On Sunday 16th July 2023, the children of the parish made their First Holy Communions at the 10:00 Mass, and also at the additional special Mass at 12 noon.
Congratulations to Ellie-May, Darcie, Tuscani, Noah, Penelope, Jedidiah, Seweryn, Ernestas, Elianna and Jessica who made their First Holy Communion at the 10:00 am Mass and for Olivia, Faustas, Kacper, Santino, Mila, Oliwer, Oliver, Rudairo, Aibhilin, Amari-Rose, Deneal and Albie who made theirs at the noon Mass.
Please remember them in your prayers, that they may grow in their love of the Lord and receive Him regularly in Holy Communion going forward.
We also give our grateful thanks the team of catechists who worked so hard to prepare them to receive Our Lord for the first time.
In order to ensure that, as a parish, we have accurate records of our parishioners, we know how to contact them when necessary and we understand the resources that are available to call upon to assist in parish life, all parishioners are requested to complete a registration form.
Data contained on the forms submitted will be compiled into a parish records database which will be maintained securely and used exclusively for the purposes of parish administration and communication within the parish. It will not be shared with any other party, with the sole exception of cases where the parish has to submit returns to the Diocese.
All data will be handled and stored in compliance with the Privacy Policy.
The parish registration form can be found here. To register, please download and fill in the form, returning the signed and completed form to Fr Paul or by email to [email protected].
Philip Razzell RIP
Many of you will have known Philip Razzell, a long-standing member of the parish and a regular at 8:00 Mass. Sadly Philip passed away in hospital on 26th June 2023 after a short illness. His funeral was held at the Seven Hills Cemetery on Thursday 20th July. Please remember Philip in your prayers, and also his friends and family who will be mourning his loss.
Maureen Sparkes RIP
A regular at the 6:00 pm evening Mass for many years, Maureen passed away on 27th December 2022. A Requiem Mass was held at St Mary Magdalen church at 11:00 am Thursday 16th
February 2023 , followed by interment at the Ipswich Lawn Cemetery. Please pray for the repose of Maureen’s soul and remember her family and friends who mourn her passing.
Deacon Clive Brooks RIP
Deacon Clive Brooks, who ministered at St Mary Magdalen for many years during the tenure of Fr Russell Frost as parish priest, passed away on December 21st 2022 after a long battle with cancer. Clive also worked tirelessly as the Catholic Chaplain to the Hospital for many years prior to his retirement. He has now been reunited with his beloved wife Mary who passed away in 2011. Please remember Clive in your prayers, and remember also his family and friends who mourn his loss. You can read a tribute to Clive, written by his friend and colleague Deacon John Morrill, on the Diocesan web site - click here.
Ron Green RIP
Many of the older parishioners will remember Ron Green, a regular at St Mary Magdalen church for many years before his health failed. Sadly, Ron passed away on 20th December 2022 at home, after a long and difficult period of illness. Please remember Ron in your prayers and also his widow Pamela, his sons and all those who mourn his passing. A funeral service for Ron was held on Tuesday 31st January at 2:00 pm.
Frank Sutton RIP
Many of you will remember Frank Sutton who with his wife Rosina, was very active in the parish and school in years past. Sadly Frank passed away on 1st
November 2022 peacefully at home, with his family around him, after a long battle with cancer. A memorial Mass for Frank was held on Tuesday 29th November . Please pray for the repose of his soul, and for the comfort of his widow, family and friends who mourn his passing.
Fr Martin Orme RIP
It is with great sadness that we announce the Fr Martin Orme, former assistant priest at St Mary Magdalen church, died peacefully on Tuesday 18th October 2022 having received the Last Rites on Monday. Funeral arrangements are not yet known but will be advised as soon as they are. Please pray for the repose of Fr Martin's soul and for the comfort of his friends and family who mourn his passing.
Heather Poll RIP
It is with great sadness that we announce that Heather Poll, wife of Jim, passed away on Saturday 3rd September 2022 following serious health issues bravely born. Heather, aged 79, was the younger daughter of James and Catherine Barrett, one of the founding families of St Mary Magdalen parish. Please pray for the repose of her soul, and remember also her husband Jim, her daughter Beverley, her sister Molly, brother Michael and all her family and friends who mourn her passing.
Michael Wojciechowski RIP
You may remember back in January, we had a Requiem Mass for Stanislaw Wojciechowski. The Mass on Saturday, 10th September at 12 noon, is a requiem for his son Michael, who sadly died in August 2022. Due to ongoing ill health, Michael had separated himself from his friends and at times from his family.
Annick Smith RIP
Annick Smith who was a regular in the parish for many years, sadly passed away on 9th November 2021. A Requiem Mass was held at St Mary Magdalen church at 2:00 pm on Wednesday 1st December, which, at the request of the family, was live streamed from church so that family and friends in France could witness the service. You can watch the live stream here.
Please pray for the repose of her soul, and remember her family and friends who will be mourning her passing.
Karen Sutton RIP
Many parishioners will know Karen Sutton, daughter of Frank and Rosie, who sadly passed away on Thursday 16th December 2021. Please pray for her and remember her family and friends who mourn her passing.
