Worship at St Mary Magdalene's
At St Mary Magdalene’s, liturgical worship is deliberately in the diverse tradition of Catholic Anglicanism. The principal service in our community is the Holy Eucharist, also called Mass or Holy Communion.
In the Eucharist (from the Greek εὐχάριστος, meaning "thankful") the Church, doing what Christ commanded the apostles to do at the Last Supper, makes present the sacrifice of Calvary. When the Church is gathered in worship, it is empowered by the Holy Spirit to make Christ present and to receive all the benefits of that sacrifice. Our worship is enriched with symbolism, with coloured vestments reflecting the seasons of the church's year, incense, bells, and holy water, and the paintings and statues that decorate the church. These are symbols of God's presence within this holy place and with us, and they also communicate that presence through our senses. The beauty with which we seek to clothe our worship is to the glory of God: it is not an end in itself, and much of our worship is simple and relatively unadorned, but no less reverent in spirit. Sunday Mass The 10 am Solemn Mass is on Sunday is in a "modern catholic" liturgical style, with heightened ceremonial, and a variety of congregational and choral music including conventional hymns, traditional and modern texts, and chants from the Taizé and Iona communities. Healing prayers are available after Communion. Weekday Mass Weekday Masses begin with the recitation of the Angelus (or in Easter Time, Regina Caeli), the traditional devotion (often said at noon) commemorating the Incarnation. Mass on Thursday (12 noon Angelus, followed by Mass) is in the language of the Book of Common Prayer after the pattern of The English Missal and Divine Worship: The Missal. Weekday festivals On the major festivals of the Church's year, Solemn Mass with choir is offered at 6.15 pm. Special festivals are advertised on the Welcome page. What to Expect All services include the Scripture readings for the day, a sermon, brief homily, or time for reflection, prayers for the world and the Church, and Holy Communion – the sharing of the blessed bread and wine. The Sunday readings are printed in the weekly bulletin. How will I know what to do? If you are familiar with mainstream Anglican worship, you will recognise the service right away. The service generally has a lot in common with the eucharistic services of other mainline churches. If you're not familiar with this type of service, don't worry. There are full printed orders of service available for all Masses. Access St Mary Magdalene's and the Mission Hall are both accessible to people with disabilities, with step-free access through the Chapel on the north side of the Church, and the front door of the Mission Hall. St Mary Magdalene's was built 130 years ago, in the time before indoor plumbing: toilet facilities are located in the Mission Hall. |