Anglo-Catholic Churches in Bath
Leaving the centre of Georgian Bath and crossing the river Avon by the world famous Pulteney Bridge, you are already in the Parish of St. Mary the Virgin, shortly to be joined on your left side by the Parish of St. John the Baptist. Together these form the United Benefice of Bathwick.
I am once again writing with details of our Sunday morning worship tomorrow at St John’s and St Mary’s. For St John’s the weekly noticesheet and service sheet are available for download here. For St Mary’s the weekly noticesheet and service sheet are here. If you are planning to attend, it would minimise the number of individuals handling papers if you can print your own copy if possible and bring it with you – but spare copies will be available at church for those unable to do this.
As I am away for this coming week, I am also sending you the service sheets for the following Sunday for St John’s and St Mary’s. Because of my leave, services will not be streamed on our Facebook or YouTube channels until the week commending 5 October.
As previously advised, St Mary’s church (roundabout at the bottom of Bathwick Hill) continues to be open for public worship on Sunday mornings and Wednesday mornings (both at 10.30am) and St John’s church (opposite the fire station on Bathwick Street) on Sunday mornings (at 9am) and Thursday mornings (at 10.30am). Both churches will be open for around 30 minutes before each act of worship, and for about an hour afterwards, to enable private prayer.
For the time being, congregational singing is still forbidden although we will once again have some organ music before and after Sunday morning services. ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND UNLESS DISPLAYING COVID-19 SYMPTOMS OR IN THE SEVERELY VULNERABLE CATEGORY – although you must observe appropriate social distancing and hand hygiene etc. Communion will be restricted to the Blessed Sacrament (the consecrated bread) only, and the Peace may only be exchanged verbally (i.e. without any physical contact). As you will all now know, face coverings are now compulsory in churches unless a medical exception applies. The Government’s recent announcement restricting social gatherings to no more than 6 people DOES NOT APPLY TO WORSHIP so you are welcome to continue to attend public acts of worship as detailed above subject to the restrictions outlined at the beginning of this paragraph.
Those of you who have smartphones may have downloaded the NHS Covid-19 app for track and trace purposes. There are now posters displaying QR codes for you to “check in” at St John’s church for those with this facility.
Finally, I am attaching the latest monthly Bathwick News for your information. Many thanks once again to contributors and to Kerry Hughes, our ever-efficient administrator, for her work putting this together.
With my continued prayers and best wishes for you all.
Fr Peter
Revd Peter Edwards
Rector of Bathwick
(h) 01225 460052
(mb) 07776 227555
NOTICE OF ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETINGS
FOR ST MARY’S AND ST JOHN’s
Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) for St Mary’s for 2019 during Sunday Mass on 11 October 2020. Of necessity, this will need to be as brief as reasonably possible. Copies of the Annual Report and Accounts for St Mary’s will be available at church tomorrow, and will also be available here should you wish to print an additional copy. The agenda and minutes of last year’s meeting will also be available here.
We also intend to hold the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) for St John’s for 2019 during Sunday Mass on 25 October 2020. Of necessity, this will need to be as brief as reasonably possible. Copies of the Annual Report and Accounts for St John’s will be available in due course.
To view the latest magazine (2020) click here.
Weekly pew sheet (23 August)
To view the latest mass streamed by Fr Peter or on our Bathwick Benefice News Group page. (click the Facebook icon above) or on our YouTube channel – Bathwick parishes, view here
Upcoming Events
Organ Restoration Appeal
Interest has been shown in the Requiem which was said at Walsingham last year at the 100th Anniversary of Fr Dunn’s death. The requiem service and homily can be found on St John’s pages or click here for the service or homily
