News

17th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Holiday time for many, catching up with family and friends, journeys far and wide and pilgrimages. In particular there is the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes this year with the theme -With Mary, Pilgrims of Hope. We may not be there in person but we can be there virtually.

To visit the Grotto using your Tablet, PC or smart phone by clicking here. You will then be at the Lourdes website to find the Grotto and also the Processions of the Blessed Sacrament, the Torchlight Procession and Masses. Remember France is one hour ahead of the UK – so the Blessed Sacrament and Blessing of the Sick commences BST 4pm.

Another way to participate is to find the Pilgrimage Prayer Book with lots of information and the daily programme by visiting this link. There is the link to the Prayer Book at the bottom of the page and you can turn the pages.

Bishop Richard Moth will be posting on social media during the pilgrimage. The diocesan X account can be followed here.

From The Diocesan Website

Our annual pilgrimage


Our pilgrimage to Lourdes is one of the most significant pastoral events in our annual diocesan calendar, with hundreds of members of our community of faith visiting the Grotto together each year.

Read more by following this link.

Mass Schedule

  • Sunday 27th July 10am Ordinary Time (17)
  • Monday 28th July 8:15am St Mary’s House
  • Wednesday 30th July 9:30am St Peter Chrysologus – int. Therese Lelliott RIP
  • Friday 1st August 9:30am St Alphonsus Liguori – int. Terrence Sweeney RIP (Foundation Mass)
  • Sunday 3rd August 10am Ordinary Time (18)

First Holy Communions

Please keep in your prayers the six children who received Holy Communion for the first time last Sunday and their parents and family members.

For the poor, sick, afflicted
Thy mercy we crave
And comfort the dying
Thou light of the grave.
Ave! Ave! Ave, Maria!

Following Bishop Richard In Lourdes this week…

Here is a link to the official diocesan Instagram account – click here.

Sixteenth Week In Ordinary Time

We have a date! September 14th is the Sunday when the Bishop will come to inaugurate the Parish of Brighton and Hove made up of the existing Communities of the area. It will happen during a 5.30pm Mass in St John the Baptist Church, Kemp Town – the oldest Church in Brighton. More details will follow. You may like to read more on the diocesan website.

First Holy Communions

Six children will take the next steps in their Christian journey as they receive holy Communion for the first time.

It always reminds us of the words spoken at our Baptisms- “In Holy Communion they will share the banquet of Christ’s sacrifice…”

Pilgrims To Lourdes

Over 700 Pilgrims  from the Diocese will be journeying to Lourdes by the end of this week. Keep them in your prayers as they will do so for us.

You can participate by going to Useful Websites, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes – to visit the Grotto and join in the Masses and Processions. Read also the item in the Diocesan ebulletin and the Diocesan website. Bishop Richard will also be speaking to the Diocese during the time.

Mass Schedule

  • Sunday 20th July 10am 16th Ordinary Time
  • Monday 21st July 8:15am St Mary’s House
  • Wednesday 23rd July 11am Requiem Mass for Sonia Von Geyer
  • Friday 25th July 11am Requiem Mass for Owen Haywood
  • Sunday 27th July 17th Ordinary Time

End Of School Term

All good wishes to families and children for the Summer Holidays!

The Holy Family Church, Gaza

Read the reaction to the damage to buildings of the Church compound, click here.

To be in your presence,
To sit at your feet
Where your love surrounds me
And makes me complete
This is my desire O Lord, this in my desire.

Sea Sunday

When we have a glimpse of the sea from one of the hills, or are braving the beach, we may see ships on the horizon or in Shoreham Harbour if we are travelling that way. You may wonder what is on the ships or when the fishing boats will set sail again. More to the point you may ask, “Who is crewing the ship?” or “When will the seafarers be back home to their families?” One thing to remember is that one of the pastoral activities of the worldwide Church is that of Stella Maris or of the Apostleship of the Sea. There is a collection on the Second Sunday of July for that purpose. There are envelopes if you wish to use one or you can donate by card directly. So if you are on a ferry a cruise or just looking out to the sea, say a prayer for those who go to the seas and help those who welcome them when they come to land.

