Coronavirus/COVID-19 update
Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Mendlesham
Coronavirus/COVID-19 prevention measures. THIS WILL BE UPDATED AS NECESSARY. PLEASE CONTINUE TO CHECK. UPDATED 12/04/20 St Mary's church is closed until further notice. Fr Philip will continue to offer Mass and pray the Offices each day at home for the needs of the congregation, the parish and the wider world, especially remembering all affected by the pandemic.
‘By our service and by our love, Jesus Christ will be made known and the hope of the gospel – a hope that will counter fear and isolation – will spread through the land.’ For any pastoral need, contact: Fr. Philip Gray, Mendlesham Vicarage, Tel (01449) 766359 or send a message via the CONTACT page Prayer for all those affected by Coronavirus
Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy. Sustain and support the anxious, be with those who care for the sick, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may find comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. |
Preparing for Holy WeekA message from the Bishops of The Society
At this time of national emergency, we remain acutely aware that the needs of those directly affected by the Coronavirus, and the necessity to limit the risk of infection, make a legitimate demand on our behaviour. As the nation suffers and grieves, let us be constant in prayer and in our public duty to stay home, protect the NHS, save lives. The sense of loss we all feel from the necessary closure of our churches for public worship is heightened as we approach the most important week of the Church’s year, Holy Week. Nevertheless, there are spiritual benefits which can and will flow to us from a faithful observance of Holy Week in our homes. We should be diligent in our reading of scripture and in our recitation of the Church’s cycle of prayer. To supplement these activities, there is a growing body of liturgical resources available digitally. For our own part, we shall be issuing a series of short videos to aid devotion and prayer at home during Holy Week. They have been professionally produced and, we hope, will be attractive to a wide audience. The videos will be made available at the following times here.
The first verse of Psalm 130 speaks to our current circumstances: “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.” May we urge a prayerful keeping of Holy Week as we look with confidence to the joyful celebration of Easter in our homes. + TONY WAKEFIELD The Rt Revd Tony Robinson, Bishop of Wakefield, Chairman of The Society’s Council of Bishops + GLYN BEVERLEY The Rt Revd Glyn Webster, Bishop of Beverley + PHILIP BURNLEY The Rt Revd Philip North, Bishop of Burnley + MARTIN CICESTR: The Rt Revd Martin Warner, Bishop of Chichester + JONATHAN EBBSFLEET The Rt Revd Jonathan Goodall, Bishop of Ebbsfleet + JONATHAN FULHAM The Rt Revd Jonathan Baker, Bishop of Fulham + NORMAN RICHBOROUGH The Rt Revd Norman Banks, Bishop of Richborough |