THIS IS THE TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS SUBMITTED TO THE EAST ANGLIA DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER
This year, St Benet’s, Beccles celebrated our Patronal Festival over the weekend 14/15 July, with four different events.
Saturday saw our “parish historian” Richard Jones, give a fascinating insight into the history of our church building, designed by local architect, Francis Banham, and originally intended to house a small community of Benedictine Monks – hence our official title of St Benet’s Minster. For this event, we welcomed a group of parishioners from St Felix Parish, Felixstowe, led by Fr, John Barnes, whose own church was also designed by Banham. We learned something of the life and difficulties faced by our ancestors, and we certainly owe a huge debt to those families who provided so many of our local churches and monasteries
For Richard’s talk and a tour of the church, we were also joined by Fr Leo Maidlow Davis
, Prior of Downside Abbey.
Fr. Davis stayed with us for the weekend and he was very impressed by the exhibition of St Benedict’s life and works, prepared by the children of our Parish School.
Fr Davis also celebrated our Sunday masses for us, and it was a real pleasure for many parishioners to meet the Prior and chat with him after mass.
However, It wasn’t all work! A group of our stalwart parishioners laid on a splendid Parish Picnic in the presbytery grounds, after Sunday forenoon Mass.
The glorious weather helped the enjoyment – and we were ably entertained by Tom and Digby Harrison, on guitar and violin.
OTHER PHOTOGRAPHS ARE AVAILABLE!
A full selection of the photographs of the Patronal Festival are available on screen.
Just use the link shown below and, if requested, use the password StBenedict – note, there is no space and there are two capital letters .
https://onedrive.live.com/?id=2327C3658F735CE7%211492&cid=2327C3658F735CE7
Depending on your software, you may be able to click on a “slide show” option.
If you would like a personal copy of any photo(s), just click on it and make a copy – or send an email to tmob@sapo.pt. (PS Make sure I can identify the photo you want – I may not know every parishioner by name!)
If you don’t have a printer and would like a paper copy, drop a note to tmob@sapo.pt.
St. Benet's Minster Catholic Church, Beccles 