Rogation Sunday26 May 201910.30 EucharistRevd Nicholas Mercer There is a story of a vicar who had just arrived in his parish and was wanted to get to know his flock There was a house high up on a moor and the earnest vicar was determined to go and say hello to the new owner One day he […]
Fifth Sunday of Easter19 May 201910.30 EucharistDom John Wisdom (formerly of St Mary’s Church, Port Stanley, Falkland Islands) I think Nicholas may have told you that we served together in the Falklands, which the tourist brochures describe as “interesting, different unique”. I could loosely be labelled an Augustinian and Bolton Priory was an Augustinian house, Nicholas has […]
Fourth Sunday of Easter12 May 201910.30 EucharistRevd Nicholas Mercer About twenty years ago, in advance of a NATO posting, I had to be positively vetted As well as a very thorough exploration of my private life, the interviewer asked me if I was a monarchist I was rather taken aback at the question as I thought the […]
Third Sunday of Easter5 May 201910.30 EucharistRevd Nicholas Mercer I have now been in Bolton Abbey for just over a month Coming to live at Bolton Abbey, I have been immediately struck by three things on my doorstep The first is the peace I love the peace and tranquillity of Bolton Abbey As I look out of […]
Second Sunday of Easter28 April 201910.30 EucharistRevd Nicholas Mercer In 1972, the art critic Peter Berger wrote an influential book called “Ways of Seeing” The book is currently being revisited by Radio 4 as it seeks to examine how we might now look at things anew in the digital age But as the title of the original […]
Easter Sunday21 April 201910.30 EucharistRevd Nicholas Mercer One of the strikingly different things about my ministry in the Falkland Islands was funerals In the Falkland Islands, coffins were brought into the Cathedral the day before the day of the service itself The body would repose at the Chancel steps overnight Families would sometimes come in and visit […]
Maundy Thursday18 April 201919.00 Eucharist of the Last SupperRevd Nicholas Mercer In 1972, I went to York Minster with my Mother and her sister to see the Queen after the Maundy Thursday Service I was nine years old at the time. However, the memory of the event stayed with me as the Queen stopped to talk to […]
Palm Sunday14 April 201910.30 Sung EucharistRevd Nicholas Mercer Last summer, I almost took part in a riot with my sons We were staying in an apartment in Santiago and there was, what appeared to be, a perfectly friendly demonstration going on in the street below us There was chanting and someone banging a drum but nothing to […]
Fifth Sunday of Lent7 April 201910.30 Sung EucharistRevd Nicholas Mercer Today marks the beginning of Passiontide It is a two week period which marks the final journey of our Lord to his death on Good Friday The term, perhaps, is confusing as we normally associate Palm Sunday with the start of Passiontide particularly as we will read […]
Revd Nicholas Mercer Bolton Abbey Parish Magazine April 2019 First Pastoral Letter I have now been back in the United Kingdom for nearly three months after a year in the South Atlantic. Spring is finally emerging from the gloom of winter, but it goes without saying that we are all living in a world of […]