Welcome to St Mary Magdalene's
St Mary’s is a thriving church within the liberal catholic tradition. The main Sunday service is the Parish Mass at 10am when people of all ages and many nations and backgrounds come together to worship God in song, prayers and communion. We encounter Our Lord Jesus in the reading and preaching of the Bible and in the Sacrament. Our worship strives for relaxed dignity with reverence and joy. As we use all our senses to worship God, incense is used in this Mass.
There are regular Baptisms, Wedding and funerals taking place in the church.
We are a racially mixed congregation with recent arrivals to the Borough and also have some long-established church members. There are a growing number of young families. The Team Vicar is Fr Paul Gurnham.
The church building dates back to approximately 1130 and it is the oldest edifice in the London Borough of Newham. It is Grade 1 listed.
The nine and half-acre churchyard is leased to the London Borough of Newham. Set within the churchyard is a church hall and Nature Reserve Building used by the Council and the local conservation volunteers ('Green Gym'). Every Wednesday morning, the Green Gym work within the churchyard. Many of the local schools regularly visit the church. This links in with the mission of the church within the wider community. We have strong links with two charities, USPG and the Mildmay mission.
Our Vision
East Ham should be a place where the signs of God’s kingdom are discerned and nurtured, and where people, in all their diversity, share in the abundant life of God’s creation.
We seek to worship in ways which honour both the long tradition of Christian witness here and also our constantly changing and very mixed congregations.
We strive to be inclusive and hospitable, to serve and learn, reflecting God’s love for the world through the work which takes place in our buildings and in our lives beyond the buildings.
Mass Times
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Sunday 8am, 10am
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Wednesday 6.30pm (except during August)
For details about all our services and ministries, please see Services and Sacraments