A Warm Welcome to
ST MARY’S CHURCH, HITCHIN
Our regular Sunday Communion Services are at 8 am and 10 am in Church. Midweek communion takes place at 11am on Wednesdays. After our services at 10 am on Sunday and 11 am on Wednesdays do stay and join us for a coffee and a chat. Our ‘One Bread’ inclusive service on the first Sunday of each month is a more relaxed version of our worship.
Evensong with our choir is held twice per month.
Our junior group of Seekers meet during the 10 am service and we also have a Youth Explorer Service. Our new monthly service for young people in year 5 and up, who are interested in exploring faith in Jesus and growing as a community with other young people. It will be interactive with a chance to ask questions and have fun.
Services start: 19th April, with subsequent sessions on 10th May, 7th June and 5th July.
Service times: 3-4pm
Location: Church House
All are welcome to come and enjoy our services or simply to spend time in our beautiful and historic Church.
Quiet, well- behaved dogs on leads are welcome in church. Out of respect for others, please ensure that your dog remains close to you under the pew and under control at all times. This will be varied for Christmas and Remembrance Services.
The Wardens
St Mary’s is open every day, weekdays & Saturdays from 9 am to 3.30 pm and Sundays from 8 am
For updates and more details please follow our Facebook and Instagram pages each week as listed below and see our posters.
LIVESTREAMED Services on Sundays are available to watch live at 10 am, 6.30 pm or anytime afterwards on our Youtube channel available on this link: https://www.youtube.com/c/stmaryshitchin
Further updated details of our services, opening times and events are found on our public Facebook page @StMarysChurchHitchin .
You can follow us on the following platforms:
www.facebook.com/StMarysChurchHitchin
Instagram stmaryschurch_hitchin
https://twitter.com/stmaryshitchin_
An Easter Message from Rev Chris Bunce
As we gather this Holy Week and Easter, we stand at the meeting point of deep sorrow and unshakeable hope. The story of Easter does not begin in joy, but in darkness—in betrayal, suffering, and the grief of Good Friday. It reminds us that God does not turn away from the pain of the world, but enters into it fully. And so, as we look upon our own world today, especially the ongoing war and conflict in the Middle East, we cannot pretend that all is well. We see lives lost, families torn apart, and communities living in fear. Our hearts ache, and rightly so.
Yet Easter speaks into this very reality. The resurrection of Jesus is not a denial of suffering, but a declaration that suffering does not have the final word. The stone is rolled away not only from the tomb, but from every place where despair seems immovable. In the risen Christ, we are given a hope that is not fragile or fleeting, but enduring and alive—a hope that insists that peace is still possible, that reconciliation is still worth striving for, and that love is stronger than death.
At the same time, we cannot miss the quiet, persistent signs of new life all around us. Spring has come again. The earth, which seemed barren and lifeless just weeks ago, is now bursting with colour and vitality. Blossoms open, birds sing, and longer days invite us to step outside and breathe deeply. Creation itself seems to echo the message of Easter: that life can emerge from what appears to be lifeless, that renewal is woven into the very fabric of God’s world.
This Easter, we are called to live as people of resurrection. That means holding sorrow and hope together—refusing to ignore the pain of the world, while also refusing to surrender to it. It means choosing kindness where there is division, seeking understanding where there is conflict, and offering compassion where there is hurt.
May the risen Christ meet you where you are today—in your joys and in your struggles—and may the promise of new life take root in your heart. For Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
The Rev’d Chris Bunce
Team Rector – Hitchin and St Paul’s Walden.
Rural Dean of Hitchin
Latest News Stories
Repair work to begin on Hitchin’s St Mary’s Church
https://www.thecomet.net/news/24867101.repair-work-begin-hitchins-st-marys-church/
A Warm Welcome to
ST MARY’S CHURCH, HITCHIN
Our regular Sunday Communion Services are at 8 am and 10 am in Church. Midweek communion takes place at 11am on Wednesdays. After our services at 10 am on Sunday and 11 am on Wednesdays do stay and join us for a coffee and a chat. Our ‘One Bread’ inclusive service on the first Sunday of each month is a more relaxed version of our worship.
