The Parochial Church Council have agreed a lasting memorial to Fr Bill Scott, former and much loved incumbent of the parish who died last summer.
When the Church was originally constructed in 1874 the main entrance was the south porch on Graham Terrace (then Graham St) and an extremely fine stained glass window of the Virgin and Child was placed to greet all visitors entering the Church. After the construction of the Seven Sorrows Chapel and the new main entrance from Bourne St was created in 1924, the south porch became an emergency exit and, in more recent years, a chair store – leaving the stained glass image partially obscured and unappreciated. Planned work to that area of the church will enable the south door to become a proper exit and the creation of an adjacent chair store. So the stained glass window is to be re-sited into the Seven Sorrows chapel as a lasting memorial to Fr Bill, reflecting his particular devotion to the Virgin Mary and enabling it to regain a proper place as one of the many valuable artefacts that grace St Mary’s.
In Memoriam: Fr Bill Scott
Shed no tears for me;
Through a window you cannot see,
I keep watch now;
God has given me a role,
And I am grateful;
This is my chance to be again
My truest self,
The self who stood among you,
Preparing a way for our Lord
In this oasis,
Watered with our Lady’s tears
Of sorrow;
Here, it was my place to speak
With a soft, small voice,
A voice which sought to console you
With gentle wisdom;
And now which tells you still,
With gentle insistence:
Take, eat,
And when the Mass has ended,
Go in peace.
Michael Adam (friend to Fr Bill)
