Free- donaons welcome May BATHWICK NEWS www.bathwickparishes.org.uk St Mary’s (by Bathwick Hill roundabout) St John’s (opposite the fire station) Inside this month • Christian Aid Week May with St Mary’s Big Breakfast May • Festival Services for May • Lunchtime organ recitals at St Mary’s and St John’s • Bathwick Churches Joint Meeting May pm St John’s Hall We look forward to welcoming you to our churches
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March 2018 BATHWICK NEWS · PDF file7.30pm until 22 March at 4 Sion Place, Bathwick Hill BA2 6ES. The Lent book is ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son’ by Henri Nouwen . It’s
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Free - dona�ons welcome
May ����
BATHWICK NEWS
www.bathwickparishes.org.uk
St Mary’s
(by Bathwick Hill roundabout) St John’s
(opposite the fire station)
Inside this month�
• Christian Aid Week ����� May with St Mary’s Big Breakfast �� May
• Festival Services for May
• Lunchtime organ recitals at St Mary’s and St John’s
• Bathwick Churches Joint Meeting &' May ()�*pm St John’s Hall
We look forward to welcoming you to our churches
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THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN BATHWICK
WHO’S WHO (All telephone numbers are Bath- 01225 unless otherwise stated)
Head Teacher: Mr Kevin Purkiss, St. Mary’s School, Darlington Road, Bath 465654
TOWER MASTER (Bell Ringers) Tom Longridge, 8, Napier Road, Bath BA1 4LN 07738 016690 or 422915
DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
Gary Desmond Email: [email protected], or via the Parish Office 07980 818445
BATHWICK PARENTS AND TODDLERS Wednesday Group Holly Mitchell 07989 137319
Friday Group Maya Hardwicke 07870 702178
FLOWERS Enquiries to the Parish Office please
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ON SUNDAYS IN MAY
ST MARY’S
10.30am Every Sunday, Sung Eucharist & Sermon
with Children’s Church in the Hall You are welcome to join us for coffee following the service
6pm Evening Services:
6 May - Evening Prayer 20 May - Choral Evensong
ST. JOHN’S
9am Sundays Sung Mass & Sermon followed by breakfast in the Hall.
6pm Evening Services:
13 May - Choral Evensong and Benediction
27 May - Evensong & Benediction
BATHWICK LUNCHTIME ORGAN RECITALS
SPECIAL EVENTS IN MAY
ASCENSION DAY 10 May 10.30am Mass at St John’s 7.30pm Sung Mass at St Mary’s
PENTECOST 20 May Usual Sunday Services
TRINITY SUNDAY 27 May Usual Sunday Services
CORPUS CHRISTI 31 May 7.30pm Sung Mass at St John’s
ST JOHN’S LUNCHTIME ORGAN SERIES
3 May 12:45 -13:30
Recital by David Hyatt, Organist of St John’s, Bathwick
Admission free - donations for St John’s organ fund welcome
ST MARY’S LUNCHTIME LIVE NEW SERIES BEGINS
10 May 12.30pm—1.10pm
Recital by Gary Desmond, Director of Music St Mary’s Bathwick
Admission Free - retiring collection for St Mary’s Organ Fund
All welcome
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A LETTER FROM OUR PARISH PRIEST, FR PETER EDWARDS Dear brothers and sisters, How much do we want to grow? We live in what is sometimes called a ‘post-modern’ age, characterised by secularism and individualism. For many people, life is dominated by the search for treasure (i.e. wealth), pleasure and leisure. We live in a society that is largely atheistic and consumerist and where everyone’s opinions and beliefs hold equal value. We might do well to consider how the church speaks to contemporary society. How can the church offer belief in Jesus Christ as a solution to those many individuals who regard themselves as ‘spiritual’ but who are searching for real meaning in their lives?
I’m not a scientist, but we are all familiar with DNA – our biological ‘fingerprint’ that exists inside each and every cell of our bodies, that makes us who we are. And in addition, we all have a Christian DNA for “Living the gospel…” We receive this through the gift of the Holy Spirit at baptism and through the gift of faith. Is our Christian DNA obvious? Does it show? Do others see evidence of it? It might be what they look for in our DNA!
