News & Events - Parish News

July Pastoral Letter from the Vicar

Saints, Seasons, and Stoppage Time

Posted on Wednesday 1 July 2026 at 7:00am

Fr Nicholas

July is one of those curious months that seems to exist in two worlds at once. The summer holidays beckon, school terms draw to a close, gardens burst into life (and weeds likewise with remarkable enthusiasm), and many of us begin to think about holidays, lighter evenings, and perhaps the possibility of a little rest.

And, lest anyone should accuse the parish magazine of being entirely detached from contemporary life, I should also acknowledge that a significant proportion of the globe will be spending July with one eye on the FIFA World Cup. Nations will rejoice, despair, celebrate unexpected victories, lament questionable refereeing decisions, and confidently explain afterwards exactly how the manager should have done it differently. It is one of the few occasions when entire countries appear to acquire expert tactical knowledge overnight. Yet even amid the excitement of competition, the tournament reminds us of something important: people of every nation, language, and culture share a common humanity. Christians, of course, would add that we are all members of one human family, created in the image of God.

Yet the world itself rarely seems to take a holiday. As I write, we continue to witness conflict, uncertainty, political upheaval, economic pressures, and growing concern about the care of our planet. The news can sometimes leave us feeling weary and burdened. It is perhaps no coincidence that one of the great themes of our All Age Mass this month is Jesus’ invitation: “Come to me, all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Those words are not addressed merely to first-century disciples but to twenty- first-century Christians trying to navigate an increasingly complicated world.

The Church, too, keeps its own calendar, and July is rich in saints whose lives continue to speak to our own circumstances. On 3 July we celebrate St Thomas the Apostle. Poor Thomas is forever remembered as ‘Doubting Thomas’, which seems rather unfair. After all, the other disciples had already seen the risen Christ before Thomas was asked to believe. Perhaps he is the patron saint of all who have questions, uncertainties, and moments when faith feels difficult. Thomas reminds us that honest questions are not the enemy of faith. Indeed, they may sometimes be the doorway to a deeper faith.

A few days later comes St Benedict, often called the Father of Western Monasticism and Patron of Europe. Benedict understood that holiness is usually found not in dramatic gestures but in the faithful keeping of daily routines: prayer, work, study, hospitality, and community life. In a culture that often values noise and novelty, Benedict gently reminds us that God is frequently found in the ordinary.

Then comes St Swithun, whose name inevitably raises the annual question: “Will it rain for forty days?” Northampton weather-forecasting has not, to my knowledge, yet been entrusted entirely to medieval saints, but his feast does prompt us to think seriously about our stewardship of creation. Climate change is no longer a distant possibility but a present reality. Christians believe that the earth is God’s gift to us, and that caring for it is not a political fashion but a spiritual responsibility.

Later in the month we celebrate St Mary Magdalene, the first witness to the resurrection and often described as the ‘Apostle to the Apostles’. She stands at the empty tomb carrying grief, confusion, and loss, only to hear her name spoken by the risen Lord. Many people today carry hidden wounds of one kind or another. Mary Magdalene reminds us that Christ still calls people by name and still brings healing, hope, and new beginnings.

The Feast of St James the Apostle follows on 25 July. James was a fisherman before he became a disciple. In an age when many communities connected with agriculture and fishing face uncertainty and challenge, his feast invites us to pray for all whose livelihoods depend upon the land and sea. James also learned, sometimes painfully, that discipleship is not about seeking the places of honour but about learning the way of service.

Finally, towards the end of the month, we celebrate Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Few families in the Gospels feel quite so recognisable. Martha is busy organising, Mary is listening at the Lord’s feet, Lazarus quietly occupies the middle ground, and before long someone is having a robust discussion about priorities. It all feels wonderfully familiar. Yet theirs was a home marked by friendship, hospitality, learning, faith, and love. Their story reminds us that Christ is often encountered not only in church but around dining tables, in conversations, in acts of welcome, and in the ordinary business of family life.

