The Bishop of Exeter has taken part in a service at a church in Devon to bless over 6000 hand-knitted and crocheted poppies, made to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day. The stunning 64ft Remembrance Poppy Cascade is displayed cascading from the church tower at St Peter’s church in Bratton Flemming, North Devon. The idea for the Cascade project came from local resident Sue Squire, who thought of it while watching the 80th Anniversary…
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A retired GP and churchwarden from Devon whose father was Vicar of Crediton during World War Two has shared the handwritten sermon he wrote to celebrate VE Day ahead of the 80th anniversary on 8 May. Jane Richards, 91, was 11 in 1945, when Victory in Europe Day, marking the official end of the Second World War in Europe, was declared on 8 May 1945. Her father, the Rev’d Francis Richards, had been a minor…
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The Bishop of Exeter, the Rt. Rev’d Dr Mike Harrison, began his first Easter Sunday in Devon with a Sunrise Easter Service at Exeter Cathedral. The deeply symbolic service began in darkness inside the Cathedral Lady Chapel, before the Bishop, Dean and congregation processed outside to the cloister garden, where a firepit was lit to symbolise the light of Jesus Christ and his resurrection. The flames were then used to light the large Paschal (Easter)…
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It is with great sorrow that we have received the news of the death of Pope Francis. Francis dedicated his life to the service of his Lord and Church and he was a friend to many different denominations including the Anglican Church. We are sorry to lose a brother in Christ and an ecumenical friend but we commit him to our Lord Jesus Christ in full assurance of the Resurrection we have celebrated this weekend….
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The new Bishop of Exeter, the Rt. Rev’d Dr Mike Harrison, has led his first Maundy Thursday Chrism Eucharist service at Exeter Cathedral. The service gets its name from the Chrism oils, used for anointing the sick and for baptism. They were blessed by Bishop Mike during the service, before being distributed to priests to use in their parishes throughout the year. The Chrism Eucharist is the biggest annual gathering of clergy and Licensed Lay…
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Easter is for me the most important Christian festival and I’m really looking forward to my first Easter in Devon. I’ve been invited by Exeter Cathedral to preach on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and on Easter day. I’ll also be taking baptisms and confirmations in Barnstaple on Saturday evening, so it’s going to be a packed weekend. A lot of Easter traditions can feel like escapism – Easter bunnies and decorated eggs and floral Easter…
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