Hilda's 100th Birthday

Hilda was born 100 years ago on St Helena

Father Peter Baulk

Early in September the Vicar was visited by Archpriest Peter Baulk of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.  As a young man living in Borehamwood Peter saw a service from St Jude’s on the television and was, in his words, impressed by the beauty of the worship and music.  He began to attend the church and soon joined the choir and later became a server.  A particular memory he has is of serving at the ordination of priests and deacons at St Jude’s in 1968 by the then Bishop of Willesden, Graham Leonard, (who as Bishop of London also ordained the vicar - but at St Pauls’s Cathedral). Father Peter brought with him a photo of the occasion for our archive. He was pleased to see that the interior of St Jude’s has changed little, was delighted to be reaquainted with the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (believed to have been given to St Jude’s by the Empress Maria Feodorovna, the mother of the last tsar) at the entrance to the Lady Chapel and admired the new icon of St Jude (given in memory of Margaret Smith in 2016). 

Father Peter shared many memories of former parishioners, Frank and Doris Parlett, the “formidable ladies”: Vera Shears, Rose Silver, Mary Holland, and Ada-Mary Thompson - mostly just names to the vicar, but including also David Hill, Ione Burley and the Moriartys. The vicar in his time was Robin Dunhill (1963-1973), but he was better acquainted with the series of curates who lived in the vicarage flats (he had never been in the vicarage itself until this visit). These included Revv John Seeley (1967-9 later vicarof St Paul’s, Harringay died 2007), Michael Anderson (1969-73 who retired as vicar of All Saints, Margate in 2000) and Richard Smith (later vicar of SS Peter and Paul, Enfield who died in 1987).  He also remembered Barnard, the (last?) verger of St Jude’s, who lived in the rooms now used by the Sunday School, and who had been (and returned to be) a footman at Buckingham Palace.

The young Peter Baulk trained as an engineer and had a career with GEC/Marconi/BAE,  all the while living in Borehamwood (as he still does).  The pressure of work and other responsibilities eventually took him away from St Jude’s.  He was unable to find the spiritual sustenance he had known in the liturgical worship at St Jude’s in neighbouring Anglican churches and sought the guidance of Fr Timothy (now Bishop Kallistos) Ware, a convert to the Greek Orthodox Church.  Peter subsequently found his way to the small Orthodox congregation that worships in the chapel at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey. He became a member of the Orthodox Church and was eventually ordained a priest in 1994 by Bishop Mark of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. This is the jurisdiction of the Russian Church ‘in exile’ which did not recognize the authority of the Moscow Patriarchate during the communist era (they are now reconciled). The ROCA community in London opened their splendid new cathedral in Gunnersbury in 1999. (The vicar made a programme about the foundation of the cathedral for BBC Radio 3 in 1996.) Father Peter joined the parish there in 2007 and became Parish Priest in 2016. He was raised to the rank of Archpriest in 2010 and ‘officially retired’ in 2017. As well as the photograph, Father Peter brought gifts of incense from Russia and the Holy Land.

Pentecost 2019

May 2019 Pictures of St Jude's

Pictures by Michael Eleftheriades

Visitors

In church this morning was Stephen son of  Robin Dunhill vicar 1963 - 73
Stephen is chair of the Thomas Merton Society and was in London to deliver a lecture

"'Henrietta's' Dream" Arts and Crafts Walk

"'Henrietta's' Dream" Arts and Crafts Walk with Marilyn Green

Easter flowers 2019

Easter 2019

Good Friday 2019

HOLY WEEK and EASTER 2019

The Saint Jude’s community gathers for the celebration of Holy Week: 

to remember Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (14 April) at the Liturgy and Procession of the Palms beginning at the Church Rooms at 1030am.

Today we meet Jesus at the Mount of Olives and then walk with him as he makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The gospels record the crowd cut branches from the trees to spread in his path and raised the shout “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” and we carry palms as signs of his victory. We know, however, that the victory is to be achieved through suffering and death and so the church is laid out as the via dolorosa, the way of the cross, leading to the place of his trial and crucifixion.

to remember how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, instituted the Eucharist, and prayed in Gethsemane on 

Maundy Thursday (18 April) at 8pm at the Liturgy of the Last Supper and Watch until midnight.

Tonight we gather in the church laid out as the upper room in which Jesus shared his last meal with his friends. During the supper he washed his disciples' feet as a sign that they were called to act as servants of all. But this is also the night he was betrayed and arrested; that he was tried, and denied by Peter. Jesus did not sleep tonight, and called on his disciples to stay awake and watch with him. So after the room has been cleared we move to the garden of Gethsemane to wait with him in the darkness.

to remember how Jesus was tried and executed on 

Good Friday (19 April) at 1030am for the Liturgy of the Cross.

Today we meet in the emptiness and desolation of Calvary to listen to John's account of the story of the death of Jesus. We venerate his and share his broken body in a simple act of communion.

to hear again the story of salvation, proclaim the resurrection of Jesus, and reaffirm our baptismal promises on 

Holy Saturday (20 April) at 8pm for the Liturgy of the Resurrection.

Tonight we gather outside the tomb for the principal service of the church's year - the Easter Liturgy. The Easter candle is lit from the new fire and brought into the darkened church as Christ brings light to the world. The light is passed from this single flame to every member of the assembly, as the Exsultet, the ancient hymn of praise to the Easter light, is sung. By candlelight we listen to the story of the world from creation to the time of Christ culminating in the proclamation of his resurrection. Now we journey to the font to renew the promises made at our baptisms, and then to the table of the eucharist to proclaim and share his victory over death.

and on Easter Day (21 March) at 1030am for the Parish Eucharist.

There is also a said celebration at 8am on Easter morning.

Aspects of the Afterlife

Visitors from Australia

Visiting today from Port Lincoln, South Australia, were Peter and Maggie Knife.

Peter's late father’s family were parishioners of St Jude’s in the years to 1920 when they lived in Arcade House, Finchley Road.  James Knife was a choirboy at St Jude’s, and his later life was very strongly influenced by his experiences here. He migrated to Australia as an 11-year-old in 1920 (along with his mother and brother) after his father (Charles) died in the Spanish Flu epidemic. 
He was ordained in 1946 and retired in 1976 as Archdeacon and Vicar-General of the Diocese of Gippsland in Victoria, Australia.

Charles Knife's death in 1920 was noted in the St Jude Parish Paper.

Mothering Sunday 2019