Bishop Richard’s Weekly Message

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

This Sunday’s Gospel is the Parable of the Good Samaritan. This is a text that we know so well, that there is a danger that familiarity hampers a real listening to the proclamation of the Gospel. St Benedict, whose feast we celebrate on Monday 11th, speaks of ‘Listening with the ear of the heart.’ This is so much more than hearing, it is more than listening at the level of the mind, it is a listening that brings the Word of God to the very core of our being, the place of love. This Sunday, with a Gospel we know so well, listening at that depth brings so many blessings.

Pope Francis, in his encyclical letter Fratelli Tutti, uses the Good Samaritan as a model for every interaction – including the international stage. The going out to brothers and sisters, enjoined by the Lord in this parable, is the way forward for the world, he tells us. This may seem so difficult – even in our homes, with those closest to us, it can be hard. Yet we are reminded in this Sunday’s First Reading, from the Book of Deuteronomy, that the law given by God is truly possible, for the Word is IN us.  

This is reflected again when we read the Parable of the Good Samaritan in a slightly different way – seeing ourselves as the one who is in the ditch and the Lord Himself coming to our aid. St Paul expresses this in his hymn at the beginning of the Letter to the Colossians (the Second Reading this Sunday), where he rejoices at the victory Christ has won. We need have no fear, the Lord has rescued us and now we – with the Word Who is Life in our hearts – can go out to our brothers and sisters, carrying out the work the Lord calls us to do in His name.

With every blessing,

+ Richard

The Pastoral Plan

At the Council of Priests, the proposal that the parishes of Brighton and Hove become a new parish made up of the existing parish communities of the deanery was put to a consultative vote for the Bishop. He has accepted the proposal and in September this will be enacted with Canon David Parmiter being the Moderator of the team of Clergy.

At Thursday’s meeting, the first steps at producing a vision statement commenced. Thank you for the reposes you are returning to the box in the entrance.

The Statement From The Moderator

In the third edition of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan: The call to Mission, Bishop
Richard wrote about the need to change the shape of deaneries and parishes.
Reflecting on the many discussions that had taken place and the needs of the
Diocese to enable her to carry out her mission, he wrote “…the groupings of
parishes that form deaneries currently, will themselves become parishes.” I am
pleased to say that the current Deanery of Brighton and Hove has in place now
the basic structures to become the new Parish of Brighton and Hove, which
Bishop Richard will inaugurate in September.
There is still much work to be done to develop fully as one parish. We will need
to undertake this work gradually and carefully, clergy and lay people together.
The overarching purpose of this change is that we work more closely together
in the mission of the Church. Bishop Richard describes the Church’s mission in
this way: “All are called to build up the Body of Christ, lead a holy life and
promote the growth of the Church.”
Each existing parish will become a community of the new parish and will
continue to be served by your current parish priest who, together with the
other parish priests, will also have responsibility for the whole parish
coordinated by a Moderator. The clergy will work collaboratively with the
Leadership Team and the Finance Committee for the mission. I look forward to
working with you all in the new parish.

Canon David Parmiter

Mass Schedule

  • Sunday 13th July 10am Sea Sunday Mass (15th in Ordinary Time)
  • Monday 14th July 8:15am St Mary’s House
  • Tuesday 15th July St Bernadette’s Leavers’ Mass 1:30pm
  • Wednesday 16th July 9:30am Our Lady of Mt Carmel
  • Thursday 17th July 11am Requiem Mass for Maura Mason RIP
  • Friday 18th July 9:30am
  • Sunday 20th 10am 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (First Holy Communions)
Eternal Father, strong to save
Whose arm doth bind the restless wave
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea

No. 243 The Seafarers' Hymn

Patronal Feast Day

It is good to celebrate Anniversaries – to remember and give thanks. As this Jubilee Year continues, we are pilgrims of hope. So it was 60 years ago when the Patcham, Westdene and Hollingbury areas of Brighton were being developed that Fr Edward Fooks of St Mary’s promoted a search for a site to build a Church for worshippers in the area. The Catholic population first had Mass in a Doctor’s house and then in the Patcham Junior School. Eventually a new Church was built and on Sunday 9th July 1965 the Bishop of Southwark opened St Thomas More’s Church.

