Geting ready for 2014

Plans are well advanced for a number of events here at St Mary’s Priory in 2014.

We will join the nation in marking the Centenary of World War I with a memorial service and parade in the Summer and at Remembranctide  (Saturday 8th November 2014) we  will host  a performance  of Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man by Gwent Bach Choir.

Also being marked next year on June 7th is the 70th Anniversary of D Day. We will join with the Abergavenny Town Band for  a day of celebrations in the Priory and Tithe Barn Courtyards.

The previous weekend  (Saturday, May 31st) we will again hold a Mediaeval Family Day. 

We will of course mark the church’s year with the usual services and ceremonies. Gwent Bach Choir will sing Bach’s St John’s Passion on the Eve of Palm Sunday (April 12th).

Our Lent Sunday Evenings Sermons this year are entitled “Faith in the work place”, following on from our series two years when sector Chaplains spoke about their work, this years will look at from the point of view of the laity-  and how they show their faith in their work place.

The Unicorn Singers will mark  St Davids Day with a service for “All the Saints”.

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Services : December 26 – January 1st

St Stephen’s Day ( December 26th)
9am Holy Eucharist

St John the Evangelist (December 27th)
No Service

Holy Innocents (December 28th)
9am Holy Eucharist

Sunday, Christmas 1 (December 29th)

8am Holy Eucharist

11am Parish Eucharist

6pm Evensong

The Priory Choir are on their Christmas break on December 29th.

Monday, December 30th

8am Holy Eucharist

Tuesday, December 31st

9am Holy Eucharist

The Naming of Jesus / New Year’s Day 2014 (January 1st)

10am Holy Eucharist

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Vicar’s Christmas Message

Christmas is many people’s favourite season because at its heart it has a little baby.  Christmas is a season of pretty things of all kinds, from bobbles on Christmas Trees, to full shop windows or Christmas lights. This year at St Mary’s Priory we had  the church wonderfully decorated in flowers depicting the whole story from Gabriel’s announcement of Jesus birth  through to his Presentation in the Temple.

The Festival of Flowers: Advent to Candlemas

Yet the reality of that first Christmas was very different , it was messy, very messy.  Mary and Joseph were just an ordinary couple living in a small village in Galilee, suddenly their lives were thrown in to disruption be the announcement that Mary was expecting a baby out of wedlock;and that she had to travel, in her pregnant state, for two days on the back of a donkey so they could complete the census ordered by their Roman masters. When things seemed as if they could not get any worse, they did. Being unable to find any where to stay in Bethlehem she had to give birth in the dark and damp conditions of an animal shed.

So here in this story, if we dig down deep enough, we will find  discrimination, homelessness, pain and oppression. Jesus choose to come as one of us  – and that included all the complications of human life.

 For many this Christmas will be one of sadness. Some others  will have spent money they have not got, because of peer pressure, to be part of the pretty things of Christmas. We must remember them, and remember that Jesus Christ, whose birthday we celebrate came so that we all would have LOVE and have it in abundance.

Blessed Christmas

Fr Mark Soady

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Taking the Christmas message

WE have been taking the Christmas message out this December;

• in to local pubs
• in to local Residential homes for the Elderly
• in to the town centre with other churches in Abergavenny
• Walking Nativity- see post

Here are sum snaps of us out and about

In Cantref Home

In Avenue Rd Home

In Belmont Home

Have keyboard…will travel

Cibi Walk with other churches

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Traveling Nativity

Parishioners took the Christmas message from Holy Trinity through the town to the Abbot’s Garden at St Mary’s Priory

Leaving Holy Trinity

A stop outside the Market

The Magi arrive

In the stable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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CAROLS OUT IN THE TOWN

During December we will be taking the Christmas message out to the town of Abergavenny via carols

We start with Beer and Carols on December 10th in the Farmers Arms and a week later in the Hen & Chicks

Friday, December 20th singing in the towns Old People’s Homes

Saturday, December 21st singing in Cibi Walk with other churches of the town.

We are pleased to also be welcoming the local schools to St Mary’s Priory Church for their Carol Services & Christingles:

December 10th: Cantref School

December 17th: Deri View School

December 18th: Llanfoist School

December 19th: Henry VIII School

WALKING NATIVITY Saturday, December 14th

A dramatic interpretation of the Christmas  story moving through the town centre from Holy Trinity to St Mary’s Priory. We start at Holy Trinity at 3pm  with kings, camels and a special baby.  In the Abbott’s Garden at St mary’s there will be  a life size crib with live animals .Young and old are all welcome to join us. Carols and songs will be sung enroute.

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Food Festival Services

Services times will be different on December 8th (AdventII) due to the Food Festival

8am Holy Eucharist

9.30am Parish Eucharist

11am NO SERVICE

6pm Evensong

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