All Souls' Day Service and Candlelit Procession

St Mary Newington parish church celebrates its 50th Anniversary with an All Souls' Day service and candle lit procession to its churchyard at the Elephant & Castle.

The post-war St Mary Newington church in Kennington Park Road SE11 was dedicated on 1 November 1958.

To celebrate its golden jubilee the parish is holding a traditional All Souls' Day Mass at 10am. The preacher will be the Bishop of Woolwich, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun.

At the end of the service the congregation will follow a candle-lit procession to the old churchyard of St Mary's at Newington Butts. This was the site of the medieval parish church of St Mary's. The churchyard has recently been restored as part of the Elephant & Castle regeneration scheme.

The parish is holding this procession to honour the memory of past generations of parishioners and to pray for their souls.

"Our present church is 50 years old, but our parish is 800 years old," explains Fr Andrew Dodd.

"We need to be thankful for generations past who make us who we are as a church today.

"St Mary's Churchyard remains consecrated ground, it is a place for everyone to enjoy and is an open space at the heart of our community."