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At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Matthew 27:51&nbsp;
&nbsp;Dear friends&nbsp;
As we journey through Holy Week towards Easter, that image of the Temple curtain is playing on my mind. Matthew’s gospel records that at the moment of Jesus’s crucifixion, the curtain of the temple was torn in two. That image is powerful not only visually, but because we can imagine the sort of sound it would have made. The curtain in the Temple was a thick, heavy brocade; more like a wall than a decoration. Together with the earth trembling, the rocks splitting and the tombs bursting open, the ripping curtain must have contributed to a terrifying racket!&nbsp;
The purpose of the Temple curtain was of course to draw a line; to demarcate the separation between the people and God, between sinfulness and holiness. Matthew gives us the detail that as Jesus died the curtain was torn in two from top to bottom – as if to emphasise who it was who was doing the tearing.&nbsp;
Separation is a feature of our world. We separate ourselves into like-minded groups, whether along the lines of political allegiance or religious tradition, economic status or even just our preferred hobbies and interests. The familiar often feels safer – dealing with one another’s differences is so much more challenging.&nbsp;
Yet the message of the torn curtain prompts us to think again about the lines we draw, the barriers we erect, the walls behind which we hide. The cosmic barrier between earth and heaven, between God and people, was torn apart by Jesus’s death and resurrection, so that we can enter with confidence into God’s presence. The way is open to anyone, not only the respectable, not only the predictable, but anyone, to come right into the presence of God.&nbsp;
Since God has done that for us, who are we, to separate ourselves from one another? How might we begin to grow a foretaste of heaven, where everyone is welcome to be together, in our local and wider communities right now? How might we more fully share in the lives of those others whom God loves – all humanity and all creation?&nbsp;
This Holy Week and Easter, may we draw closer to Jesus as we remember his death and rising which released all creation into eternal life. And may we commit ourselves to deeper relationships with one another, and with God, so that together we may become more fully who God made us to be.&nbsp;Bishop Emma Ineson, Acting Bishop of London

Ancient map with detailed city layout and labels.

Parish of the Isle of Dogs

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Matthew 27:51

Dear friends

As we journey through Holy Week towards Easter, that image of the Temple curtain is playing on my mind. Matthew’s gospel records that at the...

The Acting Bishop of London's Message for Easter

In the 1990´s my daughter and her husband lived in&nbsp; the beautiful village of High Easter in Essex, nearby is another village called Good Easter. The Church in High Easter is St.Mary's and in Good Easter St. Andrew's. As&nbsp;both villages have churches, I assumed that they were connected somehow with the Easter Festival. I was wrong - the root of their names is the Anglo Saxon word EOWESTRE a sheep fold or pen. In the Doomsday Book&nbsp; in 1086 the village is Estra&nbsp; and the 'Good' derived from Godyth or Godgifu the owner of the sheep fold so we get&nbsp; 'Good Easter'. High Easter is so called because the land was slightly elevated was called&nbsp; Heyestre in 1254. The real origin of the word Easter harks back to pagan times and alludes to the goddess EASTRE or EOSTRE. She was worshipped by the Anglo Saxons and German speaking peoples, and was the goddess of Spring, the Dawn and Fertility . The Venerable Bede a monk (later a Saint) writing in the seventh and eighth centuries used the pagan word Eosturmonath instead of the Latin and Greek words for the Jewish Festival of Pesach (Passover) associated with with the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Jesus had been judged and crucified at Passover time. EASTRE /EOSTRE was very often depicted with a hare, but a very special hare that could lay eggs! In German 'Der Osterhase'. The legend was that she found a dead or frozen bird that she brought back to life, but it returned in the shape of a hare, but the hare laid eggs to thank her. This tale from German folklore was brought from Europe to the United States at the time of mass immigration in the eighteenth and nineteenth&nbsp; centuries but the hare became softened into a rabbit and became the Easter Bunny! Eggs were not allowed to be eaten during Lent and their shells were often marked or coloured to show that they were not fresh or they were dyed red in memory of Christ's blood being shed. The tradition of decorating eggs for presents at the end of Lent was taken to new heights with Fabergé&nbsp; designing the most beautiful jewelled eggs for the Russian Royal Family to give as presents. I remember at school painting and varnishing eggs that the teacher had actually 'blown'; nowadays they are made of polystyrene not very 'green ' but kinder to the teacher. We were told that Jesus coming from the tomb was like a chick coming from an egg. Now I think it was a bit twee but there are plenty of chicks and rabbits on Easter cards and I have seen Resurrection Scenes carved in wood like Nativity Scenes. Saying 'He Is Risen' you can get them on Amazon ! This year our Paschal Candle is a special one made by our Sunday School and Father Tom at an All-the-Church-Family Service, look out for it on Easter Day a traditional time for Baptism. The candles given to the newly Baptised are lit from the Paschal Candle. This is the most Holy and Blessed time in the Church year enjoy it. Happy Easter!
Barbara Liddell.

