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.
Churchyard Fence Campaign
St Mary's receives no funding from local councils, the government or the central Church of England. Each year, we must raise from the people of Swanley all that we need.
The broken-down picket fencing has been repaired so many times that parts of it are now entirely beyond any further help. It is often damaged on the same day that it is repaired and the Church Council has decided it can no longer sanction repair work as this is just a waste of our (very scarce) resources.
This is a very long run of fencing: stretching for 150m or nearly 500 feet, it has needed replacement for many years but this is now urgent.
In places, the damage to the existing fence is so great that people just walk through into the burial ground, paying no attention to the sensitivities of this important place.
We aim to provide a fence which will be:
-
long-lasting
-
secure
-
safe
-
attractive
-
fit for purpose
We can only do this with your help: we are completely dependent on the funds which are given to us and that's why this appeal is being made. Please help to provide the only burial ground in our town with a decent fence.
Photographs of the Fence are copyright 2018 Elaine Fitzsimons: many thanks for permission to reproduce them on the St Mary's website!
The cheapest option would be to install a close-boarded wooden fence but the boundary runs alongside a public footpath and such a fence would mean that anyone who walked down there would be in the dark and completely shielded from view. The Church Council has therefore asked for quotes for steel mesh fencing around 6-7ft high. This will prevent people simply climbing over it and also ensure that those using the alleyway are always visible.