Our Parish Mission Statement
We are a Catholic Community where Christ’s love and forgiveness is at the centre of all that we say and do. We recognise that we are not perfect, and like any family, there will be disagreements and occasionally conflict amongst us, but we will always try to resolve our problems. Remembering that God is never in unkindness, never in harsh words, whether written or spoken, but always in love and forgiveness. We rejoice in the great diversity of our community and the richness that diversity brings to our Church life. Above all we strive to make everybody welcome and seek to respond to the challenges of our Christian faith together as sisters and brothers in Christ, supporting each other in times of adversity and celebrating together in times of joy, always relying on God’s love and mercy.
Easter Sunday 2024
Easter, the Pascha, is the Principal Festival of the Christian Church, which celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion, fulfilling the Messiah prophecy foretold in the Old Testament (Isaiah 53)
The Paschal Candle used during the Easter Vigil is a central symbol of this divine light, which is Christ. It is kept near the ambo throughout Easter Time and lit for all liturgical celebrations.
Your can read Pope Francis’ Urbi et Orbi blessing 2022 HERE
You can read Pope Francis’ Easter Vigil 2022 Homily HERE
You can read Archbishops John Smiths’ Easter Vigil 2022 Homily HERE
Mass Times
Saturday 6.00 PM
Sunday 9.00 AM
Sunday 11.00 AM
Monday 9.15 AM
Tuesday 7.30 PM
Wednesday 9.15 AM
Thursday 9.15 AM
Friday 9.15 AM
Confession Times
Saturday
5.15 PM to 5.45 PM
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
The Feast of Mary, Mother of God is celebrated on Sunday, 1 December 2023.
It is a holy day of obligation for Catholics, meaning that Mass attendance is required. The Feast is a celebration of Mary’s motherhood of Jesus. It is a reminder of the role she played in the salvation of humankind.
Mary was chosen by God, the Father, to bring Jesus Christ into this world. Through the Holy Spirit, God the Father prepared Mary to be the dwelling place where His Son and His Spirit could dwell among men. Christ’s birth was made possible by Mary’s fiat, or sanctioning of God’s plan with her words, “Be it done to me according to thy word”. Calling Mary “Mother of God” is the highest honour we can give to her. Without her role, Jesus would not have been able to die for our sins thus giving us a second chance at redemption.
Archbishop Wilson’s Pastoral Letter for the Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God
Read HERE OR HERE
Have a Blessed New Year!
Feast of The Holy Family
Feast of the Holy Family, is dedicated to all members of the Holy Family— Jesus, Mary and Joseph and commemorates their life together as a Holy family as and therefore a model to all families as they placed God at the centre of their family life, and from which our families can draw inspiration and know where to find help and comfort. The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is normally celebrated after Christmas. This year it is celebrated on Friday, 30 December 2022
Prayer
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in you we contemplate the splendour of true love; to you we turn with trust. Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic churches.
Holy Family of Nazareth, may families never again experience violence, rejection and division; may all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing.
Holy Family of Nazareth, make us once more mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God’s plan. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Graciously hear our prayer. Amen. (Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia, 325)
Feast of The Holy Innocents
The Feast of the Holy Innocents, also called Childermas or Innocents’ Day, is a Christian feast in remembrance of the killing of young male children in Bethlehem by King Herod in his attempt to kill the Baby Jesus. (Matthew 2:16–18).
According to the Bible, Herod was afraid of the prophesied King of Jews and was angry that he had not heard from the Magi who had come to him initially seeking a newborn king. Furious that Jesus had escaped, Herod ordered the killing of all baby boys under the age of two in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas, hoping to kill Jesus.
These children are considered martyrs, Saints of God, by the Church.
The Feast of the Holy Innocents is on 28 December
Prayer
We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of Your mercy all innocent victims; and by Your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish Your rule of justice, love and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
St John The Evangelist
Prayer
My beloved Lord, the love You bestowed upon the disciple John was perfect in every way. After Your ascension into Heaven, You continued to deepen Your relationship with him, drawing him ever closer to Your Sacred Heart. Please pour forth upon me that same love and draw me into Your Heart so that I, too, will become Your beloved disciple. Saint John, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen
St. John the Apostle, also called Saint John the Evangelist or Saint John the Divine.
