This will be a very different Christmas from normal at St Mary’s, and sadly restrictions mean we will not be able to welcome people into church in the numbers we usually do. On the other hand,we hope we will reach many people online. Here are the planned Christmas services
Sunday 20 Dec 5:30pm Nine Lessons and Carols (online only, pre-recorded)
Wednesday 23 Dec 3pm The Arrival at Bethlehem (our family crib service, online only, pre-recorded)
Thursday 24 Dec 11:15pm Midnight Mass (live online– space in church is strictly only for those who booked) Download order of service
Friday 25 Dec 9:30am Christmas Day Morning Prayer (online only, live)
You can find our online services on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/stmarysewell/live if live or www.facebook.com/stmarysewell/videos if pre-recorded. You can watch services later than the advertised time, but note that live services with a congregation are removed from the system after two weeks.
We needed to ask those wishing to attend Midnight Mass at 11.15pm on Christmas Eve in person to book in advance. We ask others to watch online.
On Sunday 27 December and Sunday 3 January, the 9:30am Parish Eucharist in church will fall within the 12 days of Christmas, so those who can’t attend on Christmas eve are encouraged to see either of these services as their ‘Christmas attendance’. We will be continuing, whenever we can, to live-stream these Sunday 9:30am services. It is great to be able to combine both an online and an in-person congregation. (We don’t intend to film the congregation during these livestreams, but we are still learning; if it’s important to you not to be seen on the livestream, please inform a sidesmen before you are seated.)
There are Advent and Christmas free organ recitals given by Jonathan Holmes in church on Tuesdays 15 and 22 December. See https://www.stmarysewell.com/mus/concerts-and-recitals/ for full details.