
Thursday 17:30 Evening Prayer- St Richard’s, Aldwick.
Christian Aid- Lent Lunches
‘Lent Lunches’ will be on offer at the Pagham Parish Church Centre, on the Thursdays in Lent 12:00- 14:00 (March 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th) in aid of Christian Aid
Warming soup with a bread roll, teas and coffees and a warm welcome! Bring a friend. Pay what you feel… this means you might only feel able to pay £1… or you might feel able to pay £10. Knowing that you can enjoy a warm meal and company, or that you are enabling someone else to enjoy these in the difficult financial times some are facing at the moment and adding to our offering to Christian Aid.
Stations of the Cross
Sundays in Lent – 17:30
Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.’ Matthew 16.24,25
The Stations of the Cross have formed part of Christian devotion at Passiontide for many centuries because they enable us to engage actively with the path of suffering walked by Jesus. They originated when early Christians visited Jerusalem and wanted to follow literally in the footsteps of Jesus, tracing the path from Pilate’s house to Calvary. They would pause for prayer and devotion at various points, it’s still possible to walk this path today. Eventually those pilgrims brought the practice back to their home countries and ever since then Christians of differing traditions have used this form of devoti
During Lent, we will walk the Stations of the Cross each Sunday afternoon:
Sunday 26th February: St Thomas à Becket, Pagham
Sunday 5th March: St Richard’s, Aldwick
Sunday 12th March: St Thomas à Becket, Pagham
Sunday 19th March- Mothering Sunday- no Stations of the Cross
Sunday 26th March: St Richard’s, Aldwick
Holy Week 2022
Palm Sunday 2nd April
Join us in this last week of Lent as we share in Christ’s own journey, starting with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The procession with palms is accompanied by the reading of the Passion Narrative, in which the whole story of the week to come is anticipated.
**Bring your own palms** Tradition has it that local greenery – in abundance – be used to hail Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
08:00 Holy Communion– St Richard’s, Aldwick and St Thomas à Becket, Pagham.
09:30 The Liturgy of Palm Sunday– St Thomas à Becket, Pagham.
11:15 The Liturgy of Palm Sunday– St Richard’s, Aldwick
15:30 Procession of Palms with meditation followed by shared supper.
Join us as we walk from Pagham church to St Richard’s- choose from two routes: along the beach or along the roads. Through this walk we seek to enter into the events of Jesus’ life to help better understand the nature of God’s gift to us, and the calling as disciples to follow in the way of Christ.
Monday of Holy Week – 3rd April
19:00 Holy Hour
An hour of guided, silent prayer before the blessed sacrament – St Richard’s.
Tuesday of Holy Week – 4th April
19:00 Tuesday@7 Stations of the Cross
Especially for the young people of our parishes – St Thomas à Becket.
Wednesday of Holy Week – 5th April
21:00 Compline – St Richard’s.
Maundy Thursday – 6th April
17:00 Said Liturgy of Maundy Thursday with foot washing- St Richard’s
19:30 Sung Liturgy of Maundy Thursday with foot washing, stripping of altars and The Watch until midnight- St Thomas à Becket.
Good Friday – 7th April
10:30- 12noon Good Friday Children’s workshop– St Richard’s, Aldwick
14:00 The Liturgy of Good Friday– St Thomas à Becket, Pagham
18:00 Stations of the Cross: Maria Desolata- St Richard’s, Aldwick.
Holy Saturday/ Easter Eve – 8th April
09:00- 12:00 Church cleaning and dressing the church for Easter.
With Coffee and Hot Cross Buns at 11:00- St Richards and St Thomas à Becket.
20:00 Easter Vigil – St Richard’s, Aldwick
Easter Day – 9th April
05:30 Dawn Service- Eucharist and first fire of Easter, on the beach. Followed by breakfast.
08:00 Holy Communion– St Richard’s, Aldwick
09:30 Parish Family Eucharist on Easter Day with blessing of Easter Garden- St Thomas à Becket, Pagham
11:15 Parish Family Eucharist on Easter Day With blessing of Easter Garden- St Richard’s, Aldwick.
18:00 Stations of the Cross: Maria Consolata– St Richard’s, Aldwick.
He is risen!
For more details follow the links below or contact
The Reverend Lucy Sullivan – Priest-in-Charge
mthrlucy.aldwick@gmail.com // 01243 941 551 // mthrlucy.pagham@gmail.com
St Thomas à Becket – Pagham
www.Paghamchurch.org // @StThomasPagham // Church Lane, PO21 4NU
St Richard’s – Aldwick
www.Aldwick.org // @StRichardsAldwick // Gossamer Lane, PO21 3AT