News & Events - Weekly Notices

Evening Prayer in August

As has long been our custom during August, Evening Prayer according to the Book of Common Prayer will be said each Sunday in Quire rather than Evensong. With holidays, family commitments and choirs enjoying a well-earned summer break, August has traditionally been a quieter month. Yet the daily offering of prayer continues, as it has done for centuries, and you would be very welcome to join us as we end the Lord’s Day in the beauty and simplicity of the Prayer Book.

A Time for Rest

Fr Nicholas

Please note that I will be taking annual leave from Monday 3 August until Sunday 23 August inclusive. Helen and I are looking forward to a little time away, an opportunity to recharge the batteries, catch our breath and perhaps even remember what it is like not to have a diary permanently attached to us! During this period Fr Nicholas Gandy will kindly preside and preach at our Sunday Parish Masses and will also celebrate certain weekday Masses at the usual times. These will be advertised in the weekly notices and on our website. As ever, I am extremely grateful to Fr Nicholas for his generosity in enabling me to take a proper break, and to all those who continue the many unseen tasks that keep the life of St Matthew’s flourishing while I am away. A parish is never the work of one person, and I remain deeply thankful for the wonderful team of people who serve so faithfully.

Fr Nicholas 

Weekday Masses - Looking Ahead

Fr Nicholas

Earlier this year we introduced an experimental pattern of weekday Masses, including the celebration of Mass at midday on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Although relatively few comments have been received, the attendance recorded in our service registers suggests a modest but encouraging increase in the number of worshippers over the past six months. On that basis, I intend to recommend to the PCC that these arrangements now become our permanent weekday pattern. Assuming that is agreed, our noticeboard on the Kettering Road will be updated to reflect the revised service times and other changes that have taken place over recent months.

Alongside the revised timetable, we have also gently refreshed the weekday liturgy itself. When Mass is celebrated at midday we now begin by praying the Angelus together before the statue of the Madonna and Child in the North Transept before moving into the Lady Chapel for the Eucharist. New service booklets have also been produced. The previous ones had served us faithfully for many years, but were beginning to look rather tired. Some had become well-thumbed; others were held together more by hope than by staples – and even the staples had begun to rust! The new booklets include a brief welcome and preparation before Mass, prayers of thanksgiving after Holy Communion, and a prayer before we leave the Lady Chapel and return to the demands of everyday life. My hope is that these small developments will help deepen our prayer and remind us that the grace we receive at the altar accompanies us into the whole of our daily living.

Fr Nicholas

The Choir Returns

The Choir of St Matthew's Church

Following the summer break, we are delighted to welcome our choir back on Sunday 6 September. Their return always enriches our worship, and that evening our 5.30pm Evensong will once again be choral. We are deeply grateful to all our singers and musicians for the devotion and skill they bring week by week to our corporate worship of Almighty God.

Confirmation

Taking the next step in faith

Our Parish Confirmation takes place on Sunday 18 October at 10.15am, and I am delighted that Bishop Andrew Proud, Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Peterborough, will preside, confirm candidates and preach.

If you have been wondering whether God may be calling you to take this next step in your Christian journey, now is an ideal time to explore that possibility. Confirmation is one of the great milestones in the life of faith. Through prayer and the laying on of hands, those who have been baptised affirm their faith publicly, receive the strengthening gift of the Holy Spirit, and take their place as communicant members, sharing fully in the sacramental life of the Church.

Application forms for Confirmation (and Baptism where required) are available from me, together with an introductory letter. Once these have been completed and returned, I shall arrange separate introductory meetings for adults and for children and their families. At these we shall agree the dates, times and venue for our preparation sessions. There will also be a rehearsal in church on Saturday 17 October. If Confirmation is something you have been considering, or if you would simply like to know more before deciding, please do come and speak to me. It would be a great privilege to accompany you on this important stage of your journey with Christ.

Healing Mass

Monday 7 September 2006 at 7.00pm

The Lady Chapel

Our monthly Healing Mass takes place on Monday 7 September at 7.00pm in the Lady Chapel. Entry is via the north door facing Collingwood Road.

