ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST

Parish Newsletter

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IMPORTANT PARISH OFFICE NOTICES

Welcome to St John the Evangelist Horsham

All are very welcome to join us in celebrating the Risen Jesus Christ. Please make yourselves known to Fr Aaron, our parish priest should you be visiting our Church here in Horsham.



Since our Parish foundation in 1865, St John the Evangelist Horsham has been at the heart of this growing community of prayer. With Mass every day and many other inclusive activities, we can confidently say that the living stones of the Catholic Church in Horsham are lively, committed and diverse.

Easter Week Services 2026

By Webmaster • March 17, 2026
You can download our full schedule of Holy Week and Easter Services - HERE (PDF)

Lent 2026

By Webmaster • February 14, 2026
Preparing for the important Lenten journey. Activities at St John's Horsham.

Car Park Renewals 25/26

By Webmaster • November 22, 2025
CAR PARKING RENEWALS Car parking Renewals for 2025-2026 are now due. This year’s parking subscriptions for 1st Nov 2025 – 31st October 2026 are: £135 Short Term Carpark – 3 Hours; £405 Long Term Carpark – All day. Renewals can be made using the following link https://www.stjohnshorsham.com/car-parking . We would encourage those that do not have access to the internet to get family or close friends to help with the renewals, as the Parish Office is not involved in this process. Once we have an idea of the number of renewals, any registered parishioner who is interested in obtaining a fob, may be put onto a waiting list, which will be held by the parish office.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 2026

By Webmaster • November 20, 2025
The 2026 First Holy Communion programme is now closed and no new applications will be accepted, thank you.
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Welcome to St John the Evangelist Horsham

All are very welcome to join us in celebrating the Risen Jesus Christ. Please make yourselves known to Fr Xavier our parish priest should you be visiting our Church here in Horsham.


Since our Parish foundation in 1865, St John the Evangelist Horsham has been at the heart of this growing community of prayer. With Mass every day and many other inclusive activities, we can confidently say that the living stones of the Catholic Church in Horsham are lively, committed and diverse.

View the Livestream and schedule on our new stream service - View Here

  LIVE MASS & SERVICE SCHEDULE

  • Week Day Mass

    30th March – Monday of Holy Week

    8:00 am to 8:30 am - Confession

    12:00 noon Mass – Eddie, Brenda and Edward Sullivan RIP 

     

    31st March – Tuesday of Holy Week

    7:30 am Mass - For the Healing of Annmaria

    8:00 am to 8:30 am - Confession

    10:30 am to 3:00 pm - Adoration


    1st April – ‘Spy’ Wednesday of Holy Week

    NO MASS

    (12:00 noon - Mass at Our Lady of Consolation and St Francis, West Grinstead)

    (6:00 pm - Chrism Mass at the Cathedral)

    NO Polish Adoration

    NO Polish Mass


    THE SACRED PASCHAL TRIDUUM


    2nd April – Maundy Thursday

    6:00 pm - Polish Mass

    8:30 pm - Mass of the Lord’s Supper

    Followed by the Watching of the Altar of Repose until midnight

    12:00 Midnight - Night Prayer


    3rd April – Good Friday

    9:00 am - Stations of the Cross (open to all, aimed at families, followed by gathering at The Carfax at 11:15am)

    3:00 pm - Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion



  • Week End Mass

    28th March – Saturday of the Fifth Week in Lent

    10:00 am Mass -– Barry Perks RIP (Second Anniversary)

    Followed by Confession, Adoration & Benediction

    2:30 pm – Knanaya Mission Mass

    3:30 pm - Silent Prayer (Meet upstairs in the Parish Hall for refreshments, then proceed to the Church)

    5:00 pm to 5:45 pm – Confession

    HOLY WEEK

    6:00 pm Vigil Mass - Ian Cooper RIP


    29th March – Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

    8:00 am to 8:45 am - Confession

    9:15 am Mass - In Thanksgiving for Antony

    11:15 am Mass - Pro Populo

    1:45 pm - Polish Mass

    5:00 pm - Italian Mass


    4th April – Holy Saturday

    1:30 pm - Blessing of Eggs (Polish Community)

    8:30 pm - The Solemn Vigil of Easter


    THE SEASON OF EASTER


    5th April – Easter Sunday

    9:15 am Mass - Pro Populo

    11:15 am Mass - Sunny Moonan RIP

    1:45 pm - Polish Mass

    5:00 pm - Italian Mass


PARISH NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Please view our Parish  Newsletter Here

Lent 2026

By Webmaster • February 14, 2026
Preparing for the important Lenten journey. Activities at St John's Horsham.

