The Reverend Anna Matthews
Posted on Monday 24 April 2023
Donations in Memory of Anna
Donations in memory of Anna may be made to the Lady Peel Trust, whose aim is to encourage confidence, creativity, and vitality within the catholic tradition of the Church of England and of which Anna was a Trustee. In Anna’s memory, the trust is creating a fund that will be used to support the witness and ministry of the Church of England with a particular focus on vocations. You can find more information about the trust and how to make donations by post at https://ladypeeltrust.org/annamatthews. There will soon be a link for online gift aid donations.
Posted on Friday 14 April 2023
Arrangements for the Funeral of the Reverend Canon Anna Ruth Matthews
We are now able to pass on the arrangements for Anna’s funeral. A Requiem Mass will take place at 12.30pm on Wednesday 26th April at Ely Cathedral, Bishop Stephen presiding. After the service the congregation will be invited to move to the Lady Chapel where refreshments will be served. Then on Thursday 27th April, the burial service will be held at St Alban’s Cathedral at 1.30pm, at the end of which the family and closest friends will move to the graveside and Anna will be buried in the grounds of the Abbey. After the service tea and coffee will be served in the Refectory.
Details of where to send donations in memory of Anna will be posted shortly.
Please continue to pray for Anna’s husband Stephen, her mother Maggie, her sisters Gillian and Rachel, Stephen’s brother Eric, for their families, and for her close friends as they prepare for her funeral.
Updated Sunday 12 March 2023
Anna's death was tragic and sudden, and we are now able to confirm that she took her own life. We are awaiting the findings of the coroner's report to know more, and this will follow an investigation and inquest, which will take many weeks. Please do not expect further information until this has happened. We realise that this further news will be very distressing and, as with any sudden death, it is really important to have someone to talk to. Most people will not need to speak to a professional, but if you feel you do then we encourage you to do so. You will find information about where to go if you do need particular help to talk or seek professional help by clicking this link
If you wish to speak to the clergy or the wardens, please feel free to do so or contact the Parish Office at info@stbenetschurch.org
Uploaded Thursday 9 March 2023
Dear members of St Bene’t’s congregation,
It is with great sadness that we are contacting you to let you know that Anna died at home yesterday. Some of you may have heard the tragic news on Wednesday evening through attendance at Evening Prayer and Lent Groups or contacted by those who were – to those of you who have not heard before now, this will come as a great shock and you will be devastated, as we all are. We apologise that we have not been able to contact you all yesterday but there has been much to do once we became aware of Anna’s sad death. Please do pass on the distressing news to your friends and contacts at St Bene’t’s and those in Cambridge and beyond in Anna’s huge circle of friends. There is no easy way to tell each other but word of mouth is preferable if feasible.
Please pray for Stephen and for his and Anna’s families at this time and we ask also that you respect their privacy. Stephen is being well supported and cared for by close friends and family who have travelled from across the country to be with him.
If you are able, please join us in prayers for Anna at the 12.30 Eucharist today, Thursday, at which the Archdeacon Alex Hughes will preside. We understand that Bishop Stephen may join us on Sunday for the 10.00am Eucharist but this has yet to be confirmed.
This will be a difficult time for us as a congregation as we navigate the tremendous chasm in the life and worship of St Bene’t’s that Anna’s sudden loss brings and the feelings of deep grief we all share. If you would like to speak to one of us at any stage, please contact us (see Tidings) or the church office (info@stbenetschurch.org) and we can arrange to speak or meet with you. As Bishop Stephen has said, we bear one another in this great loss.
With love and prayers,
Joy, Geoff, Andrea, Nicolas, Olga, Sophie and Ed
Anna's husband, Stephen, has asked that this message be shared with the congregation of St Bene't's:
"I am deeply touched by all your words of condolence, prayers, and your respect for our privacy in this most painful time. Among the loss we share, your concern and love for me gives me strength each day. That so many of you came on Thursday (9 March), joining the celebration of the Eucharist, shows how much Anna is loved by the people of St Bene't's, and this reflects how dearly and deeply she loved you. Having received communion at the 12:30 service on Thursday, as I prayed for Anna, I was given an image that has been of great comfort to me: Even as she fell, God lifted Anna up. She was shining in the light of the resurrection as the hurt that overcame her fell away, along with her body. So, I pray to merciful God with hope that she was spared the final anguish, and in death she was cleansed and resurrected with Christ, rising in his glory."