staidan-leeds.org.uk

Congratulations! It’s a team!

editor — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:54:53 +0000

After several years of work behind the scenes the Diocese has created a new Team Parish joining St Aidan’s and All Souls’ churches to create the parish of “Leeds: All Souls and St Aidan”.

All Souls’ Church (www.allsoulsleeds.org.uk), also known as the Hook Memorial Church, is a Grade II* listed building near Leeds University with a multi-national congregation and a warm, inclusive Anglo-Catholic liturgy and welcome.

The Debre Sibhat Medhanialem (Ethiopian Orthodox) Church meets at All Souls’ on Sunday afternoons.

On a practical level many things will remain the same: To contact St Aidan’s clergy phone 0113 248 6992/0113 267 5893 or email clergy@staidan-leeds.org.uk.

To contact All Souls’ clergy phone 0113 216 2674 or email vicar@allsoulsleeds.org.uk.

Good news if you are planning your wedding! If you live in St. Aidan’s parish you now “qualify” to be married at All Souls’ church and vice versa.

Beyond these practicalities what is the point of the Team? Our prayer is that, moving away from the traditional “one church-one vicar” model, we will learn to work together—priests and people—and so be better able to serve the people of Leeds in our area. We ask for your prayers in the process!

Handel’s Messiah – Ecclesia with guest school choirs from Yorkshire

editor — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:34:20 +0000

Saturday December 10, 2011 at 19:00

Ecclesia 2011

In the presence of the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Leeds-based chamber choir, Ecclesia perform Handel’s Messiah, directed by David Condry (Assistant Director of Music at Bradford Cathedral) and accompanied by celebrated organist and choral director Thomas Leech. Formed in 2008, Ecclesia are an exciting and vibrant choral group who specialise in performing sacred music with a fresh approach.Ecclesia are delighted to be joined by a number of school choirs, drawn from across Yorkshire, for selected choruses, to make this a truly memorable event for all.

Free admission with a retiring collection.

St Aidan’s visited by Ship of Fools Mystery Worshipper

editor — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 21:51:21 +0000

On Sunday 4 September 2011 a ‘Mystery Worshipper’ from the Ship of Fools website visited St Aidan’s. You can read their review of the Mass here.

Heritage open days

editor — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 21:40:16 +0000

ONE OF BRITAIN’S MOST FAMOUS
MOSAICS ON VIEW DURING HERITAGE OPEN
DAYS

St Aidan’s Church in Harehills,
Leeds, will open its doors over the weekend of the 10^th and
11^th of September to show off its famous mosaic by Royal Academician
Sir Frank Brangwyn. The church will be open for most of Saturday and after the
Sunday morning service. There will be conducted tours throughout Saturday and at
11.30 on Sunday. This is the twelfth time St Aidan’s has taken part in the
Heritage Open Days promoted by Leeds Civic Trust in association with Leeds City
Council and organised nationally by English Heritage.

The mosaic which fills the eastern apse of this 117 year-old Romanesque church was created by Frank
Brangwyn between 1912 and 1916. It shows four stages in the life of St Aidan in
one continuous picture. And there is much more to see in St Aidan’s with
furniture by Robert (the mouseman) Thompson and parishioner John Drake, carvings
and paintings by Josef Heu, some impressive stained glass and several works by
the church’s first architects A Crawford-Hick and Sidney Kitson. The organ built
by J J Binns of Bramley is one of the finest of its style. There will be organ
recitals on Saturday by Peter Brand St Aidan’s director of music.

The Church will be open on Saturday from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm and on Sunday after the 10 am Parish Mass until 1 pm.

Members of the congregation will be available and happy to conduct visitors around the church.
Admission is free and refreshments will be available.

More from Barrie Pepper on 0113 265 8595 or email: barrie.pepper@ntlworld.com

3^rd September,
2011

Vicar elected Lord Mayor

editor — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 17:55:29 +0000

The Vicar of St Aidan’s, Councillor Canon Alan Taylor, has a further addition to his mode of address for he is now Lord Mayor of Leeds – the first citizen. He was elected at the council’s annual meeting last month. He is the 118th person to hold the office of Lord Mayor of Leeds. And it is thought that he is the first priest to attain this high office.

The new Lord Mayor was born in Leeds attending Hunslet Carr School until leaving to work at Yorkshire Imperial Metals – formerly Yorkshire Copper Works – and then for the GPO before he started training for the ministry.

He has always had an interest in local issues and in 1999 he decided to stand for Council. He was elected at first to represent the former Harehills
ward and was re-elected to serve the present Gipton and Harehills ward in 2008.

During his term of office, Councillor Taylor will be accompanied by friends and colleagues who will perform the role of the Lady Mayoress or Consort.

Art treasure found in skip

editor — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 10:53:10 +0000

St Aidan’s Church in Harehills, Leeds, home of the famous Brangwyn mosaic, has added another art treasure to its collection – and this one was found in a skip in York. A ceramic plaque of the Last Supper by the Austrian artist Josef Heu was presented to the church by its finder Mike Pipes of Acomb in York. St Aidan’s already holds two works by Heu – a large statue in wood of Mary presenting the Christ Child to the world, known as The Redeemer, and a set of 14 Stations of the Cross.

Mr Pipes had noticed a reference to Josef Heu on the St Aidan’s web site and got in touch with the Vicar, Revd Canon Alan Taylor. The plaque was handed over on Wednesday of this week and during the Maundy Thursday service Canon Taylor rededicated the plaque to the greater glory of God and blessed it. A decision will now be taken where to position it.

