Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing a little earlier and more briefly this week - Holy Week - so as to include within the letter our service  times and locations for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Eve (Holy Saturday).

Also as those here in the Islands are aware, our late colleague from Cayman Brac Chris Randall’s life and passing will be observed on Saturday the 10th April at the Seamen’s Hall in the Brac with a funeral service of prayer and thanksgiving: his remains to be interred in the cemetery at Watering Place. As at the time of writing I am unsure of the exact time of these events, though my wife and I are booked to return on the 5.25 pm flight on Saturday back to Grand Cayman. There are flights to Cayman Brac from Grand Cayman on Saturday the 10th April leaving at 7.30 a.m. and on Friday the 9th April leaving at 4.20 p.m.

The Maundy Thursday service of the Washing of Feet and Holy Communion will take place on Thursday the 1st April at 5.00 p.m. at 19 Kingschase Drive.

The Good Friday service of One Hour Devotions will take place on Friday the 2nd April at 12 noon at 19 Kingschase Drive.

The Easter Eve Easter Vigil service of Prayer and Scripture will take place on Saturday the 3rd April at 7.30 p.m. at 19 Kingschase Drive.

The Easter Collect is 

Almighty God, who through thine only-begotten Son Jesus Christ hast overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life: We humbly beseech thee, that as by thy special grace preventing us thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

The Collect is simple at first sight but packed with assistance to us. “Preventing us”, as we have noted in other letters, means going before us  - not “stopping us”, although one could say it includes stopping us from taking wrong steps. It reminds us that the power of the Lord to give “special grace” to us to enable our minds to desire “good” things, and to provide us with “continual help” to bring those good things about, is related to the paschal victory of the Lord Jesus Christ over death, the victory that opens up to humanity the “gate” of “everlasting life”.

For directions about the services this Easter Sunday the 4th April, (which take place at the customary times and places) please see the website www.truthwithlanguage.com. 

In the special grace and continual assistance of our Lord,

Bishop Nicholas