Events List Navigation
December 2024
The PCU’s Carols and Christmas Music
Join the Portsmouth Choral Union (PCU) for their family-friendly celebration of Christmas. Interspersed with audience carols, join the PCU, Castle Primary School Choir, and St Mary’s Church’s organ in performances of traditional carols and festive music. Pieces to be performed include ‘Carol of the Bells’, ‘The Light Will Lead Me’, and two carols written by current choir members. Tickets cost £18 for adults or £2.50 for children and students, and can be bought in advance on the PCU’s website, or…
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: 3rd Sunday of Advent – 15th December 2024 – St Mary’s Portsea
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the hymn sheet here. You can find our notices for the week here.
Carol Singing
You are invited to join us in traditional carol singing around some local streets. Meet us outside the church at 6pm, and make sure to wrap up warm!
Churches Homeless Action Carols
A celebration of Christmas and the distribution of vouchers collected via local churches and groups to agencies who will be supporting those in need over the Christmas season. A chance for us to share a ‘gift’ with others.
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: 4th Sunday in Advent – 22nd December 2024 – St Mary’s Portsea
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the hymn sheet here. You can find our notices for the week here.
9 Lessons and Carols
A traditional telling of the Christmas Story through readings and carols sung by the congregation and choir. The service will be followed by sherry and mince pies. You can watch this service livestreamed online, either on our Facebook page or our YouTube channel.
St Mary’s Nativity Service
The Christmas story is told by our local children and young people, as we celebrate the sharing of the greatest gift.
St Mary’s Midnight Mass
Join us, with St Mary’s Choir and a team of talented instrumentalists, as we give a joyful greeting to the Christ child. You can find a livestream of the service on our YouTube channel or our Facebook page. To follow along, you can find the order of service here.
Christmas at St Mary’s
Join us at either 9am, for a quieter service following the Book of Common Prayer (which has been used for 500 years), or 10am, for our Christmas service, as we come together to give thanks for the coming of Christ. You can watch a livestream of the 10am service on our Facebook page or our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the hymn…
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: 1st Sunday after Christmas – 29th December 2024 – St Mary’s Portsea
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the hymn sheet here. You can find our notices for the week here.
January 2025
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: Epiphany Sunday – 5th January 2024 – St Mary’s Church, Portsea
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the hymn sheet here.
Messy Epiphany
Join us for another session of Messy Church, our free, family-friendly sessions for young people to explore the church. This time we’ll be exploring Epiphany, the time when the three kings visited Jesus. There will be a variety of craft and fun activities to help us, including lolly stick stars & kings, crowns, and an obstacle course (because the kings’ journey to Jesus was not straightforward!). Registration is at 9:45am, before the activities start at 10am, and finish with hearing…
Celebrating Christs Presence: Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – 12th January 2025 – St Marys Church
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. You can find our notices for the week here.
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: 2nd Sunday of Epiphany – 19th January 2025 – St Mary’s Church Portsea
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the hymn sheet here. You can find our notices for the week here.
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: 3rd Sunday of Epiphany – 26th January 2025 – St Mary’s Church Portsea
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the hymn sheet here. You can find our notices for the week here.
February 2025
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: 4th Sunday before Lent – 9th February 2025 – St Mary’s Church Portsea
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the hymn sheet here. You can find our notices for the week here.
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: 2nd Sunday before Lent – 23rd February 2025 – St Marys Church Portsea
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along you can find the hymn sheet here. You can find our notices for the week here.
March 2025
St Mary’s presents ‘Dick Whittington’
The clergy and congregation of St Mary’s & St Faith’s present ‘Dick Whittington’, a pantomime for the whole family. Join us at St Faith’s Church for either an afternoon performance at 2.30pm or an evening performance at 7pm. Tickets cost £4 for adults or £2 for those under 16. You can book tickets by contacting 02392 822 990 or officeassistant@portseaparish.co.uk
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: Sunday before Lent – 2nd March 2025 – St Mary’s Church Portsea
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along you can find the hymn sheet here. You can find our notices for the week here.
Shrove Tuesday – Pancake Races & Food
Join us as we celebrate Shrove Tuesday, before Lent begins. We’ll be holding a series of pancake races, eating African food, and then competing in a quiz. Tickets cost £3 for adults and £2 for those under 16; they must be booked in advance, either through officeassistant@portseaparish.co.uk or from the back of church.
