This will be the 170th celebration of Holy Week and Easter in our church. In Lent 1856 parishioners would have been full of the excitement of the new church being almost complete – Easter Alleluias breaking into the Lenten solemnities.
This Lent we offer many opportunities for prayer and charitable action, as we prepare for Holy Week, Easter, and the Anniversary of the consecration of the church in May. We encourage every parishioner to dive deeply into Lent; embracing Lent means that the celebration of Easter is ever more glorious. If you are discovering our church for the first time you are very warmly welcome to everything and anything that you would like to come to – just ‘come and see’!
To discover more, download the Lenten leaflet:
Ash Wednesday
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 18th February 2026. Mass Times, with the distribution of ashes, are:
9.30am in church
12.15pm in church
7.00pm in church
Fridays in Lent
This year Lenten Fridays include opportunities to create an oasis of prayer within your week.
08.00 Mass at St Peter’s school – all are welcome
10.00 Stations of the Cross in Polish, Ukrainian and English
Led by members of the Polish and Ukrainian Communities. All are welcome.
Polish Community serdecznie zaprasza na Drogę Krzyżową w każdy piątek Wielkiego Postu o godz. 10.30. Śpiew pieśni wielkopostnych pomoże nam wspólnie przeżywać Mękę Pańską, a rozważania w językach: polskim, ukraińskim i angielskim połączą nas we wspólnej modlitwie.
5.00pm – 5.50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in church, with the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation
6.00 – 6.40pm Stations of the Cross. The Stations are led by a different parish group each week – have a look at the Lenten leaflet for more details.
Charitable giving – Friends of the Holy Land and Lenten Lunches
The Holy Land includes so many places that are in a desperate state of conflict, with immense suffering. Large parts of Gaza are rubble. Children are educated in tents, with scarce resources. Israelis fear attack, while in the West Bank Israeli settlers drive Palestinians from ancient homelands. Some of the conflicts are recent, some go back decades; for well over a century not more than a few years have passed free from war. Yet this is the land where Jesus lived, taught and prayed. The land of parables and miracles, healing and forgiveness.
One way in which people suffer most is when energy and water supplies are cut off. This Lent our hope is to raise funds for a project which will give self-sufficiency in energy, heating and hot water to 500 people. Working with local partners, the Friends of the Holy Land (FOHL) will assist a village to dig a well serving 500 people. Water will be stored in two large tanks, and solar panels will provide energy, including heat for water and homes. To do all of this costs £1600. If our fundraising goes well, we could perhaps help 1,000 people? At Masses on the weekend of 21st/22nd March Edmund Adamus will share more with us, and we will take a dedicated collection. For more information: www.friendsoftheholyland.org
The Lenten Lunches have been a feature of parish life for many years. This year each Saturday in Lent from 12-2pm a dedicated team will prepare a simple lunch; soup, a ploughman’s and a “special”; funds raised will support the Friends of the Holy Land. There will also be a weekly raffle supporting a different charity each week. Everyone is very warmly welcome – just come to the parish centre any Saturday from 12-2pm from 21st February to 28th March.
For many more Lenten resources focused on charitable action and charitable giving, do have a look at the dedicated page on the Caritas Diocese of Brentwood website: https://www.caritasbrentwood.org/lent/
Mass and Liturgy Schedule for Holy Week and Easter 2026
All are very warmly welcome to the 170th Easter in this parish
The Readings, Gospels and Orders of Service for the Holy Week Masses and Liturgies will all be collected in a special booklet, available in print form at church, and which can be downloaded from a few days before Palm Sunday.
Holy Thursday
Thursday 2nd April
*7pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Followed by watching at the Altar of Repose until 10.00pm
Good Friday
Friday 3rd April
10am Discovering Holy Week for primary school age children
11.30am Prayer with town centre churches, Market Place
*3pm Service of the Passion of the Lord
5pm Stations of the Cross in Polish
Polska Wspólnota serdecznie zaprasza na nabożeństwo Drogi Krzyżowej w Wielki Piątek o godz. 17.00.
Easter Weekend
Saturday 4th April
11am Traditional Blessing of Polish Easter Baskets
7.30pm-10pm Easter Vigil, with music led by the choir
Sunday 5th April
8am Dawn Mass for Easter – quiet, joyful and prayerful
*9.30am Family Mass, with music led by young adults
11.30am Mass with music led by the choir
*Livestream: Holy Thursday 7pm, Good Friday 3pm and Easter Sunday 9.30am. Click here for the Livestream.