Jesus tells us in the gospels that growth is a natural process – remember for example the parable of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32). As a church, our natural state of being should be one of growth – both in numbers and depth of spirituality. Studies suggest that there are seven characteristics of a healthy church – people are energized by faith; are outward-looking; seek to discern God’s will; face the costs of change and growth; operate as a community; welcome all; and concentrate on some things and do them well. How well do our own churches meet these characteristics? If I’m honest, we are great at some of them, but there’s some room for improvement in others….! Churches that seek to grow will inevitably need to prioritize the proclamation of the gospel over maintenance – that isn’t to say that we should leave our buildings to fall down, rather that we should use them appropriately to support the work of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. This outward-facing work of sharing the gospel will be characterised by a good balance of prayer; ‘presence’ events (open days, fetes etc); ‘proclamation’ events (to which people are invited and at which something of the gospel is shared – such as our Harvest Supper); and ‘persuasion’ events (enquirers courses and the like). Do we have the right balance between these different types of activity here in Bathwick? How do we invite people to attend such events? As mentioned above, one of the key measures of growth is in depth of personal spirituality – but this type of growth must inevitably result in greater confidence in sharing our faith. We are all called to this work of invitation, of communicating the gospel, of living and showing who Jesus is and what he means to us in our daily lives. If we can do so, there is nothing more attractive!
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PRAYER OF THE MONTH O God, forgive us that the system we have built around You is so contrary to
You. Please help us to change it. Amen
CONFRATERNITY OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT (CBS)
31 MAY (CORPUS CHRISTI) FOLLOWING MASS 7.30PM ST JOHNS
All welcome
Further details from Robin Thwaites on 01373 839002
On Thursday 24th May at 7.30pm, in St John’s Hall, you are all invited to join in a conversation about some of the questions I have raised in this letter. Food will be provided! Please come so we can share ideas about communicating the gospel more effectively here in Bathwick. This session will build on the work we did some time ago which helped us to understand our strengths and weaknesses as churches. I am very grateful to my friend Fr Richard Harper (the parish priest of St Paul’s
Weymouth) for promising to help us in this work. Deep down, we all want our two communities of faith to grow in numbers and in depth. But how much do we want this? Is this ‘wanting’ deep down in your DNA? How much? How deeply embedded? What can we do? There’s work for us all to do! How do we all meet the challenge of sharing the good news of faith?
How much do we want to grow – in numbers and in depth? With my prayers for you all,
Living the GospelLiving the GospelLiving the GospelLiving the Gospel Giving the GospelGiving the GospelGiving the GospelGiving the Gospel ALWAYS!ALWAYS!ALWAYS!ALWAYS!
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CHRISTIAN AID BIG BREAKFAST AT ST MARY’S CHURCH SATURDAY 19 MAY 8.30AM -12.00 NOON
Come and join us for a leisurely breakfast to raise funds for Chris�an Aid Full English breakfast, tea, coffee, juices, newspapers for £7.50!
Enjoy having your breakfast or brunch cooked and served
and raise funds for Chris�an Aid
CHRISTIAN AID WEEK 13 – 19 MAY
THEME: TOGETHER WE’RE STRONGER – THAN THE STORMS.
Publicity this year is based on stories of Chris�an Aid’s work in
Hai� a)er Hurricane Ma+hew destroyed so many people’s
lives. They s�ll desperately need funds and support to rebuild
property and lives. The very poor are very vulnerable to
future natural disasters and need a secure, comfortable home. }}
Now is the �me to start thinking whether you are around during the Week and
whether you are prepared to knock on a few doors (most folk are very tolerant –
‘onest!) OR lay on a special event to collect in a penny or two. Thank you in
advance!
We somehow managed to total nearly £2000 last year so it would be A-MA-zing if
we could get anywhere near that this year. Thank you.
If you can help in anyway,
please contact Thelma Paterson Fox 01225 334939
(Please be aware that no Chris an Aid folk have been involved in the misconduct of some
aid agencies in Hai . See website under Mar n Birch, Safeguarding Officer, to get
I believe in Jesus Christ who descended to the dead.
