St Joseph’s in Oakham, St Mary & St Augustine in Stamford, and the historic Exton Chapel Christmas 2025

St Joseph’s in Oakham, St Mary & St Augustine in Stamford, and the historic Exton Chapel Christmas 2025

St Thomas of Canterbury, Exton

The local Catholic communities are preparing to enter the heart of the liturgical year. For the parishes of St Joseph’s in Oakham, St Mary & St Augustine in Stamford, and the historic Exton Chapel, Christmastide 2025 offers a sequence of sacred liturgies that bridge centuries of tradition with the vibrant life of today’s faithful.

The celebrations this year take place across three distinct and beautiful settings. In Oakham, St Joseph’s stands as a modern beacon of community, known for its warm welcome and active parish life.

Just a few miles away, St Mary & St Augustine in Stamford often called St Augustine’s offers a more Victorian backdrop. Designed by the renowned architect George Goldie and opened in 1865, its Collyweston stone altar and hand-carved Stations of the Cross (donated by American soldiers after WWII) provide a solemn atmosphere for the Nativity.

Perhaps most atmospheric is the Chapel of St Thomas of Canterbury at Exton Park. A rare example of a fully functioning private Catholic chapel, it is attached to the historic Exton Hall and serves as one of only two Catholic places of worship in Rutland, comfortably seating 120 people within its exquisite, intimate interior.

Schedule of Services: Christmastide 2025

Whether you are seeking the quiet reflection of a weekday Mass or the choral joy of Midnight Mass, the following schedule outlines the path to the Nativity:

The Final Preparation

• Monday, 22nd December

  • 10:00 am: Holy Mass – St Joseph’s, Oakham

• Tuesday, 23rd December

  • 10:00 am: Holy Mass – St Mary & St Augustine, Stamford

Christmas Eve: The Vigil of the Nativity

• Wednesday, 24th December

  • 5:45 pm: Carols begin – St Joseph’s, Oakham

  • 6:00 pm: Vigil Mass – St Joseph’s, Oakham

  • 6:00 pm: Vigil Mass – St Mary & St Augustine, Stamford

  • 11:30 pm: Office of Readings followed by Midnight Mass (Venue to be confirmed via parish newsletter, typically held at the main parish churches).

Christmas Day: The Nativity of Our Lord

• Thursday, 25th December

  • 9:00 am: Dawn Mass of Christmas – St Mary & St Augustine, Stamford

  • 9:00 am: Dawn Mass of Christmas – St Thomas of Canterbury, Exton

  • 10:30 am: Day Mass of Christmas – St Joseph’s, Oakham

  • 11:00 am: Day Mass of Christmas – St Mary & St Augustine, Stamford

For those visiting for the first time, these services represent more than just a schedule; they are an invitation. At St Joseph’s, the 10:30 am Day Mass is often a family-focused affair, reflecting the parish’s reputation for being "living and vibrant" with many young children and a welcoming "sidesman" at the door.

In Stamford, the 6:00 pm Vigil and the 9:00 am Dawn Mass allow worshippers to experience the "imposing spectacle" of the sanctuary, which has been a center of Catholic life since the 19th-century restoration of the hierarchy.

The Exton Chapel 9:00 am Dawn Mass offers a unique opportunity to celebrate the Nativity in a setting of profound peace, tucked away within the Exton Park estate a true "hidden gem" of Rutland’s heritage.

Note to Parishioners: As times can occasionally shift due to local requirements, please check the latest parish newsletters or the official Catholic Stamford and St Joseph’s Oakham websites for any last-minute updates.