St Matthew's gets the full treatment | Auckland Lifestyle News | Health, Fashion, Food and Wine in Auckland

As a celebration of the Festival of St Matthew, the St Matthew's Vocal Ensemble will be performing a choral mass incorporated into the 10am service.

The work is Mozart's Kronungsmess (Coronation Mass). Organist Michael Bell will accompany it, and Dmitry Rusakov, well-known for his work with Bach Musica And Opera New Zealand will conduct. He will also be doing the tenor solos. Other soloists are resident soprano Susan Elliott, mezzo-soprano Sheridan Williams (also of Opera NZ), and bass Crispin Caldicott (ex-London opera singer).

Reverend Clay Nelson, Priest-in-Charge, notes: "This is a musical first for our musicians at the morning service - hopefully the first of many. We are also pleased to have an outstanding guest preacher for this service, John Bluck, retired bishop of Waiapu. We hope the many friends of St Matthew-in-the-City will join us in our celebration."

Bishop Bluck was the 14th Anglican Bishop of Waiapu from 2002 to 2008. Educated at the University of Canterbury and ordained in 1971, he embarked on his ecclesiastical career at Holy Trinity, Gisborne after which he was editor of The New Zealand Methodist. Later he was director of communications at the World Council of Churches then Professor of Pastoral Theology and Communication at Knox Theological Seminary. From 1990 to 2002 he was Dean of Christchurch Cathedral when he was elevated to the Episcopate. An eminent author, he resigned his See in 2008 to devote himself to full-time writing.

Save it for the plate

Parking on Sundays is available free of charge until 5pm, in both the forecourt next to the church and the multi-storey covered car park.