Jean Ward (née Marchant) RIP
Many of our older parishioners will remember Jean Ward, the elder daughter of Ted and Agnes Marchant who were themselves one of the founding families of the parish. Jean sadly passed away in the St Elizabeth Hospice on Sunday 19th December 2021, after a long struggle with cancer. Her funeral was held at 11:15 am on Monday 24th January, 2022, at the Seven Hills crematorium. Please remember Jean in your prayers, and also the family and friends that mourn her passing.
Martha Ndow-Grace RIP
Martha sadly passed away in hospital on December 28th 2021. Please pray for the repose of her soul, and remember her friends and family who mourn her passing. Her funeral took place at St Mary Magdalen church on Friday 28th January, 2022 at 11:45 am and was followed by her committal at Ipswich crematorium.
Francis Jacobi RIP
Many of our older parishioners will remember Francis Jacobi who, until moving away to Derbyshire in 2015, was a regular at St Mary Magdalen church and many will remember Jacobi's bicycle shop on Norwich Road which he ran for many years. Francis sadly passed away on January 28th 2021 aged 91 years. Please remember Francis in your prayers, and pray also for his wife, family and friends who mourn his passing.
May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.
The Memorial Garden is located in the south east section of the St Mary Magdalen Catholic Church grounds. It is a tranquil place with flower beds and trees offering a location where the cremated remains of deceased parishioners may be interred and friends and relatives can sit in peaceful surroundings and remember their loved ones.
In accordance with the teaching of the Catholic Church, cremated remains are buried and not scattered. Our Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead on the last day means that we treat all human remains with great dignity and respect; our dust and ashes will one day be transformed into the new body of the resurrection, and so should not be allowed to be blown away by the wind, but, rather, reverently laid to rest in the earth.
In order to arrange for such a burial, in the first instance please contact the parish priest, who will provide you with an application form which should be completed and returned before a date and time for the internment can be agreed. There is no fee charged for such burials, but a donation towards the future upkeep of the Memorial Garden would be both appropriate and appreciated; for information, the fee charged by the Millennium Cemetery to bury cremated remains is currently £278.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to bury any form of casket or urn containing the remains; rather the remains should be brought to the church in the cardboard box in which the crematorium issues them to the undertaker, and at the burial, they should be reverently poured into the hole which will be prepared in advance.
In order to maintain the character of the Memorial Garden, individual memorials may not be placed at the spot where the burial takes place. However, you may provide a small engraved plaque which we will then fix to the southern church wall within the garden area.
Artificial flowers or wreaths are not permitted to be left in the Memorial Garden. Real flowers may be left but any wrappings and packaging should first be removed. Nothing should be planted in the Memorial Garden flower beds without first obtaining permission from the parish priest.
If you would like to be involved in the upkeep and maintenance of the Memorial Garden where your loved ones are interred, we are always appreciative of offers of help and support.
The list below contains the details of those deceased parishioners whose ashes have been interred in the Memorial Garden.
Mr Leslie Harry Robinson RIP. Passed away 10th March, 2000 aged 87 years.
Mrs Elizabeth Robinson (née Mulholland) RIP. Passed away 8th February, 2002 aged 89 years.
Mrs Winfred Frances Razzell RIP. Passed away 1st April 2005, aged 84 years.
Mr John Metcalfe RIP. Passed away 7th February, 2007 aged 74 years.
Mr Claude Turner RIP. Passed away 25th August, 2008 aged 80 years.
Mr Edward Sidney Razzell RIP. Passed away 5th March, 2015 aged 91 years.
Stansilaw Wojciechowski RIP. Passed away in January 2021.
Michael Wojciechowski RIP. Passed away in August 2022 aged 59 years.
May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
The second Parish meeting held after the arrival of Fr Paul Spellman, was held in the Garden Room on Saturday 19th March, 2022. The notes of this meeting can be read here.
On Saturday 5th February, Ronnie Penn will be baptised and we welcome him to our parish community. Please remember Ronnie in your prayers, and also pray for his parents Olivia and James.
The first Parish meeting held after the arrival of Fr Paul Spellman, was held in the Garden Room on Thursday 2nd December, 2021. This meeting presented a great opportunity for our parish community to come together as we began a new chapter of service to one another and the Kingdom of God. The notes of this meeting can be read here.
Congratulations to Mary Chennels, who is now housebound and cannot attend Mass in person, who celebrates her 95th birthday Sunday 9th July. We send her our warmest congratulations. Please remember Mary in your prayers.
The list of names of the sick of the parish has been published weekly now for many years and in order to ensure it is current, and, under GDPR rules we do not breach any individual’s confidentiality, we ask that any person who is sick or unwell and wants the parish to be aware of the fact to pray for them, to give their names to Fr Paul so the list can be re-established.
We ask your prayers for all our brothers and sisters who are unwell, afflicted, housebound or distressed. Lord, comfort and relieve them according to their needs, and grant them the love and consolation of your Spirit. Amen
