Pew Sheet – 18th December 2022

The Rector writes ‘Well, we are finally joining the 21st century and installing a Card Reader in St Mary’s Church. Many of you have said that it would be nice to have an alternative to cash as a way of giving in church. So often nowadays I find I don’t have cash in my pocket. The neat little card apparatus should be in situ for the Christmas Services.  I tried it out the other day myself and it is so easy (maybe a little too easy?) to just tap!

Today at 4pm in St John’s Church, we will have the Nine Lessons & Carols Service. It is so lovely to be back with hopefully a full church this evening. Thank you to Roger Ellis and the Monkstown Chamber Choir for all you do during the year.  If you haven’t yet attended this special service I would like to thoroughly recommend it to you. It has such a fantastic evocative atmosphere, it really sets you up for Christmas. ‘

Music Notes 18/11/2022

Hymns at St Mary’s

250     All hail the power of Jesu’s name

139      The angel Gabriel came

133      Long ago, prophets knew

695     God of mercy, God of grace

The composer of the melody ‘Heathlands’ for our last hymn today was Henry Smart (1813-1879). He was born in London, the son of a professional violinist. He was educated in Highgate and was destined to become a solicitor until he decided to make a career as a musician. He became an organist and served in a number of churches in London, one of which was St Giles Cripplegate.

This church is very significant for me as I had my first organ lessons there with Anne Marsden Thomas. It was a bit shocking  to find that this was Oliver Cromwell’s parish church and a bust of him is displayed in the church. The lessons with Anne were wonderful and I also attended summer courses there for a number of years.

There is another connection to Henry Smart also as Anne has recorded a CD of his organ works in that church. Smart was a keen promoter of congregational singing especially of psalms. He composed a number of hymn tunes which are described as ‘sturdy’ and ‘straightforward’ – just like his own character.

He became blind in later life but continued to play the organ for services at St Pancras Church until his death in 1879.

Bébhinn 087 228 5965 

bebhinnmuire@gmail.com

If you would like to be confirmed in 2023, you will need to get in touch with the Rector

as soon as possible.

The names of those wishing to be confirmed must be sent to the Bishop in January.

The 10 classes will be in the Parish Hall from 5pm to 6:30pm each Thursday,

beginning Thursday 26th January until Thursday 27th April

(with a couple of exceptions for midterm, Easter break etc.)

Please note that there will also be a special ‘Bishop’s Confirmation Morning’ in Douglas

from 10am till 1pm on Saturday 4th March to which everyone who wishes to be confirmed in 2023 MUST attend.

Random Notes CDXLIII

Pictured below is the tomb of Lieutenant Richard Roberts RN (1803 – 1841) who was Captain of the

Sirius, the first steam ship to cross the Atlantic.

On 28 March 1838 Roberts took the Sirius out of Londondock and proceeded to Passage West, where he picked up passengers for New York before leaving on 4 April.

The ship experienced some bad weather during the crossing and its engine required adjustment in mid

Atlantic. On 22 April, the Sirius dropped anchor off the Battery, New York, and Roberts and his crew

became instant celebrities, being received by the mayor and aldermen of the city while the harbour

was thronged with people who wished to view the ship.

News of the arrival of the Sirius became headline news in American newspapers and Roberts was later praised at a formal dinner.

The restoration recently of his tomb in the graveyard of Marmullane Church, Passage West was funded, very generously, by Jill Hingston.  Her brother, Richard, had planned the restoration before his death, so it was Jill’s wish that the work be carried out.

RCE