All of these themes find their place in the life of St Matthew's this month. Our Summer Fête, the All Age Mass, the Healing Mass, the ministry of anointing, the Walsingham Cell, and our regular worship all seek, in different ways, to help us encounter Christ in community.

As schools break up and many begin their summer travels, I encourage you to make time for rest, for family, for friendship, and for prayer. God himself rested on the seventh day, and experience suggests that most vicars eventually discover they are not more indispensable than the Almighty.

May this summer be for you a season of refreshment. May Christ strengthen your faith when it is tested, deepen your hope when the world feels uncertain, and fill your heart with the peace that only he can give.

Your sincere friend and parish priest,

Fr Nicholas

June Pastoral Letter from the Vicar

The Call to Unity and Peace

Posted on Monday 1 June 2026 at 11:15am

Fr Nicholas

June brings before us two great festivals of the Church which, in different ways, invite us to reflect upon the heart of our Christian faith and the cost, privilege, and calling of discipleship.

On Sunday 7 June we shall celebrate Corpus Christi, not strictly a feast-day but a ‘Day of Thanksgiving for Holy Communion’. In recent years we have transferred this observance from its traditional place on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday to the following Sunday, so that a greater proportion of our worshipping community may have the opportunity to reflect upon the central act of our parish life: the celebration of the Holy Eucharist – the Mass.

This year’s celebration will take the form of an All Age Eucharist, presenting both a challenge and a precious opportunity. We live at a time when many people, not least the young, are searching for meaning, belonging, and spiritual depth. The Church’s sacramental life speaks directly into that longing. In the Eucharist, Christ gives himself to us under the outward signs of bread and wine: a sacred meal, spiritual nourishment for the journey of this earthly life, and a foretaste of the heavenly banquet prepared for God’s faithful people.

At the heart of this gift stands the command of Christ himself: “Do this in remembrance of me”. The Eucharist is not merely a recollection of something long ago, but a living participation in the saving love of Christ, offered for the life of the world. It is my hope that many of our younger members will take part in the liturgy with fresh understanding this year, and perhaps witness for the first time the beauty and devotion of the Corpus Christi procession and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Such moments can leave a deep and lasting impression upon the soul, awakening wonder and reverence before the mystery of God’s presence among us.

Then, towards the close of the month, on Sunday 28 June, we celebrate the Feast of St Peter. Peter, so often impetuous and flawed, was nevertheless called by Christ to be the “rock” upon which the Church would be built. His story is a reminder that the Church rests not upon human perfection, but upon God’s grace working through fragile human lives surrendered to Christ.

The ministry of Peter continues in the Bishops of Rome, and so this feast naturally invites us to pray for Pope Leo and for the unity of Christ’s Church throughout the world. In an age marked by fragmentation, suspicion, and division, the call to Christian unity remains urgent. We may not yet share full visible communion between our churches, but we can and must pray and work for that unity for which Christ himself prayed on the night before his passion: “that they all may be one”.

Both Corpus Christi and St Peter’s Day also remind us that faithfulness to Christ is never without cost. Christ gave himself sacrificially in the Eucharist. Peter bore witness to Christ ultimately through suffering and martyrdom. Their witness speaks powerfully into our own troubled times.

We look around the world and see the terrible consequences of hatred, prejudice, and religious intolerance. The continuing conflicts in the Middle East have exposed deep wounds – political, cultural, ethnic, and religious – with suffering borne above all by ordinary people, families, and children. We have also witnessed with sorrow the growth of antisemitism and hostility towards people of faith in many places, including within our own society. As Christians, we are called to resist every temptation towards hatred or careless speech. Our vocation is not to inflame division, but to seek truth, peace, reconciliation, and the dignity of every human person. This does not mean ignoring injustice or abandoning conviction, but it does require us to speak truthfully, charitably, and prayerfully. The Gospel calls us always towards de-escalation rather than bitterness, towards understanding rather than caricature, and towards peace rooted in justice.

In the Eucharist we receive the Prince of Peace himself. In St Peter we see a disciple transformed by grace into a servant of reconciliation and steadfast witness. May these observances renew in all of us a deeper love for Christ, a greater devotion to his Church, and a renewed commitment to be instruments of his peace in a wounded world.

