The Anglican Church Twente, St. Mary’s Chapel Weldam, in the Netherlands has been marking the fact that on 20 September this year it was 25 years since Weldam Chapel was dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin.
The Anglican Church Twente has been holding its services at Weldam Chapel since 1979 at the kind invitation of Count Alfred Solms. The chapel, which was built in 1900, was dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin on 20 September 1987 by Bishop Edward Holland, then Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese in Europe.
The celebrant and preacher at the Dedication Festival this year was the Acting Archdeacon, the Revd Canon Meurig Williams, who came over from England for the occasion.
It was a beautiful service with lovely choral music from the Collegium Musicum Salland. The musical setting for the service was Missa Festiva by John Jordan for congregation, choir and organ. The choir also sang Mozart’s Ave Verum during Communion, which was quite moving especially since it had been sung 25 years earlier at the dedication in 1987.
Canon Meurig Williams began his sermon by saying that he had first read about St. Mary’s in Country Life. You may remember that the Diocesan website reported that our church had made Country Life news in February this year.
http://europe.anglican.org/news/news/post/226-dutch-church-makes-country-life-news/
It has been quite a year of celebration for us at St. Mary’s because it began in March with the Institution and Licensing of our new chaplain Revd. Alja Tollefsen.
Information provided by Simone Yallop. Pictures by Lub Gringhuis.