St. John is the son of Zebedee a Galilean fisherman, and Salome, and was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. John was called to be an Apostle by our Lord in the first year of His public ministry.
In the Gospel According to Mark, he is always mentioned after James and was no doubt the younger brother. His mother was among those women who ministered to the circle of disciples. James and John were called Boanerges, or “sons of thunder,” by Jesus.
John is believed to be the longest living apostle and the only not to die a martyr’s death.
John, along with Peter and James, were the only witnesses of the raising of Daughter of Jabirus, the closest witnesses to the Agony in Gethsemane and witness to the Transfiguration. John was the one who reported to Jesus they had “‘forbidden’ a non-disciple from casting out demons in Jesus’ name.” This prompted Jesus to state, “he who is not against us is on our side.”
John and Peter were the only two apostles sent by Jesus to make preparations for the final Passover meal, the Last Supper. During the meal, St. John sat next to Jesus, leaning on him rather than lying along the couches.
St. John is the Patron saint of love, loyalty, friendships, and authors. He is often depicted in art as the author of the Gospel with an eagle, symbolising “the height he rose to in his gospel.” In other icons, he is shown looking up into heaven and dictating his Gospel to his disciple.
St. John, Apostle and Evangelist’s feast day is celebrated on 27 December.
Christmas 2022
Christmas is one of the most important days of the Church year, second only to Easter itself. It is the culmination of the mystery of the incarnation, the feast of God becoming flesh.
Christmas is important to many Christians because it reminds them that:
- Jesus, the Son of God, came to Earth for all people (symbolised through the visits of the wise men and the shepherds).
- Mary and Joseph both had a strong faith in God, despite the difficulties they faced.
This year Christmas is on Sunday, 25 December 2022.
Christmas Mass Times are as follows
- Saturday, 24 December – (Vigil Mass of Nativity)
Christmas Carol Service – 7.15pm
Mass – 8.00pm - Sunday, 25 December (Christmas Day) – 9.00am and 11.00 am
- Monday, 26 December (St Stephen) – 10.00am (mass for Altar Servers)
- Tuesday, 27 December (St John, Apostle) – 10.00 am
- Wednesday, 28 December (The Holy Innocents) – 9.15am
- Thursday, 29 December, Thomas Becket, Bishop – 9.15am
- Friday, 30 December, The Holy Family – 9.15am
Advent
Pope Message on Ist Sunday of Advent 2022 Click HERE
This year Advent begins on Sunday, 27 November 2022
Our goal is to grow in faith and deepen our understanding that in the fullness of time, God, in a plan of sheer goodness, sent Jesus, the Son of God, to become man, that we could become children of the Father and share in his divine life. God draws us close. God calls us to seek him, to know him, to encounter him and to love him with all our heart, soul and strength.
As Christmas Day draws near our focus will be on God’s coming as a small child, the baby in a manger. The astonishing humility of God evokes in us a wholehearted response. We bow low in adoration and lift up of our hearts in praise and worship.
December is the Month of The Immaculate Conception
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it this way:
490 To become the mother of the Saviour, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.” The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as “full of grace”. In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.
491 Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is on Thursday, 8 December 2022.
PRAYER
O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son, we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve her from all stain, so too You would permit us, purified through her intercession, to come unto You. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
PRAYER
As we venerate the glorious memory of the most holy Virgin Mary, grant, we pray, O Lord, through her intercession, that we, too, may merit to receive from the fullness of your grace. through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen
The Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary dates back to the 6th century in the East and the 15th century in the West.
This Feast is celebrated annually on 21 November.
The Feast commemorates the presentation of the Blessed Virgin as a child by her parents in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Before Mary’s birth, her parents received a heavenly message that they would bear a child. In thanksgiving for God’s gift of Mary’s birth, they brought her to the Temple to consecrate their only daughter to The Lord.
What we celebrate on this day is the fact that God chose to dwell in Mary in a very special way. In response, Mary placed her whole self at the service of God. Every moment since your Baptism, God invites you to be open to his grace and dedicate yourself to him, as Mary did.
