Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord . . .

It is a busy weekend at St Ann's with the visit of the travelling Icon and Palm Sunday.

A busy weekend and a joyful one as we celebrate Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, cheered on by palm-waving crowds.

We had our own version, on a somewhat smaller scale, of that palm strewn procession today at the 10am Mass.

Christ wouldn't have had to negotiate his way around parked cars but there would I'm sure have been other obstacles in his path as he made his way on that donkey through the streets of Jerusalem.

Here are a few photos of our procession this morning.  You'll find more on our Flickr stream here.

Gathering in the hall for the blessing of palms and the reading of the Gospel before we begin to process around the church.

The procession weaves its way around our beautiful magnolia which looks as if it will be in full bloom just in time for Easter Sunday.

And back into church to join those who were unable to join the procession. 

And Mass begins.

NB. As usual, for clearer and larger images, please click on the individual photo.

The travelling Icon pays a visit to St Ann's . . .

We have been privileged this weekend to have the travelling Icon of Our Lady of Consolation in our parish as part of the Diocesan initiative for the Year of Mercy.

The Icon has been not only in our parish church but also paid a visit to the nearby prison HMP High Down and our parish school of St Anne's. 

We were fortunate that the Icon was with us on Friday evening during our Stations of the Cross.  

This added to the very prayerful atmosphere in the church and enables those present to venerate the image before or after the devotion.

The travelling Icon is an opportunity for all of us to pray in a special way asking for Our Lady's intercession on our behalf during the Year of Mercy. This is especially valuable for those who are unable to make a pilgrimage to one of the Holy Doors that have been set up across our diocese.

The original Icon is to be found at the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in West Grinstead and this is an ideal destination for a pilgrimage to enter through the Holy Door during this Holy Year.

Details of the celebration of the Easter Triduum at St Ann's . . .

Please click on the picture for a clearer and larger version.

We look forward to seeing you.