Services for 17th and 24th March (Palm Sunday)

Dear friends

This Sunday is St Patrick’s day!  Patron saint of Ireland, it is a very important day for the Irish people and for all those with connections to the ‘Emerald Isle’.  Patrick is also an important figure in the evangelism and establishment of the Christian faith in this part of the world generally, particularly due to his persistence in faith throughout his challenging life, and his deep understanding that all he did was only possible through the grace of God.  Here is the entry on St Patrick from ‘Exciting Holiness’ (Canterbury Press, 4th Ed. 2012, p123-4), which is a calendar of Holy Days in the Anglican church in Britain and Ireland:
St. Patrick was a Romano-Briton born in about the year 390 of Christian parents, in the latter years of the Roman Empire in Britain. The exact place of his birth – named by him in his Confession as Banaven Taberniae – has never been identified. Claims from places in West Britain as far apart as Dumbarton and Cornwall have been made; present day opinion favours the neighbourhood of Carlisle.He was captured by Irish raiders when he was sixteen years old, and taken to Ireland as a slave. After six years, he escaped and seems to have gone to continental Europe. He eventually found his way back to his own family, where his previously nominal Christian faith grew and matured. He returned to Gaul, and there trained as a priest and was greatly influenced by the form of monasticism evolving under Martin of Tours.  When he was in his early forties, he returned to Ireland as a Bishop, ministering first at Saul near Downpatrick, and later making his base at Armagh, which became the centre of his See. He evangelised the land by walking all over the island, gently bringing men and women to knowledge of Christ. Although he faced fierce opposition and possible persecution, he continued his missionary journeys.Patrick left two pieces of writing which are accepted as genuine, his Confession and a Letter to Coroticus.  These are of immense value as they reveal Patrick the man, humble and aware that all he achieved was by the grace of Christ. Irish Christians today, of all traditions, equally identify with this holy man and draw inspiration from his life and writings.Despite being unsuccessful in his attempts to establish the diocesan system he had experienced in Gaul, his monastic foundations proved to be the infrastructure required to maintain the faith after his death, which occurred on this day in the year 461.
 
On Sunday do pray in thanks for our Irish friends and neighbours, for the faith of St Patrick, and if you are so inclined – enjoy a pint of black Irish Gold! (I can recommend the very good 0%!)
SERVICES THIS WEEK & NEXT:
Sunday 17 March (5th Sunday in Lent)
10am – Family Service, Winsham
10:30am – Holy Communion with Sunday School; St John’s, Tatworth.  Sunday School meets from 10.15am in the Church Rooms.
Tuesday 19 March
9.30am – Morning Prayer, St John’s, Tatworth
Wednesday 20th March
9.30am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s Thorncombe, followed by coffee morning.
 
Sunday 24 March (Palm Sunday)
 
10am – BENEFICE SERVICE – St Mary’s, Thorncombe.  Please see the request below from Rev. Michelle.  
6:30pm – BCP Evening Prayer, St Michael & All Angels, Chaffcombe
LENT WALKS
 
The fourth Lent Walk is on 14 March at 3pm, going from and returning to St Stephen’s, Winsham, followed by tea in church from around 4pm.
The fifth, and final, Lent Walk is on 21 March at 11am, going from and returning to St Mary Magdalene, Cricket Malherbie, followed by light lunch from around 1215.  ALL WELCOME to all or any of these!
PALM SUNDAY – 24 March; St Mary’s Thorncombe – 10am – READERS WANTED!!
 
We have a special Benefice service for Palm Sunday as above at Thorncombe.  This year we will be hearing the re-telling of Palm Sunday and also the Passion itself.  Rev’d Michelle is compiling a list of people who would like to read a part in those narratives.  There are quite a lot of parts to fill, so please can you either speak to, or email, either myself or Michelle in the next few days if you would like to take a role.  It is reading from a script during the service in church.  Once we have a complete list we will work out who takes on which role!  Please don’t read too much into who we give which roles to!!
Prayers
We hold in our prayers all those we know who are ill or struggling in any way, and we are asked to pray by name for the following.  If you would like to add someone. or yourself, to this list, then please do get in touch.
Margaret Bandy, Dave Boyland, Andrew De-pury, Christopher Mitchell, Ann Jarvis, Tony Arnold’s son.
In memoriam:
We remember in our prayers all those whom we love but see no longer.  Particularly at this time we remember Barbara Tolley and hold her family and friends in our prayers at this time of mourning.
 
 
God of our wilderness and despair,
when our chaos is too loud to hear you,
lead us to the quiet place.
Open the ears of our hearts to hear you in the deepest of ways.
Amen.
Every blessing
Philip & Michelle

The Reverends Philip & Michelle Butcher
Rector – Two Shires Benefice (Tatworth, Thorncombe, Winsham, Chaffcombe & Cricket Malherbie)
The Vicarage
3 Home Farm
Tatworth
Chard
TA20 2SH
01460 221286
 
 
Rest Days – Mondays (Tuesdays where following a bank holiday)
For non-urgent enquiries please allow up to a week for responses.
Mornings are best times for phone contact!
 

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