Tuesdays : 12.30 pm - 12.50 pm : Midday Office
Fridays : 12.30 pm - 1.00 pm : Holy Communion
Sundays : 11.00 am - 12.15 pm : Sung Eucharist
6.30 pm - 7.15 pm : Evensong
MIDDAY OFFICE is a short service of prayers, held in the Choir stalls.
HOLY COMMUNION on Fridays is a quiet service of readings and prayers, sharing "the Peace" and receiving the Host (ie. the bread and wine). This service is held in the side-chapel, which is dedicated to St. James and St. Anne.
SUNG EUCHARIST is the main service of the week, with the singing of psalms and hymns, prayers and readings, the sermon, culminating in the eucharist (ie. the bread and wine). Occasionally, we use incense, and have a procession around the main body of the church, for festival days.
EVENSONG is a mixture of prayers, readings, hymns and responses, which is very much part of our ancient traditions.
Most services are taken from the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) which has remained largely unchanged since the 16th century.
St. Mary’s believes in maintaining the traditional forms of worship. Although we no longer use Latin on a regular basis, we do retain some elements of ancient worship, such as in the Sung Eucharist, where some of the text we sing is from the Ancient Greek :-
Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy upon us)
Christe eleison (Christ, have mercy upon us)
Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy upon us)
Newcomers and visitors are most welcome to join us for services. If you are unfamiliar with aspects of our services, please do not be afraid to ask for assistance, we will be pleased to help you. The church is usually open daily from 10.00am to 3.00pm and refreshments, bric-a-brac and books are on sale at these times.
