A new Reverend is appointed

“The Reverend Pete Molloy has been appointed Rector of Buxted and Hadlow Down.  Pete comes to us from Canada, where he has served in parishes in Saskatchewan and Ontario.  He has now been granted the necessary visa to undertake this role, though his post is subject to legal formalities.  We look forward to welcoming him, his wife Ann and son Simeon.  The date of his institution and induction will be finalised in the near future.”

NEWS FROM ST MARY’S – September 2020

NEWS FROM ST MARY’S – September 2020

The St Mary’s site is sometimes referred to as the ‘parish campus’ as we have not only the church, but also The Rectory, the Church Hall and more recently, the Community Garden in the top field.  All of these require administration and maintenance, relying on voluntary effort in a number of areas.

There was a ‘deep clean’ of the Church Hall in July, in readiness for the re-opening of the Hall. It is hoped that this will be in September, but we are of course subject to government rules and requirements, which are subject to change. Homer tells me that the Dementia Group would very much like to come back, and Universal Dance are eager to have some definite dates for their children’s class. We are also hoping to cater for the canine community with some regular ‘fun dog training’ classes. So fingers crossed that all this will be able to go ahead.

A few weeks back I completed my own response to the Reading Room survey, and commented that the two halls in Church Road could usefully co-ordinate with each other to avoid clashes of dates, and also to accommodate events which require safe outside space and parking. St Mary’s is able to tick both these boxes and so is ideal to host larger outside events.

The Rectory remains empty, but hopefully not for too much longer. We had a very successful working party at the end of July to tame the garden, and our mowing contractor will be keeping the grass down until the new Rector arrives. The appeal for furniture and fittings seems to be going very well, so all is set to provide a welcoming home environment for Rev. Molloy and his family.

In the churchyard we have adopted a policy of keeping the Upper Churchyard ‘wilded’ for the summer, with strimming taking place in the late Autumn. The other areas of the site, including the Community Garden, are being close cut.

You may have noticed a large area immediately behind the church which is also close cut and enclosed by rose hedging. This will eventually serve as a Garden of Remembrance. We have permission to provide some bench seating, and some tentative enquiries are being made with the Diocese as regards what may be possible to accommodate memorials.

Sunday church services are now re-instated, and we also open the church every day for visitors and private prayer. Do drop in to the ‘campus’ if you find yourself in the centre of the village. Apart from The Rectory, it is fully open to the public and is a well kept and tranquil place and, we hope, a credit to the village.

Keith Revoir

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