We think of our predecessors and benefactors who generously donated to the cost.

There are three works of art originating from leading members of the Brighton College of Art – the Carved statue of our patron, the Mother and Child statue and the Stations of the Cross. Bishop Cormac Murphy O’Connor consecrated the Church with the twelve crosses and the ambo, altar and baptism font decorated in green Cumberland Stone.

Bishop Richard’s Weekly Reflection

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus send out the seventy-two and gives them a word for those they visit. This word, this message, is the message of peace – and peace is the first gift of the Risen Christ to the Apostles, spoken as He appears to them in the Upper Room.

In the 4th Century, as monasticism began to develop in Egypt, Syria and the Holy Land, monks would go to their spiritual fathers and ask for a word by which they might be saved. The word that was given to them, although expressed in different terms, was often about living in peace, in harmony, and in the silence that opens our hearts to the promptings of the Spirit. Just as the seventy-two offered a “word”, given them by the Lord, so these monks of earlier times did the same – and this practice continues in the spiritual accompaniment sought by so many in our own times.   

Openness to the word demands a spirit of listening, and we might reflect that the first word of St Benedict’s Rule is “Listen.” 

When the seventy-two went on their journey, Jesus told them that if the word of peace was not received, it would come back to them. Listening is just as important as speaking, for the word that is spoken must find a home to be effective.

This message of peace is so necessary in our present world, and the need for the spirit of listening is equally necessary. May our word to the world be that of the seventy-two, for it is the gift of the Risen Lord: “Peace be with you.” May this message find a home in the hearts of all.  

Peace is the gift of the Risen Lord to those gathered in the Upper Room on the first Easter Day. It is in Him that true, lasting, peace is to be found, for the Risen Lord has won the victory over sin and death. He offers us the gift of His peace – it is something real and it is a reality to be accepted.

In a world where, in so many places, peace is not a reality, it is our task, always and everywhere, to offer that greeting of the seventy-two disciples and the joy that is the gift of the Risen Christ.

With every blessing,

+ Richard

The Mass Schedule

  • Sunday 6th July 10am (Patronal Feast)
  • Monday 7th July 8:15am St Mary’s House
  • Wednesday 9th July 9:30am (Martyrs of China)
  • Friday 11th July 9:30am (St Benedict, Patron of Europe)
  • Saturday 12th July 8:30am HMP Lewes
  • Sunday 13th July 10am (15th Sunday OT)

Sea Sunday

Next Sunday is Sea Sunday. At Mass, there will be a collection for Stella Maris, the Catholic provider of pastoral care for seafarers and fishers. You can also make a donation here.

The Word Who Is Life

The July leaflet is ready for you to help with your prayerful reflection on the scripture and prayer.

St Benedict’s Week

Some information about prayer opportunities with the monks in St John the Baptist Church, Kemptown:

  • Monday 7th July 12-12:30pm – Community Prayer
  • Tuesday 8th July 12-12:30pm – Individual Prayer
  • Wednesday 9th July 12-12:30pm – Lectio Divina
  • Friday 11th July 12pm – 1pm – An hour of music, prayer, on themes from the Rule of St Benedict

Outstanding!

St Bernadette’s Primary School has achieved this status after the Catholic Inspection. Congratulations to the teachers and children and for the support of parents and carers.

The Pastoral Plan

We are approaching its implementation .

On Thursday Evening there will be a gathering to formulate a vision and mission objectives . Have a word with Fr John if you wish to participate in this process. The meeting will be in St Bernadette’s Hall 7-9pm.

Fr. Ray Blake RIP

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Fr Ray, former parish priest of St Mary Magdalene’s who died during the week.

