And so it begins..... no Midnight Mass in many north Cornwall churches

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And so it begins …

 For the first time in more than 70 years there will be no celebration of the traditional and popular Christmas service of Midnight Mass in any rural village parish between the towns of Callington and Saltash in 2023. There are Midnight Masses in Callington and Saltash.

But rural village churches - rather than town churches - are neglected. 

There are eight rural rather than town churches - Botus Fleming, Pillaton, St Mellion, Landulph, St Dominic, Calstock, Harrowbarrow and Gunnislake. None of these have Midnight Mass: traditionally three or four of them would have had done in the past.

All bar Botus Fleming are in the Tamar Valley Benefice. If planned Deanery reorganisation takes place - as proposed by the Diocese of Truro - these seven churches would be merged with another three rural churches plus Callington. An 'oversight minister' would be in charge: no priests in parishes are planned. So there is little chance of the situation
improving.

 If the plans for deanery rearrangements (known as On The Way) are allowed to go ahead unchallenged, congregations and communities may well find that they have already seen their last rural midnight service in the area. Their churches risk being turned into Festival Churches which don’t even celebrate one of the key festivals of the calendar.

 This is not because of lack of funds - it is because of ideology.

 Please sign this petition to help us to try to suspend the deanery plans while alternatives are investigated.

 https://chng.it/L8KfGmrs6p


Comments

Neil Wallis said…
A quick search of the CoE’s website “A Church Near You” proves that - since the diocese of Truro’s On The Way reorganisation - fewer rural churches in North Cornwall have been able to offer their usual popular Midnight Mass service this Christmas. It is correct that there’s some midnight masses available, but that’s in town churches in Callington or Saltash, or larger villages like Menheniot. And that’s bad news for those rural churches whose congregations and parishioners has lost this much-loved staple Christmas service.
23 December 2023 at 16:12
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