Fr Aaron on Faith

OUR VISITING SEMINARIAN, BARNABAS, WRITES - 26th April

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:26:31 GMT

“And the sheep follow him, for they know his voice”.

This Good Shepherd Sunday, on which we pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood, we are reminded of one of its most beautiful aspects. As the Good Shepherd, Christ brings His sheep unto Himself; sheep who are lost, thirsty, or in danger, yet still able to hear the unique authority with which Christ speaks. Christ calls some men to share in His eternal ministerial priesthood to call the lost sheep back to Him, and preach to those outside the fold. This only can happen when these men give themselves over to Christ in total surrender to Him, so that He may increase, and they may decrease. As Christ’s minister, the priest does not preach a message that is his own, nor does he speak with his own voice. This is also true for the whole being of the priest. His hands, anointed with sacred chrism, are not his own, but have been set apart for Christ’s use. His feet, taking him where he has been sent, belong to Christ, who sends him to a place not of his own choosing, but wherever the Church needs him to be. His heart, consecrated to Christ’s Sacred Heart, beats with His wounded love for souls. The priest, though weak and sinful himself, makes Christ present at the altar by the changing of gifts of bread and wine, and, with Christ’s authority, forgives our sins. As St John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests tells us, if the priest truly understood his office, he would die, not out of fear, but out of love. How can we not pray, then, that the Lord may call more men to this most sacred calling? How wonderful it is that Christ takes fallen men and invites them to share in His life in this particular way!

From Good Shepherd Sunday to Pentecost, we will be praying as a diocese for an increase in vocations to the priesthood. This Monday, from 5PM to 8PM, we will have a three hour prayer vigil with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament to pray for vocations to the priesthood in our diocese. I encourage you, if you’re able, to come, even for five minutes, to pray for this intention. Let us also keep in our prayers those who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood, as well as our seminarians, particularly in this parish.

GIFT AID BOXES FOR THE 2026/2027 TAX YEAR

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 18:28:02 GMT

The Gift Aid boxes for this new tax year are at the back of the church for collection. Please don’t use any of your current envelopes for future collections, as a number of the box numbers have been changed. There are special, thinner, boxes of envelopes for those of you who normally donate by monthly standing order and only use envelopes for the second collections, and for Easter and Christmas. If you have any queries, please contact the Parish Office. Thank you for your generous support.

SILENT PRAYER

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 18:23:30 GMT

We warmly invite you to our Silent Prayer gatherings, now moving to a monthly meet-up. We will continue to gather in the same gentle rhythm and format: arriving at 3.30pm in the hall, upstairs, for refreshments, followed by a short reflection on Silent Prayer and the Carmelite Saints. We will then move into the church for a time of Silent Prayer, finishing at around 5.00pm. Our next date is Saturday 25th April and then Saturday 23rd May , keep an eye on the newsletter for future dates. Whether you are new to silent prayer or have been walking this path for some time, you are most welcome to join us. Please feel free to come along at any point.

OUR VISITING SEMINARIAN, BARNABAS, WRITES - 19th April

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 18:21:15 GMT

And their eyes were opened, and they recognised him. And he vanished from their sight.

At the breaking of the Bread, the disciples finally recognise Jesus, who has been with them throughout their walk on the road to Emmaus. As if to confirm their realisation, Jesus vanishes the moment their eyes are opened. In some ways it seems strange; having spoken to them at great length before they recognised Him, Jesus slips away the moment they realise that they had Him with them all along. Perhaps we too have, in some way, experienced this. There can be moments where, quite suddenly, Christ’s presence is so unambiguously obvious to us; whether that be whilst reading the scriptures, praying before bed, or indeed during Adoration or Mass. For a brief moment all the specific details of our fears and anxieties that weigh us down are simply not in the picture when we behold Being, Truth, Love Himself, who has not merely entered the scene just now, but has been with us the whole time, though we may not have known it. And then, perhaps as suddenly as it began, the moment passes.

However, the disciples not only realise that they had Christ in their midst the whole time, but that they had been given a sign of His presence throughout; “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”. This burning within our hearts, be it a great furnace, or just the tiniest flicker of a candle, is the sign of the peace that only Christ can give, the consolation of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, when we chase the spiritual consolations that God gives us for their own sake, it can be frustrating when they are fleeting. But if we search our hearts, even in the midst of turmoil so great that prayer feels impossible, we can know, as long as we acknowledge that Christ is Lord and that we trust in Him, that Christ is there with us, walking alongside us on the road, and wants to listen to our troubles and sorrows. So let us this week be particularly mindful of Christ’s presence to us, beside us, and within us, as we continue to celebrate His conquering of sin and death this Eastertide.

OUR VISITING SEMINARIAN, BARNABAS, WRITES - 22nd March

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 21:12:07 GMT

“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 ’.

Easter Week Services 2026

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 21:50:45 GMT

You can download our full schedule of Holy Week and Easter Services - HERE (PDF)

The Catholic Church of St John the Evangelist, Horsham

HOLY WEEK & EASTER

++++++++ 2026 ++++++++

29 March Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

6:00pm Vigil (Saturday) Holy Mass (Confession from 5:00pm to 5:45pm)

9:15am & 11:15am Holy Mass (Confession from 8:00am to 8:30am)

1:45pm Polish Mass

5:00pm Italian Mass

30 March Monday of Holy Week

8:00am to 8:30am Confession

12 noon Holy Mass

31 March Tuesday of Holy Week

7:30am Holy Mass

8:00am to 8:30am Confession

10:30am Adoration (until 3pm)

1 April ‘Spy’ Wednesday of Holy Week

No Mass

[6:00pm Chrism Mass at Arundel Cathedral]

2 April Maundy Thursday

6:00pm Polish Mass

8:30pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper (followed by the Watching of the Altar of Repose until midnight)

Midnight Night Prayer

3 April Good Friday

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

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

4 April Holy Saturday

1:30pm Blessing of Eggs (Polish Community)

8:30pm The Solemn Vigil of Easter

5 April Easter Sunday

9:15am & 11:15am Holy Mass

1:45pm Polish Mass

5:00pm Italian Mass

OUR VISITING SEMINARIAN, BARNABAS, WRITES - 15th March

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 21:36:43 GMT

“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.

Fr Tristan Writes 1st March 2026

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 21:09:55 GMT

How is your Lent going? If you are anything like me, it may be not be 'spectacular'! I don't think I've succumbed to any massive temptations yet (at the time of writing this!) but, at the same time, I certainly don't think I've been living the season as intensely as I could do. The main way to do this, of course, is to spend time pondering the Scriptures that the Church gives us in the liturgy. But it's very easy to put this off and to miss hearing the Word of God with fresh ears. And this is more than a shame, because, as we remember from last week's narrative of Christ tempted by the devil to make bread from stones, in fact the Word of God is our true food.

But Lent has only just begun. It is never worth putting off our conversion to Christ, just because we feel we have already dragged our feet. On Ash Wednesday, we heard the words of St Paul saying 'Behold now is the favourable time; behold now is the day of salvation.' (2 Cor 5:20-6:2) 'NOW' is the crucial word.

Jesus, revealing Himself as the Son to the apostles in the dazzling sight of His Transfiguration, shows us that He, although truly a man, as a divine person, will lift that which is human, limited, temporal into the life of eternity. He is always "NOW" - as the Letter to the Hebrews puts it: "Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb 13:8). He is speaking to us in every moment, waiting for our hearts to return to Him, and working hearts that accept Him. As we also have heard in the previous week: "I have set before you life and death" (Deut 30:19). We must choose at every moment to follow Him or not: to spend eternity with Him, or not. We should not believe we can put off that choice indefinitely.

In the Transfiguration, Peter, James and John receive a 'sneak preview' (or 'foretaste') of the beauty, glory and majesty of the Risen Lord, dwelling in the eternal day of the Resurrection. Now is the time to choose that day, and not the night of our own self-absorption. The thought of Jesus's eternal divine love can spur us on in the here and now, even when that here and now is troubled.... and it already brings us back to life in the 'NOW' when we are struck and transformed by the sweetness of His grace. In particular, do not delay to respond to His call to experience Him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where His Word washes us clean. Hear the Father's voice calling us in the now: 'This is my Son the Beloved: listen to Him!'

Fr Tristan Writes 22nd February 2026

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 13:38:13 GMT

Today's Gospel reminds us of the importance of fasting and abstinence in the face of temptation. In the first of his annual Messages for Lent, Pope Leo XIV reminds us: "Fasting is a concrete way to prepare ourselves to receive the word of God. Abstaining from food is an ancient ascetic practice that is essential on the path of conversion. Precisely because it involves the body, fasting makes it easier to recognize what we “hunger” for and what we deem necessary for our sustenance. Moreover, it helps us to identify and order our “appetites,” keeping our hunger and thirst for justice alive and freeing us from complacency. Thus, it teaches us to pray and act responsibly towards our neighbor. [...] In this regard, I would like to invite you to a very practical and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence: that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor. Let us begin by disarming our language, avoiding harsh words and rash judgement, refraining from slander and speaking ill of those who are not present and cannot defend themselves. Instead, let us strive to measure our words and cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media, in political debates, in the media and in Christian communities. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace."

Fr Tristan Writes 15th February 2026

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 21:26:03 GMT

On Wednesday, Lent begins: forty days where the Church invites us to return, with all our heart, to Christ, in preparation to celebrate the mysteries of our redemption in Holy Week. When we receive ashes on our forehead we hear the words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." It is a beautiful phrase: not really a comment on our sinfulness, so much as a reminder of our fragility. We are creatures, made in God's image; we are utterly dependent on Him! It is the illusion of independence that is what so often leads us astray, and it is this illusion which the disciplines of Lent - prayer, fasting and almsgiving - seek to put right, by putting our relationship with God and with others first. Each action of Lent is a chance to "remember" our dependence on the Father. In recalling our dust, which He gave life to, He fills us again with the breath of His mouth, the everlasting life of the crucified Son so that we may not die in sin, but rise as He did on Easter Sunday. Together, we walk as a community through Lent, in reconciliation with the Father and one another, like the people of Israel on their forty years wandering towards the Promised Land. Last year, you may remember that I recorded a short podcast each day entitled "A Lenten Alphabet"; these are still available on YouTube, should you wish to use them. This year, on Mondays, I will be giving a live catechesis on the meaning of the Lenten liturgies and the Triduum to prepare us to celebrate the Easter Mysteries together. And on Fridays, Barnabas will be leading in-person sessions on the beauty of St Matthew's Gospel (together with video material from renowned biblical scholar and Catholic convert Scott Hahn). Along with extra time for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Stations of the Cross, there is plenty for us in the parish to help kick start a time of spiritual renewal, and to walk more closely with Christ; to die to self and live for others: to live for Him, who died for us.

Lent 2026

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 07:53:33 GMT

Preparing for the important Lenten journey. Activities at St John's Horsham.

OUR VISITING SEMINARIAN, BARNABAS, WRITES - 8th February

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 18:28:20 GMT

It feels like only yesterday that we celebrated the Nativity, and it’s been wonderful to be able to pray before the infant Jesus at the crib during this time leading up to Candlemas. But now the year is already marching on with great force, and the holy season of Lent is but a mere week and a half away!

Those of us who find the beginning of Lent at times a bit daunting are, I dare say, in good company. It is certainly tempting to enter into this period in which the Church invites us to practice an increase of prayer, fasting and almsgiving feeling a bit unprepared. However, we can use this time to ask the Lord what it is we can do to make more space in our lives for Him and our neighbour. At St John the Evangelist, we have various things on our parish calendar to be aware of to help us along the way. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available daily (except Wednesdays). On Fridays we will pray The Stations of the Cross in the morning and evening. Fr Tristan will give an online catechesis course on the Triduum on Mondays, and I will be giving a course on the Gospel of Matthew with the assistance of Dr Scott Hahn’s St Paul's Institute online course on Fridays. If you’re interested to find out more, the parish website has more information about our Lenten schedule, as well as some informative posters and flyers that are being put up and distributed around the parish. Concerning our outreach to our neighbour, there will be plenty of opportunities to support the SVP and our other charities during this season as well.

If we respond well to the Church’s invitation to prepare for the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection in this season of Lent, we will find ourselves able to rejoice all the more joyfully in the Easter season. “Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, ‘In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:1- 2). Now, let us prepare well for this favourable time to grow closer in our love of the Lord, our charity to our neighbour, and sorrow for our sins, that we may receive whatever graces our Lord has in store for us in this approaching Lenten season!

Fr Tristan Writes 25h January 2026

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 18:05:57 GMT

This Sunday's Gospel tells the story of the call of Simon Peter and Andrew, the fishermen, to leave their nets behind on the sea-shore and to follow the Lord. In that moment, they are given a new vocation. It would have been impossible at that moment to say what their time with Jesus would entail: walking with the Word Incarnate, experiencing His loving power to heal the world, witnessing His fulfillment of the prophecies, sacrificing Himself for mankind.... Nor can they have imagined to what end it would lead them: becoming, along with the other apostles, the foundation stones of the New Israel, the Church, abandoning Christ in His hour of need; being restored to His friendship and forgiveness at Easter when He appeared to them Risen in the flesh; receiving His Spirit poured out on them at Pentecost; preaching Him and celebrating His sacraments as leaders of the churches of Rome and Constantinople, converting both Jews and Gentiles, and finally experiencing a death like His, both crucified like their Master.

We do not know what wonderful graces we will receive nor the trials we will suffer when we follow Jesus: all we can do is leave our nets and go after Him! With this in mind, we pray especially this week for Archbishop-elect Richard Moth, who will celebrate his final Mass at our Cathedral this Friday. We pray that having served us here in Arundel & Brighton, he will be filled with great courage and zeal to follow the Lord to new pastures in the Archdiocese of Westminster. For him, it wil surely be a moment needing great humility and strength from the Lord as he faces a new mission, not knowing what it might entail. We give thanks for his faithful ministry to us here in our diocese, and pray that the Lord will give him peace and joy and he continues to follow Him, and lead His flock in a new way. And we pray, too, for a new shepherd to be appointed soon to lead us.

"Let us pray. O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful, look favourably on your servant whom you will set at the head of your Church of Westminster as her shepherd; grant, we pray, that by word and example, he may be of service to those over whom he presides, so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care, he may come to eternal life. Through Christ our

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

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 11:32:17 GMT

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.

POPE LEO PRAYED FOR PEACE AND DIALOGUE IN IRAN AND SYRIA ON SUNDAY.

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 11:29:23 GMT

Demonstrations against the Iranian regime, which have spread to many of the country’s provinces, have been violently suppressed by security forces in Iran, with widespread fighting in Syria between the army and Kurdish forces in the northern city of Aleppo. “I pray for those who are suffering," he said, "and I renew my call for an end to violence and for intensified efforts to achieve peace."

On Monday, the Pope met Venezuelan Nobel Prize winner, politician, and activist, Maria Corina Machado, at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace. The meeting took place about 10 days after the capture of the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife Cilia Flores during a United States military operation in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Speaking during his Angelus address the day after Maduro’s capture (during which about 80 people, including civilians, were killed) Pope Leo said he was following developments in Venezuela “with deep concern” and called for the respect of “the human and civil rights of each and every person.”

The Pope reiterated his appeal during the 9 January meeting with the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. Referring to Venezuela, he urged efforts to build “a society founded on justice, truth, freedom and fraternity, and thus enable the nation to rise from the grave crisis that has afflicted it for so many years.” He also invited all parties to “respect the will of the Venezuelan people, and to safeguard the human and civil rights of all, ensuring a future of stability and concord.”

