On Tuesday 21 February, join the Holy Cross church family for our famous all-age Pancake Party! Sign up online at www.holycrosshackett.org.au/pancakes (to help us with numbers) .. or just turn up on the day.
5.30pm: a short all-age time of prayer and praise (for those who wish)
6.00pm: pancakes, fun and games
$5 adults, free for kids – pay online, or cash / card on the door.
On Wednesday 22 February, come along to a special meditative time of prayer, and receive the traditional sign of ash on your forehead as a symbol of your desire to make a good Lent.
10am: Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes
6pm: Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes
And from Monday 27 February, please do join one of our many Lent Study Groups for a six week Missional Spirituality course (click here to buy a copy of our Lent book). Take some time out of your busy week for prayerful reflection, to make some great new friends, and learn more about how we can join in with what God is doing in the world around us. Sign up online at www.holycrosshackett.org.au/lent
Join us this Wednesday evening from 5.30pm for a community BBQ and #ChangeTheHeart service. Led by Common Grace, ChangeTheHeart is a service of acknowledgement, lament and prayer as we approach January 26th – a day of mourning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. As we regather for the year, our BBQ and ChangeTheHeart service is a chance for us to enjoy time together in gratitude, and create space to hear the call toward a vision in the world of reconciliation, healing and restoration.
Our North Canberra Sustainability Festival is back 24-25 Sept, bigger than ever.
Saturday will see a popup market, workshops, kids’ activities, a fabulous session on ethical fashion, followed by an evening of Living Democracy and live jazz with community leader Tim Hollo. On Sunday, we celebrate Creation with our joint Holy Cross and St Margaret’s Creation Sunday worship.
Saturday Program
11am-4pm Pop-up Market
Conservation, sustainable living and community stalls, kids’ craft, sustainable food and drink, ethical coffee and fair trade goods.
11.30am-1.30pm e-bike rides!
Mini workshops:
11.30am Labyrinth spirituality
12pm Mosaic making
12.30pm Roving Regenerators composting workshop
12.30pm Mosaics in Christian history (presented by Dr Monica Short)
2pm Labyrinth spirituality
12-4pm Ethical fashion repair cafe and slow fashion op-shop: register here
Amidst this unpredictable winter, our parish ‘retreat’ will be a weekend of fellowship, fun and prayer right here at home.
We have put together an exciting program! Attendance is free – please sign up at www.holycrosshackett.org.au/weekend if you haven’t already put your name down on a sign-up sheet.
Saturday 13 August
MORNING (Church Annex)
9.00-9.45: breakfast (coffee, fruit, pastries)
9.45-10: Morning Prayer
10.00-12.00: Drawing Close to Jesus – spiritual session
10.00-12.00 (younger kids): games, movie
LUNCH
hospitality in homes (for those who wish) – please make sure you register or email if you are hoping to join us
AFTERNOON (Mt Majura, then Church)
3.00: All Age Walk (with scavenger hunt for kids)
5.00: fire pit, hot chocolate marshmallows
6.00: supper – soup, sourdough, slice
7.00 (optional): games in the Annex
Sunday 14 August (Church, then Belconnen)
9.00: All Age Church Family Service
11.00: games and BBQ at John Knight Memorial Park, Lake Ginninderra – BYO meet and salad – drinks, plates and sauce provided
(The psalm, reading, and collect for each day can be found on the free epray app downloadable here. The Holy Cross epray code is 6806. A print-friendly version of the liturgy can also be found at the foot of the page.)
Opening Responses
Lord open our lips And our mouth shall declare your praise.
Glory to God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen. Alleluia.
A Time of Open Praise
Opening Prayer
The night has passed and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for ever. Amen.
Psalm
Bible Reading
For the word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
A Time of Quiet Meditation
Benedictus
In the morning, Lord, I come into your house, Alleluia.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel: who has come to God’s people and set them free. The Lord has raised up for us a mighty Saviour: born of the house of God’s servant David.
Through the holy prophets, God promised of old: to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us, To show mercy to our forebears: and to remember God’s holy covenant.
This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hands of our enemies, Free to worship God without fear: holy and righteous before God, all the days of our life.
And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the Lord to prepare God’s way, To give God’s people knowledge of salvation: by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God: the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death: and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.
In the morning, Lord, I come into your house, Alleluia.
A Time of Open Intercession
Lord in your love, hear our prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
Collect
Closing Responses
Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God. Alleluia.
A “Retreat in Daily Life” gives you a special opportunity to draw closer to God in your personal prayer at home, by following a set pattern of prayerful meditations on Scripture passages over several days. Our Retreat in Daily Life will be drawing on the wisdom of Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of Ignatian spirituality.
The Retreat in Daily Life has been designed so that you can do it on your own, in your own time: you’ll find all the necessary resources and information on this web page. It can also be helpful to gather a few other people (e.g. members of a prayer group, a parish or ecumenical group …) to do the Retreat together over one calendar week, in which case the group should start together with an initial meeting on Sunday, and then close together with a final meeting the following Sunday. Please contact rector@holycrosshackett.org.au for more advice on doing the Retreat as a group.
You’ll need to set aside about an hour each day for the Retreat in Daily Life. All you’ll need to take part is a quiet corner, a Bible, a notebook … and the desire to deepen your relationship with God and discover the call of Christ for your life.
Before you begin, you will need to watch the two short introductory videos on the Holy Cross YouTube Channel (on “Praying with a Bible Passage” and “Praying the Examen”). Below you’ll find the handouts referred to in the videos, which you can print out – or save on your device – and use as a guide for your prayer during the week.
The programme is then as follows:
six 20 minute talks (Monday to Saturday), posted on the Holy Cross YouTube Channel, for you to watch in your own time
six 30 minute prayer exercises (introduced at the end of the daily talk), for you to do in your own time
a short prayer exercise (the “Examen”), to do at the end of each day