WELCOME TO THE PARISH CHURCH
OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN, SWANLEY
01322 662201
All Souls Day: Thursday 2nd November 2023
St Mary's places great importance on remembering those we have loved and lost. A central part of this ministry is our Commemoration of the Faithful Departed, All Souls Day, which falls on 2nd November.
We celebrate a said Mass at 10am when we remember all who are on our anniversaries of death list.
At 7.30pm, we shall have a sung Mass at which we shall remember all whose funerals we have done in the last year and anyone for whom we have done memorial services or burials of ashes. We provide some refreshments after the evening Mass.
You are welcome to ask us to remember a relative who has died and you are very welcome to join us at any of our services.
We also make available 7-day candles which are lit for the evening service and remain in church for the following week. If you would like more information about buying a candle, please download the form here, print it out and return it to us with your payment.
Fasting Before Communion
A very ancient Catholic practice: we prepare ourselves to receive the Lord, by not taking food for one hour before we receive Holy Communion.
This does not apply:
to Medicines
or to Water
These may be taken by anyone, any time.
if you are pregnant, diabetic or need to eat regularly for health reasons:
YOU MUST NOT FAST!
The point of this preparation is to make sure that you thinking of the importance of what you are doing before you get to church. But it isn't supposed to make you ill or to make you feel ill.