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.
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 2023. We send her our warmest congratulations. Please remember Mary in your prayers.
We ask your prayers for Patrick Doran, Jim Spence and 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
There is a mixed faith chaplaincy team working at the Ipswich Hospital, Heath Road. This team, in part full time and in part volunteers, helps minister to the spiritual needs of in-patients.
The role of Catholic chaplain is currently unfilled, following the departure of Fr Bineesh OCD from St Marks, and a new appointment is awaited from the Bishop of East Anglia. In the mean time, please let Fr Paul, or any other Ipswich parish priest, know if you, or any member of your family, are going into hospital. Please be aware that for reasons of patient confidentiality, the current practice in the NHS is NOT to inform the chaplains of any Catholics that are admitted to hospital. So unless you or your relatives inform the chaplains of your hospital stay, you will not be visited by a priest or any other member of the chaplaincy team.
Each Sunday morning, a Eucharistic Minister from one of the Ipswich parishes, visits the hospital to take Holy Communion to those that have requested it. However, the hospital gives no patient information to the chaplains, consequently we have no knowledge of Catholic patients. So if you, or any member of your family, are going into hospital and would like to receive the ministrations of the Church whilst there, please let Fr Paul or Fr Luke know.
On September 24th 2017, a Parish Assembly was held in the church hall, the first since Fr Mathew arrived at St Mary Magdalens. Chaired by Declan Moore, the meeting was intended not to be a decision making session but rather a forum for discussion, ideas to be raised and suggestions made to help Fr Mathew shape the forward direction and future of the parish. It is intended that further such meetings will be held, at approximately 6 monthly intervals or sooner if circumstances require it.
The notes of the meeting in September can be read here.
