Category: Parish life

Education Sunday

Education Sunday is marked this year on 8 September – just after the new academic year starts. The theme for 2024 is, “He makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak”, taken from St Mark’s Gospel (7:31-37). Education Sunday is one of the oldest Days of Special Prayer in England and Wales, established 175 years ago in 1848. It provides an opportunity to celebrate and give thanks to all involved in making Catholic schools places of enlightenment, as well as to look forward in anticipation of the year ahead. Education Sunday reminds all members of the Catholic community of the importance of education to the Catholic mission. For us it is a day to celebrate and give thanks for everyone involved in our schools, St Peter’s and St Gildas’ just marked as ‘Good’ by Ofsted!

Secondary School Transfer Forms

Please see Fr David after mass for an appointment, bring along your school transfer forms, and any other forms you wish signed by the parish priest.

2024-2025 Parish Sacramental Programmes

First Communion: Parents of children in Year 3 or above wishing to make their first Holy Communion next year please collect a First Communion Form and return it to Fr David by October 1st.
Confirmation: Young people who are in Year 9 could they give Fr David their names and contact details after mass, so that he can make an initial assessment of the numbers who want to be confirmed this year.
Adult Faith Formation: Coming to Mass but not a Catholic? Thinking of becoming a Catholic? Catholic but not made your confirmation? Looking to know more about your faith? Please see Fr David after mass, or email him at the parish e mail, to learn about the upcoming program of faith formation for this year.

Services

Sunday Masses are at 6:30pm (Saturday), 9:45am,  11:15am and 7pm. (Note: 7pm Mass on Sundays resumes 8 September)
Sunday Scripture readings
Notes on the Scripture readings
Normal Weekday Mass times (unless there is a funeral) are 9am Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday after Morning Prayer at 8:45am.
Funeral Masses: Changes to Mass times e.g. for a funeral will be announced in church.
Continue reading Parish News – 8 September

Season of Creation

Each year from September 1 to October 4, the Christian family unites for this worldwide celebration of prayer and action to protect our common home. It is a special season where we celebrate God as Creator and acknowledge Creation as the divine continuing act that summons us as collaborators to love and care for the gift of all that is created. As followers of Christ from around the globe, we share a common call to care for Creation. We are co-creatures and part of all that God has made. Our well-being is interwoven with the well-being of the Earth. We rejoice in this opportunity to safeguard our common home and all beings who share it. This year, the theme for the season is “To hope and act with Creation”. Amid the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, many are beginning to despair and suffer from eco-anxiety. As people of faith we are called to lift the hope inspired by our faith, the hope of the resurrection. This is not a hope without action but one embodied in concrete actions of prayer and preaching, service and solidarity. This season, we are also uniting our Christian voices through a joint advocacy initiative to support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty which calls for a halt to new fossil fuel projects. Visit https://seasonofcreation.org/ to find out more. This is also the theme this week in the Family Room. Continue reading Parish News – 1st September

10-11 August – Annual SPUC petition

Sadly, one of the biggest drivers of abortion in the UK is poverty and one particular policy which penalises families and contributes to poverty is the two-child Universal Credit limit. Ironically the abortion giants BPAS have identified that the government’s policy is “a significant factor” in many women deciding to abort their child. On the petition weekend, you will be asked to complete a Petition Postcard. Continue reading Parish News – 28th July – 25th August

St Peter-in-Chains School Ofsted Report

Following our recent inspection we are delighted to share that St Peter’s is a Good School in all areas. “This is a small and happy school where all get to know each other well. The new senior leadership team has set high ambitions for all pupils’ achievement and their social development. They have secured many improvements, at pace, both to the curriculum and pupils’ behaviour.” The school prioritises the teaching of reading, right from the start of Reception. The children are surrounded by books, whether in the large library, the corridors or in the classrooms. Pupils love listening to their teachers read to them. They enjoy attending reading workshops, sometimes with authors at the local library. All staff have been trained to teach the new phonics programme effectively. They make sure that pupils practise reading using books matched to the sounds that they know. Staff give pupils who fall behind and those with SEND extra bespoke help. As a result, pupils become confident, keen and fluent readers.” Ofsted May 2024.

