St Mary's
A church
on pilgrimage

Frequently asked questions

At the moment because of the COVID 19 restrictions we only have one service on a Sunday, the 10 o clock Parish Mass. This is a communion service to which all are welcome. It consists of readings from the bible and some teaching followed by the receiving of Christ’s body and blood in the form of bread and wine. Because of present restrictions we are only allowed to have a small choir to accompany us. We hope that very soon our full choir will return to contribute to our joyful worship. The Mass is live streamed and it can be accessed on this website. We also live stream Evening Prayer every evening at 6 which can also be accessed here. We also offer Mass on Tuesday’s at 10. This is currently taking place in the Octagon.

St Mary’s is a beautiful setting for a traditional wedding, being a 900 year old building overlooking the Blackwater Estuary. This provides plenty of opportunities for photographs after the service. In the near future we will have our new organ and St Mary’s choir is available to sing at your ceremony. If you do not live in the parish or have no family connections, we will ask you to come to our Sunday service 6 times in the 6 months before the ceremony. To book a wedding, e mail or ring Fr John or come along to our booking sessions on Saturdays between 11am and 1pm.

We welcome families who want to have their children christened at this church. In normal circumstances the christening takes place at the main Sunday service so we are able to welcome your child into our Sunday worshipping community. However, due to present regulations which only allow 30 people to be present at a christening, the service takes place on Sunday afternoons. There is no charge for christenings. To book a christening , e mail or ring Fr John or come along to our booking sessions on Saturdays between 11am and 1pm.

In normal times we have a Junior Church which meets in our Octagon building during the main Sunday service. Unfortunately because of the COVID 19 restrictions we have had to suspend this, but we hope it will be back soon.