The plaque shows the traditional view of The Last Supper with Christ at table surrounded by his disciples. It is carved in plaster and coloured in pastel shades and is approximately 45cm by 30cm. It is signed by Josef Heu with the note: Ampleforth 1941.

Canon Taylor said: ‘We are delighted to receive this beautiful work of art into our collection, it will take its place along with Heu’s other works, the Brangwyn mosaic, the Bacon windows and church furniture by Robert (Mouseman) Thompson and our own parishioner John Drake. Our sincere thanks go out to Mr Pipes.’

A picture of Canon Taylor with the plaque is attached along with notes on the life of Josef Heu. Further information can be obtained from Revd Canon Alan Taylor 0113 2486992,
Alan.Taylor@leeds.gov.uk or Barrie Pepper on 0113 2658595, barrie.pepper@ntlworld.com

Good Friday 22^nd April, 2011

Heu Last Supper

JOSEF HEU

Josef Heu born 21/2/1876 Marburg an der Drau (Slovenia but then part of Austro- Hungarian empire) Died 30/10/1952 Ampleforth.

Painter, Sculptor, Teacher, Professor at Vienna University of Applied Arts up to 1938
1930/34 President Austrian Society of Christian Art.

Married to the daughter of the General Director of the Vienna Opera House with whom he had two sons. His wife (who was Jewish) and sons travelled to England 1938, He followed in 1939 and they were given a home by the monks at Ampleforth and later lived at nearby Coxwold.

Works at St Aidan’s are the Redeemer statue carved in a single piece of wood given to him by Robert (Mousey) Thompson and the Stations of the Cross.

Music for Holy Week

editor — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:23:30 +0000

St. Aidan’s is unique in that a Sung Mass takes place everyday in Holy Week. Masses begin at 7:00pm.

Click here to view a music list for Holy Week.

On Wednesday 20th April, the Sung Mass will include the combined forces of Ecclesia and St. Aidan’s Church Choir followed by a Concert at 8:15pm by Ecclesia, including Fauré’s Requiem and Allegri’s Miserere mei, Deus.

Unique ceremony in Leeds C of E church

editor — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:11:07 +0000

Unique ceremony as Ethiopian Church makes its home in Leeds C of E church
More than 500 worshippers will gather at a Leeds church next Saturday April 2nd to take part in a colourful and unique ceremony.
Members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church have met at All Souls’, Blackman Lane in Leeds for two years, sharing the building with the host Church of England congregation. On Saturday April 2nd Abune Entonios, the Ethiopian Bishop of Northwestern Europe, will preside at a Mass during which he will bless an ‘Ark of the Covenant’ which will be carried through the Victorian building and placed in a special chamber half way up the church tower. The ceremony will raise the official status of the Ethiopian congregation from ‘association’ to ‘church’.
The service is expected to last several hours, and most of it will be in the Amharic and Ge’ez languages. The central part of the ceremony, the procession of the Ark and Blessing – will include English commentary and take place between 11am and 1pm. Local clergy and lay people as well as Ethiopian clergy from around the country have been invited to take part.
In the past two years, the numbers at the EOTC meeting at All Souls’ Church have grown to around 80 adults and 30 children but for the congregation to be recognised as an official EOTC church, “The Ark of the Covenant” has to be lodged in the church building. Priest in Charge at All Souls’ is The Rev’d Alice Snowden who says, “For over a year, officers from All Souls’ and EOTC churches have been trying to identify a place for The Ark. This has not been easy: although All Souls’ is a large building, it does not have separated spaces, and the Ark must be kept in a place to which only priests have access. Eventually, the ringing chamber half way up the tower was identified as a suitable space. The Ethiopian church has carpeted and painted it, ready to receive the Ark.” She added, “I am impressed by the faithfulness of the Ethiopian congregation, and by the generous spirit of All Souls’ Anglican congregation in making them welcome”.

Prof Joyce Hill installed as Capitular Canon

editor — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 16:29:17 +0000

Professor Joyce Hill, a regular worshipper at St Aidan’s, has been admitted as a Capitular Canon of the Cathedral Church at Ripon. She has taken her place in the College of Canons and will undertake duties in the Cathedral and in the diocese.

Joyce was born and brought up in North Devon, but has spent most of her professional life in Leeds. She gained a First in English at King’s College London and then went to York for her D. Phil where she began her research in the literary culture of the Anglo-Saxons. At the University of Leeds. as Professor of Old and Middle English Language and Literature. she became the first woman to hold the post of Pro-Vice-Chancellor. She has also been Director of the Centre for Medieval Studies and Head of the School of English and has held visiting professorships in Italy and the USA and a research fellowship at Emmanuel College Cambridge. In 2001 she became the founding director of a policy unit promoting equal opportunities across the whole of the UK higher education sector. In this capacity she represented the UK on EU committees and in conference with UNESCO. In recognition of this work she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Oxford Brookes University. Joyce is now an Emeritus Professor of the University of Leeds. She remains very active in research and she advises the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

At St Aidan’s Joyce reads the lesson, administers the chalice and writes a monthly article on aspects of church history for the website. She is also a member of the Heritage Open Days team. She is currently the Diocesan Trustee on the Combined Universities’ Chaplaincy Trust in Leeds and she serves regularly as a panel member for selecting potential ordination candidates to go forward to the national panel, on which she is an Educational Adviser. In the past she has been a member of the Diocesan Board of Education and of the governing bodies of two church schools.

Ash Wednesday

editor — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:22:53 +0000

9.00am Morning Prayer

9.30am Mass with Imposition of Ashes

7.00pm Parish Mass with Imposition of Ashes