Join us tomorrow (Wednesday 8th May) as Heather Hurley leads a guided and informative walk along part of the John Kyrle Walk. This is a FREE event, organised jointly by St Mary’s Church and the Ross and District Civic Society. Meet at St Mary’s at 2.30.
This is a reasonably gentle walk, but decent footwear is advisable as some of the ground is quite moist.
There will also be an opportunity to be one of the first to buy a copy of Jon Hurley’s recently republished, limited edition book, “In Search of John Kyrle, The Man of Ross”
Join us tomorrow (Wednesday 1st May) for the second in our series of FREE lunchtime concerts. This month we welcome Ruth, Georgina, Pippa and Jane who are the Northwick Consort with a great programme of baroque chamber music.
As with all these events, this is an informal concert, please come along with your lunch as soon as you like and feel free to eat it before or during the concert. There are several food outlets on High Street, all ready to offer you a good deal on something delicious. Please support them.
Our First Wednesdays @ 1 lunchtime concert series continues on Wednesday 1st May with the Northwick Consort.
Our first concert in April was enjoyed by a large crowd and judged a tremendous success. Join us any time from noon, for this, or any other concerts in the series, with your lunch and enjoy a perfect midweek break in your week.
It was a huge delight for St Mary’s Adult Choir to sing evensongs all over the deanery last summer. Between now and September we’re doing it again. Please come and join us on our tour.
This evening (Sunday 21st April) we are singing the service at Pencoyd at 6pm. Here are directions: Google map link | HR2 8JY| ///armrest.repair.campfires
Next week we’re on the Brockhampton Estate (near Bromyard) in Brockhampton Chapel.
Evensong is one of the delights of the Church of England, a service largely unchanged since it first appeared in 1549. What better to come and enjoy it in some of the churches around (and a bit beyond) our Deanery.
The staff at the cathedral in Bahrain have confirmed that Sean Semple’s consecration and enthronement as Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf will be live streamed. We will be screening that in St Mary’s. The service start at 4.00pm (our time) on Friday 24th May. All are invited to join us.
If you can’t manage that, some of it happens all over again in Cyprus on Saturday 22nd June. More on that to follow.
Join us tomorrow (Sunday 7th April) as we say goodbye to Sean, Jenny and Lex as Sean takes his last service in St Mary’s. The service begins at 9.30 (and is likely to be a packed house) and continues with presentations, with a bring and share lunch at around midday. Join us for any part of it.
Join us in St Mary’s Churchyard for the great Easter egg hunt at 10.45 on Easter Day. Coffee and Easter cheer available in church when you’re done. Everyone is welcome. We ask that you take only one egg so that as many people as possible can have a chance. (Marco the cat is not involved, he just photobombed the picture!)
And of course, you’re welcome to join us before that, at 9.30 in church (or at Walford) for our great Easter Celebration.
And don’t forget to change your clocks or you’ll be too late!
This week is Holy Week, the most important in the Christian calendar, churches and cathedrals throughout the world will be offering the usual wide range of emotion in their services in against some of the best architectural backdrops available.
God of compassion You suffer with every victim of terror and war Grant to those who have died, eternal rest; To the wounded, medical care and healing; To leaders, wisdom and an irenic spirit And to those who commit terrible acts of violence Justice, repentance, and their own healing. We ask this, in the name of the Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus. Amen.
Gracious God, we pray for the continued recovery of the Princess of Wales, for her husband, and for their family. Grant to them, and all who are affected by sickness, faith, hope and the knowledge of your love, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
It was great to be able to wish Colin a belated Happy Birthday at the team meeting. He was 80 on Monday. It’s good to see his diary there, perhaps indicating that he’s not planning on stopping any time soon. And a local touch to the card (even the bottle!)
We will say our final “goodbye” to our much loved Rector at the 9.30 service in St Mary’s on Sunday 7th April. This will be an All Age service for the whole of The Ross Parishes. There will, of course be a reception and a bring and share lunch (cold) – contributions welcome.
If you’d like to make a donation to Sean’s leaving gifts you can do that here.
If you prefer you can give cash, in an envelope labelled “Sean’s collection”, via Rachael in the office (she is on leave until Monday 11th March), any of the churchwardens or welcomers at our services, or in the general cash donations boxes in our churches.
Come and tell us about your super hero on World Book Day at Messy Church.
St Mary’s Church – after school on Thursday 7th March. Come in costume if you can.
Tell us all about your favourite characters and how your superheroes are making a difference in the world. Discover your special superpower for making a difference in the world… All for FREE!
It’s the first Saturday of the month so Coffee @ St Mary’s will be in full swing from 10.30 – noon. This time with an even stronger Welsh flavour (the event, not the coffee) with costume and live music from Ruth Cartledge on the harp.
This evening (Saturday) at 6pm our new occasional choir, Round Byrd is singing evensong – a short service crammed with some of the most glorious 17th and 18th century music on offer, it will last about 45 minutes and will be the perfect end to your day. The choir will be rehearsing from 3pm.
We are delighted that St Joseph’s show is coming to St Mary’s – for one performance only – Thursday 29th February, 6.00 pm. It’s already been performed three times at the Phoenix Theatre and is being repeated in St Mary’s by special request.
This not just another school production, it’s a highly polished and most enjoyable show performed by some highly talented and well rehearsed children. Please consider coming along.
Tickets are £6 and can be reserved by email at admin@st-josephs.hereford.sch.uk or probably bought on the door on the night (subject to availability).
It was a great delight to welcome the Steel City Clerks to sing our Eucharist yesterday. Special thanks to them for allowing our own Youth Choir to sing with them during the Communion.
Steel City Choristers was established after Sheffield Cathedral unexpectedly closed the cathedral choir in July 2020, in order to maintain a high standard of cathedral-style choral music in the city and to make choral music more accessible and visible.
Steel City Choristers is an independent charity who raise their own funds, and they sing for a wide range of churches and different communities all around Sheffield, performing a diverse programme of church services and concerts. They are pioneering new ways of engaging with cathedral choral music and taking it out to hard-to-reach audiences, for example through innovative projects with food bank choirs.
If you love the choral tradition perhaps you might consider supporting Steel City Choristers. They rely on the generosity of supporters and funders across the country to cover the cost of their professional Director of Music and singing teachers and their annual budget is around £40,000. If you can help them in any way please look them up at steelcitychoristers.org.uk
We are greatly looking forward to a visit from the Steel City Clerks who will be singing our Sunday Eucharist in Ross this coming Sunday (18th February) at 9.30am. The Clerks are the altos, tenors and basses of the Steel City Choristers (Sheffield) who are spending the weekend in Herefordshire. Our own Youth Choir will be joining them for the Communion pieces.
