Every year at around this time St Mary’s PCC gives illustrated Bibles to all the children in Y3 at our Church School. These were presented to the children this week.

It’s exactly one week now to the 2019 Ross Open Gardens Weekend – 22 gardens open all around the town next Saturday and Sunday, 22nd, 23rd June from 12.00 – 5.00 pm. Get your brochure (which is also your entry ticket) in advance from our sponsor, Ross Garden Store. £7.50 for adults, children are free of charge. More information, including a map of gardens and carparks, on our website

We hope to see you there. The weather will be better, won’t it!

Our Benefice is a ‘pilot’ church for this Church of England led survey of your feelings about your faith and your church. The survey is completely anonymous. Even if you don’t come to church very often we’d love you to take part.

To complete go to www.bigchurchsurvey.org . The first page asks you for a Church ID – for St Mary’s & Brampton Abbotts it’s 34145, for Walford 30503

Call Peter on 564830 for queries and feedback on the survey process.

We’re back for our third Ross Open Gardens. Please join us to visit the 21 gardens opening on Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 June 2019, 1200 – 1700.

A brochure (£7.50, under 18s free) is your 2 day ticket to all the gardens – 11 new for this year. Take you pick – big or small, well established or new, manicured or free flowing. Enjoy them all.

Free car parking at:

• St Joseph’s RC Primary School, The Avenue. HR9 5AW.
• John Kyrle High School, Ledbury Road. HR9 7ET
• Vine Tree Vets, Walford Road. HR9 5AZ.

Buy a brochure in advance

• at our sponsor, Ross Garden Store, from 25 May

Buy a brochure on the day to start your visit at:

• St Joseph’s Car Park
• At the gardens in Overross Close (near John Kyrle School)
• Tudorville Allotments (near Vine Tree Vets)
• St Mary’s Church – refreshments here as well

The Friends of St Mary’s Church is a charity which raises funds to help maintain and improve Ross Parish Church for the people of the town. It is a registered charity No 1121282. We are proud to be sponsored by Ross Garden Store for this event.

 

 

 

Wednesday 5th June, 7.45 for 8.00 pm in St Mary’s

An illustrated presentation by Heather Hurley comparing the buildings of Ross recorded and photographed by the Royal Commissioners in 1929 with present day images based on the Ross Civic Society Listed Building Project.  

This event will be preceded (at 7.15) by The Friends of St Mary’s Church Annual General Meeting. If you are interested please come along to that too. Either way we look forward to seeing you.

Whispering across Centuries

 During 2018 a number of individuals and groups were invited to visit St. Michael and All Angels at Brampton Abbotts, near Ross-on-Wye, in order to produce a personal artistic response. The Norman Church has been closed for worship since 2008 when the roof was found to be unsafe, however in recent weeks conservation work has been completed and there are now plans to open up the building again.

 Many churches find themselves in similar circumstances and this travelling collective exhibition is intended to raise awareness of these issues while celebrating this particular church and its place within the community and wider landscape.

 For further information on the exhibition or to purchase an artwork please contact John Sherahilo 

 To discover more about the repair work upon the Church visit: thedailybread.org.uk  

At St Mary’s we think 2019 is a very special year.

Why? Because so far we know of several members of the congregation who are celebrating significant wedding anniversaries, with three Diamond (60 years), seven Golden (50 years), one Ruby (40 years) and two Silver (25 years) anniversaries making a total of six hundred and twenty years of marriage between them.

All wedding anniversaries are special no matter how long people have been married, so will you join us at St Mary’s for a Service of Celebration of Marriage on July 7th at 4pm? This will be a happy occasion with displays of photographs, wedding dresses and other memorabilia.

The service will include prayers, readings and music all of which have special memories for those who have been married in church and there will be an opportunity for those who want to renew their vows. After the service there will be ‘Wedding Cake’ and other refreshments.

Sunday 7th July, 4pm. Put it in your diary!

Brampton Abbotts Church is about to be open for business again after ten years of doubt and a shorter, more recent period of substantial hard work.

Come and see for yourself, hear what’s been achieved so far and learn of exciting plans for the future on this community open day on 30th May.

The doors of St Mary’s are open every day and our visitors book shows we get lots of people coming in, either to look around or spend some time in the peace and quietness. They generally leave favourable comments too! Everyone is always very welcome at St Mary’s.

However, this Saturday we want to extend a particular welcome to residents and visitors to come in and see what’s going on. We have just completed the second phase of the reordering of the church with the removal of the rest of the pews. It has made a new and exciting space.

We are also doing lots of new and interesting things, particularly aimed at children and families. And there’s also lots of familiar things to reconnect with, whether it be contemplative prayer, support for the sick and housebound or our monthly film nights.

There’s so much going on at St Mary’s. So come along and see what we’re up to on Saturday 4th May from 10am until 4pm. A warm welcome awaits you as well as coffee and delicious cakes all morning.

An opportunity to gather to discuss life’s big issues as they are treated in popular films and to see what faith has to say about them. It is intended as an opportunity for friendships to grow and beliefs to be shared in an atmosphere of respect and trust. Our next showing will be:

All are welcome, Just turn up.

Entrance is free and includes a glass of wine and unlimited popcorn.

For more information contact Simon 07462 893457

 

Our very own Derek Glover was invited to receive Maundy Money this year at Windsor Castle. We congratulate him!

Here’s how the remainder of Holy Week and Easter shapes up at St Mary’s Church, Ross-on-Wye.

More at https://rawchurch.org.uk/easter

We had a fantastic Come & Sing event at St Mary’s on Sunday. Faure’s Requiem in a devotional service for Holy Week, with a choir of around 40 singers. Well done and thank you to everyone who came along either to sing or to form a congregation. Thanks also to all who provided cake, to Adrian for playing and Cameron and Fiona for their wonderful solos.

We hope the next one will be at Christmas, as part of the Christmas Tree Festival.

What a wonderful group of people we had yesterday for the walk of witness (part 1) from Brampton Abbotts to Ross.

There’s an opportunity to join them for part 2 this evening (from St Mary’s Church to Walford Church). Meet at St Mary’s today (Tuesday 16th April) at 5.30 pm.

 

Good Friday (19th April) 10 – 12 noon. Drop in any time to St Mary’s.

The Wednesday lunches, with their delicious home made soup and bread have only two more weeks to run. Don’t miss out! 12.30 pm in St Mary’s Hall this Wednesday (10th) and next Wednesday (17th April).

There’s still time to book your place in the choir for our next Come & Sing event at St Mary’s Ross.