All Saints’ Day was marked in churches today. At Our Lady & St Edmund of Abingdon Church, the celebration – normally on 1 November – was transferred to Sunday 2 November this year, with All Souls’ Day to be celebrated on Monday 3 November. All Saints’ honours the saints of every age, known and unknown.

Abingdon has a particular connection to Saint Edmund who was born here around 1175. His childhood home stood near West St Helen Street. His mother, Mabel, was remembered for her faith and her care for the poor. Her influence shaped Edmund’s life. He studied and later taught at Oxford, and in 1234 became Archbishop of Canterbury. He was respected for his learning, integrity, and efforts to bring peace.

His name lives on in Our Lady & St Edmund Church in Abingdon, St Edmund’s Catholic Primary School in Abingdon, and St Edmund Hall, the Oxford college.

In the church notice at Our Lady & St Edmund of Abingdon church, they recognised that Abingdon may have more than one or two saints: Today we honour in a special way the “little” saints – those who will never be officially canonised. Think for a moment of people you have known. What was it about them that impressed you? To be a saint is to be Christ-like …

This evening (Tuesday, 21 October) at St Helen’s Church, the Rev Dr Jen Brown was formally welcomed as the new Team Rector of the Parish of Abingdon-on-Thames by the Bishop of Dorchester, Gavin Collins, and members of the churches.

Jen is already well known in Abingdon. She has been serving as Associate Priest in the parish while also leading training for the College of Preachers. Before that, she taught theology.

Her interests include the links between science and faith, care for creation, and animal welfare. She holds a PhD in the Psychology of Religion, exploring how people’s faith connects with their sense of right and wrong.

As Rector, Jen will now have oversight of the parish’s three churches – St Helen’s, St Nicolas’, and St Michael and All Angels. She made and signed some declarations and was given the keys of the churches. She takes over from the Rev Dr Charles Miller, who retired last year.

Thanks to the St Helen’s Zoom Meeting for the second image.

P.S. The Creation by Haydn already mentioned in last week’s What’s on is a joyful piece of classical music performed by the Inauguration Choir and Orchestra conducted by Sally Mears to welcome Rev Dr Jen Brown to become Rector of St Helen’s Church.

There was a good turnout at Trinity Church on Saturday 23 August, when the Revd Georgina Bondzi-Simpson was welcomed as the new Superintendent Minister of the Wantage & Abingdon Methodist Circuit. Georgina has been minister at Trinity and at All Saints in Abingdon for the past year, and now takes on the added responsibility of being minister at Grove, as well as superintending the circuit, which includes eight Methodist churches across Abingdon, Didcot, Wantage, Wallingford and nearby villages.

The service was led by the Revd Bruce Thompson, alongside the Revd Dr Sonia Hicks, Chair of the Northampton Methodist District, which includes Oxfordshire.

Reflecting on the occasion, Georgina said the word that had stayed with her in preparing for the service was humility. “It’s not just about me,” she told the congregation, “but about all of us being open to God and to each other.”

The circuit has recently reduced the number of ministers from three to two, with lay members and retired ministers now taking a greater part in leading services and activities.

Among those present were the Mayor of Abingdon, Cllr Rawda Jehanli, Georgina’s family, and friends from across the area. Afterwards, people gathered in the Conduit Centre to share sandwiches and a generous spread of cakes — so many that they were still being enjoyed after Sunday morning’s services.

A special service was held at St Nicolas Church this Thursday evening, 21 August, to remember John and Jane Blacknall, who both died on this day in 1625 during an outbreak of plague soon after King Charles I came to the throne.

John Blacknall left money for the upkeep of St Nicolas Church and to help the poor of the town. A tradition of leaving bread on his tomb for those in need was re-enacted at the service.

The Blacknall monument, which shows John, Jane, and two of their three children, was put up by the Blacknall charity in their memory.

The monument has been carefully restored for the 400th anniversary of their deaths, thanks to donations from the legacies of the late Doreen Barnes and the late Andrew Birks.

Father Paul Smith led the service, with a sermon by the Bishop of Dorchester, Gavin Collins. The service used words from the early 1600s, including the King James version of the bible, and music by composer Orlando Gibbons, a contemporary of John Blacknall who also died in 1625, sung by a choir.

In his sermon, Bishop Gavin spoke about John Blacknall’s generosity, reminding the congregation that the good things we have are given by God are to be shared with others.