Parish Church of St. Matthew Little Lever
A PARISH IN THE ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF MANCHESTER
Advent and Christmas Services 2009
Advent is the first season in the liturgical year of the Christian Church. This year it commences on the 29th of November 2009, the fourth Sunday before the 25th of December. It represents a period of expectant waiting and preperation for the birth of the baby Jesus celebrated on Christmas day. The progression of the season is commonly marked with an Advent Calendar.
Christmas is the second season in the liturgical year of the Christian Church. It always commences on Christmas day and for the 2009/2010 Christmas season ends on the 6th January 2010 which marks the first day of Epiphany, the season which celebrates the baptism of Christ.
The seasons of Advent and Christmas are celebrated here in The Parish of Saint Matthew Little Lever with the following services:
| Day / Date |
Time |
Service |
Location |
|
Sunday 29th Nov. 2009 |
10:00 am |
1st Sunday of Advent Mass |
St. Matthew's Church |
|
|
6:30 pm |
St. Teresa's Church | |
|
Sunday 6th Dec. 2009 |
10:00 am |
2nd Sunday of Advent Mass |
St. Matthew's Church |
|
|
6:00 pm |
St. Matthew's Church | |
|
Sunday 13th Dec. 2009 |
10:00 am |
3rd Sunday of Advent Mass |
St. Matthew's Church |
|
|
6:00 pm |
St. Matthew's Church | |
|
Sunday 20th Dec. 2009 |
10:00 am |
4th Sunday of Advent Mass |
St. Matthew's Church |
|
|
6:00 pm |
St. Matthew's Church | |
|
Thursday 24th Dec. 2009 |
6:00 pm |
Service at the Crib |
St. Matthew's Church |
|
Thursday 24th Dec. 2009 |
11:45 pm |
Christmas Eve Midnight Mass |
St. Matthew's Church |
|
Friday 25th Dec. 2009 |
8:00 am |
Mass at Dawn |
St. Matthew's Church |
|
Friday 25th Dec. 2009 |
10:00 am |
St. Matthew's Church | |
|
Sunday 27th Dec. 2009 |
10:00 am |
1st Sunday of Christmas Mass |
St. Matthew's Church |
|
Sunday 3rd Jan. 2010 |
10:00 am |
2nd Sunday of Christmas Mass |
St. Matthew's Church |
Advent Mass, a parish sung Mass with Sermon.
During each service an Advent candle is lit to mark the theme for each week of the Advent season leading up to Christmas. The themes for each week are; 1. Hope, 2. Love, 3. Joy, 4. Peace, 5. Christ. Three of the Advent candles are Violet in colour to represent the liturgical season. The others are the Rose candle, lit on the 3rd Sunday marking the theme of joy following the half way point in the passing of the Advent season and the White candle, lit to mark Christ's birth.
Advent Devotion
A service involving the lighting of candles.
A service involving the laying on of hands.
Rosary and Benediction
The rosary is a religious exercise where a defined number of prayers are recited and a string of beads (a rosary) is used to keep count.
Benediction is an evening devotion and consists of the singing of certain hymns, or litanies, or canticles before the Blessed Sacramennt, which is exposed upon the altar in a monstrance and is surrounded with lights. At the end, the priest, his shoulders enveloped in a humeral veil, takes the monstrance into his hands and with it makes the sign of the cross (hence the name Benediction) in silence over the kneeling congregation.
Nativity Pageant
Sung Mass of Christmas and blessing of the Crib.
Midnight Mass is one of the services that marks the start of our celebration of the season of Christmas each year. The entire service takes place by candle light, which makes it a special and memorable occassion each year.
Click on the following link to see pictures of St. Matthew's church during Midnight Mass 2008
A service involving the lighting of the last White candle to mark Christ's birth.
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Last modified: Sunday 10 January 2010
Office Address:
Market Street
Little Lever
Bolton. BL3 1HH
01204 700936