Requiem Masses

  • Maura Mason (RIP) – Thursday 17th July 11am
  • Sonia Von Geyer (RIP) Wednesday 23rd July 11am

Soup and Sandwich

At Thursday 12 Noon in the church hall. All welcome

A Man For All Seasons

This play will be showing in Brighton from 22nd July to the 26th July – tickets are available here. As well as depicting the life of St Thomas More, the film version of the play earned Paul Scofield (who played the part of St Thomas More) an Oscar in 1966. Scofield, a baptised Catholic, attended Varndean Grammar School for Boys (1934-9) -the building is now Varndean College. 

" Give me, good Lord , a full faith, a firm hope and a fervent charity, a love for the good Lord incomparably above love for myself, and that I love nothing to thy displeasure but everything in order to love Thee"

A devout prayer written in the Tower of London by St Thomas More.

Saints Peter and Paul

These two have been in the news recently because of the happenings in Rome. The shrine of St Peter is in the Basilica of the Vatican where Pope Leo went to pray before his inauguration as the successor of St Peter. As Bishop of Rome he visited the Basilica of St Paul outside the walls. Both were martyred as witnesses to Christ.

We honour them as Founders of the Church, and they will be celebrated by the many Pilgrims of Hope during this Jubilee Year.

Bishop Richard’s Weekly Reflection

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we celebrate the solemnity of Saints Peter & Paul, I invite you all to join me in prayer for Pope Leo, that he continues to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit in his task as shepherd of the flock entrusted to him. As our Holy Father, he brings particular gifts to the Church through his experience in Peru, where he served with some of the priests of our own Diocese; his times of leadership of the Augustinian Friars, and his service in the Dicastery for Bishops.

He comes to the Petrine Office at a difficult time for the world. Let us join him in fervent prayer for peace – for which he has called so many times in these first weeks of his papacy. With him, and in the spirit of his predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, let us continue to strive for justice and promote the dignity of every person at every moment of life.  

St Peter, our first Pope, could not have imagined the steps he would be called to take in the service of the Lord. This is true of Pope Leo and, indeed, of every one of us. The life that is given to us in baptism – life lived in the love of the Holy Trinity – calls us to follow the Lord Himself, wherever he may lead us. As His disciples, we are called to learn from Him, to grow ever closer to Him, to be always faithful in our witness to Him. This is what it means to be a Pilgrim of Hope, for we journey towards the One who died and rose from the dead that we might have life – and whose first gift after the Resurrection was the gift of peace.  

As Pilgrims of Hope, may we – with Pope Leo – strive to share that gift with the world.

With every blessing,

+ Richard

Clergy In-Service

This week we have two days away together to focus on “How do we live our vocation in the parishes of the future.” Say a prayer for us.

The Pastoral Plan

At the forthcoming Council of Priests the Bishop will hear from each of the existing Deaneries with the Moderators elect of the proposed New Parishes, made up of the parish communities, before he decrees their election.

The Vision Meeting

Thank you for those who have offered to participate in the Vision making process on 10th July.

Your Questions

  1. What do you consider the mission of the one Parish will be ?
  2. What mission objectives do you consider important ?
  3.  What are your expectations for the new Parish?

Have a think and put pen to paper and return your response to the box in the Entrance.

Our Patronal Feast

Next Sunday we will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of our Church , its consecration and St Thomas More. After Mass we will have a social gathering and celebratory drink.

Mass Schedule

  • Sunday 29th June 10am Solemnity SS Peter and Paul
  • Monday 30th June 8:15am St Mary’s House
  • Tuesday 1st July 9:30am Anniversary of Arundel Cathedral
  • Friday 4th July 9:30am St Thomas Apostle
  • Sunday 6th July 10am Patronal Feast Mass
Peter, blessed shepherd to you was entrusted the power of opening the gate of heaven,
Paul, teacher without equal, fashion our live aright and carry off our hearts with yours till faith is sole master of our hearts.

The Solemnity Of The Most Holy Body And Blood of Christ

We celebrate the great gift of Jesus in the Eucharist. For many, it is the one occasion of the bond of Jesus with his people. So what do you believe? Is it simply attending Mass, or is it something more nurturing? Our Gospel reminds us of the gift of food from Jesus and his advice to the disciples—“Give them something to eat yourselves”—and the example of generosity and abundance signified by the twelve baskets.

