st-josephs-dorking

24 HOURS ADORATION WITH THE LORD

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:17:00 GMT

As we prepare for Pentecost Epsom Deanery will be holding an extended time of prayer - 24hr round the clock. This will be held at St Joseph's Church, Epsom, commencing with 10am Mass on Friday 22nd May and concluding with Mass at 10am Saturday 23rd May . It is a graced moment for us to gather in prayer around the Eucharistic Lord - to pray, to adore, to be silent, to hold the brokenness of our world before the healing presence of Christ.

The day and night will be divided up into 1hr slots which we would invite you to commit to coming to St Joseph's and spending 1hr in prayer. We need two people to commit to each hour so that is 48 people across the Deanery. If you are unable to offer 1hr you can come at any time for as long or short a time as you can manage during that 24hr time - and of course more than two people can sign up for a particular hour.

Those who are sick or housebound and unable to attend are invited to send their prayer intentions via their local parish office and they will be placed before the Blessed Sacrament.

There will also be opportunities to pray the Rosary, Reconciliation, communal prayer at specific times - more information to follow (and these will be Live Streamed).

There is a sign- up sheets available in all the Epsom Deanery Churches from this weekend, Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th April 2026.

For those who would like to attend but do not have transport, we hope to coordinate lift-sharing through the parish offices of the church where you registered. Once we have a clearer picture of who requires assistance and who is able to offer a lift, we can help make the necessary arrangements.

As St Theresa of Avila said in the 16thCentury, 'the world is on fire' - how much more so today. May the Lord bless all our efforts and desires to bring His Peace into the world.

Fr Simon Hall, Epsom, on behalf of the Deanery

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION MASS on 17th May

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:11:16 GMT

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION MASS on 17th May :- Will be an additional Mass at 12.00 mid-day, given there are nearly 20 children making their First Holy Communion with extended family visiting, it would be wise not to have coffee after the 10.00 am Mass, because of car parking!

The rehearsal for the Mass will take place the day before, Saturday, at 11.15 and should last little more than an hour, it is important that all the children attend with at least one parent. Many thanks.

CONFIRMATION MASS 9th May

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:10:08 GMT

CONFIRMATION MASS 9th May, St. Joseph’s, Epsom :- Young people from our parish will be Confirmed at a Mass celebrated by Conon Bill Davern and Fr. Gary Carter at 2.30 that afternoon. Candidates, parents and sponsors are required to be at the church no later than 2.00 pm. Candidates need to ensure they have their ‘Confirmation Card’ with them. Although there is parking, it is somewhat limited, so it may be an idea to arrive earlier rather than later.

Tenth Anniversary Memorial Mass for Fr. Dominic Rolls

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:08:01 GMT

This Saturday, May 2nd we have a memorial Mass for Fr. Dominic Rolls, some ten years since his death; Mass will be at 11.00 am followed by a reception in the main hall. We welcome members of Fr. Dominic’s family and other friends that day. Please note there will not be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament that morning.

CONFIRMATION & FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAMMES 2025 /2026

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:05:59 GMT

CONFIRMATION & FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAMMES 2025 /2026:-.

Will continue this Thursday, 30th April at 5 & 7 pm respectively.

The children in the First Holy Communion programme should have completed work on chapter 15 ‘Jesus Rises from the Dead.’.

Mass and Meet

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 20:12:21 GMT

Mass and Meet on Friday 1st May when Mass will be at 12.00 midday followed by a light lunch in the hall. Everyone is welcome.

Adult Formation

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 19:30:18 GMT

ADULT FORMATION:- continues this Monday 27 th April, when we look at the gift of the Most Holy Eucharist, the Holy Mass. We begin at 7.00 pm; all are welcome to attend.

MASS INTENTIONS

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 14:46:57 GMT

You will see from the ‘diary’ for this week, Masses are the ‘celebrant’s intention’; however, if you would like to have Mass offered for a personal or particular intention, please put details on a ‘Mass Intention’ envelope and hand it to Fr. Ian or drop it through the presbytery letterbox. You might like to have Mass offered for someone’s well-being, the repose of their soul, birthday etc. By tradition, the Mass ‘offering’, (rooted in Leviticus 7:28- 34 and Deuteronomy 18:3-8) should be sufficient to sustain a priest for the day. Many thanks.

