St Matthew's Ashford

A VERY WARM WELCOME to the Parish Churches of St. Mary the Virgin Stanwell and St. Matthew Ashford, whether you come as a visitor to look at our lovely Churches, to pray where generations of people have prayed before you, or if you come as one looking for a church to make your spiritual home.

Our parishioners represent a wide variety of age groups, backgrounds, experiences and occupations. Given all our parish has to offer, we realise that a newcomer can still feel isolated amid new, unknown faces, ministries and opportunities. We hope to minimize such isolation and invite you to learn more about our parishes so that you and your family may experience our rich opportunities for worship, community and ministry.

St Mary’s and St Matthew’s are truly places where all are counted as part of our faith family. We seek to be an inclusive and welcoming Christian community, imposing no conditions on those who come through our doors other than a willingness to be open to the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ. Again, welcome; I look forward to meeting you.

Yours in Christ,

Fr Stuart King SSC

Parish Priest


For safeguarding information please see: https://smam.org.uk/safeguarding


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The Parish Office

The Vicarage,
99 Church Road,
Ashford,
Middlesex,

TW15 2NY
Parish Administrator
01784 259093

Our website

What's on

Lauds - Morning Prayer - Online

Occurring
Every day at for 30 mins
Venue
St Matthew's Ashford
Address
Church Road Ashford London, TW15 5NY, United Kingdom

From ancient times the Church has had the custom of celebrating each day the liturgy of the hours. In this way, the Church fulfills the Lord’s precept to pray without ceasing, at once offering its praise to God the Father and interceding for the salvation of the world.

Morning Prayer is from the Liturgy of the Hours the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders, and laity. The Liturgy of the Hours consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and readings. Together with the Mass, it constitutes the official public prayer life of the Church.

The practice of daily prayers grew from the Jewish practice of reciting prayers at set times of the day: for example, in the Book of Acts, Peter and John visit the Temple for the afternoon prayers (Acts 3:1). Psalm 119:164 states: “Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.”

The modern Liturgy of the Hours usage focuses on three major hours and from two to four minor hours:

The Major Hours:
· the Office of Readings (formerly Matins), major hour
· Morning prayer (Lauds), major hour
· Evening prayer (Vespers), major hour
The Minor Hours
· Midday prayer (said at either the third, sixth or ninth hour - or each of these can be celebrated separately)
· Night Prayer (Compline)

Safeguarding

Our parish of St Mary the Virgin, Stanwell & St Matthew, Ashford is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults from harm. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). Our Diocese of London’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor who advises our PSO. If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the PSO [add their details here or use the button to link to a page that shows the info] or the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor [add their details here or use the button below to link to your own page that shows the info or the diocesan safeguarding page]. If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority’s children or adult social care services.

Read more

St Matthew's Ashford Charity No. 1135455