Archbishop of York to lead celebration of new church

A SERVICE of thanksgiving for the recently restored St Wilfrid’s Church near York will be led by the Archbishop of York, it has been announced.

Dr John Sentamu will be visiting St Wilfrid’s church on this Sunday to lead the service at the Monk Fryton chuch.

A new roof has been fitted on St Wilfrid’s, after a spate of lead thefts and harsh weather seriously damaged the building, allowing water to pour in whenever it rained. The 1,000-year-old church raised £152,000 for the repairs through grants and community fundraising.

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The Rev John Hetherington, Rector of St Wilfrid’s, said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming Archbishop Sentamu to St Wilfrid’s, and showing him how marvellous the restored building now looks. The service is a way for us to thank God for the continued life of the church, and thank all those who’ve raised money for the restoration work. As well as giving thanks, the service will also rededicate St Wilfrid’s for the future of God’s work among us.”

English Heritage gave a grant of £110,000 towards the repairs, and £42,000 has been raised by other grant making trusts and people in the local community. A group of fundraisers came together under the name of ‘Wilfileaks’ to help raise funds to deal with the leaking roof at St Wilfrid’s.

The Monk Fryston Cycling Club raised £1,700 by cycling the Coast-to-Coast route, riding 124 miles from Irish Sea to the North Sea in 11 hours and 25 minutes.

Archbishop Sentamu said: “The fantastic support for the restoration of the roof at St Wilfrid’s shows how much this church is at the centre of this community. Monk Fryston School have helped raise money, as well as the Parish Councils of Monk Fryston, Hillam and Burton Salmon. The new 
roof will allow the church to 
carry on serving the people of Monk Fryston for generations to come. God is at work in Monk Fryston!”

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The Archbishop’s visit and the service is part of a wider weekend celebrating the restoration of St Wilfrid’s roof. There will be a concert with Simeon Wood on Friday at 7.30pm, and the church will be open for a flower and art festival on Saturday from 10am to 5pm, Sunday from 1pm to 5pm, and Monday from 9am to 1pm.

Refreshments and afternoon teas will be served.

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