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St Mary Abbots Church regards the safe care and protection of children and vulnerable adults as of the utmost importance. Our Safeguarding office is Rona and can be reached by email
[email protected] or please contact the Diocesan helpline: 02079321224. |
The church is open daily
from 8.30am - 6pm and on Saturday 10am - 6pm
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Dear Friends
It was wonderful to be part of the service of thanksgiving for Mark Uglow’s 40 years as Music Director of St Mary Abbots last Sunday. It was lovely to meet so many priests and people who have attended St Mary Abbots throughout his time here and Fr Gillean’s sermon helped us appreciate the theological significance of Mark’s ministry over these past 40 years. It was a wonderful celebration and you can see some photos of the service and party afterwards HERE. Thank you, Mark, for your faithful ministry and dedication. This Saturday, I would like to invite you all to join us for a short pilgrimage to Westminster Abbey through the Royal Parks. We will meet in church at 9am for a brief introduction and prayer before setting off. Along the way, we will pause at St Edward the Confessor’s monument in Hyde Park before continuing to the Abbey to join the Festal Eucharist at 11.15am. On Sunday 1st November we will remember our loved ones at the Commemoration of All Souls with a Requiem Mass at 5.30pm. This is a special time of the year to give thanks for the lives of those we love, while also making space to grieve their loss. If you would like the names of your departed loved ones to be read aloud during the service, please write their names clearly on the sign-up sheet by South door. Lastly, I feel deeply humbled to have been part of the Sleep Out Team 2026. I am immensely grateful to our parishioners and everyone who supported our fundraising for Glass Door Homeless Charity. It was quite an experience and I wanted to share my thoughts of the evening with you: At 7 pm, as I made my way to Duke of York Square, I tried to imagine what it might feel like to be homeless. I had struggled to find a bag big enough to carry my sleeping mat and sleeping bag so resorted to a left over supermarket shopping bag. This made me realise how I take such simple things for granted. For someone without a home, that small bag might hold all that they own. Second, most passers-by would not have guessed that I was pretending homelessness for one night and reminded me that we cannot tell someone’s circumstances simply by looking at them – a homeless person might not look the way we expect. Third, as evening progressed and the noise of the streets continued, I realised that I could not stop the traffic, silence the streets or expect passers-by to respect my sleep. I simply had to put up with it. For many people sleeping rough, this is not a one-night experience but a daily reality. As we headed home at 5 am and entered my house in the quiet morning I was struck by how small my experience had been compared to the real experience of those living without a home. I had somewhere warm and safe to return to. I had the comfort of knowing that I was home. My heartfelt thanks go to the whole team: Jeremy, Guy, Hilary, Shahrzad and Hannah, Miguel, Tomas, Jamie, Vincenzo, Sarah, Martina, Patrick and Tommy. We braved the night together. It was cold, but thankfully, it did not rain! There were also mice running around, and when you are sleepy, you can only hope that none of them will sneak into your sleeping bag! Together, we have raised around £35,000, including Gift Aid, and the total is still growing. Thank you all for your extraordinary generosity and support. Your generosity will make a real difference to the lives of people experiencing homelessness. “O Master, from the mountainside, make haste to heal these hearts of pain; among these restless throngs abide; O tread the city's streets again.” Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life, Frank Mason North (1903) With every blessing, Fr Christian 14th October 2026 |
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The PCC of St Mary Abbots Church
Charity No: 1132235 |