Feast of Christ The King
Most solemn Lord, You are the sovereign King of the Universe. You are the Lord of all. Come reign in my life and make my soul Your holy dwelling place. Lord, come transform our world and make it a place of true peace and justice. May Your Kingdom come! Jesus, I trust in You.
This Sunday, 20 November 2022 is The Feast of Christ the King, also called Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.
The Church celebrates this Feast of Christ the King, on the last Sunday of the Liturgical year.
While the concept of Jesus Christ being King is as old as the Gospels, the feast is fairly recent in the Roman Catholic calendar.
The feast was introduced in the Western liturgical calendar in 1925 by Pope Pius XI, via the encyclical “Quas Primas
Pope Pius hoped that the establishment of this feast would bring about the following:
- That this annual celebration would assist the faithful to gain strength in their true King, Jesus Christ;
- That leaders and nations would recognise that they are bound to submit and give respect to Christ the King;
- That nations would see that the Church has the right to freedom, and immunity from the state. In these times when we are challenged in our faith and our ability to worship together, let us remember that Jesus Christ is Our King who reigns forever.
- That individuals should honour and recognise Jesus as their ‘Sovereign King’ and emulate his total gift of self, perfectly embodied on the Cross. In imitation of their thorn-crowned King, individuals can help bring love and relief to those who suffer and help to proclaim the Good News of the Reign of Christ in the world today.
Click HERE for Pope Francis’ Homilies on the Feast of Christ The King from 2013 to 2021
November is the Month of Holy Souls
Praying for the dead is one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy. Saint Pope John Paul II stressed the need to pray for the souls in Purgatory at several points throughout his papacy.
Purgatory
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.” (1030 & 1031)
You can read about Indulgences for The Souls in Purgatory HERE.
You can find Some Prayers for The Souls in Purgatory HERE.
All Souls Day
“‘Hope does not disappoint,’ St. Paul tells us. Hope attracts us and gives meaning to life … hope is a gift from God that draws us towards life, towards eternal joy. Hope is an anchor that we have on the other side,”
Pope Francis – All Souls’ Day 2021
All Souls’ Day is marked on 2nd November directly following All Saints’ Day, and is an opportunity for Catholics churches to commemorate the faithful departed. They remember and pray for the souls of people who have died.
According to Catholic belief, the soul of a person who dies can go to one of three places. The first is heaven, where a person who dies in a state of perfect grace and communion with God goes. The second is hell, where those who die in a state of mortal sin are naturally condemned by their choice. The intermediate option is purgatory, which is thought to be where most people, free of mortal sin, but still in a state of lesser (venial) sin, must go.
Purgatory is necessary so that souls can be cleansed and perfected before they enter into heaven. There is scriptural basis for this belief. The primary reference is in 2 Maccabees, 12:26 and 12:32. “Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out… Thus made atonement for the dead that they might be free from sin.”
Solemnity of All Saints - 1st November
“We celebrate today the solemnity of All Saints. This invites us to turn our gaze to the immense multitude of those who have already reached the blessed land, and points us on the path that will lead us to that destination”
Pope John Paul II, All Saints’ Day 2003
All Saints’ Day (also known as All Hallows’ Day or Hallowmas) . It is a feast day celebrated on 1st November.
It is an opportunity for believers to remember all saints and martyrs, known and unknown, throughout Christian history who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision that are only known to God.
This is a day of Obligation.
Remembering Saints and Martyrs and dedicating a specific day to them each year has been a Christian tradition since the 4th century AD, but it wasn’t until 609AD that Pope Boniface IV decided to remember all martyrs. Originally 13th May was designated as the Feast of All Holy Martyrs. Later, in 837AD, Pope Gregory IV extended the festival to remember all the saints, changed its name to Feast of All Saints and changed the date to 1st November
We all have this “universal call to holiness.” What must we to do in order to join the company of the saints in heaven? We “must follow in His footsteps and conform [our]selves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. [We] must devote [our]selves with all [our] being to the glory of God and the service of [our] neighbour. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history” (Lumen Gentium, 40).
