Patronal and Harvest and Heritage rolled into one!

Ipswich’s smallest and oldest church, St Mary at the Elms, is rolling out the red carpet this weekend with a combined celebration of their Patronal Festival, the annual harvest and the Heritage Open Days. As well, of course, to welcome the ‘Riders and Striders’ for Suffolk Historic Churches.

Various displays will help visitors find out more about this beautiful old church including:

• Information about the present and past shrines of Our Lady of Grace of Ipswich
• A fine scale model of the Westgate quarter of Ipswich in medieval times
• A photographic display featuring the tower clock (the oldest in Suffolk?), the bells (one of the earliest cast by a woman) and the church’s C17th silver plate
• A display of vestments with an explanation of the use of colours throughout the church’s year

Sunday Eucharist at 10.45 will be a Sung Mass celebrating Mary Mother of the Harvest, and the gifts of food being offered will be passed on to the Ipswich FIND food bank.

Entrance to the church on Elm Street, Ipswich is through the thousand-year-old door, recently reported as being the third oldest in the UK!

The church will be open from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday and from 9 am to 4 pm on Sunday.