The Festival of Corpus Christi

Since the 13th century it has been customary to honour the Sacrament of Corpus Christi with flowers.  For the Festival of Corpus Christi in 2004 members of the the parish made a carpet of fresh flowers for the main aisle of St Mark's Church, with four medallions representing the churches of New Town parish (St Mark, St Luke, St Saviour and St Aldhelm).

For 2005 members of the parish made the same design of carpet, and the ladies of the Marlborough Floral Club created spectacular flower arrangements in honour of the Saints, featuring St Aldhelm, St George, St Vitus, St Patrick, St Catherine and St Peter, with each display cleverly giving bold clues to the spectator.  The children of St Mary's Catholic Primary School decorated the statue of Our Lady as well as providing a school logo and a book of poems for all to view.  Many other displays were made to enhance and glorify other sections of the Church, and the smell was magnificent as the Church door opened.  The Feast of St Aldhelm had occurred earlier in the week so the tapestry from St Aldhelm's Chapel (situated within the main shopping centre of Swindon) was displayed within St Mark's Church.

Mass was celebrated at 7.30pm with the Vicar of Malmesbury Abbey being the guest preacher.   At the end of the ceremony a grand procession of the Blessed Sacrament to an outdoor altar for Benediction saw the carpet give up its scent as the congregation trooped across it.  The night was warm and the air was fragrant as the procession wound its way around the outside of the church.

However, for 2006 the format of the carpet has been changed.  The length is still 40 feet, but the design is a simpler, but effective, pattern.

The guest preacher at the 7.30pm Mass this year will be the Archdeacon of Malmesbury, the Venerable Alan Hawker, BA, Dip Th, and the service will conclude with outdoor Benediction.

For photographs of the occasions, plus the carpets, click Corpus Christi Photographs