Worship
Worship at St Thomas' is in the Catholic tradition and all our worship centres on the Mass. The main parish Mass at 10.00 on a Sunday typically lasts about an hour and a quarter and includes hymns, music sung by the choir, a sermon, and some incense. Most weeks there is a self-run creche and Sunday school. The earlier 8.00 mass is shorter, with no hymns though there is a (usually brief) sermon.
Holy Communion is also celebrated during the week - these are shorter services lasting about half an hour, with no hymns or sermon. On Wednesdays the mass is followed by a ploughman's lunch. Once a month the Saturday morning mass is a service for healing with laying-on of hands and anointing (3rd Saturday in month) and once a month it is a requiem mass (1st Saturday). On major festivals there will often be additional masses - see the events section. The order for every mass generally follows Common Worship Order One.
Music plays a very important part in our worship. St Thomas' has four choirs and an orchestra, which assist our worship at the Sunday Sung Mass and Choral Evensong and on special occasions. For more information visit the separate Music at St Thomas website.
On the first Sunday of the month our service of Choral Evensong leads into Benediction, a service of eucharistic adoration at which a blessing is given with the consecrated host. On festival Sundays Evensong is Solemn, that is, with incense.
See also:
Sundays
8.00am Mass
10.00am Sung Mass
6.30pm Choral Evensong
Weekdays
Tuesday 9.30am - Holy Communion Wednesday 9.30 am - Pre-school children's service. 12.15pm - Mass
Friday 8am - Holy Communion Saturday 9.30am - Holy Communion
Morning Prayer is said daily - usually at 9am.
See 'Today' or 'This Week' for variations due to seasons or festivals.
Today
Wednesday of the 3rd week of Lent