‘I delivered to you of first importance what I also received,’ Paul states, ‘that Christ died for our
sins in accordance with the Scriptures, [and] that he was buried …’ (1 Corinthians 15:3-4a).
‘Being put to death in the flesh’ Peter says Christ ‘was made alive in the spirit in which he went
and proclaimed to the spirits in prison’ (1 Peter 3:18b). The Apostles’ Creed brings the teaching
of Peter and Paul together as it affirms belief in Jesus Christ who descended to the dead.
On Holy Saturday – between Good Friday and Easter Sunday – God incarnate lay in a tomb.
He lay there to extend the salvation he brought to earth to the faithful departed robbing the land
of the dead of its prisoners. It is the day of the so-called
‘harrowing of hell’.
In the Church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence there is a
beautiful 15th Century picture by Masaccio of the Trinity. It
shows Jesus on the Cross being handed over to us by the
Father. This picture used to hang over a tomb with a skeleton
engraved on top of it. On the tomb was the inscription: ‘I was
what you are and what I am you shall be.’ At first the epitaph
reads as if it were the words of the skeleton – ‘remember you will be dust one day like me’.
When these words are read as if they were those of Christ they have enormous impact. I was
what you are and what I am you shall be – “see I came as a man like you. I lay in the tomb as
you will one day but I overcame the power of death. So shall it be for all who trust in me”.
Like the Apostles’ Creed the church calendar rolls through the mysteries of incarnation,
crucifixion, resurrection and Pentecost as a means of developing balanced devotion. At the
centre of these seasons lies the Triduum – the great three days of Good Friday, Holy Saturday
and Easter Day. At the centre of this centre lies Holy Saturday. Historically this day is a day of
transition. Liturgically it is a busy day of stripping and decorating churches, soon past as brief
prelude to Easter. For a few hours churches lie bare and silent to help worshippers take in Good
Friday and set the spiritual stage for the Easter Feast.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church there is a striking service for the burial of the Lord at that
time. The people process to the Epithaphion or table (tomb symbol) on which the image of
Christ is laid. They then go under the table and out the other side representing their desire to be
buried with Christ. This ceremony is a vivid reminder that Christian worship not only recalls the
events or mysteries of Christ but makes us very participants in the same mysteries. Christ was
This year, in a series of articles in our magazine, we will examine the statements of Christian belief contained in The Apostles' Creed. The articles are written by Canon John Twistleton who has given permission for us to reprint his work.
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WALSINGHAM PILGRIMAGE
AUGUST 13TH -16TH 2018
Take time out from the busy holiday season to re-charge your spiritual batteries in the tranquillity of this beautiful place, in the company of a happy band of pilgrims!If you haven’t been before, just ask someone who has – plenty will give glowing references!
For more information, please contact Helen Lees at St Mary’s or e-mail Ann at [email protected] Bookings being taken now - £30 deposit
buried so that our sins can be buried and done away with to bring us freedom. The same
thinking is associated with the renewal of baptismal vows at Easter in the western church
when worshippers hear this scripture: ‘Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by
baptism into his death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the
Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.’ (Romans 6:3-4).
Jesus descended to the dead. What do we make of such three-decker universe talk in the 21st
century? The first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, mocked religion: ‘There are no angels up here’
he said. In the 21st century we see beyond a three-decker universe to what has been called a
multiverse with many dimensions but this does not contradict the Christian Creed. Modern
science far from contradicting the Creed provides us with new symbols to communicate its
articles. A contemporary symbol of descending to the dead would be the saving of the file of
our life into the computer memory of God. Just as an electronic file with no weight or
substance can be held for years on the hard drive of a computer so our souls are stored for
eternity within God’s memory when we descend to the dead to await our destiny.
‘I believe in Jesus Christ who descended to the dead’…in Jesus Christ who uses death to limit
life. Human life has a limit that no amount of medical care can overcome. Many who
approach death rejoice in this limit since it promises freedom from the “burden of the flesh.”
The Creed says God who uses death to limit life also puts limits on death. St Francis sang of
this, of Brother Death waiting to hush our latest breath, going on in exultation: you lead home
the child of God for Christ our Lord this way has trod.
Christianity is bigger than death because Jesus is.
