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NEWS FROM THE ANNUAL VESTRY & APCM
St Mary’s Churchwardens: Maureen Howard & Stephen Parkinson
St Peter’s Churchwardens: Brian Landale (Vice Chairman of the PCC) & James Woodhouse
St Giles’ Churchwardens: Ann Fletcher & Cara Ross
Parish Treasurer: Stephen Parkinson
PCC Secretary & Electoral Roll Officer: Lynette Sutton
PCC Members: Sr Angela (Deanery Synod), Rita Miell, Marlene Keeling, Paolo Castagnoli, Stuart Grout, Graham Howard, Jonathan Bardwell, Pam Miller (Deanery Synod), Stephen Burgoine, Marc Booty, Ann Sayer, Bert Frew, Dianne Green, Brian Green (Co-Opted).
Safeguarding Officer: Helen Nolan.
PCC News
• A resolution was passed that an application be submitted for Jeremy Gash and Jonathan Bardwell to be licensed to administer Holy Communion in Church.
• A resolution was passed that faculty applications be made for St Mary’s to install guttering the West Porch and for the re-surfacing of the disabled car park in gravel with meshing.
• The Saturday 9.30am Mass would now take place at the Priory, from Easter Saturday onwards.
 
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Lent is a season of preparation leading up to Easter. It is the forty days (reflecting Jesus' time in the desert) plus the six Sundays before Easter. For centuries, it has been observed as a special time of self-examination and penitence. Lent is a time for concentration on fundamental values and priorities, a time for restoring our right relationship with God - it is not a time for self-punishment.
Throughout Lent, the worship of the Church takes on a simple tone, appropriate to the season. The word 'Alleluia' is not used in the words of the Liturgy or the hymns. Crosses and statues will be veiled at Passiontide and flowers are removed for the whole season. The singing at certain services may also be unaccompanied by the organ. These practices help us a worshipping community to make this season of renewal as a special time in the Church's year.
Observing Lent
The custom is to mark the season of Lent by giving up some things and taking on others. Both can serve to mark the season as a holy time of preparation. Some examples of things people give up for Lent include sweets, meat for some or all meals, and alcohol. In most cases, giving up something for Lent can be made more meaningful by using the money or time for another purpose. Note that the season of Lent is forty days plus the six Sundays. This is because Sundays are always celebrations of Jesus' resurrection and are always an appropriate day to lessen the restrictions of Lent.
Almsgiving
As has been noted, Lent is a season for sacrificing something of our everyday life in order to reflect upon the suffering that Christ undertook for each and everyone of us. One of the means of doing this is by giving to charitable causes. As a parish we will be supporting the work of Water Aid. Water Aid changes millions of lives every year, working in 28 countries to provide clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.
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Fr Harri Williams SSC
Priest-in-Charge
On Monday 3rd December Fr Harry Williams SSC was licensed as Priest-in-Charge of the Benefice by The Rt Revd Jonathan Meryck, Bishop of Lynn and the Archdeacon of Lynn, The Ven Ian Bentley; the Preacher was The Rt Revd Norman Banks, Bishop of Richborough.
 
A full set of images of the ceremony
my be seen here
The Ecumenical Agreement 2018
At Solemn Vespers in the Shrine Church, filled to over-flowing, on Monday 24th September – the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham – a new Covenant agreed between the Anglican and the Roman Catholic Shrines in Walsingham was announced and signed by Fr Kevin Smith (Priest Administrator of the Anglican Shrine) and Mgr John Armitage (Rector of the Roman Catholic Shrine). Messages from the Bishop of Norwich and the Bishop of East Anglia were read out to mark the occasion.
 
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