St Molua's Church

While, of course, regular Christian worship and fellowship continues all year round at St Molua's, special festivals and social events help to remind us of particular aspects of our faith and of God's love for us. Many offer deep spiritual inspiration and a means of sharing our faith and fellowship with others. They also help ensure that we do not fall into the trap of simply repeating the normal weekly pattern of services and meetings out of habit. The following are some, but by no means all, of the special events held at St Molua's during the year.

The season of Advent marks the beginning of the Church’s year and covers the four weeks leading up to Christmas. The word Advent comes from the Latin word Adventus, meaning Coming. During this period we prepare for the great Festival of Christmas, remembering the first coming of Christ as foretold by the prophets, and later by St John the Baptist. We are also reminded of our Lord's Second Coming as our Judge when each one of us will be required to give an account of the way we have lived our lives. For this reason we use the colour violet in church during Advent - the solemn colour of preparation and penitence.

Nevertheless, there is something very exciting about the Advent season and so to give it that due sense of importance and anticipation, we have a special service at 6.30pm on Advent Sunday. This takes the form of a Procession - not the type of procession we have at other services - but a proper Procession which uses the whole church building. The service starts in semi-darkness and as the Crucifer, Clergy and Choir move in stages from west to east, the level of lighting is increased, symbolising the movement of the world from darkness to light. Readings at the service begin with the prophets, through the annunciation of our Lord in the Gospel accounts and end with the Revelation of St John the Divine. Advent hymns and carols are also sung.

Around this time our annual Christmas Fair is held in the parochial hall. Stalls brimming with cakes, sweets, fancy goods, cards and wrapping paper, Christmas gifts, household items, fragrances, jewellery and lots more provide a festive opportunity for fellowship and fund-raising. Despite much friendly "competition" from neighbouring churches and schools running similar events, the Fair continues to attract a wide range of visitors each year including many former parishioners (and of course Santa Claus ! ).

Another tradition which we observe during Advent takes place at 10.30am on the four Sundays of the season, and on Christmas Day, when children of the parish read the prayers and light the candles on the Advent Wreath. Also, on one Sunday during Advent, we are joined by the Choir of Tullycarnet Primary School. There is always a large attendance at this service and a wonderful atmosphere of worship and praise. Toys left at the Christmas Tree in the church are later distributed to children with learning difficulties who live in or around the parish.

The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, first compiled for use in Truro Cathedral and later adapted for use in the Chapel of King's College Cambridge, has been a regular feature of our pre-Christmas worship at St Molua's since the early days of the parish. The atmosphere of the service has been enhanced in recent years through being held by candle light. Our spiritual preparations during Advent reach a climax on Christmas Day itself, the Feast of the Nativity, with celebrations of the Holy Communion at midnight and also later in the morning.

The Senior Parishioners Christmas Party is another event which has developed into something of a tradition despite the fact that it is now held after, rather than before Christmas ! The shift in time slot makes it easier for those involved in organising the evening and provides a welcome boost of fellowship for our senior folk in the otherwise quiet period after Christmas. Those of our guests who require transport are "Chauffeur Driven" to the parochial hall while all are waited on hand and foot as they are treated to a festive supper and accompanying entertainment.

The secular world, and particularly people involved in advertising, selling flowers, cards and chocolates, tend to talk about 'Mothers' Day", implying that the only thing to remember on that day is to give mum breakfast in bed and a big present for her to open. The Church, however, uses a different name which widens the scope of our thinking and thanksgiving on that day. On "Mothering Sunday" we are quite right to think of our mothers and to show our gratitude for all their loving care. But there are two other targets for thought and thanksgiving as well. First, we remember the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord, and we thank God for the wonderful example of motherhood she has given us. Secondly we remember "Mother Church" which nurtures us and provides so many sources of strength and comfort for us from the cradle to the grave.

At St Molua's the 10.30am service on Mothering Sunday takes the form of "All-Age Worship", a less formal style of service with readings and hymns specially chosen for a wide age group and with a short address targeted to our young people. During the service posies of flowers are distributed by the children to the ladies in the congregation.

On Palm Sunday the Choir, Clergy and Congregation led by our Crucifer walk in procession from the Rectory, along the main road, to the church for the 10.30am service. This act of public witness, with pieces of greenery representing palms, helps us to mark the beginning of Holy Week - the last in our Lord's earthly life, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem. However, this procession is more than just the memorial of an historical event. Christ himself is with us as we celebrate, and so by uniting ourselves with him, we re-enact his victory over death. The liturgical colour on Palm Sunday is red as a sign of victory and the cross, the standard of victory, is held aloft for us to follow. As parishioners leave church after the service they are given a dried palm cross to take away and use as a symbol of Christ's presence in their homes.