Fr Tristan Writes 11th January 2026

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 15:12:57 GMT

With the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, another major milestone is reached in what we might call the 'Christmas half' of the Liturgical Year. Centuries ago, this feast used to be one celebration commemorating three events in the Lord's life: the coming of the three Magi, the Baptism, and the miracle at Cana, and there are traces of this fact even in the liturgy of today. Jesus's Baptism in the Jordan is an important moment in His earthly life, because it again is a moment where His true identity as both man and God is 'manifested': that is, displayed to the peoples of the world. The Father's voice is heard proclaiming Him to be the Son, the Beloved, and through faith, as He rises from the water, we come to believe, just as the Magi believed when they saw him manifested to the world in the manger.

The light of faith, which thanks to Jesus's baptism, is also conveyed to us through sacramental washing with water, is greater than the light of the Epiphany star that shone so brightly all those years ago in Bethlehem. It inspires us from within, and shines not in one particular place, but everywhere the Church is present; it shines with the light of the Holy Spirit Himself who comes from the Father, and from the Son, teaching us not only who Jesus is, but how to manifest Him to others. Through this light which changes the direction of our lives, illuminates our conscience, and beautifies our actions, Christ is made visible here. Thus, when we are faithful to the promises of our baptism, we somehow show people the presence and reality of Jesus, God-with-us, and teach the true meaning of Christmas.

Fr Tristan Writes 21st December 2025

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 12:58:02 GMT

A SAVIOUR IS BORN TO US - CHRIST THE LORD! As Advent draws to a close, we hear how St Joseph welcomed the news of the birth of the Saviour and accepted, with courage and faith, to take Mary for his wife, to look after her and her precious burden. Into his heart, Joseph - Guardian of the Blessed Virgin and Patron of the Church - picks up and carries the mystery of the Word, and ponders its weight. The message he received is also our responsibility - as fathers, mothers, men and women of faith. We have a role to play in the ongoing Christmas story - to rejoice and embody the joy of receiving a Saviour. We naturally feel joy in human things in this season: gathering with family and friends, to be off work for a little. But the truth of "Christmas spirit" is more profound: a deep and awe-inspiring truth we realise when we gather around the Holy Family in the manger. In the stable of Bethlehem, we see the Word become man ('Emmanuel', God-with-us). Thanks to that same event, we are to become like God, in receiving eternal life. God became part of our human family, and we become part of His Son's Body. Jesus' Advent raises our human nature to an incredible dignity, and with it, a great responsibility: to reject the bad that drags us down, and live with sacrificial love, like His Son. St Leo the Great summed up this mystery like this:

"Dearly beloved, today our Saviour is born; let us rejoice… When the angels on high are so exultant at this marvellous work of God’s goodness, what joy should it not bring to the lowly hearts of men? […] Christian, remember your dignity, and now that you share in God’s own nature, do not return by sin to your former base condition. Bear in mind who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Do not forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of God’s kingdom. Through the sacrament of baptism you have become a temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not drive away so great a guest by evil conduct and become again a slave to the devil, for your liberty was bought by the blood of Christ."

May I take this opportunity, along with Deacon Tom, to offer you all our prayers for a very wonderful celebration of the Christmas mysteries here at St John the Evangelist, and a very blessed New Year to you all!

Fr Tristan Writes 14th December 2025

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 17:59:52 GMT

'Bid the Lord welcome!' Our theme of "Welcome" for this Advent emerges once again in the readings and texts of this Sunday, which is called 'Gaudete Sunday' after the Latin word that begins the Mass's Introit meaning "Rejoice!" After the challenging words of Jesus and St John the Baptist in the first two weeks of Advent, admonishing us to be ready for the Second Coming, in this week that theme continues, but with a new tone or shade shining through: a lightness, a joy, and to signify this the vestments of the Mass change colour on this Sunday from solemn purple to a lighter rose. The readings focus on the signs that accompany the arrival of the Messiah: the blind see, the lame walk, the dead are raised up… The justice of God is to be done! And that in itself, as much as it challenges us, also is a cause for great joy: salvation is at hand for sinners, and Death is to be no more! Joy is an essential effect of the spirit of welcome. When we no longer resist Christ, who knocks at the heart's door and waits for us patiently to open it, anguish is extinguished, and joy begins to suffuse us. The strange thing about this is that this takes place even in the darkness, in painful experience. And when we welcome others, we experience God's welcoming joy in us AND spread it to others in the very same moment. A parish community where people make a genuine effort to love one another - smile, greet, pray, assist one another - is an extraordinary place, and a place of evangelisation that others want to be part of. St James reminds us of this today: "Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters… behold, the Judge is standing at the door." (Jas 5:9) This joy to each other does not always come naturally, but what a difference it makes. The Benedictine spiritual writer Dom Prosper Guéranger noted that joy may require a victory over self, writing that we must: 'make an effort to be cheerful […] Cheerfulness takes courage, as does everything else; and it is for God that we must overcome ourselves in this way. Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say Rejoice…! We must pull the ground out from under the feet of that melancholy that is no good for either this world or the next.'

One very good reason to be joyful in this season is that we welcome among us Barnabas Mercer, a fourth-year seminarian for our diocese who will be spending the next 6 months with us as part of his formation for the priesthood. It is an amazing joy to see God calling young men into His service and to the service of His people. Please pray for him, welcome him - and pray for the others who will one day follow the same path, if it be God's will. Some of them are here in Horsham too!

ADVENT IS HERE!

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 19:14:09 GMT

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.

Fr Tristan Writes 30th November 2025

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 19:09:56 GMT

Welcome to Advent! We welcome the Coming of Christ in Advent - and in our Eucharistic Forum, our thoughts will turn to how we can welcome one another to our church. Please sign up to take part, and pray for a greater welcome in our church, particularly for those who will be joining us at Christmas - that they may see Christ in us, His people.

"Drop down dew, you heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One!" (Isaiah 48:5) These words are heavily associated with the wonderful season we are now entering. The Latin word rorate (meaning "drop dew!") gives its name to a special kind of Mass we will be celebrating on Tuesdays at 7am here at St John the Evangelist during Advent. Popular in many countries (including Poland and the Philippines), the Rorate Mass is a celebration of a Mass honouring Our Lady that takes place close to dawn. Farmers would come with their families before setting out for the fields, or returning from milking, the church in darkness except for the many candles burning about the place and in the people's hands. The peaceful Mass evokes the light of Christ gently entering the darkness of the world, in the womb of Mary, before His revealing at Christmas. Furthermore, as at Mass on most occasions, both priest and people would turn eastwards together, facing the direction of the rising sun and mirroring the words of the Scripture "Look toward the east, O Jerusalem, and see the joy that is coming to you from God!" (Baruch 4:36) Jesus is described in many places as the Oriens, or 'Rising One' (cf Zach 6:12; Lk 1:78), or 'Sun of Justice' (cf Mal 4:2). His Advent is the coming of Day against the long Night of of God's people waiting for salvation. All of us, in our human condition, cry out in the darkness for His truth, justice and peace, and thus we pray for Him to come soon.

Christ welcomes you too. Come to a Rorate Mass and experience this beautiful and peaceful way to begin your own Advent day, holding the candle you will be given, or, as I have seen European children do, bringing a coloured lantern. We will all pray together to the Father to 'rain down' His grace into our lives, as His Son, who came and will come again, already bursts into the world.

Car Park Renewals 25/26

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 19:15:26 GMT

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.

ADVENT IS NEARLY HERE!

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 19:13:02 GMT

ADVENT IS NEARLY HERE!

- 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)

Fr Tristan Writes 23rd November 2025

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 19:08:26 GMT

Christ is King of the Universe!

'Father, "…you anointed your Only Begotten, Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with the oil of gladness as eternal Priest and King of all creation, so that....making all created things subject to his rule, he might present to the immensity of your majesty an eternal and universal kingdom: a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace…"' These glorious words from the Mass of today's feast remind us of the words of St Paul to the Colossians, that all things were created by Christ, "through him and for him" and "in him all things hold together." (cf. Col 1:16-17) He is King of creation not only because He is the Creator, but because on the Cross He has conquered sin that threatened to disrupt the people He has made, by means of washing them with His blood, saving them, and setting His throne in their hearts by way of His Holy Spirit dwelling in them.

The unusual thing about Christ's kingship, is, unlike flawed earthly rulers, it is totally selfless and manifests itself in service: the King who dies wearing a mocking Crown of Thorns. If the world around us does not yet completely show forth His Kingship, it is a call to us to show that we are His subjects in serving others. We cannot create a perfect world here below - and that is not our calling - but nonetheless in striving for 'truth, life, holiness, grace, justice, love and peace', we point others to Him, and to our heavenly homeland, even here below.

This is the last week of the liturgical year before Advent begins. We pray for a renewed courage, as the year turns into that new season, to proclaim to others Jesus as our King.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 2026

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 22:09:35 GMT

The 2026 First Holy Communion programme is now closed and no new applications will be accepted, thank you.

POPE LEO XIV WRITES Sunday 16th November

Sat, 15 Nov 2025 18:36:58 GMT

Today is the 9th World Day of the Poor. In his message to commemorate the day, the Holy Father writes, "The poor can be witnesses to a strong and steadfast hope, precisely because they embody it in the midst of uncertainty, poverty, instability and marginalization. They cannot rely on the security of power and possessions; on the contrary, they are at their mercy and often victims of them. Their hope must necessarily be sought elsewhere. By recognizing that God is our first and only hope, we too pass from fleeting hopes to a lasting hope. Once we desire that God accompany us on the journey of life, material wealth becomes relativized, for we discover the real treasure that we need [...]

Wealth often disappoints and can lead to tragic situations of poverty - above all the poverty born of the failure to recognize our need for God and of the attempt to live without him. A saying of Saint Augustine comes to mind: "Let all your hope be in God: feel your need for him, and let him fill that need. Without him, whatever you possess will only make you all the more empty". The word of God tells us that Christian hope is certainty at every step of life's journey, since it does not depend not on our human strength but upon the promise of God, who is always faithful. For this reason, from the beginning, Christians have identified hope with the symbol of the anchor, which provides stability and security. Christian hope is like an anchor that grounds our hearts in the promise of the Lord Jesus, who saved us by his death and resurrection and will come again among us. This hope continues to point us toward the "new heavens" and the "new earth" (2 Pet 3:13) as the true horizon of our existence, where every life will find its authentic meaning, for our real homeland is in heaven (cf. Phil 3:20).

The city of God, therefore, impels us to improve the cities of men and women. Our own cities must begin to resemble his. [...] The poor are not a distraction for the Church, but our beloved brothers and sisters, for by their lives, their words and their wisdom, they put us in contact with the truth of the Gospel. The celebration Pope Leo XIV writes...of the World Day of the Poor is meant to remind our communities that the poor are at the heart of all our pastoral activity. This is true not only of the Church's charitable work, but also of the message that she celebrates and proclaims. God took on their poverty in order to enrich us through their voices, their stories and their faces. Every form of poverty, without exception, calls us to experience the Gospel concretely and to offer effective signs of hope."

NOVEMBER IS THE MONTH OF THE HOLY SOULS

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 19:33:57 GMT

NOVEMBER IS THE MONTH OF THE HOLY SOULS –

Here at St John’s, we will remember and pray for the Holy Souls throughout November. Please note in particular:

• PRAYERS OF REMEMBRANCE – In the Lady Chapel, you’ll find a box in which you can place the name and anniversary of your deceased loved ones. These names will be prayed for during Masses throughout November.

• REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY – On SUNDAY 9TH NOVEMBER, Fr Tristan will celebrate a Requiem Mass for Remembrance Sunday at 9:15am.

• MASS FOR DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE CLERGY – On TUESDAY 11TH NOVEMBER, Canon Tim Madeley and the clergy of our Deanery will celebrate a Mass for Deceased Members of the Clergy at 11am at Corpus Christi, Tanyard, Henfield BN5 9PE. All are welcome.

• ANNUAL MASS FOR THE BEREAVED – On SATURDAY 22ND NOVEMBER AT 10:00AM, we will be holding our annual Mass for the Bereaved, when we remember all those who have died and offer prayers and support for the bereaved of our community. During the Mass, the names of those who have died over the last 12 months will be read out and there will be an opportunity to light votive candles for all those we love who have died. The Mass will be followed by refreshments in the Parish Hall, hosted by the SVP. Please let the Parish Office know if you would like the name of anyone who has died in the last 12 months to be added to our list. All are most warmly welcomed to this Mass.

Bishop Richard's Weekly Reflection - 9th November

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 18:00:18 GMT

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

For many of us, when we think of Rome, we think of St Peter’s Basilica. In a Jubilee Year such as this, the entry through the Holy Door of St Peter’s is a high point of any pilgrimage. It is from the Apostolic Palace, next to St Peter’s, that the Holy Father makes his Angelus addresses and it is there that the public audiences take place, as well as significant celebrations in the life of the Church: canonisations, the inaugurations of new popes and the requiem Masses for deceased popes.

Yet it is the Lateran Basilica, built originally by the Emperor Constantine, that is described as “the mother and head of all the churches of the City and the World.” It is the Cathedral Church of Rome, and popes lived in the Lateran Palace for hundreds of years. It is the Pope’s Cathedral, for he is the Bishop of Rome.

It is for this reason that the whole Church celebrates this feast. It is a celebration of our unity with the Holy Father, the successor of St Peter. This Sunday’s first reading, the vision of Ezekiel of the Temple in Jerusalem, speaks of the water that flows from the Temple bringing life to the desert. So it is for the Church. The waters of baptism – in which, as St Paul tells us, we die and rise with the new life of Christ – bring us to live our lives in the love that exists in the Trinity, as members of Christ’s Church.

The celebration of the dedication of any Church is a reminder, as St Paul tells us in this Sunday’s second reading, that the Church is made of the living stones of the baptised. We are the Church, called to reflect the wonder of the Gospel to the world around us. This is the mission that we have been given through our baptism – the mission that calls others to share in the wonder of the Church’s life, the life of Christ.

The Lateran Basilica, the “mother of all the churches” stands as a witness to the world and a reminder to us, who are the living stones, of the mission to which we are called, in union with Pope Leo, the successor of Peter.

With every blessing,

Fr Tristan Writes Feast of All Saints -this weekend

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 13:05:52 GMT

Happy Feast of All Saints! Today the Church celebrates in a very broad way the astonishing reality of Heaven. Heaven means nothing other than to be full of God and fully in God. Heaven is not a guarantee for anyone: it is not something that comes part and parcel with our being created; it is a state that would not be possible for anyone had God not sent His Son Jesus to die to save us. It is an astounding and unwarranted gift! The promise of Heaven is given in Baptism, but it is only realised through our free co-operation to constantly turn away from sin and live in Christ, whose presence is communicated to us through grace, given through the sacraments of the Church - and this makes us saints. The feast of All Saints opens up before us this amazing reality of their existence in God, even now, who have bound themselves in love to Christ forever and thus live beyond death in eternity. We pray to the saints, not because they can do anything of themselves, but because they are totally united to Christ in Love and communicate with him constantly on our behalf; furthermore, they give us wonderful examples of how to live today.

Directly after All Saints' Day comes All Souls. This day turns to the atrium of Heaven, that state which we call 'Purgatory'. We are reminded that, when we die, many of us are attached to less serious ('venial') sins that still mar our friendship with Jesus, and for which we have not accepted Jesus' reconciliation. In Purgatory, these souls suffer to pay their debt, as they long to be joined with Christ fully. Every Mass makes present Jesus’ own experience of death: His sacrifice for sins; every Mass thus causes souls to be cleansed and transferred to Heaven through His forgiving mercy.

During November, when we pray in particular for the Dead who still need this cleansing, why not ask for a Mass to be celebrated for a deceased loved one? (You may have noticed that your priest tends to announce before each Mass a “Mass intention”, which is exactly what this is; usually a donation is given along with the intention; these donations - along with the offering on Christmas and Easter Days - are his main income). It is also good too, in November, to visit a cemetery and pray for the dead, for which we can obtain a special indulgence. We also pray for all our loved ones who have died this year in the parish, and for those who mourn. Please also join us for a special Mass for all the bereaved on Saturday 22nd November at 10am.