Your sincere friend and parish priest,

Fr Nicholas

The 1895 Walker Organ in St Matthew’s

by Tom Moore, Director of Music

Posted on Sunday 19 April 2026 at 8:40pm

The 1895 Walker Organ in St Matthew’s

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the rebuilding of the grand Walker Organ in St Matthew’s.

It is well documented that the instrument, considered a masterpiece of Walker’s work and of international significance due to its largely original specification and unaltered pipework, was by the early 2000s starting to become unreliable and difficult to maintain due to age and component parts simply having worn out. The organ needed a major rebuild, and the Vicar and PCC at the time saw fit to invest some £360,000 into its complete renovation. The organ underwent major ‘surgery’ in 2005/2006 and was ultimately restored, rebuilt and rededicated at the Dedication Festival in September 2006.

To mark this 20 year milestone, we are planning a number of events and recitals this year to showcase the organ, and to give those who have an interest in the instrument an education in how the instrument works, how the pipes make sound, and to show you around the instrument into parts of the organ that you never see from your seats in the nave. It is a fascinat- ing instrument and can very easily be taken for granted each time we come for services where the organ is in use. We expect to be able to turn it on, for the organist to sit at it, and for music to come out; but its unbelievably complicated systems mean that it is a pure wonder that such a thing ever makes the beautiful sounds we hear and appreciate each week.

The celebration of this organ which St Matthew’s and its people should feel so rightly proud of will initially take on the form of a series of recitals by organists who have a connection to St Matthew’s, which will take place on certain Sunday evenings after Choral Evensongs. Later in the year, we are planning a ‘meet the organ’ event and, at St Matthew-tide, a silent movie will be presented where the organ will be used to accompany a film on a big screen. Keep an eye out for dates being released soon.

Building a More Generous Church

Posted on Friday 13 February 2026 at 11:01am

Over the coming weeks you will receive a handout outlining the financial position of our parish and the very real need to grow our regular income if we are to remain sustainable for the long term. Alongside this, during the Sundays of Lent, Fr Nicholas will be preaching and teaching about the meaning of Christian stewardship. This is about far more than balancing accounts. It is about the shape of a Christian life. What does generosity look like in our time, our gifts, our attention, our hospitality – and yes, in our giving? Each week these themes will connect with the season of Lent and with the Sunday Gospel readings, helping us to see stewardship as a spiritual response to God’s grace. The future shape of our life together in God’s name depends, in part, on how each of us responds. Please take time to read the material carefully, to pray, and to reflect. A simple question to hold before God might be: “Is it generous?”

We believe in a generous God who pours out his love without measure. A generous life is therefore one of the clearest signs of Christian faith. As generosity grows, so does our likeness to the God we worship. The ministry and mission of St Matthew’s are sustained through the faithful generosity of parishioners – thank you for all that is already given, and for all that is prayerfully considered in the weeks ahead.

A reminder that we need your consent

Live-streaming, GDPR and Your Consent

Posted on Monday 16 September 2024 at 11:30am

Online live-streaming of services

Some of St Matthew's services (most Sunday mornings and some special services) are live-streamed or recorded for those who cannot attend church in person. Under GDPR, the church must gain the consent of anyone whose image may be captured, as this constitutes collection of "personal data". This includes clergy, readers/intercessors, musicians and congregation.

Whilst every attempt is made not to capture the faces of members of the congregation, this may occasionally happen if people turn around or move around the church during the service. The exception is communion, when the congregation is not filmed. The side aisles and back of the nave are so far as possible film-free areas not covered by the camera. Anyone whose personal data is collected must give their consent. Consent forms are available in church and online . The full policy can be read on our parish website or on the noticeboards in church.

Please read Our Privacy Policy - Filming & Photography and if you are happy to, give your consent by downloading, printing, signing, and handing in the form to a church representative or the Parish Office on your next visit. The consent form can be found at the bottom of the page.

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