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St Mary the Virgin
​Lowgate Hull

"An oasis of peace in the heart of our city"

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CHristmas 2024

MIDNIGHT MASS

12.15am CHRISTMAS EVE, Tuesday, 24th December, 2024

FESTIVAL OF NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS

3pm Sunday, 29th December, 2024

Please join us this Christmas - all welcome.
From the Archbishop of York and the Bishops of Whitby, Selby and Hull;
16th October 2023

​Dear Sisters and Brothers

A Joint Statement on Violence in Israel and Gaza
We watch with grief and horror as the violence in Israel and Gaza intensifies, following the dreadful terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas. We remember that all people are created in the image of God, and therefore deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, to live lives free of fear and violence.
As the archbishops said in their joint statement last week:
“We are grieved and deeply concerned at the violence in Israel and Gaza, and we unequivocally condemn the attacks by Hamas. We pray for those who are mourning, those who are injured, and all those fearing for their safety. We pray for restraint on all sides, and renewed efforts towards a just peace for all. The way forward must be for both sides to build confidence in a secure future through which Israel and its people can live in security within its internationally recognised borders, and Palestinians have their own state and live in their lands in security, and with peace and justice.”
We condemn the acts of violence, particularly those that are targeting innocent civilians – men, women and children who are killed and held hostage while simply trying to live. We ask that leaders seek a way forward that ends the vicious cycles of violence and finds a way to build peace among peoples and nations, in which everyone can flourish and prosper.
We pray that the peace of God will reign; that justice and mercy will bring an end to war and terror. We pray for the freedom of all peoples, that they may live in unity with their neighbours, that their humanity may be respected and that they may live without fear.
We pray too for an end to violence in this country, particularly for an end to antisemitic violence; our Jewish brothers and sisters deserve to live lives free from fear. No school should have to close because of security threats; places of worship should not need security guards to keep worshippers safe. We stand in solidarity with those in our communities who may not feel welcomed and respected. Prejudice has no place in our society, whether anti-Jewish or anti-Muslim, and the war between Hamas and Israel must not be used to demonise whole communities and destabilise the peace that we so value in our cities and towns.
Finally, we send this email today inviting the parishes of the Diocese of York to do all that they can at such short notice to support the call from Archbishop Hosam, the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, that Tuesday, 17 October be a day of Fasting and Prayer for peace, reconciliation and an end to war. We encourage you and your worshipping community to join in as far as possible (you can read the letter in full here via the Anglican Communion News Service: Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem calls for global prayer following eruption of violence).
In the words of Archbishop Hosam, with people around the world, we pray:
O God of all justice and peace
we cry out to you in the midst of the pain and trauma
of violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land.
Be with those who need you in these days of suffering;
we pray for people of all faiths – Jews, Muslims and Christians and for all people of the land.
While we pray to you, O Lord, for an end to violence and the establishment of peace,
we also call for you to bring justice and equity to the peoples.
Guide us into your kingdom
where all people are treated with dignity and honour as your children
for, to all of us, you are our Heavenly Father.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
 
If you are able, please support the Jerusalem and the Middle East Church Association (JMECA) appeal for the Ahli Arab Hospital to continue providing life-saving medical care:
www.jmeca.org.uk/get-involved/donate/current-appeals-0/al-ahli-hospital-gaza-appeal
​With every blessing -

+ Stephen, Archbishop of York
+ Paul, Bishop of Whitby
+ John, Bishop of Selby
+ Eleanor, Bishop of Hull

PLEASE DONATE

Updated 08/04/22
We need to raise an additional £810,000 for:

£519,000 - repairs to the tower parapet & pinnacles, North Nave clerestory, North Aisle roof, South Nave parapet pinnacles, doors and rainwater drainage and
£291,000 - second phase of internal improvements - creation of meeting area, completion of kitchen and servery and plaster repairs. 

If you can help support this important work please donate either by using the downloadable form on the Our Challenge page or via our online appeal page: ​Give A Little 
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St Mary's would like to thank the following organisations and others for supporting our improvement project with grants and donations:
SAFEGUARDING
To visit our Safeguarding page please click here.
THE FRIENDS OF ST MARY'S ​2024 JOHN SCOTT LECTURE
A Woman’s Work?  Women’s Lives in Late 17c Kingston upon Hull
Many thanks to Mike Rymer for giving our 2024 lecture on 4th September!  Also, thanks to all who helped with preparations and serving refreshments that evening.
THE THREE ANN(E)S 
Saturday, 22 June, 2024 
A huge thank you to Ann Airton and Anne Powell for performing a one-hour celebration in words and piano music of the life and works of  Anne Brontë. 
We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of music and learnt much about Anne, the overshadowed sister.  Thank you also to the Friends committee and all our volunteer team for enabling this event to take place and to the many people who attended.  We raised over £470 towards the upkeep of the church building!
A huge thank you to Michael Free who gave such an interesting talk on 10 October as part of our Friends of St Mary's 2023 series of talks.  It was super to welcome so many people to St Mary's to hear about Joseph Pease who established Hull and Yorkshire's first bank and whose monument is on the south wall inside the church.  Find out more
The Grandsons and Daughters of the Old Temperance Revival
Many thanks to The Grandsons and Daughters of the Old Temperance Revival for a super concert on Saturday, 30 September and for their very kind donation of the proceeds to St Mary's!
Also, a big thank you to all our volunteers who served teas and coffees, to those who baked cakes and to those who washed up!  
St. Mary the Virgin, Lowgate, Hull, is an ancient church dating back to the early fourteenth century, although it is believed a chapel may have existed on the same site before this. The parish now includes the many and various offices, businesses and residences located in the Old Town of Kingston-upon-Hull. 

St. Mary’s has been a focus of the area’s elaborate and rich local history and has been at the heart of life for many generations of local people, merchants, and officials.  The church continues to attract devoted members to its doors and today, as much as before, has a dedicated congregation who are very much a part of the life and fabric of the church.

Today’s congregation, as all others before them, warmly welcome you and hope that you too can sense and share in St. Mary’s long life of prayer and worship.

Where to find us