Congratulation to all of the staff, children and parents. As we move to one site we are proud that both schools have been judged to be good, where children are happy and proud of their schools. Frances Booker, Chair of Governors. The full report can be found on the Ofsted website. Continue reading Parish News – 21st July

Sea Sunday 14 July

Seafarers and fishers play a vital role in all of our lives, but they often work in difficult, hazardous conditions. The number of crews abandoned by their employers is still at a record high. Many are still being denied the right to leave their ships for even a short break away from the relentless noise and pressure onboard. Many are reporting more stress and poorer mental health. Stella Maris is the maritime agency of the Catholic Church. Stella Maris’ 22 UK chaplains and 80 ship-visiting volunteers provide friendship, spiritual, pastoral, and practical support helping seafarers, fishers and their families often in difficult situations. 1n 2023 in the UK they made 5,758 ship visits, helped 126,676 seafarers and fishers, provided gifts to 1,895 ships in UK ports, provided 1,704 ships with phone/internet cards or free WiFi for seafarers to contact home. This weekend we will take a retiring collection for the work of Stella Maris. Donation/Gift Aid envelopes are available at the Newsletter table or you can donate online. Continue reading Parish News – 14th July

Praying for our new government

Following the election we pray that our new government will be open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and work for the guiding principles of the common good with no one left behind. Every person has a right to what is required to live a fully human life in peace such as food, clothing, and shelter; the right to raise a family, the right to education, to employment, to a good reputation, to respect, to medical care, rest and social services. The common good is based on another foundational principle in Catholic Social Teaching, the dignity of the human person. This dignity is intrinsic, and indelible, conferred on us by our divine origin and eternal destiny. We are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27), that is we are made in love and for love, “each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary” (Pope Benedict XVI, quoted in Laudato Si’, 65). The Church has always promoted and protected the dignity of the human person throughout the life course, from conception to the natural end of life. Continue reading Parish News – 7 July

First Holy Communion

This weekend we welcome the first groups of our children who will be receiving Jesus in the Sacrament of Holy Communion for the first time at the 9:45 and 11:15 Masses. It is a great day of celebration for them, their families and friends and for the Parish as they receive the true presence of Jesus into their lives through this most Blessed Sacrament. We ask everyone attending to remember that this is a religious celebration as well as a family celebration and ask you to take a full part, listening, singing and praying for our children that this major step along the road of their Christian life will bring them into a closer and more personal friendship with God’s Son Jesus. We ask you please to leave the family photos and videos for before and after the service. Thank you.

Our Parish Giving & Stewardship Campaign

Thank you to everyone who has returned their promise forms from last weekend. If you took a form away to complete, please hand it to the priest after Mass and if you still wish to change your regular giving to the Parish, or to offer your service in a volunteering role, there are booklets and pens available in the porch. Continue reading Parish News – 30th June

Our Parish Giving & Stewardship Campaign

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” – (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Over the last two weekends you have heard more about Stewardship and Planned Giving. We have asked all parishioners to reflect prayerfully on what they contribute to the parish, particularly given the message of stewardship and having considered the needs of the parish.

This weekend we ask that all parishioners complete a promise which will remain private and confidential. Please provide your full contact details and select the method of offertory giving best suited to you. If you pay UK income tax and have not previously done so, please sign the Gift Aid declaration (in one name only) so that the parish can claim 25p back from the government for every £1 that you donate, at no extra cost to yourself.

Please also let us know if you can offer your time and talents to help us in practical ways – St Peter’s has no paid workers and relies on the time and talents of volunteers to continue functioning. As well as the welcomers, readers, offertory collectors, musicians, singers, servers and eucharistic ministers you see every Sunday, we need people with other skills as well as time for sacramental catechesis, visiting the housebound, administration, safeguarding, bookkeeping, counting, publishing, communications and media, property maintenance, organising, cleaning, secretarial work, flower arranging – the list goes on. If you think you can help in any way please tell us.

Finally, we thank you for all that you already do for our parish. Without your continued support, this living church would not continue to be the spiritual centre it is today. Fr David Continue reading Parish News – 23rd June