Feast of Saints Jude and Simon
Grant, we pray, O Lord our God, that we may be sustained by the intercession of the blessed Apostles Jude and Simon, that, as through them you gave your Church the foundations of her heavenly office, so through them you may help her to eternal salvation.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen
St Jude also called Judas, Thaddaeus is one of the twelve apostles, the primary disciples of Jesus who worked as missionaries to spread the gospel around the world. He was born in Galilee, Judaea under the Roman Empire. In some Catholic traditions, he is the brother of Jesus. He is the reputed author of the canonical Letter of Jude that warns against the licentious and blasphemous heretics.
In the Roman Catholic Church, St Jude is the Patron Saint of desperate cases and lost causes. Saint Jude’s attribute is a club. He is also often shown in icons with a flame around his head.
The St. Jude Thaddeus prayer can be used to ask for assistance when you are in desperate need of help. Many people turn to Saint Jude for help when they have tried to solve a problem on their own but have failed.
St Simon
Saint Simon the Apostle, also called Simon the Zealot,
Nothing further is known about him from the New Testament. He supposedly preached the Gospel in Egypt and then joined the apostle St. Judas (Thaddaeus) in Persia, where, according to the apocryphal Acts of Simon and Judas, he was martyred by being cut in half with a saw, one of his chief iconographic symbols (another being a book). According to St. Basil the Great, the 4th-century Cappadocian Father, Simon died peacefully at Edessa.
Simon is the Patron Saint of couriers, tanners and sawyers.
One World Week
Events take place locally all over Britain and in many countries around the world.
One World Week is an annual event usually in October to focus on working together for a just, peaceful and sustainable world. The event gives us opportunity to reflect on our identity as global citizens. It celebrates our unity and diversity as a congregation.
This year St Peter’s and the Guardian Angels Church is celebrating One World Week on Sunday 30th of October at 11 am Mass.
There will be “Food of Nations” lunch prepared by our parishioners for all to share in the St Peter’s Hall after Mass.
There is an Art Competition for the younger generation to mark this Day
Primary school children are to create an artwork painting or drawing on the topic of God’s Creation.
The secondary school children are to write a poem or a short essay in the theme of Unity and Diversity.
Every participant will receive a certificate and winners will be awarded cash and vouchers.
Please Submit Entries by Saturday, 29th October 2022 at 6pm to the Church Email or email your Poem/Essay to ehlamurphy@yahoo.co.uk
October is the Month of the Rosary
The liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated annually on 7th October.
You can read more about the Month of the Rosary, HERE, HERE and HERE.
September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows
This suffering was not limited to the passion and death event; rather, it comprised the seven dolors or seven sorrows of Mary, which were foretold by the Priest Simeon who proclaimed to Mary, This child [Jesus] is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed and you yourself shall be pierced with a sword so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare (Luke 2:34-35).
Altogether, there are seven traditional sorrows of Mary:
- The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
- The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
- Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50)
- Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17)
- Crucifixion and death of Jesus (John 19:25-30)
- The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37)
- The burial of Jesus (Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47)
This year the Feast is celebrated on Thursday, 15 September 2022.
Feast of The Exaltation of the Cross
The universal symbol of the Christian faith, the cross represents Christ’s victory over death. The feast celebrates the redemptive transformation of a barbaric instrument of torture into a divine “tree of life” that brings hope to humankind. In some traditions, a cross is oriented to the cardinal directions to represent the universal nature of Christ’s sacrifice and prayers are said for the salvation of all.
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross also commemorates the discovery of the True Cross. Legend holds that the relic was found by St. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land about 326. The Chapel of St. Helena inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built by the Crusaders in her honour, and below it lies the Chapel of the Finding of the True Cross, in which the cross of Christ’s crucifixion was reportedly discovered.
The Feast of The Exaltation of the Cross is on Wednesday, 14 September 2022.
Excerpt from – https://www.britannica.com/topic/Exaltation-of-the-Holy-Cross
August, The Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart. Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of August is traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The physical heart of Mary is venerated (and not adored as the Sacred Heart of Jesus is) because it is united to her person and is the seat of her love (especially for her divine Son), virtue, and inner life. Such devotion is an incentive to a similar love and virtue.
