Dear Friends

At S. Mary's we always celebrate the major saints’ days.

The Principle ones with an evening Sung Eucharist at 7.30 pm and the red letter ones with a morning 9.30 am Holy Communion. As Christians we are meant to worship God not only on Sundays but also at these major festivals.

This summer S. James 25th July falls on a Sunday as does the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 15th August. Here are just two for this month:

22nd July S. Mary Magdalene - patron of repentant sinners. It is easy to understand the popularity of Mary Magdalene over the centuries: she is the patron saint both of repentant sinners and of the contemplative life. Jesus drove seven demons from Mary, who came from near Tiberias in Galilee. She became his follower to the bitter end. She followed him to Jerusalem and was present during the crucifixion, standing heart-broken at the foot of the cross. Her love for Jesus did not end there, for she went to the tomb to anoint his body on the Sunday morning. Such faithful, humble devotion was richly re­paid: it gave her a unique privilege among all mankind: she was the first per­son to whom the Risen Lord appeared on Easter Sunday morning. She thought he was the gardener at first. Mary Magdalene has sometimes been, identified with the woman who anointed Christ's feet in the house of Simon (Lk 7.37). Over the centuries many artists have painted this scene. Mary Mag­dalene's feast has been kept in the West since the 8th century. England has 187 ancient churches dedicated to her, as well as a College in both Oxford and Cambridge.

25th July S. James the Apostle - apostle to Spain. James and his brother John were sons of Zebedee and fishermen from Galilee - the 'sons of thun­der', as the gospel writers describe their impetuous characters and fiery tem­pers. James stands out on three accounts: he was one of the three disciples who witnessed the Transfiguration of Christ. Jesus took him, along with Peter and John, to 'watch' with him in the garden of Gethsemane. Finally, he went on to be the first apostle to die for the Christian faith, when in AD 44 King Herod Agrippa put him to the sword in Jerusalem at Passover time. In the centuries following his death, James became associated with the evangelising of Spain, and as a powerful defended of Christianity against the Moors. The heyday of the cult of Santiago de Compostela was from the 12th to the 15th century, and the pilgrimage to Compostela became one of the most important of medieval Christendom. This in time transformed the iconography of James, and his emblems became the pilgrim's hat and the scallop-shell of Compos­tela. Over 400 English churches have been dedicated to James.
My prayers and best wishes,

Fr. Philip Edge - Vicar