The service schedule during Holy Week and Easter provides a rich opportunity for all to enter spiritually into our Lord's Passion, death and Resurrection. Services of Holy Communion are held each morning Monday to Thursday during Holy Week and the evening service on the first three of these days is in the form of Compline. Holy Communion is also celebrated on the evening of Maundy Thursday, being the day on which our Lord first instituted the service. The evening service is particularly moving as we meditate upon the events of this day nearly 2000 years ago. As the service draws to a close, the lights in the church are turned off one by one while the prediction of Christ's crucifixion, as contained in the 22nd Psalm, is read aloud until only the light on the cross behind the Holy Table is left - a poignant reminder of coming events. The congregation leave the building in total silence. Services on Good Friday are normally simple and meditative.

A service new to St Molua's in recent years has been the Easter Vigil, an ancient liturgy of the Church, held on the evening of Holy Saturday. In this service the resurrection is proclaimed in both spoken word and dramatic ceremony, the Easter candle symbolising Christ, the light of the world, risen from the darkness of the grave. The first part of the service is similar in form to Compline with prayers and readings after which the Choir and Clergy leave in silence. The congregation remain while the lights are extinguished and the church is prepared for the Feast of the Resurrection. In darkness the covers which were placed over the Holy Table, its Cross and the Processional Cross in preparation for Good Friday are removed and flower arrangements lifted into place throughout the church. The Paschal Candle is lit, and the tapers of the congregation are lighted as the procession makes its way eastwards, the members of the choir progressively passing the light to all present. As the Chancel steps are reached the main lights are turned back on flooding the church with brightness as the Choir and Congregation proclaim the great news through the hymn "This day of Resurrection, Earth tell it out abroad".

On Easter Day, the Feast of the Resurrection, Holy Communion forms the central focus of our morning worship. Celebrations continue in the evening with a service of Readings, Prayers and Music for Easter.

Christ is Risen - He is Risen Indeed
Hallelujah

The annual meeting of the General Vestry of the Parish is normally held shortly after Easter. At this important, yet we hope friendly, gathering the Rector and our Treasurer "report" on the spiritual, physical and financial life of our Parish over the preceding 12 months. Various office bearers and the members of the Select Vestry are appointed and elected for the incoming year. The Select Vestry is responsible for the "3Fs" of the Parish - Finance, Furnishings and Fabric !

Worship and Fellowship at St Molua's continues right through the summer period. The Choir normally hold a Summer Recital during June which has rapidly become one of the musical highlights of the parish's year and attracts visitors from far and near.

Our Senior Parishioners enjoy their annual car outing through the beautiful Northern Ireland countryside and are always assured of a welcoming and hearty supper enroute.

In past years a wide variety of social and fund raising activities have taken place including Barbecues, Summer Fetes, Festival Weeks, Sponsored Walks and Organ Marathons !

This world is a wonderful place. From it we gather our food and drink, build our homes, and cloth ourselves. Every material thing we possess comes from this marvellous planet. It is beautiful, powerful, sometimes wild - even dangerous. It is tempting to think of this as 'our" world as though we hold the deeds to this amazing globe. But it is not ours. Each of us is here for a little time, and then we pass on. The earth and everything in it belongs to God

We as a parish family are now heavily involved in Environmental Stewardship, and this new degree of involvement has made us think much more deeply about the world in which we live. Each Autumn we gather for our Harvest Thanksgiving Services to show our gratitude to God for all creation (not just the traditional wheat, fruit and vegetables). In doing so we humbly recognise that we are only stewards of this part of God's creation, answerable to him for all we do to His world. The flowers and fruit used to decorate the church for the Thanksgiving Services are later distributed to the sick and housebound around the Parish. Vegetables are sold and the proceeds given to charity, usually Christian Aid.

Morning Prayer on Remembrance Sunday in November has one of the largest attendances at St Molua's in the whole year. Many of our parishioners remember the sacrifices made on our behalf during two world wars and in other conflicts around the world including thirty years of terrorist violence in our own country. During the poignant service the laying of a wreath is followed by two minutes silence marked by the sounding of Reveille and the Last Post.

They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning.
We will remember them.