As the Summer drifts on and heatwave follows heat wave, I hope that you are managing to keep cool and have some space and time to relax and rest a little! Parish life continues to be busy, and we have welcomed a variety of visitors over the last few weeks to a great range of events and services.We hope that you will be able to join us to share in our Patronal Celebrations as we come together as a Parish to give thanks for the life we share together and to pray for the communities, we are a part of and those who join us in building up the common life.We begin with our Outdoor Parish Mass on Sunday (16th) at 10am. This may be the year we will not be battling the wind or the rain! We will try to ensure we are in the shade as much as possible; we will be joined by the Lord Mayor as we give thanks for the example of Our Lady and this Parish dedicated to her. If you have not been able to be with us recently, perhaps use this as an opportunity to catch up with everyone.After the service we hope you will stay and bring a picnic lunch. There will be music from Victory Brass and a range of activities for us to take part arranged by Emma Chapman. At 2pm the Tower will be open for those who wish to climb and enjoy views of the city. Next Saturday and Sunday (22nd & 23rd) St Mary’s Choir will be singing at the Cathedral – I am sure they would love to see some familiar and friendly faces at the Evensongs (5.45pm) – or Sunday Morning (11am) service. There will be normal services at St Mary’s and St Faith’s.Then on Sunday Aug 30th (the bank holiday weekend) we will meet as a Parish again for a 10am Mass at St Mary’s (no service at St Faith’s).We resume our ‘Patronal Celebrations’ as we prepare to celebrate the Birthday of Our Lady in early September. On Friday Sept 4th there will be an organ recital by Harry Dixon. Those who attended the Piano Recital he gave recently will all know that this will be recital not to be missed. The next day Saturday 5th we will be holding what has become our annual Pitch and Putt tournament at the Tenth Hole in Southsea. Join us at 8am for 9 holes of Pitch and Putt and then stay on to enjoy breakfast together. Please sign list in Church if you are interested.Sunday 6th Sept we will be having our Bar B Q lunch in St Mary’s Churchyard at Noon – if you wish to come, please book a ticket (Adult £4, Under 18 £2). Then the Tower will be open for the last time this year at 2pmLooking further ahead on Sept 13th after the 10am service at St Mary’s the PCC would like to meet with people to talk about this year’s Autumn Fair on Oct 31st . We are looking for fresh ideas and suggestion about how we can increase attendance and find people to run some stalls. If you could come with ideas – or share in advance with Fr Bob or Paul and Claire, Parish Wardens.A final date for the Diary is our Harvest Celebrations will be the weekend of Oct 3rd/4th. Sat Oct 3rd we will hold our Messy Harvest (offers of help please …) and then on Sunday there will be Harvest Services in both Churches. In the afternoon (c3.30pm) we will be hosting a Harvest Barn Dance – details to follow in Sept – so please book that date!Over the last couple of months we have hosted the Strawberry Tea with music from City Band. At lunchtime there was a Rounders match in the churchyard which ended in a noble draw! We also welcomed the lion as part of the Pride of Portsmouth trail – he remains guarding the churchyard until early September.In August Emma- supported by Linsey and Lucas – has been running family days as part of the HAF project across the city and as part of this we also welcome the Unicorn for a day.On the same day the Fellowship – supported by Rosie – held a lunch and raised funds for Yenda UK – a project supporting people in Sierra Leone which Sia, from our congregation, is heavily involved in.It was also good to host with City of Sanctuary a community banquet which celebrated the centenary of the city and drew together many of the groups and individuals who work in partnership with City of Sanctuary. The Church was transformed as over 100 people sat down to food prepared by Kitchen of Hope.Lastly, we were saddened to hear of the death of Hestor Saffery. Hestor had been an active member of St Mary’s for many years, especially through the Choir. She is fondly remembered for her smile and the friendship and care she shared with so many in our community. Please pray for the repose of her soul, and for Alan and the family as they mourn. Details of her funeral will follow.As we celebrate the life of our Parish and 2 Churches – let us give thanks for all that God has given to us and pray that we may continue to bear witness to Christ’s presence in our communities. Let us give thanks for all who give of their time, skills and work to enable us to offer hospitality and be a sign of God’s love for all of us.With best wishes and prayersFr Bob
Each day there will be opportunities for us to come together in worship at special services. Some will be aware how special and important the services are; for others it will be a new experience, and for some it will be something we need to re-engage with... Click the Download button to download and read the full newsletter.
This Lent we are being given the chance to stop and have a fresh look at ourselves, our faith and life with God. In the material being shared with us by the national Church at the invitation of the Archbishops we are called to draw near to God so he can draw near to us. This will be by renewing and refreshing our habits regarding those things which are essential to being a Christian...Click on the Download button to read the full Newsletter.
On Friday (19th) at Noon at St Mary’s Church in Fratton Road there will be a sharing of some comfort and joy.Over the last few weeks individuals, groups and congregations have been invited to donate gift vouchers and Christmas cards to this year’s ‘Comfort and Joy’ campaignThese will be issued to share with 12 charities and groups working with those on the margins of our community in the city.They give to those they are shared with the gift of choice – a gift we can sometimes take for granted -and the recognition of the recipient as a person, rather than a stereotype or problem.Those who gather will sing some carols, hear from some of the groups that are supported and what Christmas means to them and reflect on how the Christmas story is related to their work.
