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Thin Places
It is a popular belief that the Celtic peoples described what they called ‘thin places’: locations where heaven seemed to draw close to earth, where things seemed somehow less separated and disconnected. A ‘thin place’ may be so because of communal perception – this chapel is a place where prayers and hope and longings have been expressed for hundreds of years. Equally, we might describe a place that is for us personally ‘thin’ – a sofa where transformative conversations happened, a place of natural beauty and peace or of important memories. A ‘thin place’ could be somewhere that features daily or weekly in our lives, where we process life’s little moments. Or it may be a place we journey to once, or return to rarely but deliberately, investing significance through infrequency.
This Summer, we are leading several simple ‘Pilgrimage & Pub’ walks from St Mary’s out to discover the beauty and history of churches on the edges of the city – places that have, for centuries, been the ‘thin places’ of their communities, dreaming of heaven in the midst of earthly pain and joy. These are chances to walk with and lay down our own pains and joys too, to join our story to those of the places we visit. We walk also in the faith that each person we walk with – a new face, or a familiar friend – is themselves also a ‘thin place’, a means of heaven’s grace breaking into the here-and-now. There will be chance to look around, pause for prayer, and grab liquid refreshment at a local pub.
This Saturday afternoon we have the first of our walks, from St Mary’s, Oxford, down the river path to St Mary’s, Iffley – a gem of an English village church, featuring windows by John Piper and Roger Wagner. Join us in the De Brome Chapel at 14.00, or meet us there at 15.00. The walk is 2.3 miles each way - please wear suitable footwear, and bring a bottle of water.
The Revd James Crockford Assistant Priest |
| | The Week Ahead
This Sunday
Sunday 29th July - The Ninth Sunday after Trinity
10.30 Choral Eucharist
Preacher: The Revd Canon Dr Judith Maltby
15.30 Choral Evensong - Chancel
Sung by the University Church Choir
Responses Thomas Tomkins
Canticles Short Service, Thomas Tallis
Anthem View me, Lord, Richard Lloyd
Next Week
Monday, William Wilberforce, 1833 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel 12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Tuesday Ignatius of Loyola, 1556 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Wednesday 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Thursday 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel 12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Friday 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
Saturday Jean-Baptiste Vianney, 1859
Next Sunday
Sunday 5th August - The Tenth Sunday after Trinity 10.30 Sung Eucharist
Preacher: The Revd James Crockford
15.30 Organ Recital: Alexander Pott,
Assistant Organist, Magdalen College, Oxford
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| Organ Recitals
Our summer music series continues through August with a number of free organ recitals on Sundays at 15.30. All are very welcome.
5 Aug Alexander Pott (Assistant Organist, Magdalen College, Oxford)
12 Aug Graham Schultz (Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, Texas, USA)
19 Aug Josef Laming (Royal Academy of Music, London)
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| | | Lunchtime Recital
On Saturday 18 August at 13.30, Peter McMullin and James Crockford will be giving a free saxophone and piano recital at St Mary’s, featuring a varied programme of works by Villa Lobos, J. S. Bach, Dave Heath, and Schulhoff. A retiring collection will be taken in aid of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
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| | | St Mary's Volunteers Fair
Many members of St Mary’s congregation are already involved with and support voluntary organisations– e.g. Oxford Food Bank, Gatehouse, Christian Aid, prison visiting, Home Start, Parkinson’s Association, etc. We are planning a ‘Volunteers Fair’ to showcase this work and to encourage others to get involved. There is to be a planning meeting in the Old Library at 12noon on Sunday 16 September. The Fair itself will take place after the service on Sunday, 14 October. If you would like to be involved, please contact: Margaret Lipscomb (M.Lipscomb@ntlworld.com) or Janet Greenland (janetgreenland@gmail.com).
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| | Sponsored Cycle
Choir member and church clock keeper Rupert Griffin is cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats later this summer to raise money for Thames Valley Air Ambulance - who saved his life after he was involved in a serious traffic accident: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rupert-griffin. Please support him!
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