Open Day - St Roberts Southwell Catholic School

Sat, 11 Oct 2025 12:20:52 GMT

OPEN DAYS AT ST ROBERT SOUTHWELL CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL - We are delighted to invite prospective parents and carers to visit our school and see all that St Robert Southwell has to offer. Come and experience our warm, welcoming community, meet our dedicated staff, and see our children’s learning in action. Visit Dates:Thursday 13th November – from 1:30pm–2:30pm and 4:30pm– 6:00pm and Saturday 22nd November – from 10:00am. To book your place, please contact the school office on 01403 252357 or email secretary@strobertsouthwell.co.uk. We look forward to welcoming you to our school!

Parish Volunteers Party

Sat, 11 Oct 2025 12:17:20 GMT

UPDATED: PARISH VOLUNTEERS’ PARTY, FRIDAY 21ST NOVEMBER – If you volunteer in any capacity here at St John’s – for example, with any element of the Liturgy, with anything to do with our buildings or grounds, in any of our Sacramental or formation programmes, with supporting our housebound parishioners – please join Fr Tristan for a little party on Friday 21st November from 7pm in the Main Hall. If you’re planning to attend, please email the Parish Office at horsham@abdiocese.org.uk, by Friday 31 October, giving your name and the number in your party, split between adults and children.

Confirmation Programme - 2026

Sat, 11 Oct 2025 12:06:06 GMT

2026 CONFIRMATION PROGRAMME - the application form for the 2026 Confirmation programme will be available for those in Year 9 and above to collect from Sunday 26th October. They will be available after any Mass from either Fr Tristan or Deacon Tom who will give you a form in person. These will not be available from either the Parish Office or from the website. Please return the completed form with all the relevant documents to the Parish Office by the closing date of Friday 7th December 2025. Late applications will not be accepted.

Diocesan Vacancy

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:19:05 GMT

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

SVP Update

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:11:04 GMT

THE SVP - would like to express their warmest thanks to the parish for the generous support shown over the weekend of our annual appeal. We are grateful both for the financial contributions and to those who expressed an interest in joining us.

Holy Communion Programme - 2026

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:09:02 GMT

2026 FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAMME – We are pleased to be able to open applications for next year’s formation for FIRST HOLY COMMUNION (school Year 3 and above). To register your interest, please speak to Fr Tristan or Deacon Tom after any Mass and they will be able to give you an Application Form in person; these will not be available from the Parish Office or from the website. Please return your completed Application Form, together with the necessary supporting documents, by the closing date of Friday 14th November 2025. We are unable to accept late applications, so please get your paperwork into the Parish Office as soon as possible.

Bishop Richard's Weekly Reflection - 12th October

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:02:57 GMT

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Prisoners’ Sunday falls on 12 October, and it takes place, too, in the Jubilee Year that was started by Pope Francis before Christmas last year. The theme of the Jubilee Year is “Pilgrims of Hope”, and so we might reflect this Prisoners’ Sunday, on the need to enable those who are serving sentences, all those affected by crime, and those who work in our prison system, to be able to re-find hope that they have perhaps lost. I ask you on this Prisoners’ Sunday to pray very particularly for victims of crime, for those who work in our prison system and in our justice system, and to remember very specially those who are serving sentences, and those who are the hidden victims of crime, particularly young ones. Keep them in your prayers, reflect on ways in which you might perhaps volunteer for Pact: perhaps become a prison visitor or volunteer with the chaplaincy in your local prison. I encourage everybody to pray on Prisoners’ Sunday, especially during the celebration of Mass, and also for parishes, where they can, please, to hold a Second Collection for the support of Pact, the Prison Advice and Care Trust. Pact has the most wonderful history, and holds a very special place in care for prisoners and their families. With every blessing

Bishop Richard's weekly reflection - 28th September

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 11:58:41 GMT

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is, I always find, especially strong in tone. Jesus gives the rich man no name, yet the poor man has that dignity. At the end of the parable, Jesus points out that "even if someone should rise from the dead" the rich man’s relatives would not be convinced. Jesus, of course, does rise from the dead and His warning is an indication of the all-absorbing lure of riches and power.

Like the people against whom Amos speaks in the first reading, the rich man in the parable cares nothing for others.

Jesus speaks elsewhere in the Gospel about the lure of riches – in the Parable of the Sower, this is one of the things that chokes the growing shoots, strangling them and preventing the crop.

St Paul, writing to Timothy, provides us with the way forward: our lives must be marked by faith, love, patience and gentleness. We are called to be saints. This path is not an easy one – the gospels are filled with the Lord’s warning of the hard road, the narrow gate, the call not to look back, but to keep our gaze on Him, that our steps do not stray.

Let us take the warning of the parable to heart, together with the guidance offered us by St Paul, that we do not fall into the traps that lie all around us, but keep mind and heart, every effort, on the building of the Kingdom of God in love and service – for this is true riches.

With every blessing,

Bishop Richard's Pastoral Letter - 21st Sept

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 16:22:03 GMT

This weekend, people from all over the Diocese gathered to celebrate 60 years of the formation of the Diocese which took place at Ardingly on Saturday. Reflecting on these 60 years, Bishop Richard, in his pastoral letter this weekend has also been looking ahead to the future.

“The journey has seen a good deal of conversation and renewed collaboration taking place across the Diocese, rooted in prayer. These conversations, leading to the development of leadership teams for our new-formed parishes, are bearing fruit. The formation taking place in our communities, together with the increasing working together in our new parishes will pave the way for ever more effective mission across the Diocese.

Of course, we have a distance yet to travel; there is much to be done and this will always be so. However, there is no need for us to fear, for all is gift. “Jesus is at your side at every step of the way” Pope Francis reminded us, “He will not cast you into the abyss or leave you to your own devices. He will always be there to encourage and accompany you. He has promised and he will do it: ‘For I am with you always, to the end of the age’.”

The full pastoral letter will be read out at this weekend’s masses.

Fr Tristan Writes 14th September 2025

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 20:20:08 GMT

This week we celebrate the feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross, commemorating the finding of the true cross on which Our Lord Jesus died, discovered by St Helena in the fourth century. Perhaps the name 'exultation' comes from Jesus' famous phrase in today's Gospel: that, like Moses' staff, the Son of Man must be 'lifted up'. Lifting the Cross refers, of course, to the actual raising of Jesus' dying body on Good Friday high above the crowds. However, it also has a deeper meaning: the crucified Jesus is 'lifted' above all the world - lifted by Christians in the manner of their lives imitating His sacrificial charity, lifted by Christians in their hearts which overflow with gratitude and adoration for the gift of salvation from sin and everlasting death.

The image of the crucifix is lifted in our churches and homes and schools. It hangs from our necks, or even in our cars. It appears everywhere where Christian’s act in Jesus' name. And yet it is still an object of mockery for many. All the more reason to raise the Cross high in our lives by sharing love, even with those who hate us. A traditional prayer we offer wherever we pass the Cross is theEn Ego, which prays to draw from the Crucified Lord all the grace and all the necessary virtues to live in this way to do just this, and to resolve to follow Him more closely every day.

"Behold, O good and most sweet Jesus, I fall upon my knees before Thee, and with most fervent desire beg and beseech Thee that Thou wouldst impress upon my heart a lively sense of faith, hope and charity, true repentance for my sins, and a firm resolve to make amends. And with deep affection and grief, I reflect upon Thy five wounds, having before my eyes that which Thy prophet David spoke about Thee, O good Jesus: "They have pierced my hands and feet, they have counted all my bones" (Psalm 21) Amen."

Fr Tristan Writes 7th September 2025

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 16:48:31 GMT

September arrives, and not only in the blink of an eye does the weather seem to change but people seem to be far busier than they could ever imagine! We can suddenly seem to have so much to think about that we can easily find ourselves wondering whether we have the resources to cope, as schools go back and deadlines loom. In the Gospel today, Jesus warns us about the risk of setting out on the journey to God without having sufficient resources to complete it. Our main resource is surely the Holy Spirit Himself, nourishing us in daily prayer. There's an old adage that says something along the lines of "set a little time to pray every day, except if you are busy, in which case double it!"

The other resource we all need to survive the daily challenge of imitating Christ is the support of others. Jesus sent his friends out in pairs, and formed not a society of individuals, but a church. As a priest, I can never forget the fact that the very mission of our parish relies on us all pitching in, helping build each other up, and living our baptismal calling. That is why volunteering in the parish - in the fields of Prayer, Formation and Mission - is so vital, both in our current parish and in the larger parish that we are due to become. I want to express my thanks to all our volunteers by throwing a little party for you all on the evening of Friday 21st November - please save the date! And if you are not already "involved", do have a think about how you might give of your time and talents here at St John's - even in a very small way - to help others along on our journey - and get in touch.

First Holy Communion and Confirmation Programmes 2026

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 17:15:47 GMT

Applications for First Holy Communion are now open.

View First Holy Communion page here

POPE LEO XIV WRITES Sunday 20th July

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 20:42:21 GMT

The Holy Father is currently giving a cycle of catechesis on the theme of Hope in this Jubilee Year. Anyone struggling at the moment to connect with Jesus, our Hope, may find power in this extract from one of his recent reflections, given on 25th June.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today we will again consider the healings of Jesus as a sign of hope. In Him, there is a strength that we too can experience when we enter into a relationship with His Person.

A very widespread ailment of our time is the fatigue of living: reality seems to us to be too complex, burdensome, difficult to face. And so we switch off, we fall asleep, in the delusion that, upon waking, things will be different. But reality has to be faced, and together with Jesus, we can do it well. At times we feel blocked by the judgment of those who claim to put labels on others. It seems to me that these situations can find an answer in a passage from the Gospel of Mark, where two stories intertwine: that of the twelve-year-old girl, who is sick in bed and is dying; and that of a woman who has been bleeding for precisely twelve years, and seeks out Jesus in order to be healed (cf. Mk 5:21-43). This woman, with great courage, made the decision that would change her life: everyone continued to tell her to keep her distance, to keep out of view. They had condemned her to stay hidden and isolated. At times, we too can be victims of the judgment of others, who presume to put a robe on us that is not our own. And then we suffer, and cannot come out of it.

That woman embarks on the path of salvation when the faith that Jesus can heal her germinates: so, she finds the strength to come out and go in search of him. She wants to reach out and at least touch his garment.

Around Jesus there is a large crowd, and therefore many people were touching him, and yet nothing happens to them. Instead, when this woman touches Jesus, she is healed. Where does the difference lie? In his commentary on this point of the text, Saint Augustine says – in Jesus’ name – “The crowd jostles, faith touches” (Sermon 243, 2, 2). It is thus: every time we perform an act of faith addressed to Jesus, contact is established with Him, and immediately his grace comes out from Him. At times we are unaware of it, but in a secret and real way, grace reaches us and gradually transforms our life from within.

Perhaps today too, many people approach Jesus in a superficial way, without truly believing in his power. We walk the surfaces of our churches, but maybe our heart is elsewhere! This woman, silent and anonymous, conquers her fears, touches the heart of Jesus with her hands, considered unclean because of her illness. And she is immediately healed. Jesus says to her: “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace” (Mk 5:34).

Fr Tristan Writes 29th June 2025

Sat, 28 Jun 2025 13:12:26 GMT

NEXT WEEKEND (5TH-6TH JULY) ORDINATIONS & MISSIONARY APPEAL - Next weekend will see the Ordination of Gary Carter and Scott Coleman to the Priesthood at Arundel Cathedral. The Ordination Mass will take place on Saturday 5th at 12noon, and will be livestreamed. The ordination of new priests is a moment of rejoicing for the whole Church, and I am sure we will all pray very hard for soon-to-be Fathers Gary and Scott as they begin a lifetime of ministry here in the diocese. All things being equal, they will also be the last priestly ordinations for at least three years in the diocese: a reminder to pray for more vocations!

As Vocations Director, I will be busy elsewhere over the Ordination weekend, but I am delighted that the weekend Masses will be covered in the parish by the Missionaries of Africa (the 'White Fathers'), in the person of Bishop John MacWilliam, former Bishop of Laghouat, Algeria. Bishop MacWilliam has strong ties to our deanery, having been educated at Worth. I am sure that you will all give him a warm welcome, and contribute generously to the work of the Missionaries across 24 countries across the African Continent.

The Missionaries state on their website: "Our aim is to proclaim the Gospel to the peoples of the African world. Because of its origins, our Society has always had a particular interest in making contact with and understanding Muslims and the Islamic world. All people everywhere are considered by God to be his children. But how can they know that unless someone tells them? ... God needs those who are sent to accept his mission and go! We share this relationship of children of God with those who have never heard, or those who have not understood, or those who have forgotten. We do not impose our beliefs, nor do we despise cultures other than our own. Instead, we offer to share with others the best we have, what is most important in our lives, what makes sense of our lives. We have received freely and must give freely. It would be selfish to refuse to share.... First we speak, but actions speak louder than words..... In Africa, this often means parish work, building up Small Christian Communities, working with the Media, involvement in Justice and Peace issues, inter-religious encounter, care for the environment, agriculture, seminary training both for ourselves and for the various dioceses, education and social welfare. The Missionaries of Africa aim to work in partnership with the local Church in Africa…and above all else, to help build up the leadership of the Churches.”

Bishop Richard's weekly reflection - 29th June

Sat, 28 Jun 2025 13:09:10 GMT

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,

Bishop Richard's weekly reflection - 15th June

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 16:28:09 GMT

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus speaks with clarity of the Father, Himself as the Son, and the Holy Spirit. His words express the unity that exists between the three persons of the Blessed Trinity. The Holy Spirit will speak what comes from the Son, who has all that belongs to the Father. We express this in the Creed when we speak about the Holy Spirit coming from the Father and the Son.

The mystery of the Trinity is about relationships – the relationships that exist between Father, Son and Spirit, one God. The wonder of God, existing eternally – as we hear in the First Reading this Sunday – pours love into our hearts, as St Paul reminds us.

It is truly wonderful for us to reflect that, through our baptism, we are brought to live our lives in the love that exists in the Trinity. We are enabled to live in relationship with a God who is all love and whose love we see and experience as it is lived between Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

As we rejoice in our relationship with the one God, three Persons, let us recall that it is God who gives us life and, in the coming days, pray very especially for respect for life in our own society as those in parliament prepare to vote on the “Assisted Dying Bill”. If you have not written to your MP, there is still time. May I thank all those who have written, for such action is a powerful witness to the wonder of life, given us by God.

With every blessing,

A message from Fr Xavier

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 17:33:03 GMT

Farewell and goodbye can often evoke feelings of sentiment, sadness, and departure, but they also mark an occasion of joy and the renewal of hope. We must trust in ourselves to move from the ordinary into the extraordinary, from this moment here in Horsham to every corner of the world. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to be available to all who wish to collaborate, share, and grow together.

As I say goodbye, I carry with me all the cherished memories of your loving care, comforting hugs, and unwavering support. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, knowing that you will be there for me, even as I embark on my ministry and face times of need. A special thanks to Fr. Tristan for your kindness—you have made this year a memorable one for me.

The portrayal of Pentecost in the Gospel is a vibrant and powerful image of the early church, awakened as an active missionary community. The Holy Spirit descends upon the apostles, with tongues of fire alighting on their heads, breathing new life into this group. The transformation is nothing short of radical: once fearful and hiding in the upper room, they are now emboldened, inspired to go into the marketplaces and boldly proclaim the crucified Christ they believe in. They are no longer the trembling individuals they once were. They have been changed, transformed into a new creation—enthusiastic, eloquent, and with a profound sense of their vocation.