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MONTH’S MIND
Please pray for those whose anniversary of death falls in May
1st Mary Fish, Ann Wakefield
2nd Annie Deacon
3rd Cecil Garlicke, John Fry, Albert Teale, Leonore Morris, Noelene Richmond, Ivy Smale, Earnest Hayward
4th Dorothy Grimshaw, William Jones, Aubrey Emonet 5th John Reynish (Priest), Winifred Hobbs, Leslie Copsey 6th Harriet George, Ernest Loades, Winifred Wheeler, Emily Stansbury, Edward
Abrahams, William Davis, Elsie Hobbs 7th Winifred Hobbs, Peter Jack Packham
8th Clarice Bent, Phyllis Curtis, Lille Loos, Hugh Godden, Lettice Hill, May Pickett, Mary Jocelyn Suffrin. 9th Elizabeth Inman, Edward Abrahams, William Davis 10th William Watts 11th Emma Awdry, Marjorie Girling, John Pring, Francis Weeks, Lydia Leigh, Betty Lymposs, Kathleen Cook, 12th Ada Bennett, Hilda Rolfe, Marjorie Hanks 13th Mary Reed, Gladys Allen, William Walls 14th Betty Wren
23rd Frederick Fisher, Maryon Winifred Gottschling, Isabella Chalklen, Francis Louis Skelton, Michael Moors 24th Frances Stobbart, Elizabeth Cockerham, Howard Tudor, Frank George, Michael Harrison, Ada Davis, John Davenport, Joyce Stillman
25th Donald Bandy 26th Beatrice Fishlock, Esther Loades, Reginald Tudor, Thomas Toone, Mary Dunn, Victor Smith
27th Charlotte Lynn, Dorothy Tollerton
28th Flora Godfrey, Mark Stilman, Sarah Joll, Florence Burton
29th Mildred Hole, Alec Avery, Emily Jenkin, Peter Wedge, Robin Ledbury, Peter Howard Uncles 30th Valerie Clewett 31st Walter Phillips, Stewart Robinson
Rest Eternal Grant To Them O Lord and Let Light Perpetual Shine On Them
May They Rest In Peace and Rise In Glory.
If you would like a name included in the Month’s Mind, please speak to the Clergy or leave a message at the Parish Office
These will be remembered by name at St John’s Mass at 10.30am on Thursday 24th May
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SOME CHARITY FOR OTHERS IN MAY
St John's Church gives away 10% of its general income at the end of each year to support twelve charities. Each month we remember the work of one of these charities. Please support these good causes.
At St John’s, the charity for May is Christian Aid.
For more than sixty years Christian Aid has been providing relief to those hit by disaster, and helping people to help themselves out of poverty. It is driven by the Gospel of Good News to the poor, and inspired by the vision of a new earth, where all people can live in Justice, Peace and Plenty. Christian Aid work is founded on Christian Faith, and aims to help in practical ways to root out poverty from the world.
Naomi Barrett
St Mary’s Church makes weekly collections during the Sunday Services using the “Alms” envelopes which are given away.
At St Mary’s week by week in May we will support the following charities:
6 May: Emergency Aid
Our almsgiving this week is in aid of Bathwick St Mary’s Emergency Aid Fund. This fund allows us to provide relief rapidly to worldwide crisis and disasters.
13 May: Christian Aid
Christian Aid is the official relief and development agency of 41 British and Irish churches, and works to support sustainable development, stop poverty, support civil society and provide disaster relief in South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Christian Aid campaigns to change the rules and systems that keep people poor, speaking out on issues such as tax justice, trade justice, climate change, and Third World debt.
20 May: Bathwick honorary/assistant clergy
This week’s alms are in appreciation of our honorary clergy – The Reverends Antony Claridge, Tom Gibson, Richard Hunt, Chris Kinch, Robert Webb and Angela Onions. We thank them for their continued support and ministry within the parish.
27 May: The Bible Society
The Bible Society make Scriptures available where there are none. They work to help the church engage with the Bible more effectively and endeavour - through the arts, education, media and politics- to make the Bible available, accessible and credible in today’s culture.
