Despite the fact that the church building is closed until further notice due to the coronavirus, St Stephen’s has been lovingly adorned for Easter.

Nicky Jee, who normally makes the church porch beautiful at this time, sent us this photo, in which the Jee Family has ‘virtually’ decorated the church entrance:

And Kate McCall, who prepared two bouquets of flowers from her garden, has placed them in front of the church door and the Calvary:

Many thanks to Kate and the Jee Family!

Alleluia, Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed.  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

 

 

 

 

On Saturday 11th April, those who wish to follow the Great Vigil of Easter may do so using the Mass booklet given here:

Easter Vigil – Year A

and the sermon preached by Fr John Moore is available in the ‘Sermons’ section of the website.

 

On Friday 10th April, those who wish to do so may take part in ‘The Way of the Cross’, a visit of the fourteen Stations of the Cross located within St Stephen’s Church.

The service booklet is available here:

The Way of the Cross – Year A

and the meditations given by Fr John Moore are available in the ‘Sermons’ section of this website.

 

On Thursday 9th April, Fr John Moore organised a ‘Maundy Thursday Watch’ via the church’s website.

In normal circumstances, the Watch would occur in the Lady Chapel of St Stephen’s Church (which has been converted into an ‘Altar of Repose’), following the Sung Mass of Maundy Thursday.

At the end of the Mass, the ablutions are completed at the High Altar, but the priest leaves some consecrated Host and places the pyx in the ciborium.

The freshly-consecrated Host is censed, and a veil is placed on the ciborium.

The priest takes the ciborium to the Lady Chapel, accompanied by selected members of the congregation.

The Host is placed in the Tabernacle on the Altar of the Lady Chapel.

The priest then returns to the sanctuary as the High Altar is stripped bare.   He leads the congregation in an antiphonal reading of Psalm 22.

After this, various members of the congregation stay behind to take turns in the Watch, which lasts throughout the evening.

As they participate in the Watch, worshippers are in the presence of the Host which has been laid in the Altar of Repose, and read selected gospel passages and psalms, provided in a booklet.

Those who would like to participate in the Watch this evening are invited to use the booklet given here:

Maundy Thursday Watch – Year A

The sermon for the Maundy Thursday Sung Mass may be found in the ‘Sermons’ section of the website, along with the other homilies that have been given during Holy Week.

 

Although members of the St Stephen’s community could not physically gather together on Palm Sunday, each member received a palm cross that was distributed by post.

The crosses had been blessed by Fr John with the following prayer:

‘God our Saviour, whose Son Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem as Messiah to suffer and to die, + let these palms be for us signs of his victory; and grant that we who bear them in his name may ever hail him as our King, and follow him in the way that leads to eternal life; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.’

‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!’ Mt 27. 9

 

As of 25th March 2020, places of worship in Guernsey have been closed for a two-week period,  at which time this decision will be reviewed.

This means that St Stephen’s  Church will not be open for private prayer and meditation during that time.

It also means that live-streaming of services (a possibility that Vicar Fr John Moore was considering) will also not be possible.

Fr John invites any person who is a member of the St Stephen’s Community who has a need (pastoral, practical or otherwise) to contact him by telephone (01481 720268 or 07781 172447) or e-mail (frjohnbishopmoore@gmail.com).

He said, ‘As a community, we will stand together and support one another.  And we believe that “God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear” (Psalm 46. 1-2).’

The Church will continue to post sermons, weekly bulletins and other news on its website; and a weekly newsletter will be send by e-mail or via the post to all who wish to receive it.

The coronavirus epidemic has led various institutions in Guernsey to take some prudent decisions that are intended to protect the health of those who live on the island.

On 17th March, the Dean of Guernsey announced that all worship services and meetings (either on Sundays or during the week) in Church of England parishes would be cancelled, effective immediately and until further notice.

This decision will of course apply to the worship services and meetings held at St Stephen’s Church.  Following yesterday’s announcement, the Trustees of the St Stephen’s Community Centre also agreed to close the Centre for an indefinite period.

During this uncertain time, Fr John Moore said that ‘we will do all we can to be available to our church community and to remain in touch by telephone, e-mail or personal visits (when this is possible).’

Sermons that would have been preached at the Sunday Masses will be posted on the church website, as will weekly bulletins (giving the Scripture readings appointed for the day, the names of people who are ill and who need our prayers, and any other church announcements).

Fr John  Moore asked that parishioners contact him by telephone (01481 720268) or by e-mail (frjohnbishopmoore@gmail.com) if they have any particular needs, pastoral or otherwise.

He stated that ‘St Stephen’s has always had a strong sense of community, and we intend to preserve this tradition!’

 

 

 

Effective immediately, and until further notice, the following precautions will be taken against coronavirus at St Stephen’s Church:

 

– Communion in one kind (host and wafers) only will be offered to all communicants, with the priest alone taking the wine;

 

– After washing his hands at the lavabo with the aid of a server, the priest will have sanitising gel administered to his hands prior to the consecration of the host and wafers;

 

– Handshaking and other direct physical contact will be suspended during the sharing of the peace by the congregation and at the end of each Mass;

 

– Direct physical contact will be suspended as part of a blessing or the ‘laying on of hands’, particularly at the service following the 11.00am BCP Mass on the first Tuesday of every month;

 

– A hand sanitiser will be made available at the entrance to the church.

 

Thank you for your understanding and co-operation.

 

Thanks to the hard work of a number of people at St Stephen’s, the interior of the church was more attractive than ever this Christmas.

Particular thanks are due to Nic Jee, Anne Le Maitre, Beth Bourgaize, Tony and Marg Kaines, Ann and Tony Goss, Judith Keen, Freddie Humphreys, Kate McCall, Avril Bazille-Corbin, Nikki Attwooll, Christine Shaw and Jean Le Huray.

Their efforts have made St Stephen’s a place where we can find not only beauty and peace; here we can sense, in a very special way, the presence of God.

‘Glory to God in the highest’.  To us this day a Saviour is born.

 

 

 

Thanks to the creativity of Nicky Jee, when people arrived at St Stephen’s Church for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the entrance of the church had been transformed into a lovely, snow-covered German village, replete with its own church (with stained glass windows, to boot).

We are so grateful for this imaginative contribution to our Christmas worship.