Felixstowe church's new sanctuary blessed by bishop

A packed congregation witnessed the blessing of a new-look Sanctuary at St Felix ChurchinFelixstowe yesterday, following a £25,000 project.

Bishop Alan Hopes celebrated Mass and blessed the new works which included a new tiled floor, new supports for the stone altar, a new stone plinth for the tabernacle and a new stone ambo (lectern).

The project was funded by the Diocese Alive in Faithproject, plus some anonymous donations.

Parish Priest, Fr John Barnes, said: "The re-modelling involved laying a new floor of small red tiles to replace a jazzy 1970s floor of highly patterned yellow and brown tiles, replacing two concrete supports for the white marble top of the altar with matching stone and the introduction of a handsome stone plinth for a new tabernacle, now in the centre of the east wall.

"The new ambo of matching stone, incorporates stone carvings of the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which were rescued from a previous stone pulpit which has lain in churchyard for the last 30 years."

The work at the church, which first opened in 1912, took place under the direction of architect Neil Birdsall and was all blessed by Bishop Alan during the Mass.

A Lady Chapel was also redecorated by a medieval paintings expert and blessed by Bishop Alan during the Mass.

See a full picture gallery of the blessing Mass here or below

Pictured top is the new-look sanctuary at St Felix church in Felixstowe with Bishop Alan Hopes (right) and Fr John Barnes (far right).

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