Sally Lewis
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BATHWICK SNIPPETS for MAY
January may be the month for Resolutions but Easter is for Vows ! At the Chrism Mass in St Mary’s, attended by many from the west-country and South Wales, 70 priests with the Bishop of Ebbsfleet renewed their priestly Vows and, on Easter Day, we all renewed our baptismal vows at the adult baptism of Christian Whyte. Christian is the partner of our chorister, Tim Barrett, and on April 15th she, together with David Goodhart and Karen Slegt, were all confirmed. We welcome them most warmly into the church.
Our congratulations to Jill Jennings who celebrated her 100th birthday on April 5th. This was celebrated with a thanksgiving service in her church at Minchinhampton with son David (formerly Bishop of Warrington) presiding and all her family present, including seven great grandchildren. Jill’s late husband Fr. Willfred Jennings was Rector of Bathwick from 1947 till 1957 when the Rectory was at no. 1 Raby Place. Fr. Jennings left to take on the important London parish of St Stephen’s, Gloucester Road. (By coincidence, Fr Peter’s parents were married at St Stephen’s in 1964 whilst Fr Jennings was the parish priest there.)
The recent death of the American evangelist Billy Graham reminds us that a party from our churches in Bathwick went to one of his meetings in a football stadium in Bristol. Billy Graham’s success (his appeal was to people of all denominations) lay in his use of lay church members as his counsellors for those who ‘came forward’. It is said that his pilgrimages resulted in a surge of applications to the priesthood.
Looking back 100 years: Church Sittings: At the Abbey, 1600, of which 500 are let; in Bathwick at St. Mary’s, 1020 of which 520 are free; at St. John’s, 586, all of which are free. Kelly’s Directory 1916 Douglas Peters
HOLY COMMUNION ROUND & ABOUT IN THE PARISH
Smallcombe Tuesday 1 May 11am
Bridgemead Thursdays 3 & 31 May 11.15am
Woodside Tuesday 15 May 2.45pm
WALSINGHAM PRAYER GROUP
The next prayer meeting will be:- Sunday 13 May 4.45pm at St John’s followed by tea
More details about the group from Thelma Paterson-Fox at St Mary’s or telephone her on 334939 All welcome
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ACROSS
1 Overpowered (Deuteronomy 11:4) (11) 9 ‘The — are mantled with corn’(Psalm 65:13)(7) 10 ‘Each man—a sword to his side’ (Exodus32:27)(5) 11 As Jesus died the curtain in the temple was torn from— to bottom (Matthew 27:51) (3) 13 Stagger (Isaiah 28:7)(4) 16 ‘Anyone,then,who knows the good he ought——and doesn’t do it, sins’ (James 4:17) (2,2) 17 Stir up or provoke(Acts13:50)(6) 18 Burden(Luke11:46)(4) 20 ‘As far as the east is from the—,so far has he removed our transgressions from us’ (Psalm 103:12) (4) 21 Sign (Luke23:38)(6) 22 ‘After that,Jesus poured water into a basin and began to—his disciples’ feet’ (John 13:5) (4) 23 The nature of the seven ears of corn which swallowed up the good ears in Pharaoh’s dream (Genesis 41:23) (4) 25 Has(anag.)(3) 28 ‘This is the account of Shem,Ham and Japheth,—sons’ (Genesis 10:1) (5) 29 ‘I will...make them drunk,so that they...sleep for—and— awake’ (Jeremiah 51:39) (4,3) 30 Paul said of him,‘he often refreshes me and is not ashamed of my chains’ (2 Timothy 1:16) (11)
DOWN
2 Worth (Matthew 13:46) (5) 3 ‘A bruised — he will not break’ (Matthew 12:20) (4) 4 ‘Suddenly a great company of the heavenly — appeared with the angel’ (Luke 2:13) (4) 5 Slip (anag.) (4) 6 ‘Take an awl and push it through his — — into the door, and he will become your servant for life’ (Deuteronomy 15:17) (3,4) 7 Bountiful (2 Corinthians 8:2) (11) 8 ‘Therefore, as we have — , let us do good to all people’ (Galatians 6:10) (11) 12 Acquire(2Timothy2:10)(6) 14 Container cover(Numbers19:15)(3) 15 ‘He...became obedient to death,even death on——!’ (Philippians 2:8) (1,5) 19 Refrain(1Peter2:11)(7) 20 ‘She began to—his feet with her tears’ (Luke7:38)(3) 24 One who worships Brahma,Vishnu or Shiva(5) 25 ‘Give to everyone who—you’(Luke6:30)(4) 26 ‘I lift up my eyes to the hills;where does my—come from?’ (Psalm 121:1) (4) 27 One of those whom the Lord said would be taken from Jerusalem and Judah as judgment on them (Isaiah 3:2) (4)
