The Guild of St. Raphael

The Guild of St. Raphael was started at St. Bartholomew's Church
many years ago by Rev. Nancy Walthew.

For people who do not know exactly what this service entails,
it is a short healing service and lasts approximately 35 minutes,
has 2 or 3 hymns, a reading, healing prayers and laying on of hands

Healing can cover many things, body, mind and spirit, or even broken relationships. During this service we read the names of people who have been written on the prayer board, and the intercessions sheet and we
also pray for people who are in our hearts and minds, and we light
a candle for them.

We have people who come from other Churches in the area, and would welcome anyone who would like to join us on the second Monday of every month with the exception of August and December at 7.30pm in the Jesus Chapel at St. Bartholomew's Church Wilmslow After the service we have tea or coffee and of course biscuits with a chat.

The dates for the next few months are as follows;

January 11th; February 8th; March 8th; April 12th; May 10th; June 14th

July 12th; September 13th; October 11th; November 8th

(Please check the weekly news sheets for dates as these sometimes vary due to holiday etc or phone Ann on 01625 529192)

The history:- The Guild of St Raphael was founded in 1915 and is dedicated to promoting, supporting and practicing Christ's ministry of healing as an integral part of the life and worship of the Church.

Originating from within the Anglican Communion, but now including a growing number of people from other Churches, it has over one hundred branches throughout the world.

Its main emphasis is on the actual practice of the healing ministry through its local branches, and this is where its strength lies. Its members observe a simple rule of prayer, study and work for this ministry. Their aim is always to promote Christ's ministry of healing looking not just for physical healing, but for the healing of the whole person.

The Guild looks too for the healing of communities and of God's creation itself taking into account those many social and political factors which cause 'is-ease' in our broken and divided world.

Prayer for healing is at the heart of the Guild's work, as are the sacraments of healing annointing and the sacramental act of the laying on of hands. Members make use of other healing actions as well the ministry of listening and silence, counselling, informal liturgies and simple symbolic actions.