Scroll down for Lent services and activities
Confessions
Confessions before Lent are heard on Shrove Tuesday at 5pm in St Barnabas & Ash Wednesday at 6pm in St Barnabas
For Confessions throughout the season of Lent, these are during Holy Hour on Thursdays from 5pm, or by appointment with the Vicar, Fr Christopher. Contact him by email to arrange
Ashes to Go
The clergy of St Barnabas and St Thomas the Martyr will be offering a short prayer and imposition of ashes from 7.30am to 9.00am at Oxford Train Station, for commuters who are arriving from work. This is especially suitable for those who will not have time to attend Mass today.
Low Mass for Ash Wednesday
On Ash Wednesday the lunchtime Mass will be said, with imposition of ashes, in St Thomas the Martyr Church. The service will be finished by 1pm.
Sung Mass for Ash Wednesday
At 7pm on Ash Wednesday there will be Sung Mass with imposition of ashes. The Mass setting will be Byrd Mass for 4 voices.
Holy Hour & Mass - Thursdays at 5pm
In Lent, we will offer a new period of silent prayer and meditation on Thursday evenings. From 5pm-6pm will have Holy Hour. Holy Hour is a time of prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, placed on the altar. Rooted in Jesus’ words in Gethsemane, “Could you not watch with me one hour?” (Matthew 26:40), this special period of time invites us into deep contemplation of Christ’s presence, to foster spiritual renewal. Many experience it as a moment of intimacy with God, offering prayers of thanksgiving, petition, and repentance.
A Holy Hour strengthens faith, drawing the soul closer to Christ’s love, mercy, and sacrifice, particularly in preparation for Mass, which will follow at the end of Holy Hour.
Stay for some or all of the hour, drop in as you feel able.
Stations of the Cross - Fridays at 9am
In Stations of the Cross, we follow Jesus’ journey to Calvary, reflecting on His suffering and sacrifice. Traditionally, it consists of fourteen stations, depicting key moments from His condemnation to His burial. Originating from medieval pilgrimages to Jerusalem, it is now prayed in Lent and Holy Week. Through prayer, scripture, and meditation, we commit to a renewed faith in the Resurrection and God’s transforming love.
The service lasts about 20 minutes each Friday morning.
Candle-lit Mass at St Thomas the Martyr
On the eve of the first Sunday in Lent, we gather in the beautiful mediaeval surroundings of St Thomas the Martyr for a penitential candle-lit Mass.
Litany in Procession & High Mass for the First Sunday in Lent
For the first Sunday in Lent, we begin the High Mass with a penitential Litany in Procession. The words of the Great Litany from the Book of Common Prayer allow us through repetitive petitions, to focus on the greatness and majesty of God and on our reliance on his mercy.
Lent Group: Healing Wounds
Our Lent group this year will explore themes from a new book by Erik Varden called Healing Wounds.
The question of suffering has always been a matter with which people have wrestled. In his book Healing Wounds, the Cistercian monk Erik Varden, now serving as the Bishop of Trondheim in his native Norway, attempts to offer new reflections on this most challenging of themes. He sets out to explore the biblical phrase “by his wounds you have been healed”, reflecting on how we can be drawn into the mystery of Christ’s suffering to find healing for our own wounds.
We will meet together with a simple soup and bread lunch on 4 Sundays in Lent after Mass.
Sundays 9, 16, 23, 30 March from 12.45-1.45pm
Get in touch if you would like to get hold of a copy of the book and join the group