Subject: News from the University Church of St Mary the Virgin

On Eagle's Wings


by Patricia O'Neill


Bless the Lord O my soul

Who satisfies you with good things

So that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s

Psalm 103:5

 

My daughter used to have a pet spider which lived in her bathroom. She named him Barry and had long meaningful conversations with him during which he offered her much good counsel.  I am resisting the temptation to anthropomorphise the eagle, ascribing to that majestic bird the exultation of flight, the revelling in the strength and skill of huge wings and the keenness of vision that can spy good things from an immense height. Nevertheless, what would it like be to have one’s youth renewed like the eagle, to know again that excitement of limitless possibility, to see the world so clearly in black and white and to have the confidence to launch oneself out onto the dangerous thermal currents of life. 


I knew someone once who said that whenever he heard this verse he thought of asparagus and Laphroaig. I’m not as convinced about the life-enhancing properties of asparagus but if malt whiskey had been available at Cana I am convinced the water jars would have been full of it.  Equally I am sure that the good things spoken of in the psalm have little to do with the stomach. These good things of life are surely of the spirit and so available to all: love, beauty, truth, goodness, friendship, and the greatest of these is love, the foundation of all good things.  These things are there for every one of us if we only use the keen sight of our souls, glimpse the infinite possibilities of life and trust in the Lord to bear us up.

Appointment of the New Assistant Priest


The Revd Hannah Cartwright, Assistant Curate of Littlemore, has been appointed as the new Assistant Priest at St Mary’s. This appointment is subject to the satisfactory completion of DBS checks. She will start mid September. We look forward to welcoming Hannah and her family to the University Church. Please keep her in your prayers as she prepares to join us.

Sunday 6 June: The First Sunday after Trinity


Sunday Services

There will be two services on Sunday 6 June.


8.30am - Holy Eucharist in the Chancel

Those attending this service no longer need to register in advance. On arrival, please confirm your attendance by giving your contact details to the stewards.


10.30am - Sung Eucharist in the Nave

Register Here

This service is livestreamed.


On the day of the service, please remember to arrive in good time to ensure everyone gets seated in a safe and organised manner before the beginning of the service. It is a legal requirement to wear a mask when attending our services, unless you are exempt.


Registration for services on Sunday 13 June:


8.30am - Holy Eucharist in the Chancel

Those attending this service no longer need to register in advance. On arrival, please confirm your attendance by giving your contact details to the stewards.


10.30am - Sung Eucharist in the Nave

Register Here


Summer Services at St Mary's

Along with the 8.30am and 10.30am services, on Sunday 11, 18, 25 July, there will be Choral Evensong at 5.00pm at St Mary’s. Please make a note in your diary. Advance booking will not be required but you will need to register when you arrive with the NHS app or by giving your details to the stewards. On Sundays in August, there will be an Organ Recital at 3.30pm.

Online Worship:


Every Sunday, we livestream the 10.30am service on our YouTube channel.


Please subscribe to our social media channels to ensure you see the videos in your newsfeed and you are alerted to all our other online events coming in Hilary term.

Book your visit to the Tower online


The Tower is now open and you can book a ticket online for your visit at the link below. You can find more information as well as our Terms & Conditions on our website.

Online Bookings

Notices


Churches Count on Nature

On Sunday 6 June, we will be holding an event in Holywell Cemetery from 2.30pm – 5.00pm. Members of the congregation are invited to help generate a database of all the rare specimens of flora and fauna in this ‘little wilderness’ in the heart of our city. This is one of the ways in which we can celebrate biodiversity. If you would like to take part (and no expertise is required, simply an ability to look and observe), please join us. Results will be collated and recorded to add to the CCON database.


Pilgrimage Saturday 19 June

Do come on a local pilgrimage! A chance to be with people in the great outdoors. We will be setting out from Swinford Lock at 11am on Saturday 19th June, and following the Thames Path to Port Meadow. We will have a picnic lunch near Godstow Abbey, and then walk on to St Mary’s. The walk will be about 7 miles and is relatively flat. Everyone is very welcome

– do let us know if you are planning to come. You can get to the Lock on the S1 bus from George Street, Oxford. For further information or just to let us know that you are coming, email Susannah Reide: precentor@universitychurch.ox.ac.uk.


Gardening Day at Holywell Cemetery

The next gardening day at Holywell Cemetery will take place on Saturday 10 July. You don’t have to be an experienced gardener to help. We can also supply garden equipment and wooden spatulas (to help remove the ivy from the gravestones). It is a lovely way to spend a morning with lots of fresh air and some socially-distanced company. Please email Will Lamb: vicar@universitychurch.ox.ac.uk if you would like to join us.


Bible Study:

Thursdays 29 April - 17 June, 12.45pm - 1.30pm

In the course of Trinity Term, we will be exploring the Book of Genesis through the resources provided by the Visual Commentary on Scripture. Bible Study takes place on Zoom. Please email

ana-maria.niculcea@universitychurch.ox.ac.uk to sign up to the mailing list for our online events.

St Mary's Church, High Street, OX1 4BJ, Oxford, United Kingdom

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