A diamond is an apt image to help us realize the richness of the gift of the Eucharist, with its many facets. One summary is that of St Thomas Aquinas in “O Sacrum Convivium”—O Sacred Banquet in which Christ is received, the memory of his Passion is recalled.

Our hearts are filled with grace, and we have the promise of eternal life.

We are prepared well for meeting Christ by his words shared with us in the Liturgy of the Word, and then, remembering His self-giving, before in communion we meet and are united.

Bishop Richard’s Weekly Reflection

Dear  brothers and sisters in Christ,  

The  celebration of Corpus Christi that takes place at our cathedral each year is  a wonderful occasion. The celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass, the  procession of the Blessed Sacrament and the Carpet of Flowers, laid in honour  of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, is a high point in the life  of the cathedral and diocese.  

It  is a clear reminder to us all of the central place of the Eucharist in our  lives. The absolute love of the Lord – seen in the feeding of the five  thousand that is the gospel reading this week – is there for us every time we  celebrate Mass. As St Paul reminds us in the Second Reading this  Sunday, the sacrifice of Calvary is made present and the Lord feeds us with  His very Self, for He is the Bread of Life. We find life every time we  join in this celebration, together with our brothers and sisters. It is  this life that sustains our every action – indeed, every moment of our  lives. The Mass, the Eucharist, is a proclamation of our faith in the  One who died and rose from the dead for us; it is the food for our journey  and the source of all our action. We leave the celebration, as the  dismissal at the end of Mass reminds us, to “announce the Gospel of the  Lord.” Without our closeness to Christ in the Eucharist, this  proclamation would be less effective. The sustenance of the Bread of  Life Himself makes life and mission possible for us.   

In  the Eucharist, we are in the Divine Presence, we are in the presence of  Christ, who is a “priest for ever” as Psalm 109 reminds us. May this  encounter with the person of Christ Himself – truly present in the  Eucharist – be the wellspring of our every breath, our every moment, our  every action, that all we do may proclaim to the world the wonder of all the  Lord has done for us.  

With  every blessing,

+  Richard

Assisted Dying

Cardinal Vincent Nichols responds to the Third Reading Of Terminally Ill Adults (End Of Life) Bill

On Friday 20th June, Cardinal Vincent Nichols issued the following response after the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons by just 23 votes:

‘The vote in the House of Commons in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is a watershed moment in the history of our country. It fundamentally changes society’s long held values and relationships on matters of life and death.

‘The task is now clear: every effort must be made to limit the damage that will be done by this decision. This duty lies both on the House of Lords and on His Majesty’s Government. The list of challenges is long. It has been well rehearsed in recent weeks by responsible bodies and distinguished individuals, including the Public Commission on Palliative and End-of-Life Care whose recommendations have yet to be discussed. The appeal to personal autonomy, so much at the centre of the Parliamentary debate, cuts both ways: the provision of a choice to die cannot exclude the provision of properly resourced care for those who choose to live until a natural death.

‘As Catholics we will continue to play our part in the building of the common good. The decision of Parliament does not change our firm belief in the sanctity of life, never simply a burden, but always a gift of God, given and received. Our duties are clear: to live by the teaching given to us by God; generously to accompany with care and compassion those facing disability, isolation and suffering; to continue to put forward, with respect and clarity, the objective norms that inform our firm beliefs on how to live, and to die, well.’

Cardinal Vincent Nichols
President
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales

Your Ideas For The New Parish Of Brighton And Hove

No date has yet been fixed by the Bishop. It is likely to be in September, Can you imagine how the existing Parishes will become pastoral Communities in the larger Parish ?

One or 2 questions to think about –

  1. What do you consider the mission of the one Parish will be ?
  2. What mission objectives do you consider important ?
  3.  What are your expectations for the new Parish?

There will be a box in the entrance for your replies.

Thank you!

