Advent & Christmas Carol Services at the London Oratory, and a Concert

The Advent Musical Oratory is always held on the first Sunday of Advent at the Little Oratory in London and will take place this Sunday at 4.30pm. It is a service of Readings, Advent Hymns and Choral Music sung by the London Oratory Junior Choir, with medieval bells played by Dr Mary Remnant. The London Oratory Carol Service takes place on Tuesday 22 December at 7.30pm featuring both the Junior and Senior Choirs of the Oratory. Doors open at 7pm and admission is free. The Schola Cantorum of the London Oratory School will be giving a concert this Friday 27 November of music by Rheinberger, Bruckner and J.S. Bach, and will also be singing a Carol Service for Aid to the Church in Need on 3 December at St Mary’s Cadogan Street, London. See the posters below for details.

Christmas Lessons & Carols at Farm Street for Aid to the Church in Need

Following Aid to the Church in Need's Advent Carol Service which took place at St Mary Moorfields, London, last week, is a Christmas Carol Service, also organised by ACN. This will take place at the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street on Wednesday 10 December at 7pm and the celebrant will be Fr Dominic Robinson SJ. The service will be held by candlelight and amongst the readers will be Lord Alton of Liverpool. The Schola of the London Oratory School will be accompanied by brass and the organ will be played by Peter Stevens, Assistant Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral. There will be testimonies from the Syrian and Iraqi communities, and the retiring collection will go towards ACN's work in those troubled regions. The Advent Carol Service was very well attended (see photo here) and it is hoped that the church at Farm Street will also be full. The photo in the poster below was taken at ACN's Lenten Service at Farm Street earlier this year. For details of Aid to the Church in Need's events, how to donate and their online shop, please visit the ACN website.

Advent Carol Service for Aid to the Church in Need's Iraq Appeal

There will be an Advent Carol Service at St Mary Moorfields Church, London on Tuesday 2 December at 7pm. The service has been organised by Aid to the Church in Need and aims to draw attention to the suffering Christians in Iraq. Fr Peter Newby will be the celebrant and the service will conclude with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The music will be sung by The Schola Cantorum of The London Oratory School, one of the choirs which I direct. In the introduction to the Order of Service, Neville Kyrke-Smith, the UK National Director of Aid to the Church in Need writes:

Driven from their homes by violence and terrorist threats to ‘leave or die’, huge numbers have fled in panic with only the clothes they were wearing and a few possessions. Most do not have money for essentials. Helpless, these families are turning to the Church for comfort and support – relying on the charity and compassion of fellow Christians in this, their hour of need.

Using trusted Church networks, Aid to the Church in Need is providing immediate food, shelter and medicine, as well as emotional and spiritual support – especially for young children, traumatised by their experiences. With your help, we will remain alongside these communities for as long as they need us.

The long-term future of Christianity in the region is uncertain as terrorist groups, intent on extinguishing the flame of faith, are wiping out churches, monasteries and ancient texts. Indeed, with no priests left – for the first time in 1,600 years – Holy Mass will not be offered in Mosul this Christmas.

On Monday Islamic militants destroyed one of Mosul's oldest churches as well as a convent. A wave of evil has been unleashed and rampages unchecked and largely ignored by the mainstream media. The service next week aims to bring the suffering Christians of Iraq into our minds and prayers, as well as drawing attention to the very real and practical need for funds. If you feel able to contribute, please visit ACN's website here.

A service of Lenten Music and Meditations in London

A service of Lenten Music and Meditations will take place at Farm Street Church in London on Tuesday 8 April 2014 at 7pm. The service will focus on the suffering of Christians in Syria and is being organised by Aid to the Church in Need, the eminent Catholic Charity which does such important work worldwide, supporting the Church in places where Christians are subjected to persecution and oppression. The service will include music sung by the Schola Cantorum of the London Oratory School, and there will be talks given by Lord Alton and ACN's John Pontifex. There will be a collection in aid of children and families who have lost their homes as a result of the conflict in Syria. If you are unable to attend but would like to donate to this cause, you can do so here.

Carols for the suffering Church in Syria

There will be a Carol Service this Wednesday at 7pm at St Mary Moorfields Church in London to raise money for Aid to the Church in Need's appeal for the Church in Syria. Admission is free with a retiring collection.