Minster News

31 March 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 four service times on Easter Day.

The 6.00am service begins outside at the foot of the Minster tower. We will be warmed and illuminated by the flames of the Easter fire. (Sunrise is at 6.49am, so we may just see a crack of light in the sky at 6.00am!) After the service bacon rolls, tea & coffee will be served (free!).

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 (3.00pm) 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!

Thursday 25 January 2024

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

This commemoration is organised by a small collection of community representatives and Somerset Council.

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.

On Friday morning the Reverend Tobie Osmond, Taunton Minster’s Vicar, was on BBC Radio Somerset’s Simon Parkin show talking about Epiphany.

Click here to hear what he had to say.

If you are looking for somewhere warm to spend some time this winter here is a list of places in Taunton offering a place to be in the warm.

The Minster is a warm space and is open Monday to Friday (9am -3pm), Saturday (9am – 2pm) and on a Sunday is open for our services.

Pupil chaplains from four primary schools across Somerset met for their annual pilgrimage at Taunton Minister on 15 November. Pupil chaplains usually come from year 5, they volunteer for the role, and are appointed, trained and commissioned.

The chaplains help lead prayer and worship, offer pastoral care to their fellow pupils, look out into the community and help, for instance, with food banks and dementia cafés. As a group they will meet regularly with their school chaplains to learn more about the Christian faith. The annual Pupil Chaplaincy Retreat gives the Pupil Chaplains the opportunity to celebrate and pray, to learn more about their role and to learn from each other.

Today, 14 September, it has been announced that our very own Magdalene’s Coffee Shop is the winner of the County Gazette Café of the Year!

You can read much more here.

This is a wonderful achievement for Mrs Sandra Hall, our volunteer manager, together with her team of dedicated volunteers. Without them, this acolade would not have been possible.

See more about the Coffee Shop here.

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The County Gazette Readers have nominated 10 cafes from the County Gazette Taunton area for their Cafe of the Year competition.

Voting is set to take place in the weeks of August 14 and August 25.

You can pick up a copy of the paper and fill in the voting coupon. More here.

Fantastically well done to our volunteer Shop Manager, Sandra Hall and her dedicated volunteer team for getting into the top 10! Amazing!

The cafes nominated are:

• The Hive Café, Trull Church Community Centre, Trull, TA3 7JZ. 01823 330812
• Silver’s Pantry, Prockters Farm, West Monkton, TA2 8QN. 01823 413443
• The Rocking Horse Café, Brewers Water Farm, Crowcombe, Taunton, TA4 4BH. 07590 846727
• Courtyard Café, Museum of Somerset, Taunton, Castle Green, TA1 4AA
• Café Expresso, High Street, Taunton 38 High Street, TA1 3PN. 01823 352133
• The Brook, Avery’s Garden Centre, Taunton Silk Mills Road, TA1 5AA. 01823 618610
• The Weir, French Weir Park, Taunton TA1 1AW
• Mr Miles Tea Room, High Street, Taunton TA1 3PG. 01823 322288
• Magdalene’s Coffee Shop, Taunton Minster, Taunton, Church Square, TA1 1SA
• Block, Magdalene Lane, Taunton 4-6 Magdalene Lane, TA1 1SE