The Parish of S. Peter, Rickerscote
On Holy Cross Day, Friday 14th September, 2007 the Parish celebrated the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the church. This is yet another milestone in the life of the Church in Rickerscote. Rickerscote, or as it was then known Ricardscote is chronicled in the Domesday Book of William the Conqueror. It would seem that the area was named as Ricard (Anglo—Saxon for Richard) whose home was a cottage in the area, hence the name Ricardscote. The parish lies to the south of the County town and was established in 1962 being formed from parts of St. Paul ’s and the Castlechurch parishes. Prior to the building of the church, worshippers congregated in the Mission Church in the village of Rickerscote . This small church had been built in the late 19th Century to serve those members of St. Paul ’s church who could not get to the principal church on the Lichfield road in Stafford . With the expansion of the town and the development of new housing, fund raising for a ‘new church’ began, with donations, fund-raising and social activities galore and the ‘buy a brick’ scheme whereby countless people trudged the streets each week asking residents to do just that – buy a brick to build the church. And so it was in 1957 the building was consecrated and the Conventional District of Rickerscote established. Parish status was conferred in October 1962.
Whilst the church building is but 50 years old, the Church has been alive and active through the centuries. With the opening of the new building the defunct Mission Church became the church hall and school room where the Sunday School and youth club met. In the course of time a parish centre was built behind the church and the mission church building. The growth of the Church in Rickerscote has seen active Baden Powell groups flourish, Branches of the Mother’s Union, Girls Friendly Society, the Church of England’s Men’s Society, the Anglican Young People’s Association, come and go, all to meet the spiritual and personal growth of the parishioners. It is with joy that the since the parish was established in 1963, St. Peter’s has nurtured the faith three men who have been ordained to the sacred ministry. Through all of the changes the one constant at S. Peter’s has been the Mass as the principal act of worship and at the heart of all that is done in the furtherance of God’s work and the growth of His kingdom in this place. The layout of the church was re-ordered, removing the choir stalls and creating a large open sanctuary by which means the worship was brought closer to congregation from the original eastward facing stone altar. With removable communion rails the area can be opened up for musical and other activities, but always conscious of the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle on the High Altar.