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.
Incense
This is a stub: it will be added to as we develop our website.
At St Mary's, we use incense in our most important services.
Incense is burnt in a thurible (that's a brass bowl with chains coming off it, so you can hold it without getting burnt.
We light charcoal, get it white hot and then add incense.
Incense is a tree gum mixed with essential oils and when they're heated, they release smell and smoke.
The smell and the smoke rise up and we can think of our prayers, as a sweet-smelling offering, rising up before God.