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: Ash Wednesday
Join us as we mark the beginning of the Lent season. At 12pm, there will be a quiet service with the imposition of ashes. Later, at 7pm, we will be holding a special sung mass, again with the imposition of ashes.
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: 1st Sunday in Lent – 9 March 2025 – St Mary’s Church, Portsea
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the hymn sheet here. You can find our notices for the week here.
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: 2nd Sunday in Lent – 16th March 2025 – St Mary’s Church Portsea
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the
Music Foundation Concert Series 2025: Grant Hardy
Join us for an afternoon of classical music and musical theatre with St Mary’s Choir’s own, very talented, tenor – Grant Hardy! From Purcell and Handel to Lloyd Webber and Bernstein, come along for a varied musical experience. This is a FREE concert in aid of The Music Foundation with a retiring collection to support Endometriosis UK, whom Grant will be further supporting by undertaking a skydive in the summer.
Soup Lunch for Bishop’s Lent Appeal
Join us for a soup lunch after our Noon service, a chance for community and to support the Bishop’s Lent appeal (supporting Tearfund, USPG, and Vista; more details on the dioceses’ website)
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: 3rd Sunday in Lent – 23rd March 2025 – St Mary’s Church Portsea
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the hymn sheet here. You can find our notices for the week here.
Choral Evensong
A traditional service of Choral Evensong will be held on Sunday at 4pm – a time of peace and reflection for our “Living Hope” Lenten reflections. The music for the service will be: Responses – Plainsong Office Hymn: Maker of Earth, to thee alone (Caithness) Psalms 12 & 13 (Anglican Chant – Walmisley, Ouseley, Harker, Buck) Setting: Walmisley in D minor Anthem: O Vos Omnes – Croce Final Hymn: As Jacob with Travel (Jacob’s Ladder)
Celebrating Christ’s Presence – Thanksgiving Mass for the Feast of the Annunciation
A Thanksgiving Mass as we keep the Feast of the Annunciation at St Mary’s. During the service, we will be giving thanks for the lives of the recently departed from our community, including Rita Fergusson, David Yates, Jean Alford; Arthur Haselden and Fr Michael Brotherton. The service will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel, you can the order of service here and the hymn sheet here.
Portsmouth Choral Union: Passion Music and Feel the Spirit
Join the Portsmouth Choral Union as they perform Will Todd’s ‘Passion Music’, a fusion of jazz and choral music which journeys through the Passion story, and John Rutter’s Feel the Spirit, a cycle of seven well-loved spirituals. Alongside the choir will be conductor David Gostick and a jazz band including a saxophone, trombone, and piano. Tickets can be bought in advance on the PCU’s website or on the door by card payment only. Adult tickets cost £18, while tickets for…
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: Mothering Sunday – 30 March 2025 – St Mary’s Church Portsea
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel To follow along, you can find the order of service here. You can find our notices for the week here.
April 2025
Messy Holy Week
Join us for a morning of Holy Week crafts & activities to help families explore the hope and joy of the Easter story. Activities include egg painting, biscuit decorating, an egg and spoon race, and the construction of a tomb from cardboard boxes. Registration will begin at 9.45am, with activities continuing until 11.15am when there will be a story and songs.
Celebrating Christ’s Presence – 5th Sunday in Lent – 6th April 2025 – St Mary’s Church Portsea
To watch our livestream, you can go to our Facebook page or our YouTube channel To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the hymn sheet here. You can find our notices for the week here.
Passiontide Meditation
This coming Sunday sees a special Meditation for the season of Passiontide: one of the most important points of the church year. Please join us for this special service of Readings and music – featuring a selection of beautiful and captivating choral works, organ preludes and piano pieces, in the glorious space of St Mary’s Church. Free entry, with a retiring collection in aid of the Music Foundation.
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: Palm Sunday – 13th April 2025 – St Mary’s Church, Portsea
Join us at 9:30am at St Faith’s Church as we process through Fratton with palm crosses, streamers and a band as we begin the journey to the Cross, remembering Jesus’ own entry into Jerusalem. The procession will arrive at 10:00am at St Mary’s Church where we will hold our Sunday eucharist as a parish. If you do not feel able to partake in the procession, join us at this point for our Sunday service and to hear the Passion Narrative.…
Celebrating Christ’s Presence – Mass & Reflections for Holy Week
Join us for an evening eucharist and reflections from our guest preacher, Canon David Isaac. Services will take place each day from 7pm.