The first Pentecost was indeed a striking and exciting moment in the life of the Church. However, the coming of the Holy Spirit is not a singular event confined to the Church’s foundation. The gift of the Holy Spirit, which was given at Pentecost, is still available to the worshipping community here in Horsham, provided we are open and willing to receive it. The Holy Spirit works through human beings like ourselves, depending on our willingness to respond to His promptings.

This feast day offers us an excellent opportunity to reflect on how we are using the gifts God has entrusted to us. While our gifts may not always be as spectacular as those that amazed the onlookers at the first Pentecost, their value is no less significant. What matters most is how we use our talents for the benefit of others—whether we are a patient father, a loving mother, a good listener, a generous giver, or someone who takes time for the elderly and the needy.

Let us all pray together:

"Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love."

My contact details:

Fr. Xavier Amirdasamy, PP and VF. St. Joseph’s RC Church,

THIRUVALLUVAR NAGAR, LALGUDI S.O. TRICHY Dt-621702. Tamil Nadu, South India.

 Mobile and WhatsApp +919443247835, Email xasun@yahoo.com.

NEW WEEKDAY MASS TIMES FROM MONDAY 16TH JUNE

Fri, 30 May 2025 21:55:15 GMT

Our ‘normal’ weekday Mass times will be changing from Monday 16th June, once Fr Xavier departs. The new schedule will be as follows: Monday - 12 noon, Tuesday - 7:30 in the morning, Wednesday – no Mass, Thursday – 12 noon, Friday – 12 noon. Occasionally, we may find we need to alter a ‘normal’ weekday Mass time, so please continue to check the weekly Mass times that are published in our Newsletter and on the website.

THIS WEEKEND’S SECOND COLLECTION

Fri, 30 May 2025 21:53:49 GMT

THIS WEEKEND’S SECOND COLLECTION - is for World Communications Day, which supports the Church’s apostolate in the mass media. The theme for this year, chosen by the late Pope Francis, is ‘Share with gentleness the hope that is in your hearts.’ (cf. 1 Peter 3:15-16) You can donate via the baskets or the card machines at the back of the church. Please note that this is not a Gift Aid-eligible collection. Thank you for your generosity.

Fr Tristan Writes 1st May 2025

Fri, 30 May 2025 21:52:15 GMT

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he vanished from the Apostles' sight, and they spent a short while gazing into heaven. But as they looked up two men in white robes appeared before them and asked them what they were doing. 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?' (Acts 1:11) It was a rhetorical question, and one that we could pose of ourselves.

'Looking into heaven' is clearly a good thing to do! After all, it is where Christ, risen from the dead, and now ascended, has taken His seat to reign. Indeed, St Paul tells the Colossians to keep gazing in his direction: 'If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.' (Col 3:1-2) After the Ascension, our lives must surely be ones of contemplation, constantly putting before ourselves the face of Jesus, and the mystery of His death and Resurrection for us, and the glory to which he calls us.

However, still the angelic figures in Acts ask the Apostles 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?' The reason why is given immediately, when they add: 'This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.' (Acts 1:11) The concern of these heavenly messengers is that the Apostles do not think that Jesus's story is now complete. In fact, He will return to earth, just as He had taught them before, from the throne of the Father, as Judge of humanity (cf. Mt 25:31ff).

We should never for a moment live our lives as if Jesus's story is done and dusted. In fact, like the disciples, apart from gazing into heaven, we need to keep our eyes open to observe the world around us in the here and now. The disciples are not to rest on their laurels having witnessed the Ascension. Instead, they must go straight to Jerusalem and take up the task the Lord left them to spread His Gospel. In order to do this, they will need the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (cf. Acts 1:5) The Holy Spirit, far from making them 'other worldly' - members of a sect who will no longer be concerned with the world's affairs - actually sends them into the world in a new way. We are constantly being called and empowered by the same Spirit to do likewise. In the face of great changes in our local church at this time, as we prepare to become one parish with the other communities of our diocese, we will also need to invoke the Holy Spirit's help, and Jesus's presence within us, bringing heaven and earth together. We will need both contemplation and action.

Fr Tristan Writes 25th April 2025

Sun, 25 May 2025 14:02:30 GMT

This Thursday sees the great feast of the Ascension (a Holy Day of Obligation, and there will be two Masses in the parish to help you attend!) Jesus's return to the Father marked a profound turning point for the Apostles, when they entered a new phase in their discipleship. After forty days of being with them in his newly risen way of being, He instructed them to "stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high". And so began nine days of intense prayer and rejoicing together, until the day of Pentecost when that promised power - in the form of Jesus' Holy Spirit - would come upon them and remain with them, sending them out into the city streets, and into the world, manifested at last as the Church.

This nine days of prayer is the pattern for the liturgical period between Ascension and Pentecost, known as the 'Novena'. Traditionally, we pray each day for a different gift of the Holy Spirit to be given to us, empowering us to live our vocation. You can easily find the full formula of prayer to use online, but here's a brief version, just in case it is useful. Happy Novena!

Prayer for each day:

"Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your divine love. Send forth your spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who has taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that by the gift of the same Spirit we may always be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen."

Intention for Day 1 (Friday after Ascension) For the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Day 2 (Saturday after Ascension) For the gift of Holy Fear

Day 3 (7th Sunday of Easter) For the gift of Piety

Day 4 (Monday) For the gift of Fortitude

Day 5 (Tuesday) For the gift of Knowledge

Day 6 (Wednesday) For the gift of Understanding

Day 7 (Thursday) For the gift of Counsel

Day 8 (Friday) For the gift of Wisdom

Day 9 (Saturday) For the fruits of the Holy Spirit

AN IMPORTANT DATE FOR YOUR DIARIES: FR XAVIER IS LEAVING

Sat, 17 May 2025 21:44:17 GMT

After the best part of two wonderful years with us, Fr Xavier will be returning to his home diocese in India in mid-June. On Friday 30th May we will hold a special Thanksgiving Mass for him, at which Bishop Richard and priests from across the Deanery will be present. The Mass will start at 6pm and will be followed by a Party in the Hall from 7:30pm. We hope to see as many of you there as possible, to give Fr Xavier a memorable send-off! Please bring a dish to share, savoury or sweet. We’d love the food you bring to be representative of the various cultural communities that make up our wonderful parish family! Drinks will be provided.

Fr Tristan Writes 17th April 2025

Sat, 17 May 2025 21:41:08 GMT

'Baptised people of God/walk towards your light/Christ the Lord is risen/Alleluia!' We sang these words along with thousands of others on a Sunday in Lourdes a few weeks ago, during the Entrance Procession for the International Mass, which takes place in the vast underground basilica of St Pius X. It was a joyful reminder of the connection between our baptism and the Resurrection, which should really be a daily meditation for us as Christians. It reminds us that Baptism is not just an initiation ceremony or act of witness, it is a real participation in the rising of the son of God to life eternal! St Paul reminds the Christians of Rome: "we were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Rm 6:4)

The life of the Risen One we receive is something 'new'. In 21st Century Western culture we are obsessed by novelty: so much of what we own is ‘brand new' or the 'latest thing'. But 'newness' in the Biblical context cannot mean something disposable. It is the property of Himself who is ageless and without time. It is, put plainly, divine Love: that power to gaze steadfastly on the true good and become united with it afresh in every moment, in everrenewing wonder, without fatigue or decay.

Our Christian life needs to be a constant renewal of love. Every hour of every day brings challenges, but the goal is to see every hour in its 'newness'. Every prayer, no matter how familiar or repetitious to us, is Jesus's Word spoken anew. The sad thing is that we see our Christian life as something blasé; a key indicator of this is that we stop trying to grow. When we are challenged by a homily or a passage in Scripture, we think "I've heard that before and I already know what that means." When asked to help in the parish, we say to ourselves "no thanks; I've done my bit already". We assume we know how to 'do' faith. We have no desire to increase our knowledge, our outreach, our relationship with Christ or others.

Since the flower of eternal life has already been planted in us in the seed of grace, we should take care not to stifle its growth through a sense of over-familiarity. We can never be too familiar with the Persons of the Trinity who dwell within the soul filled with grace, just as They do not feel too 'familiar' in being united with us. We are to be open to life with Them forever. Especially crucial to this, and beautiful, is that encounter with the Son that we make so frequently, which is Communion with Christ's Risen Body in the Eucharist. Let us pray for our young people who will make this encounter for the first time this weekend! Throughout their lives, may they receive Holy Communion lovingly and always with a sense of doing something 'new'. May all our Communions, too, be warm and affectionate meetings with the Risen Lord, who sacrificed Himself for us, and draw from us a grateful 'Alleluia', each and every week!

HABEMUS PAPAM!

Sun, 11 May 2025 15:25:52 GMT

Pope Leo XIV

Bishop Richard's weekly reflection - 4th May

Fri, 02 May 2025 21:03:37 GMT

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Writing in the Acts of the Apostles, St Luke records St Peter’s words to the Sanhedrin: “We are witnesses to all this.” This is as true for us as it was for the Apostles. The history of the Church gives us so many examples of martyrs and confessors of faith who put their witnessing to the Resurrection before all else. We are their successors and we share their responsibility. This may seem a daunting task but, like them, we are guided by the Holy Spirit.

At this time when the Cardinals are preparing for the conclave, let us pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon them, in their solemn task of electing the next successor of St Peter.

I ask your prayers, too, for the young people of our Diocese who, over the coming weeks, will receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation. This is an important moment for each of them, as they take this very significant step on the path of discipleship. It is also a time of celebration for the whole Diocese, as we rejoice in their openness to the life of the Gospel and pray that they will take their place in the mission of the Church.

With every blessing,

Mass time change- Saturday 26th April

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 13:13:49 GMT

IMPORTANT: Saturday 26th April 2025

Due to Pope Francis’ funeral Mass taking place at 9:00am BST this coming Saturday, morning Mass at St John’s will be celebrated at 8:00am, with no Adoration, Benediction or Confession.

Requiem Mass and Prayer Vigil - Friday 25th April

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 13:12:01 GMT

FRIDAY 25th April 2025 6.15pm – 8:00PM

Please join us for a Requiem Mass for His Holiness Pope Francis , starting at 6:15pm , followed by a Prayer Vigil with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, on the eve of Pope Francis’ funeral.

Fr Tristan Writes 13th April 2025

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 21:43:36 GMT

If you do not usually attend Mass on Maundy Thursday or Holy Saturday, or the Passion on Good Friday, I would definitely encourage you to try it this year. The celebrations are long and take our time and effort, but they are irreplaceable, rich, beautiful. The importance of Holy Week is summed up by the little phrase the priest uses at the start of the Palm Sunday liturgy: "Let us commemorate the Lord's entry into the city for our salvation, following in his footsteps, so that being made by his grace partakers of the Cross we may have a share also in his Resurrection and in his life". 'Partakers' is the mot juste. Holy Week is not just any old festival, it is a sacramental participation in the life and death of the Lord Jesus Himself. We "follow in his foosteps" in two ways that are interconnected. The first way is by really celebrating the Word of God in a very serious manner. Throughout the different liturgies, we eat a veritable banquet of the Scripture, comprising all the greatest mysteries of our life, from the creation of the world to the last hours of Jesus' earthly life, His death, and His rising. At the same time, we enact those mysteries through liturgical action engaging our senses: the waving of palms, the washing of feet, the veneration of the Cross, the lighting of the Paschal Candle, and so on.

Secondly, we "follow in his footsteps" by letting this Word change our hearts. For example, spending time in meditation before the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday is not just remembering Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, but it is really joining with Him there, praying for the whole world and asking for the strength to die to sin with Him. Celebrating the blessing of the font at the Easter Vigil is not just a recalling of baptism, but a real refreshing of our baptismal grace that flows from the life of the Rising Christ Himself. Holy Week marks and shapes our Christan life entirely. On Easter Sunday, we will all renew our commitment to God as Christians, and the Holy Spirit will mark one of our number in the Sacrament of Confirmation, making him a full member of the Church's family. He will receive the Lord who was crucified and became our food for the first time in the Eucharist, just as we celebrate Christ, the New Passover, who is sacrificed. Holy Week is not just thinking about salvation -it is actually about being saved.

At the end of the Easter Vigil, the priest blesses the people saying: "Now that the days of the Lord's Passion have drawn to a close, may you who celebrate the gladness of the Paschal Feast come with Christ's help and exulting in spirit, to those feasts that are celebrated in eternal joy." We pray that, with Christians around the world, we will celebrate this week as fully as we can - and that we will celebrate it one day, not in sacraments, but in the presence of the Holy Trinity itself, with the saints in heaven. We pray especially this year for Christians in the Holy Land, and in our parish for Gregory Cooper, as he is received into the universal Church.

BISHOP RICHARD’S PASTORAL LETTER - April 2025

Sat, 05 Apr 2025 20:36:36 GMT

BISHOP OF ARUNDEL & BRIGHTON

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I wish to speak with you today about the process in which our Parliament is currently considering legalising assisted suicide through the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. As I have made clear earlier in this debate, as Catholics we have maintained a principled objection to this change in law recognising that every human life is sacred, coming as a gift of God and bearing a God-given dignity. We are, therefore, clearly opposed to this Bill in principle, elevating, as it does, the autonomy of the individual above all other considerations.

The passage of the Bill through Parliament will lead to a vote in late April on whether it progresses further. This will be a crucial moment and I, together with all the Bishops of England and Wales, am writing to ask your support in urging your MP to vote against this Bill at that time.

There are serious reasons for doing so. At this point we wish not simply to restate our objections in principle, but to emphasise the deeply flawed process undergone in Parliament thus far. We wish to remind you that it is a fundamental duty of every MP to ensure that legislation is not imposed on our society which has not been properly scrutinised and which will bring about damaging consequences.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will fundamentally change many of the key relationships in our way of life: within the family, between doctor and patient, within the health service. Yet there has been no Royal Commission or independent inquiry ahead of its presentation. It is a Private Member’s Bill. The Bill itself is long and complex and was published just days before MPs voted on it, giving them inadequate time to consult or reflect upon it. The time for debate was minimal. The Committee examining the Bill took only three days of evidence: not all voices were heard, and it comprises an undue number of supporters of the Bill. In short, this is no way to legislate on such an important and morally complex issue.

One consequence of this flawed process is that many vital questions remain unanswered. Can MPs guarantee that the scope of the Bill will not be extended? In almost every country where assisted suicide has been introduced the current scope is wider than was originally intended.

What role, if any, will the judiciary have in the process? We were told that judicial oversight was a necessary and vital part of the process; now we are told it isn’t needed at all. What will protect the vulnerable from coercion, or from feeling a burden on family? Can the National Health Service cope with assisted suicide or will it, as the Health Secretary has warned, cause cuts elsewhere in the NHS? Can MPs guarantee that no medical practitioner or care worker would be compelled to take part in assisted suicide? Would this mean the establishment of a ‘national death service’?

In contrast to the provisions of this Bill, what is needed is first-class, compassionate palliative care at the end of our lives. This is already provided to many in our society but, tragically, is in short supply and underfunded. No-one should be dispatched as a burden to others. Instead, a good society would prioritise care for the elderly, the vulnerable, and the weak. The lives of our families are richer for cherishing their presence.

It is a sad reflection on Parliament’s priorities that the House of Commons spent far more time debating the ban on fox hunting than it is spending debating bringing in assisted suicide.

I am sure that you will share these concerns. It is now clear that this measure is being rushed without proper scrutiny and without fundamental questions surrounding safeguards being answered. This is a deeply flawed Bill with untold unintended consequences. Every MP, and Government, has a solemn duty to prevent such legislation reaching the statute book. This, tragically, is what may happen. So I appeal to you: even if you have written before, please make contact now with your MP and ask them to vote against this Bill not only on grounds of principle but because of the failure of Parliament to approach this issue in an adequate and responsible manner.

In his Letter to the Philippians, from which we heard in the Second Reading, St Paul reflects on the difficulties and responsibilities of life. He speaks of ‘pressing on’ and ‘striving’ for the fulness of life promised in Christ Jesus. Yet he is totally confident in his struggles because, as he says, ‘Christ Jesus has made me his own’.

We too have many struggles. We too know that Christ Jesus has made us his own. So we too press on with this struggle, so important in our times.

May God bless you all,

THE DIOCESAN PASTORAL PLAN

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 21:42:51 GMT

THE DIOCESAN PASTORAL PLAN - which will see all the parishes in our current Crawley Deanery become one parish in the next few years should be a great opportunity for us to think how we can pool our resources and get creative as the people of God; worshipping Jesus ("Prayer"), deepening our understanding of the faith to become better disciples ("Formation") and sharing the Gospel ("Mission") better in our area. Fr Tristan would be interested to hear your ideas as to how the areas you are engaged in as volunteers could benefit from linking with our neighbouring communities, or any other advantages we are likely to gain from the amalgamation. Please submit your positive ideas by e-mail to the Parish Office ( horsham@abdiocese.org.uk ). Please use the headings "Prayer", "Formation" and Mission" to structure your thoughts. You won't receive a reply to your message (this is merely about listening and gathering ideas) but your contributions will be collated, appreciated and read. Thank you!

Bishop Richard's weekly reflection - 30th March

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 21:39:54 GMT

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

This Sunday we celebrate Laetare Sunday - the Latin word from the beginning of this Sunday’s Entrance Antiphon at Mass - Rejoice, Jerusalem. Our rejoicing is marked by the use of rose coloured vestments at Mass, highlighting the midway point of our Lenten journey.

In this Jubilee Year, we are called to reflect on our lives as Pilgrims of Hope and this Sunday’s readings will assist us in that reflection, for they speak of journeys.

The Old Testament reading celebrates the end of the 40 years in the desert for the people of Israel. It has not been an easy journey, but the Chosen People find the fulfilment of their hope in the Promised Land. No longer will they eat the manna in the desert – their journey is over; they are home.

The Gospel – the Parable of the Prodigal Son, which we know so well – finds the son returning home, greeted by his father who loves him, who has been looking out for him and who welcomes him home with open arms and a great feast of celebration. To say that the son’s journey was a difficult one would be an understatement. He left safety and the love of his father, travelled to the very depths and, only then, was he able to find his real direction. His Pilgrimage of Hope began - hope that he would be welcomed home - and his hope was fulfilled.

St Paul speaks of the fulfilment of hope in his second letter to the Corinthians: “For anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation.” As Jesus’ followers, we are the people of that new creation. We are recipients of the gift of hope that is our pilgrimage to the Kingdom. As we make this pilgrimage, this journey, we are called to be the Lord’s presence for our brothers and sisters.

With every blessing,

Bishop Richard's weekly reflection - 23rd March

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 22:06:37 GMT

Pope Francis, explaining today's Gospel back in Lent 2019, wisely noted that it is a season in which we can discover our spiritual procrastination when it comes to turning back to God in Lent. God's mercy is boundless and He is patient with us; but all the more reason for us not to delay repentance of life, as the Holy Father explained in no uncertain terms! He said: "The fig tree, which the master of the parable wants to uproot, represents a barren existence incapable of giving, of doing good. It’s the symbol of one who lives for himself, satiated and tranquil, couched in his own comfort, incapable of turning his look and heart to those around him who are in a condition of suffering, of poverty, of hardship. Opposed to this attitude of egoism and spiritual sterility, is the great love of the vinedresser for the fig tree: he makes the master wait, he has patience; he knows how to wait, he dedicates his time and work to it. He promises the master to take particular care of that unhappy tree. And this similitude of the vinedresser manifests the mercy of God, who gives us time for conversion.

We all need to convert, to take a step forward, and God’s patience and mercy accompany us in this. Despite the sterility that sometimes marks our existence, God has patience and He offers us the possibility to change and to progress on the path of goodness. However, the delay implored and granted in the expectation that the tree will finally bear fruit indicates also the urgency of conversion. The vinedresser says to the master: “Let it alone this year also” (v. 8). The possibility of conversion isn’t unlimited, hence, it’s necessary to seize it immediately; otherwise, it will be lost forever. In this Lent, we can think: what must I do to get closer to the Lord, to convert, to “cut” those things that aren’t right? “No, no, I’ll wait for next Lent.” However, will you be alive next Lent?"

Lent Liturgies at St John's

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 21:58:55 GMT

Please view the Lent Litur gies below:

Bishop Richard's weekly reflection - 16th March

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 21:55:31 GMT

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

This week, the Gospel – as is always the case on the Second Sunday of Lent – is the account of the Transfiguration, this year from Luke’s Gospel. Jesus gives to Peter, James and John the experience of His Transfiguration in order that they be strengthened for the events that are to come – His Passion and death. Even though we know that the Lord’s death was not the end, the Lord’s Transfiguration strengthens us too.

The scale of the Lord’s suffering is beyond our experience. The very fact that He who is without sin, the Incarnate Word, suffers and dies for us is a reality so deep, so vast, that it calls forth from us prayer, love and a response in action. We cannot gaze on the crucified Lord without being changed.

When we see suffering in the world, we see the Cross – this experience calls us to prayer, to love, to action – for in serving our brothers and sisters we serve Christ, the One who suffered and died for us.

With every blessing,

Bishop Richard's weekly reflection - 9th March

Sat, 08 Mar 2025 20:24:05 GMT

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

On Wednesday, we began the season of Lent as we gathered for the celebration of Mass and accepted ashes as a sign of repentance. The acknowledgement of our need to repent of our sins is a vital first step in the Lenten journey and this year, to mark the Jubilee Year of Hope, I shall be visiting each Deanery for a Service of Reconciliation – a wonderful opportunity for us to experience the love and forgiveness of God, who never leaves us and always calls us to Him.

Let us continue our prayers for the Holy Father, joining our brothers and sisters across the world and those who gather to pray in St Peter’s Square each evening. May the Holy Father know the healing presence of the Holy Spirit.

This Sunday, as we celebrate the first Sunday of Lent, we find the Lord in the desert. He is tempted for 40 days – thus our Lent is 40 days – and rejects all the attempts of Satan to overcome him. In a consumerist world, Jesus’ rejection of nourishment at a time when he is hungry, calls us to place our trust in Him, rather than in the things of this world.

His rejection of worldly power is a reminder that humanity is not all-powerful. This is an important reminder to us in these present times, when there is so much conflict and when the world order is so fragile. We are also in a time when the value of human life is not respected. This Lent, let us pray ever more ardently for peace, for all who exercise government and for all who feel threatened in these present times. Moreover, let us do all we can to bring peace and justice to our own sphere of life, for this will proclaim Christ to the world.

Finally, Jesus' outright rejection of Satan calls us to do the same – to expel from our lives all that would lead us away from the way of the Gospel, the way that leads to life through the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, that we prepare to celebrate in this wonderful season.

With every blessing,

Fr Tristan Writes 2nd March 2025

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 21:10:48 GMT

Lent is approaching! Only a few weeks away now, it's quite easy for Ash Wednesday to take us by surprise. I often spend the first few weeks of Lent deciding what disciplines I want to take up, or luxuries I'm going to give up, with the result that the season is half over before I even get going! In the past, the weeks running up to Lent themselves formed a sort of overture to the penitential season (a period that is known as "Septuagesima", from the Latin for "seventy", as it begins roughly that many days before Easter; as opposed to the "Quadregesima" or "forty days" of Lent.) Even though we do not celebrate this season liturgically in the modern form of the Roman Rite, it does make sense psychologically to think about. Human beings that we are, we do need a 'run-up' to prepare ourselves for a time of ongoing penance. It can be helpful to begin introducing our Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving slowly, little by little now, or at the very least to begin praying about what we might do practically during Lent by way of mortification, prayer, and charitable outreach.

The readings at Mass this weekend speak about the Father's everlasting compassion. "Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate" says the Lord in the Gospel. In this statement, Jesus expands our definition of what it means to be generous (giving twice, even to those who steal from us), to be merciful (pardoning those who sin against us), to be loving (loving those who hate us). Let the Father's compassion be our measure, as we plan for the season of repentance, and hope that is Lent, the season of which the purpose is to draw us back to Him, and out to our neighbour.

Crawley Deanery News - Winter

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 21:07:39 GMT

You can view the first edition of the Deanery Newsletter here (PDF) Winter 24-25

Fr Tristan Writes 23rd February 2025

Sat, 22 Feb 2025 17:40:18 GMT

Fr Tristan Writes 16th February 2025

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 20:16:33 GMT

2025 is a Jubilee Year in the Church, with the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”. During this year, we can reflect that we as Christians are the bearers of hope to the world par excellence, because we have received the Good News. The Catechism reminds us that hope is “the theological virtue by which we desire....eternal life as our happiness” (CCC 1817). It is not just any hope, then, but one that looks beyond this world subject to sin, death and decay, to the renewing of true life and joy in the Resurrection.

Because of this hope, Christianity can never be reduced to a merely earthly project of good will and good works. St Paul puts that truth to us starkly in the Second Reading: “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Cor 15:19) The Beatitudes which we hear in the Gospel echo this too, promising blessings not in this world, but in the next. In his Bull inaugurating the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis emphasises the importance of these Beatitude values: “What is the happiness that we await and desire? Not some fleeting pleasure, a momentary satisfaction, that once experienced, keeps us longing for more... We aspire to a happiness that is definitively found in the one thing that can bring us fulfilment, which is love. Thus we will be able to say even now: I am loved, therefore I exist; and I will live forever in the love that does not disappoint, the love from which nothing can ever separate me (Spes non confudit, 23; cf Rm 8:38-39)”

Bishop Richard's weekly reflection - 9th February

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 22:01:52 GMT

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The worship of God is the highest of all our human activities. There is nothing more important, nothing more natural for us, for we are created by God and for God, as an expression of His love.

We can be brought to this moment of worship by different things – and we see this in this Sunday’s readings. For Ezekiel his worship comes through visions. These are a gift to him that are so clear that it brings him to action: “Here I am, Lord, send me.”

For Peter, it comes through a different experience – the miracle of the great haul of fish, following a bad night’s fishing. He does not think of the profit he will make in the fish market, or the fact that his nets are damaged. Rather he falls to his knees before Jesus, recognising his own weakness and sinfulness in the presence of the Lord. As with Ezekiel, so with Peter – his life is transformed and he is ready for action, leaving everything and following Him.

So with us, our experience of God’s love in our worship is transformative. Our morning and evening prayers, these moments of quiet worship and intercession that mark our day, bring us closer to the Lord, enabling us to be His people, His instruments for our world. We meet the Lord Himself, most especially in the Eucharist. Our response to follow Him, to be his disciples – all grows out of this moment of the greatest closeness to Him.

Let us, then, not stay away from the worship of God. The Lord has loved us beyond measure – must we not show our love for Him in the greatest, the highest, of all our activity? Our prayer and worship is, indeed, the fount of all our action as Jesus' followers, called to proclaim the Good News to a world in need of His peace; in need of the respect for life at every moment, for life is God’s gift; in need of the call away from the isolation that so many experience, into the hope that is life in Christ.

With every blessing,

Bishop Richard's weekly reflection - 2nd February

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 22:30:23 GMT

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

We are celebrating this Jubilee Year, in which we are called to renew our lives as Pilgrims of Hope. This Feast of the Presentation is, in so many ways, a celebration of hope.

Simeon had spent his whole life waiting in hope for the coming of the Messiah. He had longed to see the Messiah and his hopes are fulfilled beyond measure, for he holds in his arms the Christ-child, Emmanuel – God-with-us, the Word made Flesh, our Saviour.

Anna, who has given the majority of her adult life to prayer and fasting, sees her prayers answered and cannot but tell everyone of her joy, the fulfilment of the hope of all who “were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem”, as the Gospel tells us.

We celebrate this feast with lighted candles, for the Lord is the light of the world. Let us take this light of hope into our so-often darkened world. Christ, the light of the world, shows us the value and dignity of life, the way to peace. In Him, we experience forgiveness and new life in the joyful hope of His coming at the end of time – a hope that informs our every action, and the hope we are called to share with all our brothers and sisters.

With every blessing,

Fr Tristan Writes 26th January 2025

Sat, 25 Jan 2025 21:16:59 GMT

In these early Sundays of the year, our Christian life is still lived bathed in the light of Christmas, and living the mystery that God became a child and lived in a family life, as an example for us. It is wonderful then that we have a special opportunity to pray this week for all the children in our parish who are beginning their preparation to celebrate the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist for the first time. We pray for families who will be attending the course together, and we hope each session will be a beautiful time for parents and children alike to share faith: and to learn not just about Christ, but to meet Christ, and experience the hope he gives to us, every day.

This Sunday is known as "The Sunday of the Word of God" and as such is all about this meeting. It reminds us that we meet Christ in Holy Communion which is His Real Presence - but also that He is present in the Sacred Scriptures which are proclaimed in the Mass. Without the Mass, then, I cannot fully meet Christ. But when we come together as His Body to celebrate His saving Passion, gathered by His own Holy Spirit, His own voice echoes in the Church, and finds a home in our hearts through the Word and sacrament we receive.

We pray today for the gift of families who lovingly bring their children to meet Christ in this community; and for ourselves, because it's Christ who keeps us young! He offers a presence which changes the way we live our lives: a message that brings us constantly back to the Resurrection, looking beyond to the destruction of selfishness, death and decay, and readying us for life eternal. His is the message of hope that is waiting to be discovered by every new generation.

"Christ is alive! He is our hope, and in a wonderful way he brings youth to our world, and everything he touches becomes young, new, full of life. The very first words, then, that I would like to say to every young Christian are these: Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!" (Pope Francis, Christus vivit, 1) .

Bishop Richard's weekly reflection - 19th January

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 22:07:24 GMT

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

This Sunday’s Gospel takes us to Cana, a small village to the North of Nazareth. Today, it is really a suburb of its larger neighbour, a short distance by road. It was here that Jesus gave the gift of his first miracle, and there is a sense in which this event continues the theme of both the Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord – all of them are ‘showings’ to the world of the Saviour. Indeed, this is recognised in the Divine Office, the Prayer of the Church, in which – on the feast of the Epiphany, we find mention of all three events in one short text.

There is a real sense of ‘newness’ in the readings this Sunday. We have the newly married couple, the first of Jesus' miracles and, in the first reading, Isaiah enthuses – refuses to be silent – about the wonderful things that God does for His people.

In this Sunday’s second reading, St Paul, writes to the Corinthians about the gifts the Spirit gives. Here, too, there is a sense of newness. We always receive gifts as something new – we have shared in this experience in a small way over Christmas, and we know the joy in receiving these small gifts. How much greater the gifts of the Spirit. They are our prized possessions, not because we simply possess them, but because we are called to use these gifts for the building up of the Kingdom. We use them in service to others; in service to Christ Himself.

Just as Jesus gave the wonderful new wine to the marriage feast, to the delight of the wedding party, so we receive the many gifts the Spirit gives, and we too rejoice. We must not leave them, as it were, ‘on the shelf’ simply to be looked at and admired. Let us use them – for this is the mark of discipleship in our service to Christ and His Church. Like Isaiah, let us not be silent about the wonderful things that God does for us and in us, through the person of Christ His Son, the Word made Flesh.

With every blessing,

BISHOP RICHARD’S PASTORAL LETTER for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Sat, 11 Jan 2025 21:00:08 GMT

BISHOP OF ARUNDEL & BRIGHTON

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The Preface of today’s Mass offers us a clear reminder that the Lord Jesus has been sent by the Father to bring

good news to the poor. Jesus, the Word made Flesh, God-with-us, was born among us so that all may have life.

The good news of Salvation is, therefore, the message that the Church is tasked to bring to the whole world.

Just as the Holy Spirit was present at Jesus’ baptism by John, “declaring Him” the Son of the Father, so the Holy Spirit dwells in those

who are baptised, guiding the mission that is given to us all through our baptism – our sharing in the mission of the whole Church.

We are called to nothing less than living every moment of life caught up, as it were, in the love that exists between Father, Son and

Holy Spirit. Baptism brings us to life lived in the love of the Blessed Trinity. It opens for us the way to a relationship with God, in and

through Christ, so close that nothing, as St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans, can separate us from this love. Just as Isaiah

states in the first reading today, the Lord gathers us in His arms, carries us close to Him and cares for us with the greatest gentleness.

Baptism opens for us the way to the other Sacraments, most especially the Eucharist. Let us not forget that there is nothing more

wonderful in this life than our meeting with the Lord in the Eucharist, as he nourishes us with Himself – He who is the Bread of Life.

All is gift: life in the love of the Blessed Trinity, closeness to the person of Jesus, the abiding presence in our lives of the Holy Spirit

who prompts our actions and prays within us when we cannot find the words. So much is given that we cannot fully describe its

wonder. As Jesus reminds us, to those who are given much, much is expected.

How, then, are we called to respond to God’s gift? As Christ offered Himself, must we not offer ourselves to be the Lord’s instruments

in bringing good news to the poor?

As the Church we must witness to the good news in an ever-changing world and each and every living stone in the spiritual house

that is the Church must take their place in this mission.

In this Jubilee Year, the Holy Father has called us to be Pilgrims of Hope. Our Hope is the Kingdom to which we look forward and it

is this Hope, grounded in Faith and expressed also in Love, that is the Christian’s Mission – our gift to the world. It is nothing less

than the proclamation of the Kingdom of Christ Himself.

This year is also the 60th Anniversary of our Diocese – surely a favourable time for us all to pray for increased openness to the

promptings of the Holy Spirit in our commitment to share the Good News of the Kingdom.

This call to mission is at the very heart of our Diocesan Pastoral Plan. Since Easter last year, conversations have been taking place in

each of our present deaneries, setting our communities on the path to new expression, to a renewed journey of prayer, formation

and mission that we may truly live as communities of saints – living in Hope, Faith and Love in proclamation of Christ Who is our Way.

There is much in these conversations, it is true, that is about structure. While this is necessary, we must not allow ourselves to be

absorbed solely in these matters. The renewal of our parish structures is for the very purpose of enabling us all – lay faithful, religious,

deacons, priests and bishop – to take our proper place in the great mission that the Lord has given to us.

Ever-deeper conversation and sharing across our communities, together with a sharing of resources will, in time, open the way to

renewed mission as our focus shifts to greater cooperation and effectiveness in the proclamation of the Good News.

The new model of parish will enable us to live as “communities of communities” – bringing strength and renewed life as communities

join together in prayer, in formation and in the mission that will develop from these foundations.

These initial steps may not always be easy. We must learn to work together in new ways and I take this opportunity to thank those

priests who have accepted the leadership role of moderator. I ask everyone to allow them the time and give them and the clergy

teams the support they will need for these early stages in this new way of living out our mission.

There will be much work ahead, especially for moderators and the clergy and lay faithful who will be called to serve on leadership

teams. Let us all come together in our “communities of communities” for prayer, formation and the renewed mission for the world

the Lord calls us to serve.

With every Blessing,

Fr Tristan Writes 22nd December 2024

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 11:14:52 GMT

A SAVIOUR IS BORN TO US - CHRIST THE LORD! As Advent draws to a close, we hear how Mary rushed to visit her cousin Elizabeth, bearing in her womb the Son of God. Elizabeth rejoices, St John the Baptist rejoices, Mary rejoices, and then on the day of Jesus's birth, the angels themselves take their turn. It is our task at this time of year to rejoice with them too! Of course, we may feel joy in human things in this season: gathering with family and friends, to be off work for a little. But the truth of "Christmas spirit" is more profound: a deep and awe-inspiring truth we realise when we gather around the Holy Family in the manger. In the stable of Bethlehem, we see God become man ('Emmanuel', Godwith-us). Thanks to that same event, we are to become like God, in receiving eternal life. God became part of our human family, and we become part of His Son's Body. Jesus' Advent raises our human nature to an incredible dignity, and with it, a great responsibility: to reject the bad that drags us down, and live with sacrificial love, like His. St Leo the Great summed up this mystery like this:

FROM THE PARISH FINANCE COMMITTEE

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 21:34:24 GMT

The main Collection taken at our Masses on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is our gift to Fr Tristan and to Fr Xavier, who do not receive a salary but rely on our generosity in the Christmas and Easter collections, the offerings we give for Mass Intentions and sacramental celebrations. If you are giving through online banking, please make a separate payment with the reference ‘Christmas’. You can also give via the basket or the card machine as normal. If you gift aid, please put your offering in an envelope of any kind and write your name or Gift Aid number on it – cheques should be made payable to ‘St John the Evangelist’. Please note that if you have a standing order with the parish, this is your parish offertory and is NOT transferred to the priests. Thank you! (More details about online giving, and gift aid can be found at: https://www.stjohnshorsham.com/church-giving ).

Fr Tristan Writes 15th December 2024

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 21:32:21 GMT

Gaudete Sunday calls us to rejoice in the Lord's coming, which is very soon! We hear about "rejoicing" in many of the texts of the Mass this week, but, to our modern ears, the sentiment can seem at odds with the tenor of the Gospel passage, in which John the Baptist describes the Son of God as coming at the end of time to judge between God's faithful and the wicked. He uses the image of a farmer coming with fork in hand, gathering up the good part of the wheat, meanwhile throwing the useless husks into an "unquenchable fire" (cf. Luke 3:17). Sobering, yes - but not very joyful sounding!

Perhaps this difficulty arises because we tend to equate joy with the freedom to follow our own pleasures wherever they take us. True joy, however, is much deeper. It is a fruit of love, itself the effect of the Holy Spirit. St Thomas Aquinas explains that joy is a passion we feel because we love the good that is in someone else. It doesn't matter whether that person is near to us or far away: as long as that good remains in them, we are joyful, because of the love that springs from our knowledge of that good. The knowledge that he is coming to seal a final victory over Death and to offer the triumph of Life to us - a good which can never be taken away - means that unending joy is possible for those who love him. It might be a quiet thing that we do not always 'feel', but, like a river running underground, it gives life to all our actions.

It is good in the run-up to Christmas to stop worrying for a few minutes over lists of food to buy, presents to find, cards to write, and so on, to make another list: things to be thankful for. Start with the things that God Himself has done, is doing and will do: from the creation of the world, to Christ's kingship in heaven. This kind of prayer helps nurture the fruit of joy, and also humility. We will find that we have much to rejoice in for which we never asked and which we never deserved. It also reminds us that, above all, it is a joy to share our time with God, and to share what He has generously given us with others.

ADVENT RECONCILIATION

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 21:05:52 GMT

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. Fr Tristan and Fr Xavier will be happy to stay for extended periods at the usual Confession times in the parish on Fridays and Saturdays, so please avail yourselves of these. Additionally, Canon Tim Madeley will be hearing Confessions here on Saturday 14th December from 10.30am. Other times in neighbouring parishes are: 11am - 12 noon on Saturdays in The Friary, Crawley, 10am - 10.30am on Saturdays in St Gabriel’s, Billingshurst and 8.45am – 9.15am on Sundays in Worth Abbey Church. There will also be a Reconciliation Service at Our Lady of Consolation and St Francis, West Grinstead on Friday 20th December at 7:30pm.

Fr Tristan Writes 8th December 2024

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 21:00:24 GMT

What is Advent? Pope Benedict XVI explained: "The word “advent” means “coming” or “presence”. In the ancient world it meant the visit of the king or emperor to a province; in the Christian language it refers to the Coming of God, to his presence in the world; a mystery that embraces the entire cosmos and history, but that has two culminating events: the First and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The first is, precisely, the Incarnation. The second is his glorious return at the end of time.

These two events that are chronologically distant — and we are not given to know by how long — are deeply connected, because with his death and Resurrection Jesus fulfilled that transformation of man and of the cosmos which is the final goal of Creation. However, before the end, the Gospel must be proclaimed to all the nations...(cf. Mk 13:10). The Lord’s Coming continues, the world must be penetrated by his presence and this ongoing Coming of the Lord in the proclamation of the Gospel requires our continuous collaboration. Moreover, the Church... in communion with her Lord, collaborates in this Coming of the Lord, in which his glorious return has already begun." ( Angelus, 2nd Dec, 2012 )

I highlight those last words "already begun" because for me they contain the beauty and mystery of Advent. Thanks to His First coming, Jesus is already Emmanuel, God-with-us, but He is to be all-in-all in his Second. We live in a 'between-time', where we have to await joyfully His coming each day, and prepare ourselves to meet Him by embracing Him, and rejecting all that separates us from Him. Hearing the call of St John the Baptist, we can 'prepare a way' for Jesus, by welcoming the power of the Christ Himself already coming into the Church -to straighten what is wayward in us, and make the rough smooth - especially through the sacrament of Reconciliation.

Times of our Christmas & New Year Services

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 21:48:21 GMT

Details of this year's Christmas & New Year Services

Fr Tristan Writes 1st December 2024

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 21:57:37 GMT

Welcome to Advent! "Drop down dew, you heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One!" (Isaiah 48:5) These words are heavily associated with the wonderful season we are now entering. The Latin word rorate (meaning "drop dew!") gives its name to a special kind of Mass we will be celebrating on Fridays at St John's during Advent. Popular in many countries (including Poland and the Philippines), the Rorate Mass is a celebration of a Mass honouring Our Lady that takes place close to dawn. Farmers would come with their families before setting out for the fields, or returning from milking; the church in darkness except for the many candles burning about the place and in the people's hands. The peaceful Mass evokes the light of Christ gently entering the darkness of the world, in the womb of Mary, before His revealing at Christmas. Furthermore, as at Mass on most occasions, both priest and people would turn eastwards together, facing the direction of the rising sun and mirroring the words of the Scripture "Look toward the east, O Jerusalem, and see the joy that is coming to you from God!" (Baruch 4:36) Jesus is described in many places as the Oriens, or 'Rising One' (cf Zach 6:12; Lk 1:78), or 'Sun of Justice' (cf Mal 4:2). His Advent is the Advent of Day against the long Night of God's people waiting for salvation. All of us, in our human condition, cry out in the darkness for His truth, justice and peace, and thus we pray for Him to come soon. You are very welcome to come to a Rorate Mass and experience this beautiful and peaceful way to begin your own Advent day, holding the candle you will be given, or, as I have seen European children do, bringing a coloured lantern. We will all pray together to the Father to 'rain down' His grace into our lives, as His Son, who came and will come again, already bursts into the world.

Fr Tristan Writes 24th November 2024

Sat, 23 Nov 2024 13:47:12 GMT

Christ is King of the Universe!

'Father, "…you anointed your Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with the oil of gladness as eternal Priest and King of all creation, so that....making all created things subject to his rule, he might present to the immensity of your majesty an eternal and universal kingdom: a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace…"'

These glorious words from the Mass of today's feast remind us of the words of St Paul to the Colossians, that all things were created by Christ, "through him and for him" and "in him all things hold together." (cf. Col 1:16-17) He is King of creation, not only because He is the Creator, but because, on the Cross, He has conquered sin that threatened to disrupt the people He has made, by means of washing them with His blood, saving them, and setting His throne in their hearts by way of His Holy Spirit dwelling in them.

The unusual thing about Christ's kingship, is, unlike flawed earthly rulers, it is totally selfless and manifests itself in service: the King who dies wearing a mocking Crown of Thorns. If the world around us does not yet completely show forth His Kingship, it is a call to us to show that we are His subjects in serving others. We cannot create a perfect world here below - and that is not our calling – but, nonetheless, in striving for 'truth, life, holiness, grace, justice, love and peace', we point others to Him, and to our heavenly homeland, even here below.

This is the last week of the liturgical year before Advent begins. We pray for a renewed courage, as the year turns into that new season, to proclaim to others Jesus as our King.

POPE FRANCIS’ NOVEMBER PRAYER NETWORK REFLECTION - 17th November

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 19:30:57 GMT

I hate to start talking about Christmas prematurely, but it's hard not to think about it when the shops in Horsham seem to have been blasting out festive pop music for weeks already now! The impending preparations for a secular season almost entirely focussed on spending and material goods not only risk obscuring the feast of the Lord's Nativity, but, also, can blunt us to the plight of the poor, who find it hard to find joy in this way. Surely a society-wide spending spree does nothing to help the mental anxiety of those struggling to survive each day, but risks leaving them with a sense of failure and emptiness. It makes sense then, as Advent draws near, to mark a World Day of the Poor this Sunday, which, Pope Francis tells us in his message for the day published this week, has a special focus on the spiritual, and not just the material, welfare of the needy. "The worst discrimination", he recalled, "which the poor suffer is the lack of spiritual care... we must not fail to offer them God's friendship, his blessing, his word, the celebration of the sacraments and a journey of growth and maturity in the faith." [Evangelii Gaudium, 200]

The poor are very close to God. Likewise, only friendship with God can make us truly alterative to friendship with them. Pope Francis quotes his predecessor Pope Benedict, who noted 'without daily prayer lived with fidelity, our acts... lose their profound soul and are reduced to being mere activism' ( Catechesis, April 25, 2012 ). He also rejoices that this same insight was taught to us in a lived-out way by Blessed Theresa of Calcutta, who once, at the General Assembly of the UN, held up her rosary for all to see and said "I am only a poor sister who prays. By praying, Jesus puts his love in my heart and I go to give it to all the poor I meet along the way. Pray too! Pray one you will notice the poor who are beside you. Perhaps on the same floor in your apartment building. Perhaps even in your houses, someone is waiting for your love. Pray, and your eyes will open, and our heart will fill with love." (Oct 26, 1985)

This beautiful wisdom teaches us to reach out with little gestures of friendship and prayer throughout the whole day to anyone in need around us. This not only heals our sinful nature, by freeing us from the slavery of our often all too material desires, but also leads us to present the evangelising face of the Christ Child wherever we go. In turn, we learn to contemplate that face in those who, though they have little, are spiritually richer than we can imagine.

POPE FRANCIS’ NOVEMBER PRAYER NETWORK REFLECTION

Sat, 09 Nov 2024 21:49:54 GMT

The loss of a child may be the worst pain a mother and father can experience. In this month's Prayer Network Reflection, Pope Francis asks us to pray for grieving parents. The Holy Father writes:

What can we say to parents who have lost a child? How can we console them?

There are no words.

You see, when one spouse loses the other, they are a widower or a widow. A child who loses a parent is an orphan. There’s a word for that. But when a parent loses a child, there’s no word.

The pain is so great, that there’s no word. And it’s not natural to outlive your child. The pain caused by this loss is especially intense. Words of encouragement are at times banal or sentimental, they’re not helpful. Spoken with the best intention, of course, they can end up aggravating the wound.

To listen to offer comfort to these parents, we need to listen to them, to be close to them with love, to care responsibly for the pain they feel, imitating how Jesus Christ consoled those who were afflicted.

Those parents who are sustained by their faith can certainly find comfort in other families who, by suffering such a terrible tragedy as this, have been reborn in hope. Let us pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community, and may receive peace of heart from the Spirit of Consolation.

Are you struggling with bereavement or loss? Would it help to have someone to talk to? The Parish has a Bereavement Team able to listen to, and support, people experiencing the loss of a loved one. To find out more please come to our Annual Mass for the Bereaved or pick up a leaflet from the back of church; see below for more details.

ANNUAL MASS FOR THE BEREAVED – On SATURDAY 23RD NOVEMBER AT 10:00AM , we will be holding our annual Mass for the Bereaved, when we remember all those who have died and offer prayers and support for the bereaved of our community. During the Mass, the names of those who have died over the last 12 months will be read out and there will be an opportunity to light votive candles for all those we love who have died. The Mass will be followed by refreshments in the Parish Hall, hosted by the SVP and the Parish Bereavement Group. If you know of anyone who might benefit from attending this Mass, please do let them know. Please also let the Parish Office know if you would like the name of anyone who has died in the last 12 months to be added to our list. All are most warmly welcomed to this Mass.

Car Park Renewal - Arrange Here

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 14:00:18 GMT

CAR PARKING RENEWALS

We are please to announce that the car parking renewals can now be processed through the website. Simply complete your renewal subscription here.

Fr Tristan Writes 3rd November 2024

Sun, 03 Nov 2024 22:10:56 GMT

It is fair to say that our society is nervous of talking about death. But Christians should never avoid the subject, because ultimately, it is for us the doorway through which we are all called by Christ. November is the Church’s special month to think on those inescapable realities: Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, Judgment: the “Four Last Things”.

Judgment is based on how we have lived our lives. God judges all of us: individually, at the moment of death; and, collectively, at the end of time. The Church will focus on this particularly with the feast of Christ the King, and the prelude to Advent.

Hell is a place without God or love – and this is because it is a consequence of, and punishment for, sin, which is, by definition, to remove oneself voluntarily from God. There is no feast that commemorates Hell, and the Church does not even name anyone who might be there – that is known only to God. Instead, she warns of the possibility, while celebrating the victory of her Lord over it. Christ has shattered the chains of sin to save us from such a fate, if we accept His way instead in free will, not as God’s slaves, but as His children. On Remembrance Sunday, we also remember the shadow of an earthly hell that sin can bring about even here and now, when men abandon God.

Heaven, however, is nothing other than being full of God and fully in God! The feast of All Saints opens up before us this amazing place prepared for the saints, who have bound themselves in love to Christ forever. Meanwhile, All Souls' Day reminds us that, when we die, many of us are attached to less serious sins that still mar our friendship with Jesus, and for which we have not accepted Jesus' reconciliation. In Purgatory, these souls suffer to pay their debt, as they long to be joined with Christ fully. Every Mass makes present Jesus’ own experience of death: His sacrifice for sins; every Mass thus causes souls to be cleansed and transferred to Heaven through His forgiving mercy. (Hence you can give the priest a “Mass intention” to help someone who has died). Every prayer, too, every penance or good work helps these souls, by which their brothers and sisters shoulder their burden to help make amends for them. In November, we can also visit a cemetery to obtain a special favour for them.

Several years ago at HMP Lewes, an 18-year old prisoner asked me: “My mum has died – is there some special prayer I can say for her?” “Yes,” I replied, “Eternal rest, grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace.” That boy was not in fact a Christian, but he decided to learn these words and use them every day. Let us use them in this beautiful month, to pray for his mother, for our loved ones who have died, and for those who have no one else to pray for them.

Bishop Richard's weekly reflection

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 20:56:20 GMT

Dear brothers and sisters,

The prophet Jeremiah is usually associated with gloom and despondency, yet his words in this Sunday’s first reading are filled with hope and the news of home coming – of salvation. The psalmist speaks of God’s saving power and the new life that comes with His deliverance.

When we turn to the Gospel, Jesus heals the blind beggar, Bartimaeus. Here we find a man reduced to begging as a result of his disability. He is unable to work, he has no dignity in the eyes of others and when he speaks, he is told to keep quiet. Nobody has any time for him – save Jesus. The result of this encounter is transformative on so many levels. Bartimaeus can see. This is wonderful in itself – but there is so much more. His sight restored, he is no longer alone, he can walk with others – following the Lord as he does so. He has his place in society again and he will be able to work. He finds his dignity as a member of the community and, beyond that, salvation in his following of Christ.

The value of the human person is at the heart of the Gospel, and the healing of Bartimaeus is a call to each one of us to recognise the dignity in the other – especially at a time when the dignity of human life from conception to natural death is threatened. Just as Jesus listened to him when others would not, so must we. As Jesus restored Bartimaeus through the encounter of faith, so we are called to be those through whom others find faith and life. As Bartimaeus found his place in the world, so we must help our brothers and sisters find their place, their dignity as people created and loved by God – and to foster the respect for life to which all have a right.

As we follow the Lord along the road of our lives, let us always reach out to others, inviting them to walk with us, that – through the encounter with the person of Jesus – all may “have life and have it to the full”.

With every blessing,

+ Richard

WORLD MISSION SUNDAY 2024 (MISSIO)

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 20:11:49 GMT

Today, parishes worldwide celebrate World Mission Sunday. By supporting Missio, the Pope’s charity for world mission, we stand united as God’s global family, in prayer, solidarity, and action. We are called to ‘go and invite everyone to the banquet’, for the joy of Christ’s Resurrection is a gift meant to be shared with the entire world. Please pray for missionaries and give what you can to this vital collection, bringing God’s compassion, peace, and justice to those in need, To donate, use the Missio envelopes which can be found at the back of the Church, call 020 7821 9755 (office hours) or visit missio.org.uk to give a gift, set up a Direct Debit, and Gift Aid your donation if possible. You can also use the card machine in the Narthex

Fr Tristan Writes 20th October 2024

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 20:08:42 GMT

There is an excellent page on our diocesan website at the moment (www.abdiocese.org.uk/news/act-now) giving various facts about the newest attempt to legalise assisted suicide in the UK, which began last Wednesday in Parliament. Of all the many terrifying consequences of a culture which embraces dying on request, one of those which moves me in particular is the fact that "the introduction of assisted suicide and/or euthanasia may lead to a decline in investment in palliative and hospice care given that the provision of lethal medication is often a much cheaper option."

I remember speaking regularly with a lady a couple of years ago who was dying and in great pain and I asked her once if she was getting the right amount of pain relief. She replied that, in fact, she felt under great pressure from doctors to be put under more and more drugs, to the point that she would no longer be able to speak, think, or pray. This worried her a great deal. She, in her freedom, and knowing that she was not long for this world, wanted to be able to spend her last days, as she put it, "uniting myself to my Lord", preparing for an encounter that death brings to us all, in penance and thanksgiving and praying for the world. In short, she wanted to embrace the Cross. She wanted to answer the question with courage that Jesus posed to his disciples: "Can you drink the cup that I must drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I must be baptised?"

Jesus Himself suffered. He suffered for us, and as such, has given suffering a value when it is united to love of others. As the Hebrews puts it, He is not a "high priest incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us". He is our brother! We can and must trust in Him, especially in the darkness.

Fr Tristan Writes 13th October 2024

Sat, 12 Oct 2024 20:36:14 GMT

We are in an age when many of us find it difficult to make both ends meet and we are bombarded with a set of values based on the need for material security. It judges our success by the value of our bank account, the size of our house and possessions. But the wisdom from God, especially this Sunday, we are told that we can’t buy our way into heaven.

The rich man was the epitome of his standing and responsibility, a stickler for going to church and observing commandments. He had his act together and was assertive enough to ask what else should I do to inherit eternal life? His big boast was that he had done nothing wrong in his life. But Jesus was more interested in the use he had made of his life, in the good he had done and whether he was prepared to go out of his way to help others. He looked at him straight and invited him to sell all he had and to come follow him. The man went away saddened because he was unable to make the sacrifice and Jesus singles him out as a warning for us.

Being rich for most us may not be a problem but all are invited to answer the call of God: ‘Come and Follow me’. Am I worth following? We are not here to admire Jesus how he lived but to live it fully and be not part-time followers. Discipleship is costly and Jesus makes stark demands in our lifestyle. We have only one life and we achieve this by helping others and not grasping everything for ourselves.

Fr Xavier Writes 6th October 2024

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 12:43:41 GMT

We are called this 27th Sunday to reflect on the dignity of marriage and the permanence of marriage commitment. This question is surfacing more and more in today’s church, as we are bombarded from all sides by the worldly view that lifelong marriage is unacceptable. We are here to obey God; not people who are more focused on convenience than commitment.

Life could be described as a journey, and marriage is two people making that journey together in partnership. The newlyweds pledging themselves to each other stirs something deep within us - it’s an acknowledgement to the community that their lives have taken a new direction through the power of love, which demands mutual respect and trust of each other.

A good marriage must be created. In marriage, the little things are the most important, like speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It’s the capacity to forgive and to forget, which means never going to sleep angry. A married couple cannot stand together and face the world unless their union is based on love. Love is what cements and binds that relationship together for life; hope that has to be lived for years, through good and bad times.

Remember always the solemn pledge, made at the altar of God, to love each other for better or for worse; a pledge that should not trip lightly off any tongue.

MASS OF WELCOME AND WELCOME PARTY FOR FR TRISTAN

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 20:31:05 GMT

On Friday 27th September , we’ll be ‘officially’ celebrating Fr Tristan’s arrival as our new Parish Priest. Please join us for a Mass of Welcome at 6:30pm, followed by a Party in the Hall from 7:30pm. We hope to see as many of you there as possible! Please bring a dish to share, savoury or sweet. We’d love the food you bring to be representative of the various cultural communities that make up our wonderful parish family! Drinks will be provided. Let’s give Fr Tristan a welcome to remember! We’ll also raise a toast to him, to celebrate the landmark of his 40th birthday the day before! Lots to celebrate!!

(Please note the party takes place on a Friday, usually a day of penance - so those who are kindly bringing foods to share that contain meat might note that some will be observing the custom in England to abstain from meat on this day; others may like to choose a different penance! For all contributors, it may be useful to label your foods to help inform those who have allergies. Thank you!)

HORSHAM COMMUNITY FRIDGE POP UP @ ST JOHN'S

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 16:11:45 GMT

SVP and friends in conjunction with Horsham Community Fridge will host this event in the Church Hall on Saturday 21st September 10am - 11am. The aim of the Community Fridge is to provide people with free good food, saved from incineration or landfill. Everybody is welcome irrespective of their circumstances. To ensure everyone has a choice of food, every adult visitor is welcome to 5 free items of fresh produce plus bread/bakery items. SVP will also serve tea/coffee during this event.

Fr Tristan Writes 22nd September 2024

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 16:06:36 GMT

It's well worth catching last Sunday's episode of Radio 4's Illuminated programme: an episode entitled "Hervé's Way". It is about a French gentleman who, having lost a leg, spiralled into depression, even attempting to take his own life. Then, despite his disability, he walked the Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela. The interviewer joins Hervé on the 'camino', exploring with him, in a very positive light, his new-found relationship with nature, God, the Church, Our Lady and the Mass. The road, he says, 'saved me'.

In today's Gospel, we find Jesus also "on the road", observing His disciples bicker about which of them is the greatest. There is an irony here. Despite Jesus's revealing to them about his impending death and resurrection, they have not yet recognised that their Master is Himself the true Road, the Way that leads out of self-obsession, which causes disharmony, and into selfgiving love of the Cross, which brings inner peace. Petty problems (in the parish, at home or work) can easily cloud our eyes to a true need for communion. Much better to consider that the person beside me may need my help "on the road" in life, and that it is - like Hervé's way - a road to joy and redemption.

EVANGELII GAUDIUM SUNDAY (FORMERLY HOME MISSION SUNDAY)

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 20:34:58 GMT

THIS SUNDAY (15TH SEPTEMBER) IS EVANGELII GAUDIUM SUNDAY (FORMERLY HOME MISSION SUNDAY) – Named after Pope Francis’ first (solo) Apostolic Exhortation on the Joy of the Gospel, the day offers the Catholic community in England and Wales the opportunity to celebrate the beauty of our faith and our commitment to witness to the fullness of life in Christ. The Second Collection this weekend, therefore, is to support the work carried out by the Bishops’ Conference Mission Directorate. Through this directorate, the vision of the Holy Father is embraced in a fuller way, promoting the whole ideal of proclamation, evangelisation, dialogue and catechesis. Please hold this important work in your prayers and give as generously as you can. Thank you.

Fr Tristan Writes 15th September 2024

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 20:26:46 GMT

This weekend sees the great feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14th September), a feast going back to the dedication (in the 4th century) of the church built on the spot of Jesus' death, burial and his Resurrection in Jerusalem: the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It also commemorates the slightly earlier re-discovery of the actual Cross of Jesus, which tradition ascribes to the efforts of St Helena, mother of the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine. When I was nineteen years old, I went to live in Syria with a Catholic family who came from a village called Maaloula, an hour or so north of Damascus. In that village, especially famous celebrations (fireworks, dancing, and passing the odd bottle around the street!) would take place on the feast of the Cross, because it was said that it was one of the places that the Cross had passed through all those centuries ago. They were proud of their heritage and of their ancient Christian identity. Someone once told a Christian (from neighbouring Palestine) about how he had become a Catholic and then asked the same question in return: the Palestinian responded "How did I become a Catholic? Well, two thousand years ago a man came to our village, and said: "Follow me..."!”

No-one is born a Christian. Our faith must be passed on and appropriated by our children. The Good News is announced afresh to every soul re-born through baptism, handed carefully on from generation to generation; we are all engaged in that work as parents, godparents, clergy, catechists. It is crucial to share our own stories of faith, and our love of Jesus, with our children: no matter the journey we have made. For each soul is drawn by example and the Holy Spirit, to recognise Jesus boldly, and make his own St Peter's great witness: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God". And the greatest witness of all is when we walk not our own way, but the Way of the Cross.

Fr Tristan Cranfield

Fr Tristan Writes 8th September 2024

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 18:39:45 GMT

The Great British weather is getting harder and harder to gauge, but perhaps we are beginning to have a feel of the year progressing as September begins. This will of course be felt especially by all those members of our parish who are returning to school. This month can bring with it an unwelcome sense of "back to reality" after the summer, but the First Reading we hear at Mass this week can offer comfort: "Courage, do not be afraid...Your God is coming...He is coming to save you!" The language that Isaiah uses, about the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf being opened, is rather reminiscent of Advent. It reminds us that, as people of the New Covenant, we have received a unique Word: Jesus Christ. We have something to proclaim, some irreplaceable truth to offer the world. We are not trapped, as ancient people thought, in a cycle of history, doomed to repeat itself. We have been saved: which means that every day is fresh, every year on this planet a unique opportunity to know our Saviour. Only the Holy Spirit can open our eyes and ears to see and hear this newness in Christ revealing his work in us each day. So rather than a gloomy "back to the grindstone", let this month be for us a season of newness of faith, a fresh look at all things: every day a gift willed for us by the Father. We pray especially for our teachers at St Robert's and St John's, that they will enable a new generation to experience God in this way in the Church: a beauty, as Augustine put it, "ever ancient, and ever new".

Fr Xavier Writes 28th July 2024

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 18:53:52 GMT

The crowd have come a long way looking for Jesus and find themselves in a deserted place without food and are feeling the pangs of hunger. In his compassion, Jesus asks for the supply of food at hand and discovers only five loaves and two fish in the possession of a boy. The boy is bewildered in giving up all that he has and eventually his sacrifice is well rewarded, Jesus feeding the multitude with the food he had provided. The people obviously feel that Jesus has come to give life to all people.

One message to be taken is the importance of sharing with the less fortunate, especially those who are starving. The Lord is asking us to give ourselves, and what we have, generously to them. Perhaps not many of us experience the pangs of real hunger that even force an honest man to become a thief. Our problem is that we have too much food. The inclination to selfishness is strong in all of us. The more we have, the more we want. There is food enough in the world for the needs of all people but not enough for people’s greed.

We can draw inspiration from the generosity of the young boy. The Lord did not dismiss his offering, and he won’t dismiss ours either. It is in using our little efforts that God chooses to produce his greatest miracles.

Can I share what I have?

Who is JESUS for me?

Fr Xavier Writes 21st July 2024

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 21:32:15 GMT

Today in the gospel, we see Christ took pity on the crowd, who were like sheep without a shepherd. The apostles are returning from their first experience of missionary work. They are tired and in need of a rest. Christ knows how they feel and he takes them off to a quiet place, where they can relax and have some time for prayer. But it doesn’t work like that. The people did seek them out and spotted them. Jesus didn’t ask them to go home, didn’t say that he had done enough that day, but since their state was deplorable, he was alert to their needs.

We can draw a lesson from the open-hearted care of Christ in placing the needs of others before his own. If there is no rest for Jesus, there is no rest for his followers. By our baptismal calling, all of us have Christian responsibilities and a certain amount of shepherding to do. In families, if growing children are not cared for and given the proper direction, they are going to be lost and wander aimlessly through life with no purpose. To be a good shepherd, the pathway he wishes us to tread is the straight and narrow one of the Ten Commandments. We need to continually be linked to Christ through prayer, in order that we don’t wander off and find other pathways more attractive.

We also need a quiet spot in our lives where we can be alone with Christ in prayer. We should get out, like Christ, to listen to the healing voice of God and refresh ourselves spiritually. God’s voice is heard in moments of stillness. Alone in his presence, we should ask ourselves where we are going and what we are trying to achieve.

Do we understand our shepherding responsibility?

Do we find time to come apart and rest in prayer?

Fr Xavier Writes 14th July 2024

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 19:36:28 GMT

There is something very special in sending out the twelve ordinary men, after a brief apprenticeship, to preach the message of God’s word, which they might not have fully understood. They were to have a very simple lifestyle; not worried about physical needs, not upset if their message was not welcome at every door. They were highly successful and the secret of their fruitfulness was that they benefitted from the living example of Jesus and time spent with him.

The sending of apostles was the beginning of the Church’s mission and, down the centuries, ordinary people were called and sent to spread the message of God. The message is to be spread and not to be jealously kept in secret. If the word of God is to reach all people, then everyone who hears it must make it known. The message of salvation is offered to all, but it is not forced on anyone. Parents should remember that one of the most effective ways to proclaim the gospel - one doesn’t even need to go over one’s doorstep to give the message – is to show a simple, exemplary life to their children, rearing them in the Faith and upholding Christian values in their homes.

A simple lifestyle is a silent witness to the gospel. So much of what we accumulate in life is left unused and wasted. We forget the only luggage that we can take with us as we leave this world is charity. Let us be the messenger of God’s word today.

Do we evangelise and do we witness what we profess!!!

Fr Xavier Writes 7th July 2024

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 20:24:29 GMT

We might wonder what sort of community the people ofNazareth were,to have turned their backs on Jesus. Perhaps, in doing so, we miss the point of the gospel story. We, also, can be guilty of this type of behaviour, when we ignore the local prophets who are the presence of God’s word in our midst. Lack of trust limits their ministry, too. The issue with Nazareth is that God came to them in the form of a local, one of the villagers, and the community couldn’t come to terms with the situation. God is among them, the obvious truth, but it was too familiar for them to recognise.

Life, in many ways, is about searching for God, but many of us go looking for him in the far-off hills and in obscure places. We pleasantly forget the obvious, that God moves in mysterious ways and is most likely to be present in our nearest and dearest, and in our neighbours. He is not apart from the world, nor is he confined or controlled by religious ritual and language. We meet him in every person, every place and every moment that comes our way. The trouble with us is that, because we stand so close to one another, we only see the faults and take for granted the great gift of goodness we possess.

This gospel is asking us to say thanks and to recognise the prophets of God’s goodness in our midst. So, express some appreciation today for the person you married, a word of praise for whoever cooks the dinner, for the wage earner, for the neighbour who chats over the garden fence and for the friends who gave you time, support and attention during a recent bereavement.

Let us see the presence of God in each of us.

Fr Xavier Writes 30th June 2024

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 17:46:05 GMT

As I announced during last weekend’s Masses, it’s my pleasure to welcome Fr. Tristan Cranfield as our new Parish Priest and may I invite all our parishioners to pray for him and for his ministry with us to be grace-filled and successful. Fr. Tristan will arrive in early August.

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, the two giants of our Christian faith. The beauty about this Feast is that we celebrate them together, yet they were two different characters. In their distinct differences and uniqueness, we celebrate their joint great effort in shaping the early church.

There were many differences though - Peter was a disciple of Jesus and knew Jesus personally. Paul had been a zealous Jew who persecuted Christians, before experiencing a dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus, but he did not spend time with Jesus. Peter was a fisherman from Galilee, while Paul was a tent maker from Tarsus in Turkey. Peter was unable to read, while Paul was highly educated and an extensive writer, giving us thirteen books in the New Testament.

In looking at the early history, Peter believed that, to become a follower of Christ, people must first become a Jew and then a Christian. Whereas Paul held the opposite view, that, if we truly believe that Jesus came for everyone, then people could become Christian without adhering to Jewish laws. This dispute was settled in 49AD-the Council ofJerusalem (Acts.15,Gal.2) - that Jewish law was not to be imposed on Gentiles.

Even though Peter and Paul were different and held different views, they were ONE, united in their efforts and united in their love for Christ. Unity and communion are at the centre of today’s Feast. We, as followers of Christ, must learn to be one and to be united in witnessing and being a Christian in our Parish. St. Peter and St. Paul, pray for us.

Fr Xavier Writes 23rd June 2024

Sat, 22 Jun 2024 10:16:51 GMT

It’s an unnerving experience to be caught in a small boat when, without warning, the sea suddenly changes from peaceful blue waters to angry mountainous waves. The waters of the sea are so powerful that it can become a frightening ordeal. We can understand the plight of the apostles in the storm-tossed boat. In desperation, they turn to Jesus, who is asleep in the boat, seemingly unaware of the danger, and indifferent to their peril. With angry shouts they awaken him, ‘Master, do you not care that we are going down?’

The story has a thoroughly modern ring to it. We can easily make a connection between the storm at sea and the trials and sufferings of our own lives. Troubles, disappointments and misfortunes come our way from time to time and severely test our faith. As parents, it’s hard to stand by and watch our children make a mess of their lives, especially when we have done our best for them and set a good example in bringing them up in the Christian faith and values. We are tempted to react to God, ‘Why don’t you intervene and stop all these heartbreaks?’

When God doesn’t give an immediate answer to our prayers, we lose heart and we panic. Ours is a stormy world and God does not give any ready answers that satisfy our human questioning. There are mysteries in nature beyond our solving and suffering is one of them. God did not take away suffering and death, even from his own Son. Only faith can inspire us and faith is what we lack.

Today’s readings show us that Jesus is always near, hidden in the heart of suffering. They call on us to have faith. Jesus alone can give us courage and inner peace and, if only we realise that the almighty God is with us, we have the power to dispel all fears that come our way.

POPE FRANCIS GIVES HIS BLESSING TO DAY FOR LIFE 2024

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 11:45:17 GMT

Pope Francis has sent a message to Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues at the Bishops’ Conference, praising Day for Life for encouraging “a deeper understanding of the precious gift of life”.Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, conveyed the message to Bishop Sherrington, assuring him of the Holy Father’s “closeness in prayer”.

FULL MESSAGE

His Holiness Pope Francis sends warms greetings of good wishes to the participants in the 2024 Day for Life to be celebrated in England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland on 16 June, and he expresses gratitude for those bearing witness to the sanctity of human life in all its stages.

His Holiness prays that through their reflection on the theme “The Lord is my shepherd – compassion and hope at the end of life”, this public testimony will encourage a deeper understanding of the precious gift of life and a greater desire to protect the most vulnerable from a culture that would pressure them into ‘assisted suicide’, which is falsely presented as a form of compassion.

It is likewise his hope that those nearing the end of their earthly journey will recognise the immense value of their lives, experience the comforting presence of Jesus and their loved ones, receive dignified care and trust deeply in God’s promise of eternal life. To all taking part, especially the young, the Holy Father sends the assurance of his closeness in prayer, and he cordially sends his blessing as a pledge of joy, strength and peace in Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin

Secretary of State, Holy See

Fr Xavier Writes 9th June 2024

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 18:20:35 GMT

The mysterious beginning of evil in the world and its consequences are poetically described in the familiar story of Adam and Eve’s fall from grace in the garden of Eden. It was how sin corroded the relationship between God and his people. When God called Adam, he hid himself because he was guilty; he felt ashamed and embarrassed for what he had done and instantly shifted the blame onto Eve. When Eve was confronted, she accused the serpent. The whole sorry episode is typical of the way we are, as human beings, avoiding responsibility for our actions.

Sin, as we all know, is an offence against God and it distances us from him. When sin is uncovered, it sits uncomfortably on our shoulders. Deep down, when we don’t admit, and are not willing to express penitence for, our offences we cannot receive God’s forgiveness. Even though Adam and Eve sinned, God continued to walk in the garden, which means that he did not reject them and they are not beyond the reach of his mercy. God’s forgiveness is there for us also, but, unless we reach out to him in sorrow and admit our guilty behaviour, our sins remain unforgiven.

To have a clear vision of what our present life means, God’s call ‘where are you’ must echo in our own hearts. The conflict between good and bad will continue for as long as humans live on earth and many of us go into hiding throughout life because of sin. The Gospel paints a picture of our Blessed Lord offering us healing, strength and a way out of our difficulties. So, let us not be afraid to turn to him for help in our lives and confess our sins, so that we are forgiven and travel on life’s journey with our minds and hearts set on heaven.

I am so happy for all our First Holy Communion children, their parents and family. It’s the Lord himself who receives them in the Sacrament and they have been prepared so well by our team of catechists, whom I do thank in all sincerity. May the children be blessed and guided by the Spirit for a very holy life and fruitful ministry as Christians.

Fr Xavier Writes 2nd June 2024

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 22:25:28 GMT

On this Sunday in our common worship, we celebrate the command given by Jesus 2,000 years ago ‘Do this in memory of me’. He took time to eat this meal with his disciples, so that they could share in, and be part of, his work. From the earliest days, the Church has taken the Lord at his word. By doing what Jesus himself did on that occasion, we experience repeatedly his real presence among us. With the gifts of bread and wine, we bring what we are, and what we have, as an offering to the Lord.

Corpus Christi is a festival for pondering with thanks on God’s hospitality to us, the supreme and final gift of his love. We remember with gratitude the promise he made - to be with his friends and followers as their food and nourishment in their pilgrimage through life. All of us are pilgrims, facing trials and sufferings of everyday happenings and so, what better companion can we have for support than the presence of Jesus? Holy Communion is a remedy for our daily faults; not reward for sanctity attained. We receive him because we want to change and to become like him.

The fruit of our gathering here should be a great increase in charity among the assembled faithful. Union with the Eucharist means drawing closer to our brothers and sisters, especially the weak and the poor of our community. This is the acid test of the sincerity of our belief. In our daily life, we are asked to forgive, to overlook weaknesses, to understand the failure of friends and not to close our hearts when we are hurt. For God to love us, we must try to be loving also.

Parish Pastoral Council Formation Group Minutes Apr 24

Fri, 17 May 2024 20:00:31 GMT

Parish Pastoral Council – Formation Group minutes can be viewed below from Monday 23rd April 2024

Deacon Tom Writes 19th May 2023

Fri, 17 May 2024 19:56:46 GMT

This weekend we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost – the ‘birthday of the Church’. I say ‘celebrate’ and yet there is a sense, I believe, that we fail to recognise the enormity and importance of Pentecost.

As we know and as our First Reading this weekend reminds us, Pentecost is when the Apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Upon receiving this gift, promised by Jesus before his Ascension into heaven, the Apostles were empowered to go out to all who were in Jerusalem at that time and proclaim the Good News. At one moment in time the Apostles, who previously were ‘laying low’ for fear of the Jews, were given the gift of speech and the courage to witness all they had learnt from Jesus.

The Holy Spirit itself is often referred to as ‘the forgotten God’ and yet week after week in our reciting of the Creed at Mass we refer to the Spirit as ‘the Giver of Life’.

The Sprit is our Advocate, the one who gives us the words to speak and the courage to witness to others. As St Paul says in his letter to the Romans: ‘The Sprit comes to the aid of our weakness; when we do not know what prayer to offer, to pray as we ought, the Spirit himself intercedes for us, with groans beyond all utterance; and God, who can read our hearts knows well what the Spirit’s intent is’. (Ch. 8 vv 26-27). Let us therefore call on the Holy Spirit to inspire us and embolden us to proclaim that Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, the Messiah.

Fr Xavier Writes 12th May 2024

Sat, 11 May 2024 19:09:48 GMT

As we listen to His prayer on the night before He died, we see that His thoughts were on how helpless His friends would be without Him. He voices His concern for their welfare, knowing that because of their mission they will encounter opposition and hatred in the world. He prepares them and did not pray that they would be spared these trials and sufferings, but that they would remain faithful in spite of opposition.

These parting words of Christ are meant for us, just as much as they were for the apostles. We have been taken into this prayer of Jesus, as he has chosen us to share in His work; our calling is to be missionaries, dedicated to the truth of God’s word in the way we live and by our behaviours in the smallest of our acts of compassion. In our lives often, on occasions when we run into difficulties, we think God has abandoned us. It would be helpful in times of trouble if we could remember that God did not offer a release from problems, but the ability to cope with them, provided we turn to Him for comfort and help.

The gospel ends with a prayerful appeal to remain true to our Christian roots - to be consecrated to the truth. This means that we are to have a value system, not dictated by the prevailing spirit of the age or the trends of society, but based on the gospel message. We should cling to the Lord even in the midst of sufferings, struggles and the tragedies of life that occur, as they inevitably do. We would be selling ourselves short if we were ever prepared to ignore this call to believe more firmly and take our mission seriously.

Happy weekend.

Fr Xavier Writes 5th May 2024

Sat, 04 May 2024 21:04:26 GMT

The Diocese of Kumbakonam is well placed in serving the people’s needs - social, economic, political and cultural – irrespective of religion, creed or language. We have registered two charities with their office that are responsible for outsourcing resources and responding to the demands of the people of all walks of life, targeting the marginalised and those on the periphery, the children, women, poor, aged, differently able, migrants and refugees.

Above everything else, our Lord Jesus asks us and commands us to love one another. The model and standard for Christian behaviour is this love, which Christ has shown for us on the cross. The one requirement attached to receiving this gift of God’s love is the undertaking that we share it with others. To experience Christ’s love, we have to root out selfishness and start thinking about others more than ourselves.

As disciples, we are called to be persons of others, following the example of Jesus. Love is a form of self-sacrifice, which demands us to give, not just of the things we possess, but of ourselves, our time and our talents. Wherever there is love, God is present. This is the message that has to be preached by word and example. The most effective way must surely be to treat everyone as a friend, giving them the respect they deserve.

God’s love surpasses anything we can ever imagine. Each one of us is loved individually and intimately. ‘As the Father has loved me so I have loved you.’ We do not deserve God’s love and we cannot earn it by ourselves. God has declared His choice, taken us on and loved us from the beginning, even before we were born. It is His love for us that led Him to send His Son into the world to take away our sins. In moments of trial and stress, when people are hostile, it is important to remember that Christ’s own love was not limited to the people He liked, and we should close our minds to thoughts of revenge. Fulfilling the commandment of love draws us into the family of God. Finally, we will be judged only by the amount of love we have shown. Therefore, let us love one another.

Have a great and loving week ahead.

Fr Xavier Writes 28th April 2024

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 18:06:43 GMT

The pastoral mission in the diocese of Kumbakonam is well organized, coordinated by the director of the Pastoral Centre. Fifteen commissions are in operation: Evangelisation, Catechetics, Liturgy and Children, Women, Laity, Parish Council, Ecumenism and Dialogue, Basic Christian Communities, Bible, Youth, Family, Retired Govt. Officials, Vocation and Clergy, Society of St Vincent de Paul and Legion of Mary, Charismatic Movement, Scheduled Caste and Tribe. