Contacting the Abbey...The Abbey Office 12 Kingston Buildings Bath BA1 1LT

The office number is (01225) 422462 (Monday to Friday: 9.00 am - 1.00 pm). Answerphone service outside those hours. The office is normally open to visitors in the morning.

Email office@bathabbey.org Website www.bathabbey.org Facebook / Twitter @bathabbey Fax (01225) 429990

Office Staff Miss Philippa Parfrey, Mrs Sue Clark, Ms Lynn Cornish

Clergy Revd Prebendary Edward Mason, Rector (01225) 318267 Revd Claire Robson, Abbey Vicar (01225) 484469 Revd Stephen Girling, Abbey Missioner (01225) 470340 Revd Evelyn Lee-Barber/Revd Jane Mitchell, Curates (01225) 422462

Clergy Availability The clergy welcome communication on any matters by letter, email or telephone. Please contact the Abbey Office.

Services and Preachers...

Morning Prayer on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8.30 amHoly Communion on Thursdays at 11.00 am and Fridays at 8.30 am

Evening Prayer on Mondays to Fridays at 5.30 pm

August 2017

Abbey News

5 5.30 pm Choral Evensong Sung by Vocalis, Germany

O Lord, make thy servant Elizabeth - Byrd Psalm: 72

WalmisleyinBflat Responses:Doveton(2ndset) TheLordismyshepherd- Hymn:16

6 Transfiguration of our Lord 7.30 am Morning Prayer 8.00 am Holy Communion The Revd Stephen Girling 9.30 am Parish Communion The Revd Claire Robson 11.15 am Sung Eucharist The Revd Stephen Girling Sung by Vocalis MissaPortaeHonoris Hymns:4,318,262,199 God so loved the world – J Stainer 3.30 pm Choral Evensong O Lord, grant the Queen

a long life - Weelkes Psalm: 72 StanfordinF Responses:Doveton(2ndset) IsawtheLord–JStainer Hymn:13 6.30 pm Informal Evening Service The Revd Stephen Girling

13 The Ninth Sunday after Trinity 7.30 am Morning Prayer 8.00 am Holy Communion Mr Jeremy Key-Pugh 9.30 am Parish Communion The Revd Stephen Girling 11.15 am Sung Eucharist Mr Jeremy Key-Pugh Sung by the choir of St Mary’s Church, Bathwick Locus iste – A Bruckner DarkeinF Hymns:235,122,224,

247(2ndTune) Sicut cervus - Palestrina 3.30 pm Choral Evensong

Sung by the choir of St Mary’s Church, Bathwick Oculiomnium–CWood Psalm:86 NobleinBminor Responses:Sanders Thou,OGod,artpraised

inSion–Boyle Hymn:15 6.30 pm Informal Evening Service The Revd Claire Robson

20 The Tenth Sunday after Trinity 7.30 am Morning Prayer 8.00 am Holy Communion The Revd Claire Robson 9.30 am Parish Communion The Revd Stephen Girling 11.15 am Sung Eucharist The Revd Claire Robson Hymns:149,166,104,239 3.30 pm No Choral Evensong 6.30 pm Informal Evening Service The Revd Jane Mitchell

25 5.30 pm Choral Evensong SungbytheRSCMSummerSchoolChoir

CantateDomino–Hassler Psalm:24 Weelkesfirstservice Responses:Shephard Salvatormundi–TTallis Hymn:104

26 5.30 pm Choral Evensong SungbytheRSCMSummerSchoolChoir

He’sgotthewholeworld inhishands–arr.Wilberg Psalm:81

HarwoodinAflat Responses:Shephard Howlovelyare

thydwellings–JBrahms Hymn:10

27 The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity 7.30 am Morning Prayer 8.00 am Holy Communion The Revd Prebendary

Edward Mason 9.30 am Parish Communion Mr Jeremy Key-Pugh 11.15 am Sung Eucharist The Revd Prebendary

Edward Mason SungbytheRSCMSummerSchoolChoir Messe Solennelle – Langlais O Nata Lux – Lauridsen AveVerum–Wills Hymns:195,317,256,101 3.30 pm Choral Evensong SungbytheRSCMSummerSchoolChoir ParryinD(GreatService) Psalm:67 Rejoiceinthelamb-Britten Responses:Shephard Hymn:15 6.30 pm Informal Evening Service The Revd Stephen Girling

receive a potential £100,000 for Footprint. This means that the Abbey will receive £2 every time £1 is donated through local online fundraising platform, Localgiving. If you would like to double your Footprint donation and help us reach our target, please support us through Localgiving at www.localgiving.org/bathabbeyfootprintappeal

If you have any questions about Footprint or the Localgiving campaign, just get in touch with Cath Foxwell, Development

Double your donation to Footprint through Localgiving!A member of the Bath Percent Club has very generously set up a match-fund to raise money for the Footprint Project, asking people to match the donation so that the Abbey can

Officer, on cfoxwell@bathabbey.org or 01225 303314. We are still looking for fundraising volunteers to support the Localgiving Footprint campaign, so if this is of interest to you, please find out more about the opportunity at www.bathabbey.org/volunteering or contact Cath to have a chat about the role.

Rector and Imam join together to pray for BathWe were delighted to welcome Fuad Abdo, the Imam at Bath Islamic Society and mosque, to the Abbey last month.

The Abbey’s Rector, Edward Mason, and the Abbey’s two churchwardens, showed Imam Fuad around the Abbey. One of the highlights including climbing the 212 steps up the Abbey tower to enjoy spectacular 360 degree views across the city. At the end of the visit, the Rector and Imam joined together in prayer.

Edward said, “Separately, in our own faith traditions, we prayed in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for the flourishing and peace of the city. We so enjoyed meeting Fuad and welcome the opportunity to build on this relationship and working together in the future. In fact, we’ve invited members from the Bath Islamic Society to visit us again and look forward to welcoming them here at the Abbey later this year.”

Margaret RoperEarly July very sadly saw the death of a great friend and supporter of many Bath charities and other organisations, Margaret Roper.

Margaret and her husband Brian, who died 3 years ago, had over the years donated over £6 million from the profits of their bathroom fittings company, Roper Rhodes. Charities which benefited from their generosity have included the Theatre Royal, the University of Bath, RUH, the City of Bath College, many musical events and musical organisations and the Abbey where they funded a major part of the 2013 trial repair of the North Aisle. Margaret also gave us her time as a member of the Footprint Appeal Board. Brian and Margaret were great supporters of all aspects of life in Bath and their kindness and advice is already sorely missed.

Time to go… but not yet.As you probably know by now, I have announced the date for my retirement. My last Sunday at the Abbey is planned to be November 5th.

As ever on these occasions, there is for Hilary and me a concentrated mixture of profound sadness and hopeful anticipation.

We are very sad that this decision means we must leave the Abbey community that has come to mean so much to us over the years. For various reasons it seems to be the right time and I have confidence in the team at the heart of the Abbey and the strength of the Abbey’s vision and direction. Leaving is hard but for everything there is a season.

Hopeful anticipation is also a hallmark of these days; anticipation for developments at the Abbey and personal anticipation of new challenges ahead We are uncertain what the future holds but we expect to be living between Cheltenham and Orkney depending on family obligations and new opportunities that may arise.

Between now and November there is much to do, of course. In the autumn we will be preparing for the Footprint building works in early 2018 by closing down the Abbey Offices in Kingston Buildings and moving next door to the Third Floor of Abbey Chambers. The Abbey also has a lease on a house in York Street which will be our office “front door” on the ground floor. I am leading a Witness Visit to Palestine /Israel in September all alongside the usual busy life we enjoy at the Abbey.

After leaving Bath, I will stay as a Queen’s Chaplain which remains a great privilege. My passion has always been for sharing the Christian message and I hope to have more time to focus on specific interests, especially supporting the church in the Holy Land and opportunities for broadcasting. I don’t believe that Christians ever retire from learning about their faith and being a follower of Jesus Christ. As soon as you leave one responsibility something else appears.

There will be opportunities between now and November to say more, but my overwhelming sense is a deep gratitude for the privilege of serving amongst you all. Thank you.

Edward

‘As truly as God is our Father, so just as surely is he our Mother’ Julian of NorwichTo celebrate the 20th Anniversary of our Abbey Girls Choir we are holding a festival concert on Saturday, September 23rd at 7.00pm in the Abbey.

In AD 676 there was a community of women worshipping at Bath in a convent run by Abbess Bertana. This site would have been filled with the sound of female voices as the girls and ladies sang their services. As well as celebrating the Abbey Girls’ Choir this concert draws its inspiration from the generations of women in the Christian faith. The choir will sing the hauntingly beautiful music of Hildegard of Bingen from the 11th Century. There is a special commission by well-known composer Judith Bingham ‘The Sleeping Soul’ with words by the 13th century female mystic St Mechthild of Magdeburg. We have texts by females – notably from Mother Julian of Norwich and the Magnificat (the song of Mary). Other music includes Schubert Psalm 23, Brahms’ Ihr habt nun traurigkeit (written in memory of his mother), Grieg’s Ave Maris Stella, Bruckner’s Ave Maria and music by Mathias, Stanford, Britten and Mendelssohn.

The Abbey girls, founded in 1997 by Dr Peter King (Director of Music at Bath Abbey 1976-2016) was one of the first girls choirs in the country. They have toured extensively and made numerous recordings. They have sung for the Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the Royal Family as well as broadcasting. In April they performed Messiah to great acclaim with baroque instrumentalists Canzona and the soprano solos were all performed by members of the choir. They will also feature on a documentary for American television to be shown in 2018. An annual highlight is the evocative performance in candlelight and accompanied by harp of Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols.

A farewell service to celebrate and give thanks for the ministry of the Venerable Andy Piggott, Archdeacon of Bath, took place at Bath Abbey on 26th June. We were delighted to have helped give Archdeacon Andy the send off he deserves. He’ll be very much missed and we’re grateful for all he has done. Our blessings and best wishes go with him for a very happy retirement.