Minster News

Take a look at the new Peregrine pages of the website here. With four eggs laid in March this year, three hatched on 27 April and the fourth the next day. The Peregrines progress has been of great interest to the thousands of visitors who have been visiting Luke Jerram’s Gaia exhibit.

30 April 2023: Sad news this morning regarding the chicks as one died overnight. It had been looking weak on Friday and as it didn’t appear to feed on Saturday—it clearly wasn’t well.

You can see short video clips here.

21 May 2023 11.00am

 

The APCM and the meeting for the election of Churchwardens will take place immediately after the 10am service on Sunday 21 May.  We will be electing two Churchwardens, three Deanery Synod members and six PCC (Parochial Church Council) members. Please consider whether you would like to fill any of these positions. Nomination forms will be available at the back of church from 3 May 2023.  Requests for reports will be sent out shortly.

9 April 2023

Alleluia, Christ is Risen. He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

You are warmly invited to join us at Taunton Minster to celebrate the great Feast of Easter ~ The Day of Resurrection!

Please see the poster for our three service times on Easter Day.

The 6am dawn service is followed by a delicious hot breakfast. Watch the sunrise as we begin the service at the foot of the Minster tower warmed by the flames of the Easter fire.

For all the details about Easter Day Festal Choral Evensong at 5pm please click here.

The day of resurrection! Earth, tell it out abroad;
the passover of gladness, the passover of God.
From death to life eternal, from earth unto the sky,
our Christ hath brought us over, with hymns of victory.

Services for Holy Week are shown here.

Holy Week is the most sacred week in the Christian year. It begins with the commemoration of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Wednesday, and climaxes with the commemoration of the Last Supper (Holy Communion) on Maundy Thursday and the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday. Jesus rested in death from the ninth hour (3 pm) on Good Friday until just before dawn on Sunday morning, the day of his resurrection from death, commonly known as Easter Sunday—The Day of Resurrection!

The eagle-eyed among you – or maybe the peregrine-eyed? – may have noticed that since November 2021 our iconic 50 metre tower has been missing one of its four weathervanes. If you hadn’t noticed, then take a look – the one pinnacle standing empty can be seen not just when standing in the churchyard looking up, but also from far away.

Why have been weathervane-less? Simply because the iron work of the original had failed and was in danger of falling, so it was intentionally removed. There have been lots of unavoidable delays in getting the weathervane refurbished, but the gilding work is now complete, and a new replica mast has been fabricated. Today, conservation specialists were on site to reinstate the weathervane. Alas, further unforseen problems were encountered—some of the original ironwork embedded in the pinnacle has corroded and failed and some specialist engineering work will be required to renew this. Doing this work at 50 metres up is quite an undertaking.

So, with the Peregrine season fast approaching (when we are required to avoid any disturbance tower-top) it means a further delay to the weathervane’s return, both until later in the year and also for when an engineering solution can been found. Then there’s the challenge of funding this new, unexpected and costly phase of work too……..

However, you can see in the photo here the newly gilded weathervane looking stunning….albeit at ground level.

World Leprosy Day always takes place on the last Sunday of January.

This date was chosen by French humanitarian, Raoul Follereau as a tribute to the life of Mahatma Gandhi, who did much work with persons affected by leprosy and died at the end of January in 1948.

It is organised by organisations of people affected by leprosy and leprosy-focused NGOs, including The Leprosy Mission, and is an opportunity to lift up the voices of people affected by leprosy throughout the world.

Find out more at here.

Come into the Minster on Saturday 28 January and learn more about The Leprosy Mission in the Gifts & Books shop.

12.30pm at St John’s, Park Street, Taunton TA1 4DG

This year’s theme is Ordinary People

A time to reflect and remember – which will include a short talk on local man, Frank Foley, to be given by Tom Mayberry, CEO Somerset Heritage.

Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) is an international day on 27 January to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution of other groups and during more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

27 January marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.

The Holocaust threatened the fabric of civilisation, and genocide must still be resisted every day. Our world often feels fragile and vulnerable and we cannot be complacent. Even in the UK, prejudice and the language of hatred must be challenged by us all.

HMD is for everyone. Each year across the UK, thousands of people come together to learn more about the past and take action to create a safer future. We know they learn more, empathise more and do more.

Together we bear witness for those who endured genocide, and honour the survivors and all those whose lives were changed beyond recognition.

Saturday 5 November

The Minster hosted a Diocesan Confirmation with 34 candidates from 16 parishes presented to Bishop Nigel Stock, Assistant Bishop, Diocese of Bath & Wells.

The service also included the rite of Holy Baptism and Bishop Nigel sprinkled water from the font upon the candidates and through the congregation, using a traditional Rosemary bush .

It was a wonderful celebration of faith and Bishop Nigel spoke of God’s generosity and abundance in sowing seed for every person to receive. At the end of the service the newly confirmed processed through the Minster, led by Bishop Nigel, and with each holding a lighted candle. On receiving these symbols of the Light of Christ, the whole congregation acclaimed “Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father.”