Evensong with our choir is held twice per month.
Our junior group of Seekers meet during the 10 am service and we also have a Youth Explorer Service. Our new monthly service for young people in year 5 and up, who are interested in exploring faith in Jesus and growing as a community with other young people. It will be interactive with a chance to ask questions and have fun.
Services start: 19th April, with subsequent sessions on 10th May, 7th June and 5th July.
Service times: 3-4pm
Location: Church House
Quiet, well- behaved dogs on leads are welcome in church. Out of respect for others, please ensure that your dog remains close to you under the pew and under control at all times. This will be varied for Christmas and Remembrance Services.
The Wardens
St Mary’s is open every day, weekdays & Saturdays from 9 am to 3.30 pm and Sundays from 8 am.
For updates and more details please follow our Facebook and Instagram pages each week as listed below and see our posters.
LIVESTREAMED Services on Sundays are available to watch live at 10 am, 6.30 pm or anytime afterwards on our Youtube channel available on this link: https://www.youtube.com/c/stmaryshitchin
Further updated details of our services, opening times and events are found on our public Facebook page @StMarysChurchHitchin .
You can follow us on the following platforms:
www.facebook.com/StMarysChurchHitchin
Instagram stmaryschurch_hitchin
https://twitter.com/stmaryshitchin_
An Easter Message from Rev Chris Bunce
As we gather this Holy Week and Easter, we stand at the meeting point of deep sorrow and unshakeable hope. The story of Easter does not begin in joy, but in darkness—in betrayal, suffering, and the grief of Good Friday. It reminds us that God does not turn away from the pain of the world, but enters into it fully. And so, as we look upon our own world today, especially the ongoing war and conflict in the Middle East, we cannot pretend that all is well. We see lives lost, families torn apart, and communities living in fear. Our hearts ache, and rightly so.
Yet Easter speaks into this very reality. The resurrection of Jesus is not a denial of suffering, but a declaration that suffering does not have the final word. The stone is rolled away not only from the tomb, but from every place where despair seems immovable. In the risen Christ, we are given a hope that is not fragile or fleeting, but enduring and alive—a hope that insists that peace is still possible, that reconciliation is still worth striving for, and that love is stronger than death.
At the same time, we cannot miss the quiet, persistent signs of new life all around us. Spring has come again. The earth, which seemed barren and lifeless just weeks ago, is now bursting with colour and vitality. Blossoms open, birds sing, and longer days invite us to step outside and breathe deeply. Creation itself seems to echo the message of Easter: that life can emerge from what appears to be lifeless, that renewal is woven into the very fabric of God’s world.
This Easter, we are called to live as people of resurrection. That means holding sorrow and hope together—refusing to ignore the pain of the world, while also refusing to surrender to it. It means choosing kindness where there is division, seeking understanding where there is conflict, and offering compassion where there is hurt.
May the risen Christ meet you where you are today—in your joys and in your struggles—and may the promise of new life take root in your heart. For Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
The Rev’d Chris Bunce
Team Rector – Hitchin and St Paul’s Walden.
Rural Dean of Hitchin
Latest News Stories
Repair work to begin on Hitchin’s St Mary’s Church
https://www.thecomet.net/news/24867101.repair-work-begin-hitchins-st-marys-church/
Our Bulletin
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Services
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What’s On?
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Safeguarding
Learn how St Mary’s take action to promote a
safer culture for the welfare of children, young people and adults.
Activities
Know more about the activities that we do here at St Mary’s
ST MARY’S OPENING TIMES
Except when special services occur, we are open for all visitors from 9 am until dusk in winter or 5 pm in Summer. Morning prayer will be said at 9 am. on Mondays to Thursdays only
Please note: There may be no entry at these times where this coincides with weddings or funerals, maintenance, or any unforeseen events. If so, this will be indicated by signs outside the main doors. Do check with the Parish Office well ahead if you are making a special journey.
DROP US A LINE
We would love to meet you, why not pop along to one of our services, or get in touch.