Montacute Church

WELCOME TO ST. CATHERINE’S, MONTACUTE

The bowl of hills around Montacute village has been a place of worship, prayer and community since Saxon times. Historic St Catherine’s church building is a beautiful and peaceful place, today providing welcoming services in traditional and modern styles, and a quiet space for reflection and private prayer.

Believing in an all member ministry we have an active and involved congregation, who contribute wholeheartedly to all aspects of church life. We join here regularly in prayer and in song, to celebrate the great events of life and to find solace in times of trouble and grief.

Our wish is to be a doorway to all to the knowledge and love of Christ. Our mission is to link St Catherine’s church and the Jesus story to the village and our visitors – living and telling our experience of God. We look forward to welcoming you!

The church building is open every day from 9am until 4pm, sometimes later in the summer months. Each year we welcome some 5,000 visitors from around the world during their visit to Montacute, including to Montacute House, a National Trust property. Many of them also come to see our newly-restored clock, which is one of the oldest working clocks in the country.

REGULAR SERVICES

Our services begin at 9.30am and usually last for about an hour. A warm welcome awaits you at any of our services, whatever your age, or the stage you are at on your faith journey – whether you are a regular churchgoer or have never been to a service before, or anywhere in between!

For example, during our Communion services, you can come up to the altar and receive a blessing rather than receive Communion.

We have a Common Worship Holy Communion service on the first and third Sundays of the month, and Morning Prayer services on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. These services use modern language. We also have a monthly Book of Common Prayer Communion service at 9am on the second Wednesday of each month.

For those seeking more contemporary worship the informal Tea@4 and Cafe Church family services that take place regularly around the Benefice are an opportunity to join with us – Please see Current Services page via this link for details.

We hold a weekly Monday prayer group, and our members take part in the Benefice Alpha courses. We have strong links to All Saints Church School, the primary school in Montacute, who regularly use our church, and are in a close fellowship with our friends at Montacute Baptist Church.

Facilities and Accessibility

We aim to be inclusive in our welcome. There is level parking beside the church and a level path from the side entrance. A ramp is available for the front door step. There is a hearing loop, and we offer large print service books and hymn books. At present there is not a toilet, but the neighbouring Kings Arms are happy for members of our congregation to use their facilities if you need them. During Communion services you may ask to be given Communion in your pew if you do not wish to take the step up to the chancel and the High Altar.

OUR HISTORY AND OUR FUTURE

St Catherine’s is an ancient building with an exciting future. In recent months the restoration of our church clock has highlighted the contributions made by individuals during its 1,000 year history – people and their stories form part of the living fabric of this church, and will carry it and the Jesus story into the future.

The church stands on the site of an early chapel dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria, built around 1170 and part of a former, adjacent Cluniac priory. In the 13th century the church was enlarged, then further remodelled in the 15th and 16th centuries, followed by an extensive Victorian remodelling.

Take a look around you in St Catherine’s and you will see many details of the people from its past. The village War Memorial in the South Wall names those who died in both World Wars, with the empty acorn cups carved around its base symbolising those lost lives. The five tomb effigies represent members of the Philips family of Montacute House and some of the wall monuments also display the past links with that property. Our brass lectern includes a marble base donated by George Mitchell, a boy who was born in Montacute in 1827 and began work as a crow-scarer at the age of 5. He became a prominent trade unionist who promoted the rights of agricultural workers.

Our intention is to provide a community space in the centre of the village, suitable for modern needs whilst respecting and preserving the historic elements of the building. We are at the early stages of planning a re-ordering to improve accessibility, add a toilet, and install servery facilities.