CROSSWORD
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SMILE LINES
Meets twice weekly at St Mary’s Church Hall,
Wednesdays and Fridays 10.00am to 12.00 noon
Admission £2 Refreshments included
BATHWICK PARENT & TODDLER GROUP
For further details, please contact:
Holly Mitchell on 07989 137319 for the Wednesday Group
or Maya Hardwicke 07870702178 for the Friday Group
Parents & Carers with their babies & toddlers are all
welcome to come along to our Wednesday and Friday
morning sessions. We are a self-help group, running the
sessions on a rota system, and guided by an informal
committee. The mornings include free play in the hall and
in the garden, refreshments and singing in a relaxed and
friendly atmosphere. We welcome the assistance of any
parent, grandparent or honorary Aunt or Uncle who could
help in running the sessions.
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NINA PETERS
Nina Peters, who died on February 27 at age 91, came to Bathwick in November 1954 when
her husband joined the Pulteney Street practice. They were then both in their twenties, had
children aged 6 months and 2 years and had to live above the surgery, where Nina’s duties
included answering the phone when her husband was out on calls or when the caretaker (in the
basement) was away, as well as answering the front door bell at week-ends. Nina was of the
last generation of wife who did not have a fulltime job. She just devoted herself to her home,
her family and to helping other people. She had qualified as a State Registered Nurse at Charing
Cross Hospital, where she had dealt with bomb casualties from the Guards’ Chapel, and, during
the National Service in the Navy of her husband, had worked as a Sister in Tan Tock Seng
Hospital, Singapore.
In Bath, Nina became secretary of the Friends of the Orthopaedic Hospital, a steward at the
Mid-Somerset festival, did ‘library books for the housebound’ and nursed at the Combe Down
Holiday Home for the Disabled. She always claimed to be non-academic yet, when aged 40,
attended lectures and got ‘A’ levels in Eng. Lit. and in the history of Art For years, she played
tennis and badminton and was an enthusiastic member of a U3A Reading Group. Until
recently, she enjoyed pushing a ‘utilities’ trolley round Bridgemead once a month - and she was
devoted to dusting the church pews on a Friday, largely because it gave opportunity to chat with
the flower ladies and catch up on the gossip !
The family attended St. Mary’s from the beginning (though Nina would always support
St. John’s), sitting up in the west gallery on Sunday mornings with 30 or 40 others, including the
Acklands and Sambournes, under the able organisation of Jessica Wedge. A member of the
‘Young Wives’, Nina was soon on the Social committee, helping to run the Lunch Club and
followed by breakfast in the hall 6.00 pm Evensong & Benediction (please see dates and details inside)
USUAL WEEKDAY SERVICES
ST MARY’S
Matins Mass Evening Prayer Monday
Tuesday 9.00am 6.00pm 6.00pm
Wednesday 8.30am 10.30am 7.00pm
Thursday 8.30am 6.30pm
Friday 8.30am 7.00pm 6.30pm
Saturday 9.00am 6.00pm
ST JOHN’S
Thursday 10.30am
For changes & details of other services please see the weekly Sunday Leaflet
Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) by arrangement: Please speak to Fr Peter (01225) 460052
Applications and Enquiries for Baptism, Weddings, etc, Please ask at Church or Tel (01225) 447450 for an appointment
The “Bathwick Weekly” is available in Church, by e-mail on request and at www.bathwickparishes.org.uk
The Clergy wish to receive information about people who would welcome a visit at home or in hospital. The Sacraments of Holy Communion and Holy Oils are reserved for ministry to the sick and housebound.
For further information about any aspect of the Christian Faith, please contact Fr Peter.