GIFT AID

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 13:37:35 GMT

GIFT AID ENVELOPES 2026/2027:- As always, our grateful thanks to all those who are able to make financial contribution to the parish via the ‘Gift Aid’ scheme. For those who do so via the envelope system, we are pleased to tell you the envelopes for this tax year 26/27 are available in the sacristy, please collect your box with your name on a printed label on it at the earliest opportunity. Very many thanks.

If you are a tax payer and are not already in the ‘Gift Aid’ scheme, might we encourage you to ‘join’ as we are able to get a further 25p in every £1.00 you contribute from the Inland Revenue, so, your £4.00 becomes £5.00. Do please give consideration to this. Again, very many thanks.

Rosary Circles for Priestly Vocations

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 11:37:30 GMT

If you haven’t already done so, but would still like to commit to praying a decade of the Rosary each day during February, then please do put your initial or a tick in one of the boxes on the ‘Rosary Circle’ chart in the church porch.

The ‘Chart’ lists the 20 decades of the Rosary and a number of columns for people to put their initial or a tick in a box to indicate they will commit to praying the particular decade each day for the month of February, and hopefully, this will create a number of ‘circles’ praying for this intention. This is a very simple spiritual exercise many of us could join in with; at least 20 people praying one decade of the Rosary each day, so the whole of the Rosary is prayed for this particular intention, thus creating a ‘Rosary Circle’. Let it be said, however, that anyone can join the Rosary Circles at any time.

Youth Group at St Joseph’s

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 10:22:11 GMT

Youth Group at St Joseph’s will continue on Thursday 7 th May and will meet fortnightly from 6:00–8:00pm in the Church Hall (dinner provided). The group is open to young people in Years 6 to 11.

The dawn crow of the cockerel in the Passion pt2

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:45:51 GMT

The dawn crow of the cockerel in the Passion Narrative: - (Part 2)

The Midrash, about King Solomon who desires to build the Temple, the shamir and the Hoopoe begins by announcing that King Solomon got himself a male and female demon (derived from shiddah and shiddot which could mean ‘singers’ (see Jerusalem Bible version) but is obscure enough, according to the footnote, to possibly mean demons) who, in turn, eventually got a hold of the king of the demons, Ashmedai, who pointed King Solomon in the direction of the hoopoe, the guardian of the ‘shamir’.

The text continues:- “Solomon replied, “I want nothing at all that is yours. But because I desire to build the Temple, I need the shamir.” Ashmedai (the king of demons) said to him. “ The shamir was not placed in my charge but given to the prince of the sea, and he gave sole charge of it to the wild cock, (the hoopoe) who is entrusted with it on oath. Do you know what he does with it? He takes it to an uninhabited mountain and sets it down upon a peak, and the mountain splits asunder. Then the wild cock gathers seeds of trees and scatters them in the split, which consequently attracts settlers .” (Hence the Aramai Targum calls the wild cock the “splitter of mountains.”)” (See:- “The Book of Legends Sefer Ha-Aggadah” No. 122 P. 130 Ed. Hayim Nahman Ravnitzky, Schocken Books, New York, 1992)

If, in Judaism at the time of our Lord, the cockerel announces the new day and the call to first prayers, the clearing by the priestly caste of the ashes of the previous days sacrificial oblations in the Temple as preparation for sacrifices of the new day, and indeed, the cockerel is recognised as the one who has charge of the shamir then surely, we can equate the shamir with our Lord and the wood of the cross!

The cross upon which our Lord was nailed, would have been erected in the rock, that is, it would have split the rock, and so we could say that symbolically, Christ is indeed the shamir who ‘attracts settlers’, the new Covenant, which is the Church, and therefore it is no surprise, the shamir disappeared after the building of the Second Temple, because Christ is the shamir, the tool required to build the (new) Temple, announced by the cockerel on Good Friday morning.

When, as the Gospel recounts our Lord died upon the cross, the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom (Mk 15:37, Matt 27:51) and thus the Covenant of Sinai is superseded, the New and Everlasting Covenant (of the Church) is established through the Resurrection of Jesus and the institution of the Ministerial priesthood and the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper; these surely all point to Jesus as being the shamir. The cock crow on that Good Friday would see our Lord died upon the Cross and again, as the Gospel relates, there was an earthquake and the ground was split open and the souls of many rose from the dead (Matt 27:51).

Is it that Christ is the shamir, the tool who enables the new temple to be built, the ‘keystone’ over which many would stumble, but upon whom, the Church, the New Temple or Tabernacle is built? In which case, the dawn crow of the cockerel, the splitter of stone, if the Gospel narrative references the Midrash, is of greater significance than we may think!

