Witnessing to Jesus Christ in a pluralistic world.
The Lord’s Day:
On Sundays we celebrate the Mass (Holy Eucharist), which usually begins at 1.45 and lasts until around 3.00 p.m. Sometimes, if the Bishop is away and there is no Priest present, and the Mass cannot be celebrated, then Mattins (Morning Prayer) will be said or sung instead, which also usually begins at 1.45 and lasts until around 2.30 p.m. The Mass is usually followed by tea and coffee, and some light refreshments, in the Parish Hall. And all who have been to Mass are cordially invited stay behind and join us.
Other Holy Days:
The Holy Days of Obligation, when confirmed Christians are traditionally required to attend Mass or the appropriate Liturgy, are as follows: Christmas Day, Ash Wednesday, Lady Day, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Ascension Day, Corpus Christi, Assumption Day, Michaelmas Day, and All Saints’ Day. On these Holy Days, the Mass is usually celebrated in the early evening, to be followed by a supper or light refreshments. Please telephone the Church Office for the proper times.
Sacraments:
The Ministration of the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Matrimony, Unction of the Sick, and Penance (Confession), may all be arranged by contacting the Church Office, or by speaking with the Bishop after Mass.
Concerning Christian Worship:
From the Gospel according to Saint John, chapter 4 verses 23-24: “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” And from the Twenty-ninth Psalm of David, verse 2: “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His Name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”
The Royal Supremacy
When we say that we uphold the “Royal Supremacy” over the Church, we are affirming that the Queen has a responsibility to look after and protect the Church of God.
We do not believe, nor does the Queen believe, that the Sovereign is the spiritual Head of any portion of the Church of God, like the Pope of Rome or the Patriarchs of Constantinople or Moscow. Rather, what is meant by the term “Royal Supremacy” is that the Queen, as an anointed Christian monarch, is the Head of State and therefore also the Head of the Church within her Realms and Territories. Since the Church is the Body of Christ on earth, and all of its members are part of that Body, the part of the One Holy Catholic Church whose members are citizens of Commonwealth countries are subjects of the Queen. The Church in the Commonwealth, being made up of subjects of the Queen, is therefore also subject as a body to the Monarch. And since the Monarch is herself a member of the Christian Church, the Queen exercises her headship as the chief member of the Body of Christ within her dominions.
As the “temporal”, that is to say the “worldly”, Head of the Church in her lands, the Queen is called the “Supreme Governor” of the Church. This means that the Queen governs the Church in matters related to its position in society and in legal matters that affect the well-being of the Church. The Queen publicly professes her Christian faith; she protects the rights of the Church in the nation; she upholds Christian values and practices virtues; she gives the strength of Law to the canons and rules of the Church; and, when the circumstances allow, she appoints the Bishops of the Church who traditionally have sat as members of Her Majesty’s Government in the House of Lords.
And since we are commanded in Holy Scripture by Our Lord Himself and His Apostles to pray for our kings and rulers, and those set in authority under them, we pray for the Queen, the Royal Family, and all those who are appointed to represent Her Majesty. This is because it is God Who chooses and anoints our Sovereigns to rule over us, without any political or factional involvement. The Sovereign is not only the Head of the Nation, but she is also the representative of God’s power and authority, and our oath of loyalty to her binds all of us together into one people regardless of our race or ethnic origin. And this is why we pray publicly for the Queen in our Liturgy, at every Mass and at all of our Services of worship, because she is our Head of State and our sister in Christ, and because God Himself in His Word has commanded us to do so.
God Save The Queen.