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Easter is celebrated across the Diocese of East Anglia

Easter is celebrated across the Diocese of East Anglia with Polish Easter baskets, ecumenical services, palms and olive branches.


Palm Sunday at Our Lady Star of the Sea in Lowestoft including processional palms with an olive tree branch reflecting the parish’s Italian community where olive branches and palms are brought into the churches.

Pictured above is Rev Paul Chan with the palms and olive tree branch.


The Norfolk Broads village of Acle demonstrated its uncompromising approach to ecumenism when a cross-section of 40 members of the Roman Catholic, Methodist and Church of England communities celebrated a sun-rise service on Easter Sunday reports John Kenny.

Led by Deacon Peter Glanville, Rev Stephen Cullis, Rev Martin Greenland, Rev Nick Garrard and Rev Helen Garrard the congregation assembled at 5.30am on Easter Sunday outside the 12th Century church of St Mary’s Fishley, a short walk from the centre of Acle for the traditional annual dawn service.

The service began with prayers and hymns inside the candle-lit church before the congregation processed outside into the grounds of the church to coincide with the rising of the sun, when further prayers were recited and hymns sung.

The service finished with a rousing rendition of ‘Jesus Christ is Risen Today’ after which all present were invited by Steve Cullis back to the Methodist Church for a much-appreciated breakfast.


Polish parishioners at St Felix Church, Felixstowe, brought their beautifully decorated Easter baskets to be blessed by Fr John Barnes on Saturday April 20, reports Stephen Badcock.

In many Eastern European countries, it is a tradition to have a basket of food blessed on Holy Saturday and the food items in the Easter basket, as well as at the Easter Sunday breakfast, when the blessed food is eaten, have special significance.

They include: bacon, bread, Easter bread, butter, a candle, cheese, coloured eggs, ham, horseradish, salt and sweets.

Pictured is Fr John, blessing the baskets during what was a joyous occasion at St Felix.


Churches Together in Peterborough held their annual Good Friday Procession of Witness when some 350 Christians of many different denominations processed from Stanley Recreation Ground, to the main shopping street in Peterborough, the Town Hall and then to Cathedral Square for an ecumenical service reports Brian Keegan.

The cross at the head of the procession was carried by members of the Catholic Indian community and there were a substantial number of Catholics supporting this ecumenical event including Fr Waldemar, the Assistant Priest and Deacons Claudio Chiappinelli and John Bedford.

The service was led by Rev Adrian Holdsworth, the Vicar of St Marks Church and the address was given by Canon Sarah Brown, Canon Missioner from the Cathedral.

After the service Christians from all the various denominations enjoyed hot cross buns and coffee in St John’s C of E Church nearby.

 

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