St. Patrick's is usually open daily 0900 to 1700 but will close at dusk when earlier. Everyone is welcome and we hope all visitors enjoy the beauty, peace and tranquillity of our Church
For more information on activities and events, see the list on the "Forthcoming Events" page.
29 September - Michael and All Angels.
So what do we know about angels, to which the answer is probably not a lot. We presumably do believe in angels, as they figure substantially in the New Testament, particularly Gabriel as the messenger to Zachariah and Mary; and Michael as the leader of the heavenly host which expelled Satan and his host from Heaven. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus states at his arrest that He could call for more than twelve legions of angels for help if He wanted, so there are a lot of them around! Angels are spiritual beings serving God, especially as messengers.
The earliest surviving mention of Michael the Archangel is in the 3rd century Book of Enoch, listing him as one of seven archangels (the remaining names are Uriel – meaning "God is my light," Raguel - "God shall pasture", Raphael – "God has healed" , Sariel – "beloved of God", Gabriel – "strength of God", and Remiel – "thunder of God". According to a slightly later work, the Book of Tobit, they "stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord". As Michael - whose name means "who is like God" - is introduced in both works without explanation, it implies that readers already knew of him and the other named angels, which in turn implies that they are earlier than the late 3rd century BC, but their origins remain a matter for speculation. Michael is mentioned again in the Book of Daniel, composed in the 2nd century BC.
Christianity adopted nearly all the Jewish traditions concerning Michael and the seven Jewish archangels (traditions differ but always include Michael). They were associated with the branches of the menorah, the sacred seven-branched lampstand in the Temple as the seven spirits before the throne of God, reflected in the Revelation of John - "From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God". Michael is mentioned explicitly in Revelation, where he does battle with Satan and casts him out of heaven so that he no longer has access to God as accuser, his formal role in the Old Testament.
In Judaism, the belief developed that every human being has a heavenly representative, a guardian angel. God watches over people and it is in this context that the guardian angels are sent back and forth as emissaries to aid in this task. The nature of the angel is to constitute a permanent contact between our world and the higher worlds. An angel's missions go in two directions: an emissary of God downward and a messenger who carries things upwards from below. In the New Testament, the concept of guardian angel is reinforced; and Jesus set a seal upon the Old Testament teaching - "See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." Guardian angels work both for single persons and for communities of people. Revelation refers of the angels of the seven churches of Asia working in the role of their guardians.
Other examples in the New Testament are the angel who succoured Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, and the angel who delivered St Peter from prison.The Letter to the Hebrews states: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them, who shall receive the inheritance of salvation?" In this view, the function of the guardian angel is to lead people to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Are you in contact with your guardian angel?
Covid19's continuing financial impact.
Like other charities, St. Patrick's was badly affected by lockdown, plus the subsequent closure for major repairs. We are now even more reliant upon the income from the events we hold, and donations from church members, the local community and any more distant supporters. We lost around 70% of our usual income in 2020 and this did not recover significantly in 2021, and although things are looking better this year, we are very conscious of current economic circumstances, with increased costs impacting on church finances and upon the personal finances of our contributors. Much of our reserves were expended financing our share of the major repair project costs, which could not have proceeded without the grant aid we received. Even then, we still have repair, refurbishment and enhancement costs exceeding £1m to meet over the next few years. We will of course keep applying for grants, but the day to day running costs of St. Patrick's are up to us and our community to find. St. Patrick's cannot survive without people and money; and both are in increasingly short supply.
May we ask all our congregation and supporters to consider if you can increase your support, in kind as much as in cash, but ONLY if this can be done without adverse impact on yourself and your family. If you wish to help in the running of the church, please contact the PCC Secretary. If you wish to donate money, you can do so direct to the church's Barclays Bank account, the sort code is 20-43-47, account name is PCC of Patrington, and account number 30707988. Please, though, provide a transaction description so we know who is making the donation.
Safeguarding vulnerable people.
St. Patrick's Church takes very seriously our duty to safeguard vulnerable people. More information is available from the PCC's Safeguarding Officer (see the "Contact us" page) or from the Diocese of York at https://dioceseofyork.org.uk/safeguarding.
Facebook.
We now have a Facebook page -St Patricks Church Patrington - authentic page- to keep everyone in touch. The title is a bit longwinded as there were already other pages about the church which aren't ours. If you like what you see, whether on Facebook or on this website, please tell your friends. Better still, come and visit our lovely church - visitors always welcome, but if you want to see it all, it will take a couple of hours.