Minster News

Remember! the Clocks spring forward on Easter weekend—1.00am on 31 March 2024.

25, 26 & 27 October 2024

It gives us great pleasure to launch the booking for our Parish Weekend Away which is taking place on 25, 26 & 27 October 2024. We’ll be staying at the beautiful Northgate House Hotel which is at Buckfast Abbey.

We will have the hotel to ourselves and our guest speakers will be Archdeacon of Taunton, Simon Hill and his wife, Julia Hill, Head of Deanery and Parish Support / Acting Head of Mission Support and Ministry Development for Bath & Wells Diocese.

We arrive late Friday afternoon and finish after Sunday lunch. The beautiful surroundings make this a very special weekend.

You can pick up a printed copy of the brochure and booking form at the Minster or speak to churchwarden Valerie Gaskell for a copy. You can also get the brochure and booking form using the button below.

If you would like to go, please complete the booking form and return it to Valerie or to the Office, with a £50 deposit to secure your place.

You can now find details about enrolling on the Electoral Roll and a downloadable application form by clicking here.

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) is on Sunday 19 May 2024 at about 11.30am (following the 10.00am service). If you are on the Electoral Roll you can vote on certain matters. In advance of the meeting, now’s a good time to get enrolled!

At the 10.00am service on Mothering Sunday and to mark Woman Composer Sunday, John Bodiley will play a prelude before the service and a fugue after the service. These will be by Dame Ethel Smyth and are based on the Lenten chorale O Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid.

Context

Launched by the Royal College of Organists & Society of Women Organists in 2021, this annual celebration of women composers takes place on the Sunday nearest to International Women’s Day.

“We already include music by women composers in the repertoire for our Diploma examinations, but it’s been exciting to work with colleagues in SWO in unearthing much more.” RCO Chief Executive Sir Andrew Parmley

“Throughout history, women have composed music, despite many suffering restricted access to education and opportunities. Now we live in a more welcoming culture, enriched by diverse voices and experiences, and eager to uncover the counter-narratives of the past.” Ghislaine Reece-Trapp, Co-Chair of the Society of Women Organists

Wells Cathedral announces changes to its admission guidelines

If you enjoy visiting our Cathedral in Wells, then from 22 April you’ll find a change in the admission arrangements. At the moment it is by donation, but from 22 April adult tourism visitors will be asked to contribute to the upkeep with a set admission charge. There will be no charge for people who wish to come into the Cathedral to pray, attend a service or light a candle.

However! If you are on the Electoral Roll of Taunton Minster and live within the Diocese of Bath and Wells, you can apply for a free Wells Cathedral Parish Pass.

You can get the Wells Cathedral Parish Pass application form by clicking here. When you have completed your form, it will need to be signed by one of the churchwardens or the Vicar. You can then take your fully completed form to the Welcome Desk in Wells Cathedral between 9.00am and 4.30pm (11.00am to 3.00pm Sundays) in order to collect your pass.

More on Cathedral admission charges and arrangements by clicking here.

In the six weeks of Lent, Taunton Foodbank will provide emergency food parcels for local people and families facing hardship.

The amount of help needed is outstripping the donations being received.

At the Minster, there’s a table and basket on your right, just as you enter the nave where we will be pleased to receive your donations.

Also, you can take donations directly to the foodbank at:
Unit 4, Belvedere Trading Estate, Albermarle Road, Taunton TA1 1BH

Drop off deliveries can be made to the warehouse loading bay: Monday to Friday 9.00am – 12.00pm.

Here are the top 10 urgently needed items:-

• UHT Milk
• Tinned Fruit
• Tinned Carrots
• Tinned Sausage & Beans
• Tinned Ravioli / Tinned Spaghetti
• Tinned Macaroni Cheese
• Tinned Vegetarian Meals
• Mug shots / Cup a Soup
• Tinned Rice Pudding
• Tinned Custard.

Thank you for your support.

You are invited to remember your loved ones with flowers at the Minster for Easter.

We ask for a donation of £3.50 towards the cost. Please put the money in an envelope, clearly marked with the name of the person to be remembered, and hand it in to the Benefice office or to a churchwarden.

At Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. During the long period of Lent preceding this we observe a time of reflection and fasting and the church is bare of flowers, to reflect the solemnity of the season. This makes the contrast to Easter itself – when flowers are used in abundance to express the joy and triumph of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead with the assurance of life eternal—all the more striking.

Several flowers are traditionally associated with Easter, having acquired symbolic meaning over the years. Lilies, with their large white trumpet-shaped blooms and lovely fragrance, are the most well-known flower used at Easter. There are many meanings associated with this flower. The white hue represents Jesus’s purity, and the shape of the trumpet recalls the trumpet of the angel Gabriel. Also, the flower grows from a bulb buried in the ground, which is symbolic of Christ’s resurrection.

Monday 26 February ~ Friday 8 March

Souls of Our Shoes – a Journey into and out of Domestic Abuse

This powerful exhibition consists of sixty pairs of shoes, each with a quote from a victim of domestic violence.

It is organised by the Diocese of Bath and Wells Mothers’ Union and is coming to the Minster with viewing during normal opening times.

Context

On average two women every week are killed by a partner or ex-partner in England and Wales. The ‘Souls of our Shoes – A journey into and out of Domestic Abuse’, aims to raise awareness of domestic abuse and highlight the impact it has on families.

The exhibition has been designed and organised by the Mothers’ Union. It is being used in a variety of diocesan and parish contexts to draw attention to the issue of domestic violence. The display features shoes of all different styles, sizes, and colour. Each contains a comment from those who have walked away from abuse and those who have journeyed with them.

Madeline Hellier, Diocesan President of the Mothers’ Union in Bath and Wells says, “The exhibition is designed to draw attention to the fact that domestic violence is going on. Most people think it’s not going on in their street, with people they work with, or believe it can’t possibly happen to people they know, but the collection of shoes is designed to make people become more aware. To recognise it can happen to anyone, anywhere. It has some really powerful messages which will make people stop and think, so that somehow, together, we can help break the cycle of abuse.”

The exhibition was created by the Mothers’ Union in Scotland. It is an extension of the Union’s initiatives to highlight abuse, and the practical and prayerful support that is offered to families. It is hoped the exhibition can “provide a reminder that with timely help, many can escape from their abusive situations, rebuild their confidence and live in safety”.