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16 October 2025
New pioneer minister commissioned on island
Ali Mascarenhas was commissioned as a lay pioneer in a special service at St Mary’s ... read more
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23 June 2025
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New pioneer minister commissioned on island
A NEW lay pioneer minister has been commissioned on the Isle of Wight – to recognise her role at inspiring creativity and spirituality.
Ali Mascarenhas was commissioned to work in the parish at a special Celtic-style service at St Mary’s Church, Brighstone. Ali has already led the work here over the past four years on community projects including working parties in the churchyard, nature talks, a group creating mosaics and outdoor Celtic worship.
The Rev Andrew Hargreaves, our diocese’s interim director of Ministry and Discipleship commissioned Ali for this role. Tina Hodgett from the Church Mission Society’s pioneering parishes, who had helped to train Ali for this work, was also involved in the service.
Among the projects Ali has been involved with are the creation of an Olive Garden in the churchyard for reflection, and a Tree of Life mosaic and a Celtic Cross mosaic, made from fragments of glass. The church produced some display boards with photos of all the areas of activity, and also displayed comments from people who had come along to the various activities.
Ali’s involvement with St Mary’s Church began when she inspired volunteers to clear an overgrown part of the churchyard to create a reflective space to mark the Queen’s Jubilee in 2022. The Olive Garden and Tree of Life mosaic were dedicated to be used for prayer and worship. It was also part of the church's journey towards becoming more eco-friendly.
Another project that involved members of the local community coming together was the Celtic-style mosaic cross that was originally created to stand in the churchyard. Around 20 local residents worked on the art project, which involved placing coloured glass onto a wooden structure. It included Biblical images, as well as symbols representing God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The latest completed project is a mosaic that features smugglers, as there is a history of smuggling along this part of the Isle of Wight coast. It will be installed shortly outside the village hall. And the current project is one for the church porch on the theme of Christmas carols.
Ali was one of the first people on the pioneering parishes course led by the Church Mission Society (CMS), four or five years ago. She received her training online, as well as having many in-depth conversations with Tina. Ali now shares her story of how she came to be a pioneer as part of one of the courses that Tina runs.