The conclave:- Following on the death of a Pope, the Cardinals of the Church, as successors to the Apostles, will gather in conclave to elect from amongst themselves, the successor to St. Peter, who was the first Pope. We commend the Cardinals of the Church to your prayers as they prepare for the conclave, that guided by the Holy Spirit and in all humility of mind and heart, they may be obedient to the will of God the Father in the election of the next Pope Suggested reading: There are two useful articles in this weeks ‘Catholic World Report’ one is about the election of the Pope and a short history of the conclave, the other, perhaps closer to home, is about Carlo Acutis, the 15 year old who is to be canonized, the article will be of particular interest as it identifies something of the impact of mobile phones, social media, mental health and the thirst for God! Conclave Cooperation: The Cardinals, the Holy Spirit and You – Catholic World Report and Roadmap to Reality beautifully depicts the impact of St. Carlo Acutis – Catholic World Report
Divine Mercy Sunday (27/4/2025) Starting at 3pm at St Peter’s, Shoreham , with a Holy Hour of Adoration, Divine Mercy Chaplet and Confessions, followed by Benediction at 4.00pm. Further details email: adurvalley@abdiocese.org.uk.
Bishop Richard will celebrate Mass for the Repose of the Pope’s Soul at Arundel Cathedral at 11am on Sunday 27 April. To watch the Mass via livestream visit: www.abdiocese.org.uk/livestream Requiem Masses for Pope Francis have been arranged across the Deanery as follows: Tues 29th April, 9.15am, St John's, Tadworth ~~ Thursday 1 May at 9:30 St Ann’s, Banstead Fri 2nd May, 6pm, St Michael's, Ashtead (preceded by a Holy Hour from 5pm)
POPE FRANCIS R.I. P From Bishop Richard on hearing of the death of Pope Francis: " As we mourn the death of Pope Francis, we can also be deeply grateful for his life of service to the Universal Church. Bringing his experience of the Church in South America, informed and enlightened by his life as a member of the Society of Jesus, he called us all to simplicity of life, a renewed openness to the gift of mercy, a deeper understanding of the dignity of the human person and a respect and care for creation. The work of the Synod, that has marked the more recent years of his papacy, is sure to inform the life and mission of the Church in the proclamation of the Gospel; his faithful dedication, even as he lived with failing health, is an example to us all. May he rest in peace." Elected to the papacy in March 2013, Pope Francis was an unwavering advocate of the poor and marginalised. A powerful proponent for the value and sanctity of every human life, the Pope was vocal in his denouncement of human trafficking, which he referred to as a "global scourge". He designated February 8 as the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking and worked steadfastly to raise awareness of the illegal practice, promoting the work and mission of the Papal anti-trafficking charity, ‘The Santa Marta Group’, which operates internationally to end the criminal trade. Serving within an increasingly violent and polarised global landscape, Pope Francis worked tirelessly and vocally in the pursuit of peace, dispatching Vatican envoys across the world to deliver aid and spiritual support to people and communities in need, while urging governments and world leaders to bring an end to conflict and violence, particularly in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Sudan. Equally galvanising was the Pope's stance on Care for our Common Home, and his concern for environmental stewardship. In 2015 he published Laudato Si' - the first of two encyclical letters on the climate crisis - calling on people of all ages and backgrounds to redouble local, national, and international efforts to safeguard and protect the planet. Writing Laudate Deum in 2023 he reiterated the need for people across the world to act, highlighting that "there are no cultural changes without personal changes." Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him, may he rest in peace. Amen.
