Posted on 26th April 2012 by Rev. Pius Collins
Celebrating the joy of Eastertide we have just about recovered from a greatly edifying Holy Week in the canonry and our parishes.We had tenebrae during the Triduum in the canonry chapel which was attended by parishioners as well as the community, this provided a wonderful time of silence and quiet solemnity during what was a busy Triduum for us all.On Good Friday our Prior, Rt Rev Hugh Allan O.Praem, was asked to preach at the ecumenical Good Friday walk of witness in Chelmsford. The people at this walk of witness numbered in the thousands, and their presence in the town centre and walking from the local churches was a wonderful act of common Christian witness to the people of the city. As well as being a witness to the people in the city centre the walk of witness was covered in
the local news.
Later on Good Friday we had the Solemn Liturgy of the Lord's Passion in our two parishes, and in the evening we had the Stations of the Cross with veneration of a relic of the True Cross. For the Solemn Liturgy the Church of Our Lady Immaculate was full to capacity, and in fact there were people standing outside of the Church in the car park and the street; another act of witness to the people of Chelmsford.
Holy Saturday and Easter came and it was a joy to return the canonry chapel to the joy of the risen Christ.The veils were taken off, flowers returned, and the tabernacle and altar returned to gold; the sequence was sung at the Masses of Easter Sunday and we had moved from the darkness into light.Remember that Easter lasts for fifty days, so I hope that all our readers are having a happy and holy Eastertide.
