A Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance for All Saints and All Souls

for 1 hour
Clare, St Peter & St Paul
High Street Clare Suffolk, CO10 8NY, United Kingdom

No Christian is solitary. Through baptism we become members one of another in Christ, members of a company of saints whose mutual belonging transcends death:

One family, we dwell in him,
one Church, above, beneath;
though now divided by the stream,
the narrow stream of death.
(Charles Wesley)

All Saints’ Day and the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed on All Souls’ Day both celebrate this mutual belonging.

All Saints’ Day celebrates men and women in whose lives the Church as a whole has seen the grace of God powerfully at work. It is an opportunity to give thanks for that grace, and for the wonderful ends to which it shapes a human life; it is a time to be encouraged by the example of the saints and to recall that sanctity may grow in the ordinary circumstances, as well as the extraordinary crises, of human living.

The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed celebrates the saints in a more local and intimate key. It allows us to remember with thanksgiving before God those whom we have known more directly: those who gave us life, or who nurtured us in faith.

This service is open to all who would like to remember loved ones who have died. There will be an opportunity to light a candle to remember them in the service.

If you wish your loved one to be named in this service, please add the names to one of the lists in one of the benefice churches, or email them to [email protected].

Cavendish, St Mary the Virgin

The church is in one of the prettiest settings of any in Suffolk with half-timbered, thatched cottages clustered round it. The handsome exterior reflects the great wealth of the Middle Ages with its impressive stair turret on the 14th century tower rising above the battlements.

What's special?

Light pours in through the vast east window and in the nave is a lavish 16th century gilded altarpiece of the crucifixion. The 19th and 20th century glass is high quality and there’s an elaborate tomb for Sir George Colt who died in 1570.
The priest would have had a room in the tower with a window looking on to the high altar. He had a fireplace for which a chimney can still be seen at the top of the tower.

How old is it?

A Saxon church stood on the site, then a Norman church; another church was started in the 14th century and in 1381 Sir John Cavendish built the chancel. The north aisle, nave arcade and clerestory were added in the 15th century and the Victorians had another go in 1862.

Famous connections

The inspirational Sue Ryder set up a charitable foundation at her mother’s house in the village that became home to people with physical and mental disabilities. She married Leonard Cheshire who founded the Cheshire Homes and the couple lived in Cavendish.

Sir John Cavendish was Chief Justice of the King’s Bench in the reign of Richard II and beheaded during the Peasants Revolt  of 1381.


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Get in touch

The Revd Mark Woodrow

The Vicarage
14 High Street
Clare

CO10 8NY
The Revd Mark Woodrow - Rector
01787 277515
Dr Graham Jenkin - Churchwarden
07979 194287

Our website

What's on

A Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance for All Saints and All Souls

for 1 hour
Clare, St Peter & St Paul
High Street Clare Suffolk, CO10 8NY, United Kingdom

No Christian is solitary. Through baptism we become members one of another in Christ, members of a company of saints whose mutual belonging transcends death:

One family, we dwell in him,
one Church, above, beneath;
though now divided by the stream,
the narrow stream of death.
(Charles Wesley)

All Saints’ Day and the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed on All Souls’ Day both celebrate this mutual belonging.

All Saints’ Day celebrates men and women in whose lives the Church as a whole has seen the grace of God powerfully at work. It is an opportunity to give thanks for that grace, and for the wonderful ends to which it shapes a human life; it is a time to be encouraged by the example of the saints and to recall that sanctity may grow in the ordinary circumstances, as well as the extraordinary crises, of human living.

The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed celebrates the saints in a more local and intimate key. It allows us to remember with thanksgiving before God those whom we have known more directly: those who gave us life, or who nurtured us in faith.

This service is open to all who would like to remember loved ones who have died. There will be an opportunity to light a candle to remember them in the service.

If you wish your loved one to be named in this service, please add the names to one of the lists in one of the benefice churches, or email them to [email protected].

Our Benefice

Safeguarding

Our Benefice is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults from harm.

We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Benefice Safeguarding Officer (BSO).

Our Diocese’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor who advises our BSO.

If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the BSO:
Mr Simon Cant Tel: 01284 789211 Email: [email protected]

or the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor:
Mrs Karen Galloway Tel: 07785 621319 Email: [email protected]

or you may speak with the Rector:
The Revd Mark Woodrow Tel: 01787 277515 Email: [email protected]

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 (Suffolk County Council – 0808 800 4005).

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