The third reading is likely to be on 25th April, although there has been mention of the reading being delayed. The Bishops of England and Wales have sent a pastoral message on the issue, copies are available at the entrances to the church. Additionally, Lord David Alton of Liverpool and Baroness Jane Campbell write: “Our nation stands at a crucial juncture regarding how we value human life, particularly the lives of people in the most vulnerable situations. If this significant proposal to introduce assisted suicide becomes law, thousands of individuals will be placed at risk in the coming years. Mounting evidence from the small number of places around the world that have legalised assisted suicide shows that these laws are incremental, the safeguards do not work, and that the changed law can have devastating consequences. It is therefore imperative that the Assisted Suicide Bill is defeated at Third Reading.” ‘Not Dead Yet UK’ a network of disabled people who oppose legalising assisted suicide, have sent out post cards for you to mail to your MP. The post card presents evidence-based reasons to oppose assisted suicide, urging MPs to oppose the Bill at the Third Reading. Please take a postcard, fill in the necessary details and post it off to your MP. THANK YOU. As has been said, purely in terms of economics, and to re-iterate the point, with a much lower than needed fertility rate in the UK, which in the longer term (20 to 30 years) will create a smaller revenue for HMRC with a smaller work force, the longevity of life which so many presently enjoy and the subsequent increasing medical costs with a tighter hold and additional expenses on the public purse, should this Bill succeed, then, just as has happened with the 1968 Abortion Act and the ‘safeguards’ the same will happen with this Bill. The safeguards of the 1968 Abortion Act stipulated: “a pregnancy is terminated by a registered medical practitioner if two registered medical practitioners are of the opinion, formed in good faith….” (Abortion Act 1967 1967 CHAPTER 87 Paragraph 1:1 See:- Abortion Act 1967 ) a quick browse of the internet for the ‘morning after pill’ readily demonstrates that 2 medical practitioners ‘of good faith’ are no longer required; one therefore, has to ask, what will the ‘Assisted Dying Bill’ bring in 50 years’ time with ever tighter Government purse string and a significantly smaller tax contributing population? This Bill needs to be opposed for the common good of society at large and greater funding for palliative care through which pain can be very much managed in these Isles.
CAFOD Myanmar Earthquake Appeal : Your donations will provide essentials like water, food, solar lights, and mosquito nets. Please give to CAFOD’s Myanmar Earthquake Appeal in church or you can donate online at cafod.org.uk/myanmar or by calling 0303 303 3030 . You can also text EARTHQUAKE to 70450 to donate £10.
EASTER OFFERING A reminder also that the collection at the Easter Vigil and on Easter Sunday is your personal offering to Fr. Ian. The Easter Offering, along with the Christmas Day Offering, are the major source of personal income for the whole year for the diocesan priest in Arundel and Brighton, so we ask you to be as generous as you can. ‘Easter Offering’ envelopes are available at the church entrances and given the varied manner of financial transactions, the ‘Easter Offering’ envelopes are possibly the least ambiguous manner of offering. Many thanks. PLEASE NOTE that if you usually contribute by some kind of internal bank transfer, BACS / standing order etc. but you wish to make a personal offering, then you will have to stipulate to your bank that any such offering to Fr. Ian should be annotated accordingly; if offerings are not annotated as such, then they will go into the general parish funds, rather than to Fr. Ian! Church flowers for Easter:- This weekend there is a second collection for Easter flowers to decorate the church, should you like to make a contribution. Many thanks.
HOLY WEEK LITURGIES There is a yellow A5 flyer available with the details as well as here in the newsletter; they are as follows: Palm Sunday: ( Saturday/ Sunday 13th April) Masses start from the hall with our palm procession. Maundy Thursday (17 th April) Mass of the Last Supper 7.30pm with ‘watching’ at the altar of repose until midnight. Good Friday (18 th April) Liturgy of the Passion : 3pm with veneration of the Cross Stations of the Cross: 7 pm Holy Saturday (19 th April) 10am Polish Blessing of baskets (in church, in English) Easter Vigil Mass 8.30 pm Easter Sunday (20 th April) Dawn Mass 8am , Mass of Easter Day 10am Readers and Special Ministers of Holy Communion:- Would those who assist in these ministries please ‘sign up’ to assist with the different Holy Week Liturgies, please. Lists for each day are in the sacristy. A number of readers are required for the Passion Narrative on Palm Sunday and Good Friday and also for the individual readings for the Easter Vigil. Many thanks. Washing of feet ‘mandatum’ at Mass of the Lord’s Supper; Would you volunteer for this, please? If so, speak to Fr. Ian. Thank you.
A poster is now available outlining Mass Times and Services for this extra special times. View the poster here
Could we have an ‘all hands on deck spring clean’ of the church next Saturday, 12th April at 2pm , please? If you can wield a broom, brash, duster, dust pan or spray polish, your help would be appreciated. Many thanks.