Significant dates in May

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:33:50 GMT

On May 2nd we have a memorial Mass for Fr. Dominic Rolls, some ten years since his death; Mass will be at 11.00 am followed by a reception in the main hall. We welcome members of Fr. Dominic’s family and other friends that day.

On Saturday, May 9th number of our young people will be Confirmed at St. Joseph’s, Epsom and on Sunday 17th May we have our parish First Holy Communion Mass; please keep the children, young people and their families in your prayers at this time.

Easter Offerings

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 09:49:14 GMT

Many thanks for your Easter Offering, details of which, should be available next weekend; thanks also for the cake, chocolate, wine and Easter cards, the latter not having been consumed, but the others are a work in progress.

Thanks also to all those who helped with the Holy Week liturgies in various ways! Thanks to those who prepared things in the sacristy, the flower arrangers, who made the church look so beautiful. Our thanks to our altar servers, who gave their time not only for the liturgies, but the rehearsals as well! A lot of time on their feet! Thanks to those who did the readings each day and to those who assisted with the music.

Also, to take the opportunity to thank all those of you who help in the life of the parish in so many varied and different ways; particular thanks to those who look after the church linen, the flower arrangers, to the Special Ministers of Holy Communion, especially those who go out to the sick and housebound with Holy Communion; thanks to the gift aid organiser, the money counters, the finance team, the sacristans, the readers rota organisers, those who tidy up both in and around the church, attending to the plants, drains etc. the cleaners, the ‘Core Team’ and the roles they have undertaken, those who look after the coffee after the Masses on Sunday and Tuesday, those who organise and prepare the ‘First Friday lunch’ and of course the people that I will have forgotten to mention.

Thanks also to Maria for the generous manner in which she has taken on the role of parish secretary, especially in getting the hall bookings sorted out and up to date.

Again, my thanks, Fr. Ian

The dawn crow of the cockerel in the Passion pt 1

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 15:42:39 GMT

The dawn crow of the cockerel in the Passion Narrative: - (Part 1)

In Judaism there are ‘interpretive commentaries which surround many of the text of the Old Testament, called ‘Midrash’. One such Midrash is about King Solomon and the building of the First Temple. The Midrash talks of a tool, the ‘shamir’ which is required to cut the stone for the Temple. The shamir is in the charge of a wild cockerel, the hoopoe. “An essential element in Solomon's construction of the Temple was the miraculous shamir stonecutter. In instructing us how to make the permanent altar to God, the Torah says, "do not build it out of cut stone" (Ex. 20:22). The shamir disappeared after the destruction of the Temple.

The Nature of the Shamir:- The word "shamir" in biblical Hebrew was used in two senses: a) a penpoint made out of a hard substance (Jeremiah 17:1); or b) sharp thorns (Isaiah 5:6).

Each usage relates to the ability of the shamir to pierce hard surfaces. The Talmud and later great rabbis described how the passage of the shamir along the surface of a stone would cause it to split perfectly into two pieces.

Small as a barleycorn (less than one centimeter), the shamir did not have an inspiring physical appearance. According to Rabbi Bachiya in the Talmud, the shamir was first used at the time of the construction of the Tabernacle to engrave the names of the tribes on the precious jewels of the High Priest's breastplate. For safekeeping, the shamir was kept wrapped in wool, placed in a lead basket filled with barley bran (Talmud, Sota 48b.) The choice of these materials was specific, since no other materials were able to resist its penetrative powers.

A Midrash recounts that even King Solomon had no idea where to find the shamir, although he knew he needed it to build the Temple. Solomon went to great lengths to obtain the shamir, even to the point, evidently, of contacting demons who had some relationship with the shamir and the other supernatural phenomena. The Midrash relates that Solomon consulted the king of the demons, who did not have it but knew that the angel of the sea had given the shamir to the hoopoe bird (dukhifat, Lev. 11:19), a type of fowl who needed it to survive. In the end, King Solomon captured the shamir from the hoopoe, a ‘wild cockerel’. (See:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoopoe )

The shamir was used by man only in the construction of the Tabernacle and the Temple. Supernatural beings created by God for specific functions do not exist forever. The Mishna (Sota 9:12) states that the shamir existed until the destruction of the Second Temple. According to the Tosefta, the shamir disappeared after the destruction of the Temple (my note: in the year 70 A.D, some 27 years after the events of the first Easter, that is, the Death and Resurrection of Jesus) since it was no longer needed.” (Taken from:- https://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/38030 3/jewish/Modern-Physics-and-the-Shamir.htm )

“Hoopoes will also feed on insects on the surface, probe into piles of leaves, and even use the bill to lever large stones and flake off bark.” We can understand the origins of the idea of the ‘rock splitter’ in the Midrash from the observations made about this wild cockerel, the hoopoe.

