GETHSEMANE – A sequence of Paintings,  by Fr Matthew Askey, will be displayed in the Lady Chapel at All Saints during Lent.

They are intended for use as prayer meditations, and will also form the basis for a reflective Evening Service on Sunday 28th February, beginning at 6pm.

Some examples are to be found in the Photo Gallery, accessible by a link at the foot of the All Saints Home Page. The Church is usaully open on Tuesday and saturday Mornings, as well as during Service Times.

Fr Matthew Writes: Gethsemane is conceived as a series of prayer meditations that make up a continuous narrative when seen as a whole, it is similar in structure to the Stations of the Cross. This series brings before us the events of Maundy Thursday evening in the Garden of Gethsemane; the turning point in Jesus’ ministry and the start of his Passion.

It is a key moment for Christians, the point where Jesus prays that God’s will be done and where he hands himself over to the officers, trusting that this is what is needed for him to realise his mission. Gethsemane is an intensely prayerful evening where Jesus shows what is needed (prayer) and where the disciples fail to rise to the challenge and sleep through the agony Jesus is experiencing as he humbles himself and confirms his destiny.

We are invited to take up this prayer in God’s eternity and join Jesus in the garden as he prays for all he holds dear, the future of his friends and the peace of mankind.

Fr Matthew's web-site: Utopia Park