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: Maundy Thursday
At our services we reflect on the events of the Last Supper – the washing of the disciples’ feet; Jesus breaking bread and sharing the cup; and then his ask of us to ‘watch and pray with him’ in the Garden of Gethsemane till he is betrayed by Judas. Join us at St Mary’s Church from 7.30pm for a Eucharist of the Last Supper, including washing of feet, before a watch of prayer until midnight. This service will be livestreamed…
Good Friday for Young People
Join us as we use music, pictures, and arts and crafts in a procession around the Stations of the Cross, to explain Jesus’ journey to the cross. This service is designed to be accessible to families, and will end with toasted hot cross buns.
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: Good Friday
Our churches are stripped and empty – our focus is on the Cross and all it stands for and means. We hear John’s Gospel’s account of the first Good Friday and reflect on the cross, pray at it’s feet, and end in stillness receiving the body of Christ. Join us at St Mary’s Church at 1pm for a series of reflections on the cross, interspersed with silence. At 2pm, we will hold a Liturgy of the Cross, as we remember…
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: Holy Saturday
As a Parish we all gather for one of the most beautiful and special service of the year as we gather in darkness before welcoming the coming of the light of Christ – celebrate his new life with light and joy! Join us for the Vigil of Readings before we move into the first mass of Easter! The service will be livestreamed to our YouTube channel and our Facebook page. To follow along, you can find the order of service…
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: Easter Sunday – 20th April 2025 – St Mary’s Church, Portsea
Join us on Easter Sunday as we celebrate the resurrection of Christ! At St Mary’s Church, join us for a traditional Book of Common Prayer service at 8am, a Sung Mass & Baptism at 10am, or Choral Evensong and Benediction at 4pm. The sung mass will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel and our Facebook page . To follow along, you can find the order of service here. You can find our notices for the week here. At St Faith’s…
May 2025
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: 3rd Sunday of Easter – 4th May 2025 – St Mary’s Church Portsea
This service will be livestreamed on our Facebook page and our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the hymn sheet here. You can find our notices for the week here.
May Fayre 2025
St Mary’s Church will once again be opening its churchyard up to thousands of visitors with its annual May Fayre. The event will host a variety of activities and stalls, from Morris dancing to choir singing, local businesses to the Real Ale Beer Tent, and fairground rides to community activities. Entry to the May Fayre, and to watch the performances, is FREE. As is traditional for May Day celebrations, the May Fayre will include a troupe of Morris Dancers performing…
Music Foundation Concert Series: Portsmouth High School’s Young Musicians
Join us for an early evening concert of music from the young musicians of Portsmouth High School, showcasing and celebrating their varied musical achievements. Entry is FREE, with an optional retiring collection in aid of the Music Foundation, St Mary’s charity which helps provide musical access and education to young people in our local community.
A Big Breakfast for Christian Aid
A chance to enjoy the legendary Bacon butties and help raise funds for Christian Aid.
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: 6th Sunday of Easter – 25th May 2025 – St Mary’s Church Portsea
This service will be livestreamed on our Facebook page and our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the hymn sheet here. You can find our notices for the week here.
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: Feast of the Ascension
Join us at St Faith’s as we remember Jesus ascending to heaven to sit at the right hand of his Father.
June 2025
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: 7th Sunday after Easter – 1 June 2025 – St Mary’s Church Portsea
This service will be livestreamed on our Facebook page and our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. If you would like to sing along, you can find the hymn sheet here. You can find our notices for the week here.
Music Foundation Concert: William Saunders Organ Recital
Join us for another evening of great music, showcasing the amazing sounds of St Mary’s organ. This concert will be performed by William Saunders, a concert organist who has performed across the UK, Europe, and North America; William is known for his imaginative programming, critically acclaimed recordings, and passion for music education. The programme will include works by Mendelssohn, Elgar, Holins, and Farrington. Entry for this concert is FREE. There will be an optional retiring collection in aid of St…
Celebrating Christ’s Presence: Pentecost – 8th June 2025 – St Mary’s Church Portsea
Dress in red and join us as we celebrate the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus’ disciples! This service will be livestreamed on our Facebook page and our YouTube channel. To follow along, you can find the order of service here. You can find our notices for the week here.
Fratton Together’s Big Lunch Community Picnic
Help us come together as the community of Fratton for a Big Lunch Picnic (bring your own food), organised by Fratton Together. As well as the chance to sit and eat together, there will be activities, live music, and a craft workshop. We will also be presenting the Fratton Awards to local members of our community who have made a difference to life in Fratton and Portsmouth!