First Holy Communion Programme

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 21:06:36 GMT

First Holy Communion Programme

The programme continues this Thursday 16 th April at 5 pm. The children should have looked Chapter 13 of their books, having worked their way through it for revision that day.

HCPT Pilgrimage to Lourdes

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 16:22:20 GMT

Martin Stebbings, on behalf of Group 17 writes:-

May I/we thank all those very kind and generous parishioners who have donated to the Just Giving page over the past few weeks. The response has been amazing, and I thank you whole-heartedly. Again, I would be very happy to take prayer petitions or intentions from parishioners. If you would like me to carry an intention to the Grotto on your behalf, please feel free to pass it on before the Easter Tridium Weekend. As previously mentioned, please keep all our pilgrims in your prayers, and be assured of mine for you when I travel to Lourdes at Easter.

Thank you. Martin Stebbings

Confirmation Programme 2025/2026

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:38:11 GMT

CONFIRMATION PROGRAMME 2025 /2026

Will continue after the schools Easter holiday on Thursday 16th April at 7 pm in the small hall. Many thanks for arriving promptly.

A report from the ‘Centre for Social Justice’

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 16:22:00 GMT

Worth a read:- a report from the ‘Centre for Social Justice’

https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2025/03/CSJ-The_Lost_Boys.pdf

Life in the Spirit Seminars

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 16:39:03 GMT

Life in the Spirit Seminars from each Tuesday from 14th April to 2nd June 2026 at St. Joseph’s, Redhill, each week at 7.30. Further details available from the poster on the noticeboard.

Adult Information

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 15:51:30 GMT

The programme is open to everyone, but especially those who wish to know more about the Catholic faith with a view to becoming a Catholic. Our programme continues this Monday 9th March, when we look at the foundations of the Church, built on Peter and the Apostles. Please note we will begin at the earlier time of 7.00 pm; all are welcome.

Children's Liturgy – Could you help with the leadership?

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 18:51:09 GMT

We have so much enjoyed restarting the Children's Liturgy over the past year. It has been fantastic to see the enthusiasm of children and parents for these sessions, and rewarding for us to see the children enjoying growing in the knowledge of their faith. It would be lovely to have more leaders so that we can increase the number of sessions. Besides a love of God, no formal qualifications are needed to assist other than be happy to have a DBS check and enthusiasm. We work as a team, supporting one another in working with the children in all the sessions. So, if you are interested in finding out more, please do speak to one of us after Mass or contact us through the church office. God bless, Kathia, Matthew, Elizabeth and Monika

BABY FEST

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 15:23:29 GMT

Our thanks to all those who came along and supported the babyfest! People discovered that they had family living in the same far off (from Dorking) villages, enjoyed different foods and discovered more about each other, helping to build friendships and support for their children and for one another. The next babyfest will be in a couple of months time.

PARISH REPOSITORY / BOOK STALL

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:37:10 GMT

PARISH REPOSITORY / BOOK STALL : - Is something perhaps, which we take for granted in the church narthex, but which has been looked after and managed for many years by one person with assistance from others. Given the passage of time, it would be appreciated if a couple of people would assist in learning of how to manage and order items for the repository with a view to taking on the role in due time. If you would be willing to help withs, please e-mail the parish office with your details, which will then be passed on to the current manager. Many thanks.

Music Group at 10.00 Sunday Mass

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 13:34:22 GMT

Do you play a musical instrument and could you support the music group at the 10.00 Sunday Mass? We are particularly looking for instrumentalists to join the music group; you need to be reasonably confident on your instrument but please just come and have a chat to explore if it’s for you. And if you’d like to sing with us you’re very welcome too! And are there any organists out there who might want to play sometimes? You don’t have to be available every week to be involved! If you can help,

For the Music Group please either speak to Gabrielle or anyone else in the Music Group after Mass, or email gabrielle.musictherapy@gmail.com .

And if you’re a budding organist please speak to Vinita after Mass or email vmgoveas@hotmail.com

Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 13:42:57 GMT

Next weekend there is a second collection to support the pilgrimage, for which ‘Lourdes Pilgrimage envelopes’ are available at the entrances to the church.