Two young girls in a field of yellow flowers, one holding a basket with Easter eggs.

In the 1990´s my daughter and her husband lived in the beautiful village of High Easter in Essex, nearby is another village called Good Easter. The Church in High Easter is St.Mary's and in Good Easter St. Andrew's. As both villages have churches,...

Easter traditions have very long roots!

A Pilgrimage to Canterbury for the beginning of Lent 2026
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It was at school, doing my O levels in the late ‘70s, that I first came across the Canterbury Tales. I studied the Prologue and the wonderful Nun's Priest's tale of Chanticleer, a vain and silly cockerel,&nbsp; his sensible wife Pertelote and a sly fox. It was a great introduction to the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer, and to the activity of making a pilgrimage.&nbsp;

Some years ago, as a young family, we walked the Saint James’ Camino from Northern Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in Spanish Galicia. Pilgrimage is a bug. Once you've got it in your system, it's always there. I have long been thinking about making the pilgrimage from London to Canterbury; this year I had promised myself (and the Archdeacon) to make a retreat; why not spend my retreat walking prayerfully in the footsteps of so many making pilgrimage to the shrine of St Thomas Becket?

Becket is an interesting person. He was appointed Chancellor (effectively First Minister) and then Archbishop by Henry II who wanted a friend and counselor who would see things his way and take the king's part. Appointing Thomas was already an abuse of power. But once Thomas was ordained and in post the story shifted in ways the king never expected. Thomas spoke for the rights of the Church, not the wishes of the king and they were often at loggerheads until Henry, in frustration, said the fateful words ‘Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?’ Four loyal knights of King Henry heard this outburst and set off to Canterbury bent on murder. More abuse of power and influence in public life. A pilgrimage for peace and against abuse of power seemed a good use of my pre-Lent retreat, given the news from both sides of the Atlantic in early 2026.

So on Monday 16 February I set off from home, through Greenwich, up onto Blackheath and then up to the top of Shooter's Hill. I expected this to be a hard slog, but was buoyed up by people who stopped me to talk, and wished me a good pilgrimage (I wore my pilgrim's shell throughout the walk, so there wasn't any doubt what I was doing). From Shooter's Hill I walked to the Thames at Erith where in the 1930s my grandfather (also Thomas) began his ministry as a curate. I know Erith Reach from the deck of my boat. It was new to me as a walker.&nbsp;

The route takes you east along the riverside and then through an ugly industrial estate to the mouth of the River Darent, as it joins the Thames. This is a favorite place of mine to watch seals from my boat; but again unfamiliar as a footpath. I was to walk along the Darent for the rest of the afternoon and most of Tuesday. It is beautiful, first as a wild navigable creek and then as a twisting chalk stream. Because of the rain since January the river was in spate, but that only added to its loveliness. I ended Monday in Dartford, and would begin to walk again from there on Tuesday morning.

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When you walk the Camino to Santiago you have a Pilgrim's Passport to collect rubber stamps which prove you have put in the miles. When you reach the shrine of St James you present this record of your journey and you get a certificate. Pilgrims’ passports for British routes are now available from cathedral bookshops and online. The only issue is that cafes, pubs and hotels don't always have a stamp, and then you have to be creative. But the Bull and Royal Victoria Hotel in Dartford had a super stamp. This is an old galleried coaching inn which has always welcomed pilgrims, but also Jane Austen and Queen Victoria.&nbsp;

From Dartford I walked to South Darenth where Joseph Cubitt built an amazing brick viaduct, then up the valley to Lullington Castle which shields the parish church within the castle walls. The churchwardens there were changing the hangings to purple for Lent, but they were happy to stop and chat. Better than that, they had a stamp! I probably stayed too long - my target was Wrotham which was still five or six miles away. It was a tired pilgrim that finally reached the station there as it grew dark.

On Wednesday I had arranged to walk with Andrew Camping from Wrotham to Halling on the banks of the River Medway. Andrew has been walking the Santiago Camino in stages for many years - a real inspiration to me. His happy banter about music, the Church of England, pilgrimage and his career as a teacher helped me to ignore my tired legs and a blistered foot. This leg of the journey was just how I imagine the Pilgrim's Way: paths worn&nbsp; like tunnels through the trees as they hugged the North Downs. But the walking was muddy in parts and piercingly cold all morning. We were glad of our lunch in Halling before returning to the Isle of Dogs for the Ash Wednesday service.

