News & Updates

Smuffies announce their charity for the year

10th January 2023

The church under-Fives group (Smuffies) support a different charity each year through the sale of cakes and sponsored events. This year's charity is magic! Read more

New Church Guide book published

9th January 2023

A new church guide book is now available in church: cost £5.00 Read more

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service

3rd January 2023

Members of local churches will be gathering at St. Mary's for the annual Week of Prayer service on Wednesday 25th January at 7.00pm. The service has been put together by churches in Minneapolis and focuses on the issue of racism. Read more

Smuffies announce their charity for the year

10th January 2023

The church under-Fives group (Smuffies) support a different charity each year through the sale of cakes and sponsored events. This year's charity is magic! Read more

New Church Guide book published

9th January 2023

A new church guide book is now available in church: cost £5.00 Read more

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service

3rd January 2023

Members of local churches will be gathering at St. Mary's for the annual Week of Prayer service on Wednesday 25th January at 7.00pm. The service has been put together by churches in Minneapolis and focuses on the issue of racism. Read more

Flower Guild Christmas activities

19th December 2022

The Flower Guild have been hard at work in the run up to Christmas Read more

Christian Aid lunches raise much needed cash

19th December 2022

The three lunches held in support of Christian Aid this Advent raised £540. Many thanks to Iris and Clare for co-ordinating these with the other churches in town. Read more

11th December 2022

St. Mary's first crib set display touched a Christmas chord with parishioners who offered over 40 sets for others to enjoy Read more

Christmas services and events for 2022

9th November 2022

Find a list of all Christmas services and events here. Read more

Harvest provides an opportunity to think about generosity

20th September 2022

As we celebrate God's gifts at Harvest we will be inviting as many people as possible associated with the church to join us in giving towards the work of 'Celebrating God's Love' in 2023. Read more

Teesdale Riverside Pilgrimage

20th August 2022

Local churches are joining together for a Pilgrimage from Barney down the Tees to Gainford. Read more

Prayers for healing to recommence

20th August 2022

After the interruptions brought by the pandemic we are reintroducing the opportunity for individuals to be prayed for with the 'laying on of hands' and anointing with the 'oil of healing'. Read more

Windows to the World

15th March 2022

Windows to the World Project completed Read more

Prayer for Ukraine

11th March 2022

Read more

Community Music Festival

18th February 2022

Celebrating Music in Teesdale Read more

Richard III Musical

18th February 2022

St Mary’s local C of E primary school are celebrating the Coronation of Richard III on Wednesday 6th July with a premiere performance in church of a brand-new musical ‘Lord of the North’ written by St Mary’s Musical Director Annette Lowson, and Kim Harding, chair of the local Northern Dales Richard III Group. Read more

How do I use the Labyrinth?

22nd January 2022

Our labyrinth is a beautiful sacred space - but how can we use it to spend time with God? Read more

Barnard Castle Christingle 2021

8th December 2021

On Sunday 5th December we welcomed over 150 people of all ages to St Mary's to celebrate Christingle. Read more

Creation and Climate Change Fair on 7 November

30th September 2021

The Eco-Church Team at St Mary's Parish Church, Barnard Castle are organising a fair on Sunday 7 November to celebrate creation and work for effective action on climate change. The event is timed to coincide with the major COP26 conference in Glasgow. Read more

Children’s Summer Activities

21st July 2021

Join us on Facebook for some summer activity ideas Read more

How did Barnard Castle survive the Plague?

4th May 2021

In the 17th century, Britain was wracked by plague epidemics that devastated communities. When the plague arrived in Barnard Castle in 1653, the community needed to act fast to stop the disease from spreading. But how did they cope? Read more

Eco Church

21st April 2021

Climate change is a reality. We all have a responsibility to care for creation and for this world. There is still time but we must act now both as individuals and collectively as church. We are now registered as an Eco Church. But this is only a beginning for us. Read more

Overseas Mission

21st April 2021

St Mary’s has always been mindful of the needs of others, and especially of those living in the developing world. In a time of pandemic we should continue to help where we can and not to lose sight of this important element of our mission. Read more

Living in Love and Faith

21st April 2021

All around us we see changing understandings of human identity, changing patterns in relationships and families and changing sexual attitudes and activity. What does it mean for followers of Jesus to walk in love, faith and holiness today? Read more

Teesdale’s Hidden Art Gallery

15th April 2021

Just 5 minutes from St Mary's, on the outskirts of Barnard Castle stands the Bowes Museum. A center for the arts with a story full of love, tragedy and a powerful dream... Read more

The Fascinating Folklore of Teesdale and Weardale

17th March 2021

Delve into the secretive and magical world of County Durham's favourite creatures and monsters. What folklore tales does this beautiful part of the world have to share? Read more

What happened to Barnard Castle’s train station?

24th February 2021

Barnard Castle flourished in the 19th century when its new railway station brought visitors from far and wide to explore all it had to offer, but where is this station now? Read more

Stained glass restoration – Step 1

13th January 2021

On a crisp January morning, another one of St Mary's beautiful stained-glass windows was removed to be restored. Immerse yourself in the scenery and maybe even learn a little something about this wonderful craft... Read more

Saving St Mary’s Stained-Glass from Ruin

1st January 2021

Hear from Jonathan Cooke as he describes the challenges of restoring St Mary's beautiful stained-glass windows over the summer of 2020. Despite the difficulties of the year, he and his son, Tristram, have worked hard to save these historical treasures from the decay of time. Read more

Christmas sermon

25th December 2020

Lights are dimmed. It’s dark outside, the dead of winter. This night we gather to come close to something we struggle to put into words. Read more

What did archaeologists find at St Mary’s?

21st December 2020

One of DigVentures' own field archaeologists took part in an excavation at St Mary's over the summer, but what did they uncover in the graveyard? Read more

How To Make Stained Glass Windows

20th December 2020

Stained glass window-making is an art form that has been around for over 1,000 years, so how's it done? Read more

Why are there so many boars in Barnard Castle?

15th December 2020

The historic market town of Barnard Castle is dotted with carved stone boars. Perched above windows, and embedded in walls, these mysterious carvings are the distinctive mark of one England's most famous kings - Richard III. Read more

Christmas at St Mary’s

11th December 2020

We have created a safe, covid secure space for visitors to join with us in worship at our Christmas services Read more

What happened at St Mary’s during lockdown?

25th November 2020

Vicar Alec Harding discusses the recent changes undergone at St Mary's in the summer of 2020, and highlights the wealth of heritage the church has to offer. Read more

Building works have started

16th March 2020

Repair works have started and the clock has been stopped. Read more

Windows to the World

11th June 2019

Church building repairs and heritage interpretation project secures £320,500 National Lottery support. Read more