Children's Liturgy

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 09:44:21 GMT

CHILDREN’S LITURGY at the 10.00 am Sunday Mass

The children’s liturgy continues at the 10 am Mass this Sunday, 25th January and then every two weeks until half term. Our thanks to all have supported and helped with this initiative over the last number of months. We look forward to growing this ministry this year!

DORKING FOOD BANK

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 15:09:40 GMT

If you would like to contribute to the food bank, the Food Bank Box is by the side door of the Church and is for contributions of appropriate products as listed, which are gratefully received.

The box is emptied regularly and the products are delivered to the local Food Bank Depot, where they are labelled and St Josephs Parish is acknowledged.

Should you wish to help with the Food Bank a few more people are needed to assist occasionally with the weekly collection when the regular collectors are away. Please see our own parish website under the heading ‘Churches Together in Dorking at: https://www.sjcc.org.uk/churches-together-dorking

Volunteers would need to have their own transport to get the products to the actual food bank depot. Please let Maria know if you’re willing to help. For further details about the foodbank, please see their website at: Dorking Area Foodbank | Helping Local People in Crisis

Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 10:09:41 GMT

From THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE UNBORN CHILD:-

After a two-year delay, the Government have finally published the official abortion statistics for 2023.

The results are shocking but not surprising. There were 277,970 terminations recorded, an 11% increase on the year before. These are the highest numbers of abortions in the UK’s history, nearly 300,000 per year across all four nations - a figure never envisaged when the legislation was first passed. There is also a rise in pills by post abortions - 200,745 abortions involved taking both abortion drugs at home, 72% of the total. You can read our full press release here .

These appalling figures come as peers are due to debate the biggest expansion of abortion since 1967 - allowing self-induced abortion up to birth. As you know, the House of Lords will debate Clause 191 to the Crime and Policing Bill in the coming weeks - either on 27th January or 2nd February.

Amendments tabled at Committee Stage include removing Clause 191 from the Bill entirely, ending the pills by post policy, and mandatory investigations for underage abortions.

Please write to members of the House of Lords and ask them to fight the extreme abortion up to birth amendment. We must work to stop these horrendous statistics rising still higher. If this change goes through, key protections for women and babies will be removed.

Please use our tool to contact members of the House of Lords. It will generate a Peer at random for you to write to, and bring up an editable template. Please edit this template to put it in your own words, and to include your own concerns and experiences. Once you have finished your letter, it will be emailed to you to print off and send to the Peer by post . Alternatively, you can opt to send your message by email, though paper letters are always more impactful than emails. The SPUC tool can be found at:-

Fight the latest attempts to decriminalise abortion - SPUC You can contact as many Peers as you are able to (but send the letters in separate envelopes).

Diocesan Pastoral Plan

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 15:07:07 GMT

The Pastoral Plan – The Word Who is Life (From Fr. Chris Bergin):-

“Bishop Richard’s appointment as the next Archbishop of Westminster means there are some immediate consequences for us regarding the implementation of the Pastoral Plan in the Epsom Deanery. Whilst some things, by Church Law, are put on hold until a new Bishop arrives – particularly any decision to combine the existing nine parishes into one new parish – other key elements of the Plan remain as important for us as ever; prayer, formation and mission continue to be the priorities that shape our pastoral life. Whilst the parishioner meetings around the nine parishes will not now go ahead as planned (as a significant factor in the planning for these – particularly the timetable – was the proposed changes to structure), the Parish Leadership Team will be working on proposals to enable us to continue our reflections on mission, to celebrate and develop co-operation between our parish communities, and continue to invite all parishioners to get involved. You’ll be able to hear more about this in the next Deanery newsletter which will be available next weekend, 17th/18th January.”

Additionally, there's a piece on the Diocesan website about what happens (and doesn't happen) during sede vacante which may be of help: Sede Vacante: Next steps for the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton | News

Holy Hour

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 16:03:54 GMT

This Thursday 30th April from 18.00-19.00 hrs (6 until 7). I time for quiet prayer and reflection before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. All are welcome.

Missio Red Box

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 23:25:43 GMT

If you have a Red Box (Mill Hill Missionaries) in your home which is not emptied by the parish collectors or if you would like a Red Box in your home to help the APF’s missionary work, please contact Louis McCulloch on 01306 899001 or louis.mcculloch1@gmail.com .

Lifts to Church

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 19:48:51 GMT

We are hoping to create a small group of volunteers to assist those with mobility issues in getting to church. Please do get in touch either if you think you can help provide the occasional lift by car, or if you yourself need occasional help to get to church due to mobility issues. Please get in touch on 07393814255. Benjamin Morrell.