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On Thursday I was on my own again, walking from Halling to Aylesford. The route took me across the river near the ruins of the Bishop of Rochester's country palace, then to ‘the lonely church’&nbsp; at Burham, and then on past a solar farm and through a water treatment works. Finally I reached the Carmelite Friars’ shrine at Aylesford, which again had a good stamp. Aylesford Friary was redeveloped for pilgrims by Adrian Gilbert Scott who also was the architect of St Mary and St Joseph's church, Poplar.&nbsp;

Aylesford felt like the right place to break off from my pilgrimage and to recover from the blisters before going back to it at a later date. The path will take me south east to Ashford and then north east to Canterbury. My last task on this leg was to visit the shrine of St William of Perth. William was a baker, and one of the many Scottish pilgrims to Canterbury. He was murdered for his purse leaving the grounds of Rochester Cathedral, and was buried by the monks in the north aisle there. His shrine was associated with many healing miracles. He is pictured in one of the stained glass windows with his pilgrim's shell, his pilgrim's hat and his scrip or pilgrim's purse. I was glad I went on this detour - William’s sad but inspiring story reminded me of why I felt the need to walk in the first place, for peace in the world and wisdom in the hearts of those who have power.

Fr. Tom

A person hiking with a backpack and walking stick on a dirt path.

A Pilgrimage to Canterbury for the beginning of Lent 2026



It was at school, doing my O levels in the late ‘70s, that I first came across the Canterbury Tales. I studied the Prologue and the wonderful Nun's Priest's tale of Chanticleer, a vain a...

A Pilgrimage to Canterbury for the beginning of Lent 2026

Hello, Have you given up anything for Lent yet? Be careful, I gave up meat for Lent nearly 40 years ago and haven't eaten it since!
If you think giving up meat, chocolate, wine etc. for nearly seven weeks is hard , spare a thought for the Christians from previous centuries who had a much harder time of it. The word Lent comes from Lencten, the Old English/German word for Spring or the Lengthening of Days. In the early days of the Church the forty days before Easter was a time of preparation, with fasting , prayer and alms giving. That period called Quadragesima (Fortieth) was used in the 4th Century by the Council of Nicaea in 325AD recognising Jesus's forty days in the desert. In consequence this period of fasting became the rule for most religious houses like monasteries, abbeys, convents and churches. Saint Thomas Aquinas made a list of forbidden foods and actions during Lent. Lent was tough in the Middle Ages...

1) Ash Wednesday and Good Friday were Black Fasts (no food at all).

2) Water was allowed, but because of the dubious purity of the water most people drank light beer(ale) or wine watered down!

3) No animal meat, fats or oils.

4) No eggs

5) No dairy, no milk, cream, butter cheese or yogurt.

The Lenten diet consisted of bread, vegetables and salt, with fish allowed if it was available. Not much different from the regular diet eaten by the poor. Many religious houses had their own fishponds or altered the course of streams to enable them to have a source of fish. Some used small rivers or streams to drive mills to grind the wheat,rye or barley to make bread. The food was normally eaten in one meal normally after sunset or Vespers, a time of prayer in monasteries. The meal began to be eaten earlier in the day, at Nones roughly 3pm. This was held as the time Jesus died and thus more holy. It must have been hard only to have the one sparse meal and gradually the Nones meal was eaten earlier at midday giving the new time Noon.

&nbsp;In 900 AD German Catholics were allowed to consume dairy products in return for payments and good works, like extending Church buildings;&nbsp; this was known as 'Butterbriefe'. Many Churches were partially built by the proceeds of such exemptions. One of the steeples of Rouen Cathedral in France is known as the Butter Tower.

This general prohibition of eggs and milk is perpetuated in the custom of blessing or making gifts of eggs at Easter, and the English custom of making pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, to use up the eggs and milk before Lent began the next day. Shrove Tuesday gets its name from people making confessions and being forgiven or Shriven of their sins.

The using up of meat, fats milk etc. was given the name Mardi Gras in France. I it means Fat Tuesday - today it sort of means a party atmosphere and was an excuse for a bit of light partying ,eating food that would not be allowed until Easter. Likewise in Italy, notably Venice, there is a period of Carnival activity until Ash Wednesday. The word Carnival is a derivative of Carne Vale 'Goodbye to Meat' again making a party connection before the solemnity of Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. In our Church the Palm Crosses from the year before are burnt to fine ash. During the Mass the congregation comes forward to have the sign of the Cross put on their foreheads and they are told to remember they are dust and to dust they will return. This is called the Imposition of Ashes you can wash it off easily, but sometimes I used to get funny looks going home on the bus. However you spend Lent, think about actions that will help others, instead of giving up something you like for seven weeks, donate the money you would have spent on chocolate etc. to a good cause. This is a positive act of almsgiving, so eat the chocolate and the butter, but pray more and try to do good deeds. Perhaps Butterbriefe is a good idea; give it a go.&nbsp;

Barbara Liddell.

Three wooden sticks arranged to form a stylized, overlapping cross pattern against a green background.

Hello, Have you given up anything for Lent yet? Be careful, I gave up meat for Lent nearly 40 years ago and haven't eaten it since!

If you think giving up meat, chocolate, wine etc. for nearly seven weeks is hard , spare a thought for the Christi...

The Acting Bishop of London's Message for Easter

Easter traditions have very long roots!

A Pilgrimage to Canterbury for the beginning of Lent 2026

Lent Traditions and Church Teaching