This devotion has received new emphasis in this century from the visions given to Lucy Dos Santos, oldest of the visionaries of Fatima, in her convent in Tuy, in Spain, in 1925 and 1926. In the visions Our Lady asked for the practice of the Five First Saturdays to help make amends for the offenses committed against her heart by the blasphemies and ingratitude of men. The practice parallels the devotion of the Nine First Fridays in honour of the Sacred Heart.
On October 31, 1942, Pope Pius XII made a solemn Act of Consecration of the Church and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart. Let us remember this devotion year-round, but particularly through the month of August.
Excerpted from The Prayer Book by Reverend John P. O’Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A.
July, Month of the Most Precious Blood
It is a recognition of Jesus’ sacrifice and how he spilled his blood for the salvation of humanity (Matthew 26:28)
The early Fathers say that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the sacraments were brought forth through His Blood, this Blood is made present through the gift of the Eucharist and is something we can consume at Mass, along with the body of Christ, under the appearance of bread and win.
Many saints had a devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus, especially St. Catherine of Siena
You can read Extracts from the Homily preached on the Most Precious Blood by Pope Benedict XVI at Westminster Cathedral on 18 September 2010 HERE
You can find the Novena to the Most Precious Blood HERE and another novena HERE
The Litany of the Most Precious Blood HERE
Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
Grant, we pray, O Lord our God, that we may be sustained by the intercession of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, that, as through them you gave your Church the foundations of her heavenly office, so through them you may help her to eternal salvation.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen
St. Peter was one of the 12 apostles, as well as the first pope and founder of the Roman Church.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16: 18)
St. Paul was born Saul, but converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus. Paul was also an apostle, responsible for much of the New Testament. Although he never met Jesus, he is widely acclaimed as one of the most important apostles who spread the word of Jesus and the nascent Christianity. 13 out of the 27 books of the bible are attributed to St. Paul.
Even though they were killed on the same day, their method of execution would have differed.
Saint Peter was martyred sometime around AD 64 in the circus of Nero. Since he was not a Roman citizen his death was crucifixion. It is said of Peter that he was crucified head downward as he didn’t feel worthy of being crucified in the same way as Jesus.
When the emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, he decided to build a church in the saint’s honour above his grave. We all know this church today as St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City.
During Nero’s persecution of the Christians, Paul was martyred as well. Since he was a Roman citizen his death was the more lenient beheading. According to tradition, his head bounced three times, creating a spring of water with each bounce. Today you can still visit a monastery and drink the water from these springs!
Feast of the Most Holy Trinity
On the first Sunday after Pentecost, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.
This feast reminds us that every Sunday is devoted to the honour of the Most Holy Trinity, that every Sunday is sanctified and consecrated to the triune God.
Every Sunday we remember in a spirit of gratitude the gifts which the Blessed Trinity is bestowing upon us. The Father created and predestined us; on the first day of the week He began the work of creation. The Son redeemed us by his resurrection on Easter Sunday. The Holy Spirit sanctified us, made us His temple; when he descended upon the disciples. Sunday, therefore, is the day of the Most Holy Trinity.
The whole of the Church’s life flows from the central belief that the one true God exists as three divine Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Since the very beginning of time, God has gradually revealed and communicated the truth of who he is as Trinitarian through what he has done in salvation history (see CCC 53-67).
Corpus Christi
This year Corpus Christi is on Sunday, 19 June 2022.
GACs Meeting - Thursday, 9th June 2022
Congratulations to our Children
Pentecost Sunday 2022
Pentecost is a celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, Mary and other disciples following the Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ. It also marks a birthday — the birth of the Church.
Pentecost, one of the most important feast days of the year that concludes the Easter season and celebrates the beginning of the Church. Pentecost always occurs 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and ten days after his ascension into heaven.
When the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles, they preached the Good News of Jesus Christ. Miraculously, people of many different languages and nations could understand the Apostles in their own languages. This miracle reflected God’s desire for the Gospel to be preached to all, and for all the peoples of the earth to be united in faith.
