St Mary-le-Strand featured in City Events

City Events has an interesting profile of St Mary-le-Strand which is just outside the City but remains delight and open Tue-Thu 11am-4pm.

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Candlemas at St Bart’s and Southwark Cathedral

Christmas celebrations conclude this weekend when we remember Mary and Joseph leaving Bethlehem with Baby Jesus. Monday is the last day to see the crib.

Sunday 1 February is the eve of Candlemas.

Sunday’s evensong at Smithfield’s St Bartholomew the Great (6.30pm) will conclude with a procession to the Lady Chapel where the Nunc Dimittis will be sung to the setting by Byrd first heard maybe in 1605.

On Monday 2 February Southwark Cathedral observes Candlemas with a lunchtime Choral Eucharist (12.45pm).

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Philip North to be a Bishop of Burnley

Fr Philip North, Team Rector of the Old Saint Pancras parish, is to be Bishop of Burnley.

The Bishop of Burnley is a suffragan in the Diocese of Blackburn.

The Old Pancras parish includes Old St Pancras Church behind St Pancras Station and St Michael’s next to Sainsbury’s in Camden Town.

“It is a great pleasure and a daunting privilege to be appointed Bishop of Burnley,” said Fr North when the announcement was made on Friday morning. “I am very excited about sharing in the ministry of the Church and the life of the community in this region. It is really good to be returning to the north of the country where I began my ministry.”

The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, said: “I shall miss Philip North immensely. His energy and commitment have enlivened the Diocese of London in many different ways and I have no doubt that he will make a strong contribution to the Blackburn team.”

Fr North, who has been rector since 2008, will be consecrated in York Minster at Candlemas.

 

 

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David Trendell RIP

David Trendell, director of music at St Mary’s Bourne Street since 1992, died suddenly this week at the age of 50.

He had also since 1992 been College Organist and Lecturer in Music at King’s College London.  There he held a choir rehearsal just hours before his death.

Many will know him from his time as director music at St Bartholomew the Great.

The Telegraph has the first obituary.

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Rose Hudson-Wilkin at St Mary-at-Hill

Prebendary Rose Hudson-Wilkin will preside at the Bach Vespers at St Mary-at-Hill on Sunday 26 October.

The service, which starts at 5.30pm, will include JS Bach’s Cantata BWV 80 Ein Feste Burg, based on the Lutheran hymn known in English as A mighty fortress is our God written by Martin Luther.

Preb Rose Hudson-Wilkin will be meeting the Lutheran congregation for the fitst time ahead of her installation next month as priest-in-charge of St Mary-at-Hill.

She remains chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons where she leads daily prayers at the start of each sitting.

At St Mary-at-Hill Anglican services are on Wednesdays and Lutheran on most Sundays. The Church of England and the Lutheran Church work together, whilst maintaining their own identities, through the Porvoo Agreement.

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Richard Coles publishes autobiography part one

The Revd Richard Coles is talking about his book Fathomless Riches: Or How I Went From Pop to Pulpit at Foyles tonight on the eve of publication.

He is parish priest of Finedon in Northamptonshire but better known for appearing on Radio 4. He is now described as ‘the country’s best known vicar’.

He was curate at St Paul’s Knightsbridge before moving to the present church in his home country.

This book is volume one (more next year) dealing with his childhood and pop music life.

An important church in Richard Coles’ life prior to ordination is St Alban’s Holborn where he was confirmed and had a significant experience whilst attending a Solemn  Mass.

Fathomless Riches: Or How I Went From Pop to Pulpit (Weidenfeld & Nicolson; £20).

 

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St Magnus is one of Mayor’s favourite buildings

Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s six favourite London buildings include structures at each end of London Bridge.

In Southwark it is The Shard.

On the City of London  side, the mayor names St Magnus the Martyr Church.

This confirms his view in 2013 when he chose St Magnus as top of half a dozen favourite churches.

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St Martin-in-the-Fields remembers its Royal churchwarden

A service to mark the 300th anniversary of the Hanoverian accession is being held at St Martin-in-the-Fields on Monday 20 October at 3pm.

The service will be led by the vicar Sam Wells and include anthems and readings from the Coronation of George I who later became churchwarden.

The Duke of Kent, the German Ambassador and members of the British German Association will be present.

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Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire

Today’s papers have the first obituaries of Deborah, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire which include references to her wedding.

She married Lord Andrew Cavendish during the Second World War at St Bartholomew the Great in Smithfield.

At the time her own home had lost its windows and the church had been damaged. The groom was a younger son so there was no expectation that they would became a Duke and Duchess within a decade.

The Daily Telegraph has a picture of the couple leaving St Bartholomew’s.

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St Anne’s Kew 300: New book

Last Sunday St Anne’s Church on Kew Green celebrated its 300th anniversary.

The Bishop of Southwark celebrated the Eucharist, there was a fun run, lunch on the green, ballons, a cricket match and tea.

The porch of St Anne's on Kew Green

The porch of St Anne’s on Kew Green

The pretty church on the grass was sanctioned by Queen Anne and completed in the year of her death 1714. From then its long history was dominated by the Hanoverians so the building has many Royal reminders. The Old Duke of Cambridge used to heckle the clergy in a good humoured manner which was not appreciated by a curate.

Outside in the small churchyard are the tombs or artists Gainsborough and Zoffany.

The best souvenir of the 300th anniversary is the very fine paperback by David Blomfield called St Anne’s Kew 1714-2014. It’s very readable and the author is an authority on Kew Gardens and Richmond history.

This illustrated history gives a very interesting view of the evolution not only of the churchmanship but also local government. After the First World War the elected vestry become a parochial church council as it transferred basic community health and welfare matters to the borough council.

The most surprising change in the 21st century is the finding that although church attendance has risen to well over 200 on a Sunday morning there has been a sudden drop in weddings and funerals. The former of course can now take place in secular venues including imposing Cambridge Cottage opposite the church.

Tour of Church
On Saturday 25 October David Blomfield is leading a tour around the church and graveyard starting at 2.30pm. Tea and cakes will be available afterwards -St Anne’s has a long tradition of serving teas during the cricket matches on the green. This is a free event but those intending to be there should book in advance by emailing: [email protected]

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