MASS INTENTIONS AND STIPENDS

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 12:33:14 GMT

Every now and again the question about Mass intentions comes up in regard to having a Mass for a particular intention, e.g. the repose of someone’s soul, a person’s health or well-being, thanksgiving etc.

Priest are allowed to celebrate one Mass each day for a particular intention, such as those mentioned above, however it must be stressed that we cannot ‘buy’ a Mass! Remember, that the Mass, the Holy Eucharist, is the unbloodied sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross, Jesus offers Himself to God the Father on our behalf; through the action of the Mass He unites us to our Heavenly Father especially through Holy Communion, the Mass then, is the perfect prayer of the Church and is not something we can ‘buy’.

The ‘Mass Stipend’ or ‘Mass Offering’ is a gift to the priest, (normally financial) when a particular intention is requested, its roots are in the Old Testament and the Levitical priesthood. The tribe of Levi, were set aside by God through Moses to administer the Tent of Meeting which later became the Temple in Jerusalem. The Tent of Meeting / Temple was the place of the Holy of Holies which contained the Ark of the Covenant; it was here that the Levites served God on behalf of His people, they were ‘set aside’ for such work.

Part of the priestly work was to offer sacrifices to God, and the priests were allowed to take certain parts of the sacrificial animals so as to sustain themselves and their family (see Dt 18:1-8). In the same way, if we would like a Mass for a particular intention, we can always put details on a ‘Mass Intentions’ envelope (available at the back of the church) with an offering, and hand it to Fr. Ian or put it through the presbytery letter box. The financial offering, or ‘Mass Stipend’ is a personal gift to the priest and helps, as its roots suggest, in sustaining the priest personally for a day

Catholics Seeking Guidance

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 09:25:36 GMT

Catholics seeking guidance: In light of recent coverage, some references to help and guide:

Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2277 Catechism of the Catholic Church - IntraText The Code of Canon Law: Code 227 Code of Canon Law - Book II - The People of God - Part I. (Cann. 208-329) The Code of Canon Law: Code 915 Code of Canon Law - Book IV - Function of the Church Liber (Cann. 879-958) followed by the commentary from the Pontifical Council for Legislative Text (24/06/2000) Declaration of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts which

clearly outlines the responsibility of priests towards the People of God entrusted to their care.

Getting Married

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 08:41:19 GMT

GETTINNG MARRIED:- A reminder that if you are planning to marry in the Church and live within the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, Bishop Richard requires that you give twelve months notice to your Parish Priest. (The Diocese includes the whole of Sussex and Surrey outside the London boroughs.) During that time, the Parish Priest will outline the particular requirements in regard to a marriage preparation programme.This means that at the present time, the earliest a wedding could take place will be the end of June 2026, however, given that most reception venues require 18 months notice, 12 months notice to the parish should come as no surprise.

Parish Library

Sun, 16 Mar 2025 10:28:27 GMT

Parish Library:- A reminder that there is the parish library in the narthex,/ main entrance to the church. There is a wide selection of books, both of a devotional and doctrinal nature, so do have a look and don’t be afraid to borrow.

On a similar note, the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’ can be found on the Vatican web site. Type in ‘santa sede’ on a search engine and it will bring up the web site, go to the top right of the home page to select a language, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page to ‘resources’ click on that ‘button’ and it will take you to a menu page for the ‘Code of Canon Law’, the Catechism and the documents of the Second Vatican Council; all useful stuff informing our faith and therefore the opportunity to grow in the love of God, His Church and our neighbour.

Parish Plan

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 09:55:34 GMT

Parish Plan: Following your generous response to our request for volunteers, it is now possible to put a little more detail on our parish plan.

Currently the Core Team consists of Fr. Ian, Philip Cook (Chair), Colin & Ricki Hughes, Peter Briscoe, Keith Sargent, Rob Potter and Kathia Thornton. The aim is to have each member of the Core Team representing and liaising with the leaders of the various ministries within the parish. A key part of the Core Team’s role is to listen to those people actively engaged in ministry and to help bring ideas and thoughts to fruition, encouraging new ventures where opportunities exist.

There is already a small team planning a relaunch of the Children’s Liturgy and a suitable candidate has been found to take on the position of Parish Secretary although it will take a little longer to confirm contractual details with the Diocese.

We are especially grateful to a number people who have come forward offering to help with Health and Safety matters which take up an increasing amount of time.

If you have any questions or suggestions, we would very much like to hear from you.