Our Patronal Feast

The Sunday nearest July 9th each year is observed as a Solemnity. It recalls the Opening of the Church in 1965,

Its Consecration by Bishop Cormac and the original date of St Thomas More’s Feast. Do come along to celebrate on Sunday July 6th for the 10am Mass and for a drink afterwards.

Mass Schedule

  • Sunday 22nd June 10am The Solemnity Of The Most Holy Body And Blood Of Christ (Int People of the parish
  • Monday 23rd June 8:15am St Mary’s House
  • Monday 23rd June 10am Funeral Mass for Sheila Jenner RIP
  • Wednesday 25th June The Birth Of John The Baptist (Int Therese Lelliott)
  • Friday 27th June 9:30am The Sacred Heart Of Jesus
  • Friday 27th June 2pm Funeral Mass for Margaret Perrin
  • Sunday 29th June 10am Saint Peter and Saint Paul

Please Pray For

  • Maura Mason RIP
  • Gema Rosado RIP

Soup And Sandwich

Thursday 26th June at 12pm in the Church Hall – all welcome!

Lauda Sion Salvatorem

(Sung in Lourdes during the Blessed Sacrament procession. Join daily at 4pm -click here)

Praise O Sion, praise your Saviour
Praise your captain and your pastor
With hymns and solemn songs

Trinity Sunday

In a recent school Q & A session, one of the questions was, “Who made God?” God existed before all time and is described in the Creed as maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. As revealed in the Scriptures, and using the language of relationships, we recognise a Trinity of Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A simple comparison would be to describe someone as grandfather, father, son and brother. In our Christian praying, we do so in a Trinitarian way. Just think of the Mass and see how we do so – beginning with the sign of the cross and finishing with the blessing.

The Day For Life

The theme this year is “Hope does not disappoint. Finding meaning in suffering ” You can read more here.

There are also Statements on Assisted Dying and the proposed decriminalisation of parts of the Abortion Act. Both of which remind us of how life can so easily be devalued.

Mass Schedule

  • Sunday 15th June 10am Trinity Sunday
  • Monday 16th June 8:15am St Mary’s House
  • Tuesday 17th June 8:15am St Mary’s House
  • Wednesday 18th June 9:30am
  • Friday 20th June 9:30am St Alban – Proto Martyr of England
  • Sunday 22nd June 10am The Body and Blood of Christ

Prayer Requests

For Gemma Rosado and Fr Ray Blake.

Maura Mason RIP

Maura, the widow of John Mason, died in hospital on Saturday morning (14th June). A brave person. May she rest in peace.

Second Collection For Life

The opportunity to donate will be after Mass. Thank you.

Forming The Vision For Church In Brighton & Hove

Do you wish to contribute? Meeting July 10th. Let Fr John know.

The Trisaigon

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus!

Holy, Holy, Holy!

Pentecost

The 50 Days are now finished and our Easter  hope is established. In so many different ways the Paschal Mystery has been a reality with life, suffering, and death – and life, change, and growth happening. We just need to recall the events in our own lives and in the world around us.

Now as the ascended Christ promised, we are not abandoned but recipients of the Holy Sprit who comes as gifts with their effects. It is in the sacraments that we receive the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Statement On The Assisted Dying Bill

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which seeks to legalise assisted suicide, is fast approaching its decisive vote in the House of Commons which will likely take place on either the 13 or 20 of June. Please click here to read more.

Mass Schedule

  • Sunday 8th June 10am Pentecost
  • Monday 9th June 8:15am St Mary’s House
  • Wednesday 11th June 9:30am St Barnabas, Apostle
  • Thursday 12th June 12pm Arundel Cathedral – Jubilarians’ Mass
  • Friday 13th June 9:30am St Anthony of Padua
  • Sunday 15th June 10am Trinity Sunday

The Word Of Life

The June copies are now available for you to pick up and use during the month to shape your prayer.

Thursday 12th June – Soup And Sandwich

Come along to meet and enjoy – 12 noon.

Margaret Perrin RIP

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Margaret and for her bereaved family members.