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY, SUNDAY 18TH TO SUNDAY 25TH JANUARY

By Webmaster • January 17, 2026
We invite you to join Horsham Churches Together for the 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, from 18th to 25th January 2026. This year, we are guided by the ancient, prayerful traditions of the Armenian Church and St. Paul’s timeless call to be ‘one body and one Spirit’ in Ephesians 4. There will be daily prayer meetings and a United Service at St Mary’s, The Causeway, Horsham RH12 1HE at 6pm on Sunday 25th January 2026 – this will be led by Fr Tristan and he would love to see as many St John’s parishioners there as possible! Other events taking place during the week are as follows: Sunday 18th Jan, 6:30pm – Prayer Meeting at Horsham United Reform Church, RH12 2RG. Monday 19th Jan, 1pm – Prayer Meeting with Horsham Eco Church @ St Marks, Holbrook, RH12 5PU. Tuesday 20th Jan, 7:30pm – Prayer Meeting at Cornerstone Methodist Church St Andrew’s, Roffey, RH12 4DX. Wednesday 21st Jan, 7:30pm – Turn the Battle Encounter Night at Kingdom Faith Church, Horsham, RH13 5PX. Thursday 22nd Jan, 7:30pm – Prayer Meeting at Brighton Road Baptist Church, Horsham, RH13 5BD. Friday 23rd Jan, 1:30pm – Prayer Meeting at Trafalgar Road Baptist Church, Horsham, RH12 2QL. Saturday 24th Jan, 10am – Prayer Meeting at St Margaret’s Church, Warnham, RH12 3QW.

ADVENT IS HERE!

By Webmaster • November 29, 2025
ADVENT IS HERE! • Candlelit 'RORATE' MASSES will take place on the first three TUESDAYS of ADVENT starting 2nd December at 7am. Please note the earlier start time . The Mass will take no more than 30 minutes and be followed by breakfast served in Hall, so people have time to get to school and work afterwards. All are welcome to join us for this beautiful way to mark the Advent season. • ADVENT RECONCILIATION - Advent is a good time to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, so that, as He cleanses from the sin with which we all too often reject Him, we can welcome Him anew to be born into our hearts at Christmas, just as Mary, Joseph and the shepherds welcomed His birth into the world. Canon Tim Madeley will be hearing Confessions here on Saturday 13th December from 10.30am . Additional Advent times in our soon-to-be parish communities are: - HENFIELD – Monday, 8th December at 7.00pm (Fr Hugh) - WEST GRINSTEAD – Friday, 12th December at 7.00pm (Canon Tim & Fr Tristan) - BILLINGSHURST – Saturday, 13th December at 10.00am (Fr Tristan) - CRAWLEY – Friday, 19th December at 6.00pm (Fr Nelson, Fr Anthony, Fr Peter, Fr Joachim, Fr Tristan) - CRAWLEY – Saturday, 20th December at 10.30am (Fr Nelson, Fr Anthony, Fr Peter, Fr Joachim) - WORTH ABBEY – Monday, 22nd December at 7.30pm (Priests of the Benedictine community) • FAMILY COME AND SING CAROLS - As we journey through Advent and prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ at Christmas, we warmly invite you to our Family Come and Sing Carols event on Sunday 7th December at 3pm in the Parish Hall. Gather around the piano to sing favourite carols, with Advent-themed crafts for the children. We’d love it if you could bring a little something festive—like mince pies, cake, or mulled wine—to share. If you play an instrument, you’re welcome to bring it along and join in the music-making. Let us come together as a parish community in joyful anticipation of Christmas. • ‘GAUDETE’ SUNDAY, 14TH DECEMBER – Please remember to bring your crib figures and Nativity sets to Mass on the weekend of 13th and 14th December, when they will be blessed at the end of all Masses. You will also be able to pick up some blessed straw on your way out of Church, for placing in your home Nativity scenes.

