Happy Christmas

 

O Come, Emmanuel

 

Advent begins and with it comes the encouraging news that public worship will be permitted again from this week. There will be Mass on Thursday morning at 9.30am. Next Sunday, 6 December, the Parish Mass will be celebrated at 10.30am and we look forward to welcoming the Bishop of Richborough who will celebrate and preach.

Christmas arrangements will be somewhat curtailed this year. The Mass of Christmas Night will be celebrated at 8.00pm (NB) and the only Mass on Christmas Day will be at 10.30am.

Ready to Open for Private Prayer

 

Public Services Suspended

 Once again, we have been asked to suspend all public worship and, with heavy hearts, the priests and people of St Mary's will follow the new government guidance which comes into force from Thursday. The church will be open for individual private prayer for an hour on Sunday mornings at 10.30am and on Thursday mornings at 9.30am. 

Please note that the church is also generally 'out of bounds' for visits and other activities, except at the discretion of the parish priest and churchwardens.

A Distinguished Visitor

We were honoured to welcome Andrew Lloyd Webber to St Mary's today.

Celebration of Mass

For the time being, our only public Masses will be on Sundays at 10h30 and on Thursdays at 09h30. Doors will open a quarter of an hour before the service begins. Please do not attend if you have any Covid-19 symptoms. Please follow the instructions given in church, or guidance offered by stewards.

Church Re-opens

On this Corpus Christi Sunday, St Mary's re-opened for a time of eucharistic adoration in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament enthroned on the high altar.

Pandemic

Father Robert writes: the Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England have instructed that all places of worship must be completely closed. This is now the case at St Mary's, but our life of Christian prayer and fellowship continues through other means. The people of our congregation and parish continue to be prayed for, name by name and street by street. The daily Office and daily Mass also continue. We are staying in touch and supporting one another by email, telephone and post. May the Divine Compassion aid, sustain and protect us all.  If I can help you, or pray for you or with you, do please contact me.

Candle of Hope

IMPORTANT: No Public Services

In light of the Government guidance around non-essential contact, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have decided that public worship is suspended until further notice.

A private daily Mass will continue to be offered for our parish, congregation, and for all who are afflicted or affected by the coronavirus situation.

Antiques Fair

Our first Antiques Fair was a great success with over twenty stalls, lots of customers, and some excellent refreshments as usual.  Many thanks to all who organized, helped at, or supported this event.

Winter Warmer Lunch

Fifty members of the congregation made short work of an excellent lunch after Mass today. Many thanks to the caterers and their team.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service

Many thanks to some of the guys from our local fire station who came to have a look round the church today. We are grateful to them for their advice and for all the work they do.

New Year's Day Recital

Many thanks to David Gibbs, our recitalist, for starting off our New Year with such a splendid programme.  The audience - well over a hundred of them - enjoyed Bach, Franck, Elgar, and an organ version of Peter and the Wolf, wonderfully narrated by Guy Matthews.