Throughout the Gospels we see our Lord meeting people at their point of need, bringing healing, peace and renewed hope. Our Healing Mass continues that ministry today, offering a quiet and prayerful opportunity to place ourselves and those we love into his gracious hands. Whether you seek healing in body, mind or spirit, carry concern for someone close to you, or simply long to spend time resting in God’s presence, you will receive a very warm welcome.

Walsingham Cell

Saturday 12 September 2026 at 9:30am

Please note that there will be no Walsingham Cell Mass and meeting during August. We gather again on Saturday 12 September at 9.30 am in the Lady Chapel. New members are always most welcome.

Healing Ministries on Sunday

Sunday 13 September 2026

The Lady Chapel

The healing ministries are offered after the administration of Holy Communion on the second Sunday of the month, 13 September. After receiving Holy Communion – or God’s blessing if you are not receiving the Sacrament – you are warmly invited to make your way to the Lady Chapel, where a priest will be available to offer the laying on of hands and, where appropriate, the Sacrament of Anointing. The laying on of hands may be received either for your own needs or on behalf of someone who is particularly on your heart. The Sacrament of Anointing is administered personally to those seeking Christ’s healing grace.

Many within our congregation speak quietly but movingly of the comfort, strength and hope they have received through this ministry. If you have not experienced it before and would like to know more, please speak to one of the clergy or to a fellow worshipper who regularly receives this ministry. We shall be delighted to answer your questions.

All Age Mass

Sunday 13 September 2026 at 10.15am

All Age Masses

Our September All Age Mass takes place on Sunday 13 September at 10.15am. 

This month we shall reflect on two beautiful accounts of forgiveness: Joseph’s reconciliation with the brothers who had betrayed him, and our Lord’s Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. Together they remind us that forgiveness lies at the very heart of the Gospel. God’s mercy towards us is beyond measure, and he invites us to extend that same mercy to one another. Many of us carry hurts, disappointments or misunderstandings that are difficult to lay aside. Sometimes reconciliation seems almost impossible. Yet Christ offers the freedom that comes when we allow his grace to soften our hearts and heal our relationships.

Although designed especially with children and families in mind, this remains the Parish Mass for us all. We hope worshippers of every age will join us as we learn together what it means to forgive as we ourselves have been forgiven. Refreshments, kindly provided by our Café Guides, will be served in church afterwards.

House Group

Wednesday 16 September 2026 at 2.00pm

Our next House Group meets at the Vicarage on Wednesday 16 September at 2.00pm, lasting for about an hour.

These afternoons continue to provide a relaxed opportunity to explore the matters of faith together, share our thoughts and questions, and encourage one another in the Christian life. Those who come regularly clearly value both the conversation and the fellowship, and anyone who would like to join us for the first time will be made most welcome.

The 133rd Patronal Festival

Monday 21 September 2026 at 7.30pm

Fr Ben Eadon CMP

The Feast of St Matthew the Apostle, patron of our parish, falls on Monday 21 September, and we shall celebrate our Patronal Festival Parish Mass at 7.30pm. Our preacher this year is Fr Ben Eadon CMP, Priest Administrator of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Some of you will know Fr Ben from time spent at Walsingham. He has previously served in parochial ministry in Sunderland, Worthing and Brighton, and we are delighted to welcome him to St Matthew’s.

The Patronal Festival is one of the great celebrations of our parish year. It is both the feast of our patron saint and the anniversary of the founding of this parish. On St Matthew’s Day in 1893, this church was consecrated to the glory of God by the Bishop of Peterborough, Bishop Mandell Creighton, who also instituted the Revd John Rowden Hussey as our first Vicar. The generosity of the Phipps family, fulfilling the wishes of Pickering Phipps II, gave this magnificent church to the people of Northampton. More than one hundred and thirty years later, their gift continues to enrich the lives and witness of God’s people in this place.

As we gather for this year’s festival, we shall give thanks for those who have gone before us in faith, for all that God has accomplished through this parish, and for the privilege and responsibility of continuing that witness in our own generation.

Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham

Thursday 24 September 2026 at 7.30pm

The Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham falls on Thursday 24 September.