IMPORTANT NEWS FROM FR TRISTAN

OUR VISITING SEMINARIAN, BARNABAS, WRITES - 22nd March

By Webmaster • March 20, 2026
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” This Sunday we find ourselves between various significant points in the Church’s liturgical calendar; last week we celebrated Laetare Sunday, in which we rejoiced in anticipation of the coming celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection. This week, we celebrated the feast of St Patrick and the solemnity of St Joseph. Next Sunday, we will process with palm branches in our hands as we begin that solemn journey to Calvary with Our Lord in Holy Week. And this week, the Church gives us one of the most moving Gospel readings in the lectionary; the bringing of Lazarus back from the dead. Something that has always struck me in this passage is the unapologetic way in which Jesus shows us His humanity, whilst also showing us so clearly His Divinity. In the midst of the death of His friend Lazarus, after Jesus testifies that He is the Resurrection and the life, we read one of the most awe-inspiring passages in scripture; that “Jesus wept”. Why are we told this? For what reason does Jesus let us in on this little secret, this brief glimpse into His emotions, His frailty, His pain? How are we to respond to Jesus’s tears? Perhaps one reason among many is so that we may be consoled. If Jesus had merely brought Lazarus back to life, of course, that would be enough. But how generous it is of Him to share with us not only His power, but also His sorrow. Jesus’s moving display of emotion emphasises to us a simple fact of life that He does not ask us to deny; death is tragic, and it is painful when we lose someone we love. And yet, God’s glory shines through all the same. Jesus weeps, yet He does not let death have the last word. Instead, He makes them open the tomb, not so that He can say a last farewell to his friend, but instead so that He can confidently call him out of the sleep of death. And so, as God’s children who await the glory of the Resurrection, we may also weep when faced with life’s tragedies, but we can do so not just with the comforting knowledge that Christ has wept with us, but also with the joyful hope that, at the end of all things, He will stand before the tombs of all His friends and say, this time without tears, ‘ come forth ’.

OUR VISITING SEMINARIAN, BARNABAS, WRITES - 15th March

By Webmaster • March 16, 2026
“Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning;” Laetare Sunday is already upon us! “Laetare” meaning “rejoice”, the Church now encourages us to remember the ultimate destination we are journeying to on our Lenten pilgrimage; the joyful celebration of Christ’s conquering sin and death. Therefore, we can take this as an opportunity to slightly relax our observances, whilst keeping in mind that this is merely a little foretaste of the paschal celebrations that are to come. It is particularly fitting therefore to see which passage of scripture the Church has given us for this Sunday’s Gospel; Jesus’s healing of the man born blind. Whilst others see in the man’s misfortune an indication of guilt, Christ sees this man’s vulnerability as an opportunity for God’s grace to shine through, and brings him healing and transformation ‘that the works of God might be displayed in him’. Through his healing the man is transformed beyond recognition…crucially, not only did Christ show the power of the Father over natural evil by working this miracle, but also He showed His disciples a sign of the inner transformation that was to come to us once He had defeated sin and death on the Cross, and ascended to His Father, sending the Holy Spirit to His Church. A cause to rejoice indeed, and yet all the Pharisees choose to see is an infraction of the Law, given that a work had been performed on the Sabbath…  Laetare Sunday is a timely reminder to us in Lent as to why we fast, pray, and give. It is not merely to satisfy a rule, or prove to ourselves and others how religious we are; quite the opposite! It is, amongst other things, to show more clearly our vulnerabilities, our frailties, and our wounds, so that Christ may enter into them to bring them healing, or indeed, so that the works of God might be displayed in us. Ultimately, it is to prepare us to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, He who gives us eyes to see and ears to hear, and transforms us beyond recognition into the people we are called to be. Let us joyfully continue our Lenten resolve to draw closer to Christ then, and ask Him to strip away any obstacles in our lives to Him as we continue this holy season of Lent.

PARISH OFFICE NOTICES

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 2026

By Webmaster • November 20, 2025
The 2026 First Holy Communion programme is now closed and no new applications will be accepted, thank you.

Diocesan Vacancy

By Webmaster • October 10, 2025
DIOCESAN VACANCY - Communications Officer, part-time, permanent. Salary: £17,500 for 0.5 FTE (Based on a full-time salary of £35,000). Location: Based in Crawley, with hybrid working & travel across the Diocese required. Application deadline: 16 October Interviews: 22 October in Crawley. The successful applicant will produce and edit accurate, well-written online and offline content across diocesan platforms, telling the Church’s story and its contribution to society. The successful candidate will support the Head of Communications in managing the digital and print presence of the diocese, including content management for our website and social platforms and communications for fundraising campaigns. To find out more and to apply, go to the Diocesan website: abdiocese.org.uk/careers/ptcomms

First Holy Communion and Confirmation Programmes 2026

By Webmaster • September 1, 2025
Applications for First Holy Communion are now open. View First Holy Communion page here

Recently members of the Grandparents Group and other members of the parish and friends have been knitting squares which were then sewn together to make blankets for refugees arriving in Greece. 

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DISCOVERING FAITH IN UNEXPECTED PLACES... 

Here within the Parish of St John's Horsham, we are truly blessed to be able to serve a community of faith filled, God loving parishioners. The Holy Spirit is pouring out his blessings in so many different ways. If you would like to get involved, then you may want to attend one of our many group meetings. Visit our Parish Groups section to find out more.


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Pope Francis

"From the open heart of the Crucified one, God’s love reaches each one of us. Let us allow His gaze to rest on us. We will understand that we are not alone, but loved, for the Lord does not abandon us and He never, ever forgets us"