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 St. Chrysostom's Church Weekly News Thursday 2 April 2026
                 

Our Easter services will be
 
Maundy Thursday @ 6pm: commemorates the Last Supper, with the washing of feet expressing Christ’s commandment of humble love and service 
where we are led by Bishop Mark

 Good Friday liturgy @ 2pm: a stark, silent service centred on the reading of the Passion, solemn intercessions, and the veneration of the cross, commemorating Christ’s crucifixion and death.
 
Maria Desolata - Friday @ 5pm online at our Facebook page: short Holy Saturday devotion keeping vigil with Mary in her sorrow after Christ’s burial.
 
Great Easter vigil - Saturday @ 7pm: the Church’s principal celebration of Easter, a night‑time liturgy that moves from darkness to light as Christ’s Resurrection is proclaimed through fire, scripture, baptism, and the Eucharist.
 
Easter Day Mass @ 11am: celebrates the Resurrection of the Lord with joy and splendour, presided over by Bishop Mark as principal celebrant, with several confirmations during the Mass.
     
  
We hope to see you all there - you are very welcome.


  Mid week service Thursday 9 April - 1pm
David Jackman will continue a series of mid-week services. He will be leading a service of silent meditation for 20 minutes, with scripture readings from the Mass of the day    
  
Please feel free to join us for Compline at 9pm on Friday via the link below.
This is a quiet time of prayer and meditation to end the week.

Compline
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87066673676?pwd=SzkvUUtTTkY0MzBWQjRLYm9qMVJldz09

Meeting ID: 870 6667 3676
Passcode: 648690
  
Our parish vacancy is now being advertised by the Diocese on a number of platforms.  
The advert can be seen at:
 https://tinyurl.com/StChrysostoms
and has a closing date of Monday 20 April 2026  
Some entertaining Easter traditions from around the world
Whip-cracking in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
An old custom is retained in some villages on Easter Monday, where family members with brightly decorated willow sticks, usually adorned with ribbons, lightly 'whip' the girls in the family.  
The whipping is not intended to be painful, but instead is meant to encourage good health, beauty, and is seen as a welcome custom celebrating old traditions   
In Hungary, women dress up in traditional clothes on Easter Sunday and get splashed with water.   This ancient tradition represents purification, healing, and fertility, stemming from pagan rituals intended to ensure a good harvest and the well-being of the women, who are traditionally treated as "flowers" that would otherwise wither.
The butter lambs of Russia
In Russia, the Easter meal is accompanied by a knob of butter fashioned into the shape of a lamb. It dates back to ancient times when it was considered a lucky omen to meet a lamb.
Why a lamb? Because you can be certain it's not Satan in disguise. Old Beelzebub can take on the form of all animals except the lamb because of its religious symbolism   
The world's biggest Easter omelette in France
On Easter Monday, the residents of Haux usually crack more than 4,500 eggs into a gigantic pan to create a massive Easter omelette that serves over 1,000 people. Each family breaks the eggs in their homes in the morning and they gather in the main square where the eggs are cooked for lunch. And dinner. And breakfast the next morning...
The witches of Easter-wick in Finland  
Halloween comes early to Finland as children dress up as witches and wander the streets with broomsticks on a hunt for treats. The tradition is said to have come from the belief that witches would fly to Germany and cavort with Satan. Bonfires are meant to scare them away.
Crucifixion and flagellation in the Philippines  
In the Philippines some devout Catholics have taken to the practice of self-crucifixion and self-flagellation on Easter. Their thinking is that it helps purify them and cleanse them of the sins of the world. The Roman Catholic Church is not keen on the idea and has been actively trying to discourage this practice, without much success.
Tobacco trees in Papua New Guinea  
Chocolate isn't much use in the steamy jungles of Papua New Guinea, so Easter trees at the front of churches are decorated with sticks of tobacco and cigarettes instead. These are handed out after the service.
Criminal intent in Norway  
Easter time is crime time in Norway. Television channels run crime shows and a slew of new detective novels are commissioned to come out just before Easter. People across the country escape into their mountain cabins and spend the weekend with the ‘whodunnit’ television shows or books. Even the milk cartons carry short detective stories on their side during the season. The phenomenon was triggered by the immense popularity of a crime novel in 1923, set on the Bergen railway.
The Easter Bunny sees red in Greece  
Easter is known around the world for multi-coloured, decorated eggs. But in Greece you will find only red eggs. Red is the colour of life, you see, as well as a representation of the blood of Christ. From ancient times, the egg has been a symbol of the renewal of life, and the message of the red eggs is victory over death.
Some key dates for your diary
Laydewell pilgrimage - 2 May
Annual Parochial Church Meeting - 17 May
Pentecost Sunday - 24 May
PCC meeting after Mass - 12 July
PCC meeting after Mass - Sunday 8 November
How to contact the Church:

come to Mass on Sunday at 11am
email office@stchrysostoms.co.uk
phone: 0161 225 2550
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 Anson Road
Manchester
M14 5BG
United Kingdom
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