Vicar's News - 5 October 2025
- Fr Ian
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
James Tissot, By the Waters of Babylon, 1896-1902
Pentecost 17
Babylonian Captivity or Exile, was a pivotal moment in Jewish history, leading to the development of synagogues, a new emphasis on religious texts, and the formation of Jewish culture as experienced in the diaspora.
The exile occurred in waves after Nebuchadnezzar's sieges of Jerusalem (between 597 and 586 BCE) and ended when Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon in 538 BCE and allowed them to return to Palestine to rebuild the Temple, which was destroyed during the second siege and deportation, a significant event that ended centralised worship and sacrifice. OPn their return they laid the foundations for the Second Temple, marking a new era for their culture.
In exile and without the Temple, the Jews developed new religious practices, including the rise of synagogues as centres for prayer and study, and placed greater importance on personal piety and religious texts. The experience of being in exile fostered a strong sense of national and religious identity, and they came to be known as the Judeans, a distinct people whose faith persisted even after the loss of their land.
Music on Sunday
CANTOR EUCHARIST @ 10.00 AM
(St Andrew's Choir are on holidays)
Prelude: Improvisation on SANDYS
Hymns: Processional Teach me, my God and King
Gradual Father, hear the prayer we offer
Thanksgiving At the Lamb’s high feast we sing
Post Communion O Jesus, I have promised
Setting: St. Andrew’s Mass – Timothy Mallis (b.1996)
Psalm: 137:1-6 TiS 85 (TiS)
Anthem: Domine Deus from Gloria RV 589 - Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Motet: How beautiful are the feet from Messiah – George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Postlude: Hornpipe from Concerto Grosso Op 6, No 7 –
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Next Sunday
An ecumenical service for pets and their carers.
For Holy Eucharist, please come at Sat@6 or 8am Sunday.
Australian Boys Choir
Choral Evensong
Christianity v Science
Archbishop of Canterbury
His Majesty The King has approved the nomination of the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, as the next Archbishop of Canterbury. She will be the 106th Archbishop since Saint Augustine arrived in Kent from Rome in 597, Bishop Sarah will be the first woman to hold the office.
She will be installed in a service at Canterbury Cathedral in March 2026. Sarah Mullally has been the Bishop of London since 2018, the first woman appointed to that role, and before that was Bishop of Crediton in the Diocese of Exeter. Prior to her ordination in 2001, she was the Government’s Chief Nursing Officer for England – the youngest person ever to be appointed to that role at the age of 37 – having previously specialised as a cancer nurse. Bishop Sarah has described nursing as "an opportunity to reflect the love of God".
As the most senior bishop in the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s ministry combines many roles including serving as the Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan, as well as primus inter pares – or first among equals – of the Primates of the global Anglican Communion, which consists of around 85 million people, across 165 countries. In the House of Lords, the Archbishop of Canterbury is one of 26 bishops who comprise the Lords Spiritual.
Bishop Sarah said: “As I respond to the call of Christ to this new ministry, I do so in the same spirit of service to God and to others that has motivated me since I first came to faith as a teenager. At every stage of that journey, through my nursing career and Christian ministry, I have learned to listen deeply – to people and to God’s gentle prompting – to seek to bring people together to find hope and healing.
I want, very simply, to encourage the Church to continue to grow in confidence in the Gospel, to speak of the love that we find in Jesus Christ and for it to shape our actions. And I look forward to sharing this journey of faith with the millions of people serving God and their communities in parishes all over the country and across the global Anglican Communion.
“I know this is a huge responsibility but I approach it with a sense of peace and trust in God to carry me as He always has.”
Let us pray that God will pour out His Spirit on the Anglican Communion to boldly share Christ's transformational love and the hope of the Gospel in today’s world.
Weddings
This week we celebrated two weddings - Chris and Carmen (above) on Saturday last week and on Thursday this week, Ruth and Liang.
Wednesday - Healing Service
Concert
Opera’s Bad Girl is a thrilling and charming one-of-a-kind theatrical experience that tells the untamed true story of Anna Bishop — opera’s original rebel. A Victorian-era trailblazer who defied her time, she lived fast, sang farther, and dared to do what no woman had done before. Now, her extraordinary life returns to the stage in a dazzling performance by acclaimed soprano Sarahlouise Owens. Through beloved arias like Lucia’s Mad Scene, The Last Rose of Summer, and Home Sweet Home, Owens channels Anna’s bold spirit, fierce independence, and infectious charisma — breathing life into a woman who dared to live on her own terms.
For your diaries
THIS WEEK
Rosters
VOLUNTEERS ROSTERS
The next roster period will be from Saturday 1 November until Sunday 28 February 2026. Please contact your roster coordinator with your updated information, especially availability and preference for the Christmas services (Christmas Eve: 5 pm Children’s, 8pm Lessons & Carols’ 11pm Midnight Mass; Christmas Day: 8am and 10am Choral Eucharists).
If you wish to join a roster (Welcomers and Sidespeople, Readers or Hospitality) please contact the Parish Office.
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