Pilgrimage To Walsingham

Remember the people from the Diocese on pilgrimage there this weekend.

Day For Life

Next Sunday – retiring collection. Please follow this link for more information.

Events Posters

Do take a look at the Noticeboards so as not to miss anything.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of thy love.
Send forth thy Spirit and they will be a new creation and you will renew the face of the earth.

Seventh Week Of Easter

The Fifty Days are nearly over and having heard the promise we now prepare to welcome the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Traditionally from the Ascension we have a novena of inviting the Spirit to renew us and give us energy in living our Christian lives. What we learn is described with signs – breath, fire ,enthusiasm and with effects -insight, understanding and outward “fruits ” – joy, peace and hope. Remembering that from our Baptism when we were given God’s Spirit , ,to our Confirmation when we received the fullness of the Spirit -“receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”, we in turn invite in prayer and song the Holy Spirit to be active within us – Come Holy Spirit!

Bishop Richard’s Weekly Reflection

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

At this time of the Church’s year, we are in Ascensiontide, having celebrated that feast on Thursday. Jesus has returned to the Father and the Apostles are waiting in expectant hope for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

We, of course, have received the Spirit – in our baptism and in our confirmation. Indeed, at present, we rejoice in the great number of our young people who are receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation at this time of year. All are coming to the Cathedral – making a pilgrimage to the mother church of the Diocese in this Holy Year and in our 60th year.

Those being confirmed hear the words of the prayer: that the anointing of Confirmation conform them more fully to Christ, the Son of God. The more closely we are conformed to Christ, the more effective we shall be in our witness to Him.  

St Stephen, whose martyrdom forms the text of the first reading this Sunday, was so closely conformed to Christ that he was ready to shed his blood in witness to Him. The word ‘martyr’ means ‘witness’ – so being a martyr in the broadest sense is the call for every Christian.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear Jesus tell us that through our witness, the world will come to believe in Him. This is the mission the Lord has given to each and every baptised person. Wherever we are – whatever we do – our lives must speak to others of the wonder of the Lord’s love for us and His call to every person, of every age, to life in Him. 

With every blessing,

+ Richard

World Communications Sunday

The late Pope Francis gave a Message to us with the theme -“share with gentleness the hope that is in your hearts “. He picked up on the Jubilee Theme and the ever present problem of fake news which damages truthful communication. It is like the fault of rumour or gossip. Take time to read more here.

The Pastoral Plan

On Wednesday the Bishop is meeting with the Clergy of the area to help us take the next steps. There is information from the Leadership team on the joint bi-weekly newsletter.

Mass Schedule

  • Sunday 1st June 10am 7th Sunday of Easter
  • Monday 2nd June 8:15am St Mary’s House
  • Wednesday 4th June 9:30am
  • Friday 5th June 9:30am
  • Sunday 8th June 10am Pentecost Sunday

Sheila Jenner RIP

A regular member of the Parish coming to a Weekday  Mass with her walking frame died last Wednesday. Like a good Catholic she has left instructions for a Requiem Mass at St Thomas More’s on Monday June 23rd at 10am.

May she rest in peace.

Angela McCulloch

Angela’s Requiem Mass has been arranged for this Thursday June 5th at St Mary’s Church at 11.30am.Remember her son in your prayers and may Angela rest in peace.

A&B 60

You may have read that the town of Arundel had a power cut on Wednesday. This meant there was no power or light in the Cathedral so if you were tuned in for live streaming you would have seen nothing. That is until the Bishop commenced his sermon quoting Canon Law.
Canon 369. A Diocese is a portion of the people of God which is entrusted to a Bishop to be nurtured by him, with the cooperation of priests, remaining close to its pastor and gathered by him through the Gospel and the Eucharist in the Holy Spirit, in constitutes a Particular Church. In this Church, the one, holy catholic and apostolic Church truly exists and functions.
At this point the lights came on together with the PA system and eventually lunch was cooked!

Spirit of the living God ,fall afresh on us
Spirit of the living God fall afresh on us
Melt us mould us, fill us, use us
Spirit of the living God fall afresh on us.