Weddings
We welcome enquiries about celebrating your wedding at St Mary’s. Please contact officestroudwater@gmail.com
Getting married?
Have you thought about having your ceremony at St. Mary’s Church?
You can marry in church if you can show:-
That one of you:
- has at any time lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months or
- was baptised in the parish concerned or
- was prepared for confirmation in the parish or
- has at any time regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months or
That one of your parents, at any time after you were born:
- has lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months or
- has regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months or
That one of your parents or grandparents:
- was married in the parish
You could satisfy the conditions if you decide to commit to coming to a church service at
St. Mary’s once a month for six months before your wedding. We would be delighted to welcome you to our congregation.
Useful websites are: yourchurchwedding.org and churchofengland.org
Baptisms
Baptism (or Christening) is offered for people of any age. Please contact officestroudwater@gmail.com
https://www.churchofengland.org/weddings-baptisms-funerals/baptism.aspx
Funerals
Funeral or memorial services and burial of ashes can be arranged through the Rector, officestroudwater@gmail.com or your funeral director. A book of remembrance is held in the Lady Chapel and entries in it may be requested through our contact form.
St. Mary’s Orchard
In January, 2012, the new churchyard extension was planted with 12 apple trees, all different Gloucestershire varieties with names such as Arlingham Schoolboys and Elmore Pippin; they are mainly dessert trees, but some are cookers, some cider, and some multi-purpose. We also planted one Longden Perry Pear grafted in Frampton, 2 Crab Apples, an ornamental pear, 2 Arbutus Andrachnoides and an English oak. The trees will have metal labels with their names written on them and we hope that people may like to dedicate a tree to the memory of a loved one. Their tree would have a brass dedication plate backed with a wood mount attached to a wooden stake set in the ground beside the tree. The minimum contribution would be £100 per tree, but the PCC hope that generally donations will exceed this, as the first few have done.
The north end of the new churchyard extension is to be kept as a Garden of Remembrance where ashes may be buried. Part of this area has been sown with wildflower seed, not to be mown until the flowers have headed and dropped their seed. This will be good for insects and pollination. There is a teak bench, given in memory of Bob Greenway, planted round with rosemary – for remembrance. To keep this area natural and so that people can come and sit quietly to remember and reflect, the Churchwardens and PCC have agreed that there will be no headstones where ashes are buried. Commemorative bronze plaques may be engraved and put on the new west wall.
Book of Remembrance
In June 2009 the PCC decided that there was a need in the parish for a Book of Remembrance, and through the efforts, creative skills and imagination of a number of parishioners, a beautiful Book of Remembrance is now displayed on a yew stand in the North Chapel in the church, in which the calligrapher has already made several entries. Such entries cost £40 for four lines with an additional £10 for every additional line. Contact pennysumsion@gmail.com