The Collect (opening prayer) of the Pentecost Mass prays:
Almighty ever-living God, who willed the Paschal Mystery to be encompassed as a sign in fifty days, grant that from out of the scattered nations the confusion of many tongues may be gathered by heavenly grace into one great confession of your name.
The Holy Spirit also gave the apostles the other gifts and fruits necessary to fulfil the great commission – to go out and preach the Gospel to all nations. It fulfils the New Testament promise from Christ (Luke 24:46-49) that the Apostles would be “clothed with power” before they would be sent out to spread the Gospel.
From that point on the apostles carried the message of Christ to the whole world. The authority that Christ gave his Apostles through the Holy Spirit extends through the bishops today. The Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church. In fact, St. Augustine said that the Holy Spirit was the soul of the Church. Just as the soul gives life to the body, so also the Spirit gives life to the Church.
Pray for Our First Holy Communion Children
This year we have 49 Children making their First Holy Communion on Saturday, 21st May 2022 and on Saturday, 28th May 2022
Ascension Day
The Feast of the Ascension, celebrates when Jesus ascended to heaven before his disciples, at the village of Bethany, near Jerusalem.
The ascension is an important Christian feast attesting and celebrating the reality of the God-Man Jesus Christ’s returning to the Father, to return again in the future Parousia. The Ascension is the final component of the paschal mystery, which consists also of Jesus’ Passion, Crucifixion, Death, Burial, Descent Among the Dead, and Resurrection.
This feast day is one of the ecumenical feasts of Christian churches, along with the celebrations of the Passion, Easter, and Pentecost.
This year Ascension Day is Thursday, 26 May 2022. There is Mass at 9.15am and Mass at 7.30pm.
Divine Mercy Sunday
The Lord expressed His will with regard to this feast in His very first revelation to St. Faustina. The most comprehensive revelation can be found in her Diary entry 699:
My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners.
On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.
On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My mercy.
Divine Mercy Sunday is 24th April 2022
You can read more about Divine Mercy HERE.
Easter Sunday 2022
The Paschal Candle used during the Easter Vigil is a central symbol of this divine light, which is Christ. It is kept near the ambo throughout Easter Time and lit for all liturgical celebrations.
Your can read Pope Francis’ Urbi et Orbi blessing 2022 HERE
You can read Pope Francis’ Easter Vigil 2022 Homily HERE
You can read Archbishops John Smiths’ Easter Vigil 2022 Homily HERE
Palm Sunday 2022
A week later, Christ will rise from the dead on the first day of Easter.
The first name comes from the fact that it commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the crowd had palm branches (John 12:13).
The second name comes from the fact that the narrative of the Passion is read on this Sunday (it otherwise wouldn’t be read on a Sunday, since the next Sunday is about th
The Liturgical colours of the Palm Sunday Mass are red and white, symbolising the redemption in blood that Christ paid for the world.
Palm Sunday is on 10th April 2022
Lent
Lent 2022
It is a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter. During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms and we practice self-control through fasting. We are also called to a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ’s will more faithfully.
This year Ash Wednesday is on 2 March 2022.
There will be mass at 9.15am and 7.30pm on the day.
There will be Stations of the Cross every Friday during Lent at 7.00pm.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales - January 2022
Following the announcement by HM Government on 19th January 2022 that the measures put in place to mitigate against covid virus transmission as “Plan B” will be lifted in full on 27th January, the following guidance is offered to the dioceses of England and Wales. The material in this briefing has been agreed with Public Health officials and follows the regulations for England and concur with the regulations in place for Wales which take effect on 28th January 2022
Clergy Support Fund 2022
The Clergy Support Fund of the Archdiocese of Southwark provides care for priests in their old age and retirement, and in their time of ill health. A gift to this worthy fund will ensure a dignified retirement for our priests, after they have dedicated a lifetime of service to Christ, His Church and His People.
In 2021, the Clergy Support Fund provided care to 71 retired priests, at a cost of £1.25 million. With the number of priests over the age of 65 steadily increasing, so too will the financial obligation to the Archdiocese.
Next weekend there will be a second collection for this. There are special envelopes to be used. Please take one today and return next weekend.
Journeying Together
Please click the button below for more information and to complete the ‘Journeying Together questionnaire.