Author: Jo Dawes

A special welcome to anyone visiting Hamburg this Easter. Please click here for Holy Week and Easter services.

Aside from the usual Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services, there will be a Taizé service at 19:30 on Tuesday.

Bishop Geoffrey has announced his retirement as Bishop in Europe from 8 November.

Bishop Geoffrey last visited STB on the memorable occasion of the 400th anniversary celebratory weekend 17-19 February 2012. He was kind enough to refer to this as a highlight of 2012 in his annual report.

We wish Bishop Geoffrey well for the remaining months of his ministry and a long and happy retirement.

Saturday, 23rd March, 5pm

John Stainer – The Crucifixion (1887)
Preston / Tiewtrakul – “… then came a knowingness” (2013)

Lukas Dittmann, Bass
Piet Zorn, Tenor
Jochim Trede, Organ
St Thomas Becket Anglican Church Choir
Yotin Tiewtrakul, Choir director

Entrance: Free – Retiring collection

Through the centuries music has helped telling the story of Christ’s suffering and God’s forgiving love. “The Crucifixion” was composed in the Victorian period and so the oratorio, typically set for organ and choir, leaves no room for despair or grief. The music rather reaches for the sublime. Performing “The Crucifixion” by John Stainer has become an annual event at the English church in Hamburg. This year however we premier a new anthem (words by Iain Preston, music by Yotin Tiewtrakul) to add a voice of our own century.

Please get your articles for the next edition of Becket News to the Editor by 23 March – but perhaps let him know before if you are intending to contribute.

The Electoral Roll list will close 30 March. So if you would like to vote at the AGM 14 April, please get your form in!

The AGM is 14 April directly after the service.

DON'T MISS the performance of John Stainer's Oratorio Crucifixion Saturday 23 March 17:00!

We wish all our Irish friends espcially, best wishes on St Patrick's Day. For those not able to make today's service,
here is the service sheet including notices for the week.

We offer together with Christians across the world, our prayers and good wishes for Pope Francis I as he commences the most challenging of ministries.

Read the Archbishop of Canterbury's statement and a comment from Brishop David here and Bishop Geoffrey's welcome .

In case the snow hindered your ability to get to church today,
here is the Service Sheet.

In the days running up to his enthronement, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Justin Welby, invites people to join him in a journey in prayer as he visits 5 Cathedrals.

And on Saturday March 16th he invites people to gather at 10:30 by the blue plaque marking the birthplace of St Thomas Becket before moving on to St Paul's Cathedral.

This would be a fitting time for members of STB to remember Justin Welby in our prayers as he takes on a job that is probably one of the most impossible challenages, barring being Pope!

There are many people looking for somewhere to sleep during Kirchentag 1-5 May. If you, or some one you know can offer a bed, please let Cicely know. Thanks!

The next Wanderers outing is Saturday, 9 March. We shall travel by train to Schwerin where Stuart is planning to lead us from the station for about 2kms through the town and then along garden and lakeside paths. About 10 kms in all.

We meet outside the Reisezentrum at Hamburg Hauptbahnhof at 10am to catch the RE 4309 leaving from platform 6a at 10.25. Please be punctual! When we see how many of you arrive, we shall buy Meck-Vorpomm tickets accordingly and divide the cost equally.

Arrival back in Hamburg at 7.30 pm at the latest.

Lunch will either be a picnic or 'gastro pub' depending on weather. There will be places to buy your picnic if need be. In any case it is advisable to bring a drink and a little snack to keep one's strength up.

Please let Cicely (Cicely-hollingsworth (at) t-online.de; tel: 040/86 07 90; mobile 0162 635 93 98) or Stuart (stuart.cooke (at) cooke.de mobile: 0178 5616463) know if you are going.

NB Achtung! Those travelling to Hamburg HBf by S-Bahn from the western suburbs should be aware that owing to works between Altona and the main station trains will run along the route S 31 route via Dammtor only and will not necessarily follow the normal time-table. Please allow plenty of time for your journey!