You will have noticed the line on the top of the parish newsletter which says "Everyone is welcome - without exception" - well somebody may have been reading our newsletter and taking us at our word as we had a surprise visitor in church today.
After a brief visit to St Joseph to say his prayers, he was called away by his mate who must have clearly been of a different denomination as she waited for him outside!
Photograph credit - Chrissie Riches
Worshippers, including a good representation from St Mary Magdalen parish, marked the 20th anniversary of the restoration of the shrine to Our Lady of Grace in Ipswich with a thanksgiving service on March 26th.
The original shrine had its first recorded mention in 1152 and in its time was almost as important as Walsingham. Princess Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward I, was married in its chapel in 1297. Between 1517 and 1522 the shrine was visited by Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, Sir Thomas More and Cardinal Wolsey, who was born in Ipswich. The shrine was destroyed during the Reformation and its statue sent to London in 1538 to be burnt. However, legend has it that the statue found its way to Nettuno, about 30 miles south of Rome.
A meeting took place of Anglicans and Catholics in Ipswich in 1977 to discuss the possible restoration of the shrine that led to the setting up of the Guild of Our Lady of Grace. In 2002 a replica statue, carved by Robert Mellamphy, was installed in the Anglican church of St Mary at the Elms, a short distance from the site of the original shrine.
You can read the full article here on the Diocesan web site.
More than 600 people gathered in the centre of Ipswich on Wednesday March 9th for a vigil to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Ukrainian families living in Ipswich joined the event in front of the town hall organised by the borough council. Many taking part waved Ukrainian flags and wore its blue and yellow colours. The town hall has been lit up at night in the colours since Russia invaded.
Tom Mumford, vicar of St Mary-Le-Tower, the town’s civic church, told the crowd that they were gathered to support Ukrainians: “following the great acts of evil and war happening in their country. We are also here to demonstrate that love, light and hope can and will always win.”
Fr Paul Spellman of St Mary Magdalen and parishioners from St Mary’s, St Pancras and St Mark’s were among the Catholics who took part.
Jean Johnson said: “The message we sent to Ukraine was, ‘Ipswich is with you.’ As we all lit candles or torches or phones we had a minute’s silence and a prayer led by the mayor followed by the Ukrainian national anthem. This was the most moving part: two young Ukrainians behind us sang the words, obviously heartbroken.
“As I waited with a fellow St Mary’s parishioner for a bus home we talked with a widow whose husband was Ukrainian. She had come well over a mile in an electric wheelchair to be at the vigil. It was a privilege and an honour to be at the event.
“We were encouraged to give to the Disasters Emergency Committee but to be prepared to work for Ukraine for years to come.”
Pictured are Fr Spellman of St Mary Magdalen with Jean and other parishioners from St Mary’s, St Pancras and St Mark’s at the Ipswich Ukraine vigil.
The Diocese of East Anglia Ignite Youth Team have recorded a song, as a prayer for peace in Ukraine, set to the traditional Irish melody Londonderry Air.
Director of the Diocesan Youth Service, Hamish MacQueen, recorded A Prayer for Peace In Ukraine, set to the traditional Irish tune Londonderry Air, which many people know as the song Danny Boy. Hamish, who wrote the words, said: “I’m sure I’m not alone when I feel helpless at seeing the horrific suffering in Ukraine – but one thing we can do is pray! We hope this song helps people – young and old – to pray for peace in Ukraine.” Hamish was joined by his teenage daughter Trinity, a student at Notre Dame High School in Norwich and a member of St George’s Parish on vocals and on piano by Ray Travasso from St Mary’s, Woodbridge Road, Ipswich.
Click here to listen to the song.
LIFE is a UK-based anti-abortion charity. It was founded in 1970 by Professor Jack Scarisbrick and his wife Nuala in response to the Abortion Act 1967, which greatly extended access to legal abortion in the United Kingdom. It exists as a charity to help women with unexpected pregnancies to be positive about the alternatives to abortion and deal with their fear of the unknown. LIFE gives the family hope and a future where they can see none; it helps women who have run out of options towards a brighter future; it enables children to get a better chance in life; it brings joy to women in despair.
Please take a minute to read the stories of hope and thankfulness in the annual review document - click on the image to the left. Hopefully these stories will warm your heart. And if you feel it is right to express your thankfulness by supporting LIFE's work, then please click here to make an on-line donation.
This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
There are a number of lists in the narthex asking for names of volunteers for various things – to help with church and hall cleaning, to help with food for the proposed parish Christmas party next week, readers and Eucharistic minsters for the Christmas services, vacancy for the position of parish treasurer etc. At the last check these were all woefully blank! Don’t be a Nobody.
The new parish facility, to be known as the Garden Room, has been completed and is now available for use. The first event held in the new room was, fittingly, the farewell party for Fr Mathew. As can be seen from the photographs above, the new room has been furnished and offers a beautiful new resource to the parish which includes an accessible toilet.
We are very grateful for the new church notice board, which has been donated by the Campbell family in memory of their son Jamie who passed away in March 2021. This was erected at church this week. Designed by professional graphic designers, the new notice board makes a striking impact on people passing the church on Norwich Road and provides detail of parish contacts and a sealed notice board for posters. The lettering is replaceable should changes need to be made, for example a change in service times can be made without having to replace the complete notice board.
A new section has been added to this web site – a photo gallery showing a series of pictures of our church over time. If you have any pictures of the church, the hall or parish life over the years, and would like them added to the collection, please contact webmaster using the contact form.
The photo gallery can be found in the About Us section of the main menu - click here.
If you have any feedback in regard to this site or its content, especially any suggestions on improvements or enhancements, we would be pleased to receive them. We would be particularly interested if there was any information about our church or parish that you were unable to find. Please use the Contact Form to let us know, addressing your comments to the webmaster.