Following conversations with members of our Walsingham Cell, this year we shall mark the day with a Parish Mass with hymns at the Nave Altar at 7.30pm, rather than simply observing the feast with the usual Lady Chapel Mass. Although it comes between our Patronal and Dedication Festivals, it seemed right to give greater prominence to a devotion that has become such a source of blessing for many within our parish.

Pilgrimage to England’s Nazareth and membership of the Society of Our Lady of Walsingham have deepened the faith of many of us, enriching our love for Christ through the prayers and example of his Blessed Mother. We hope others may come and discover something of that richness for themselves. Refreshments and fellowship will follow the Mass, kindly provided by members of the Walsingham Cell.

The 133rd Dedication Festival

Sunday 27 September 2026

St Matthew's Church

On Sunday 27 September we celebrate the Dedication Festival of our church with the Parish Mass at 10.15am, including procession, and Solemn Choral Evensong at 5.30pm.

While our Patronal Festival celebrates St Matthew the Apostle, the Dedication Festival celebrates this church building having been solemnly set apart for the worship of Almighty God. Since its consecration in 1893, generation after generation has gathered here to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, baptise children, bless marriages, commend the departed to God’s mercy and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet this feast also reminds us that the Church is far more than stone and timber. This building is the Domus Ecclesiae – the House of the Church – but the Church itself is God’s pilgrim people. We are the Body of Christ, the living stones from which he continues to build his kingdom in every generation.

This year we shall also give thanks for the twentieth anniversary of the rededication of our restored 1895 Walker organ. Its restoration was itself an act of faith, vision and generosity, and twenty years on it continues to lead our worship with distinction, inspiring congregations and musicians alike.

St Matthew's Ladies Group

St Matthew's Ladies Group meetings are on Monday afternoons from 2.00pm till 4.00pm in the Parish Centre, on the second and fourth Mondays of the month. For more information on meetings coming up, visit our St Matthew's Ladies Group page.

Michaelmas

Tuesday 29 September 2026 at 7.30pm

St Michael defeating the Devil

Our September celebrations conclude with the Feast of St Michael and All Angels on Tuesday 29 September, when the Parish Mass will be celebrated at 7.30pm.

Michaelmas is one of the Church’s great festivals. It reminds us that God’s creation extends beyond what we can see, and that throughout the Scriptures the holy angels are revealed as God’s faithful servants and messengers. They worship continually before his throne, rejoice over those who turn to Christ, strengthen God’s people in times of trial, and proclaim his victory over the powers of darkness.

The Archangel Michael stands as a powerful sign that evil will never have the final word. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the decisive victory has already been won. In a world that can often seem uncertain and troubled, Michaelmas calls us to renewed confidence, reminding us that we worship with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven, joining our voices with theirs in the eternal praise of God.

Harvest Thanksgiving - Looking ahead

Sunday 4 October 2026

Harvest Thanksgiving

As I write these notes – in the exceptional heat of late July – the farming news is already suggesting that this year’s harvest will be three or four weeks earlier than has traditionally been the case. The changing pattern of our seasons has prompted us to reflect on the timing of our own Harvest celebrations.

For many years, long before my arrival at St Matthew’s, Harvest Thanksgiving has been celebrated on the first Sunday in October. There have been good pastoral reasons for this. September is already exceptionally full, with our Patronal Festival, Dedication Festival and Michaelmas, while the beginning of the school year means that families and our uniformed organisations are only just settling back into their regular routines. To move Harvest this year, at the very start of that busy period, would be unnecessarily disruptive.

Accordingly, we shall maintain our familiar pattern this year. Harvest Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Sunday 4 October, with our 10.15am All Age Harvest Mass, followed by Harvest Songs of Praise at 4.00pm, and supper together afterwards in church.

Looking further ahead, however, it seems increasingly likely that we shall move our Harvest celebrations to a Sunday in September in future years. Such a change would better reflect the reality of the farming year and allow our thanksgiving to coincide more naturally with the gathering of the harvest itself. We shall make that transition carefully and with plenty of notice, ensuring that it sits well alongside the many other important events that fill our September calendar. Harvest remains one of the happiest occasions in our parish year, as together we give thanks to Almighty God for the abundance of his creation, the labour of those who produce our food, and his unfailing generosity towards us all.

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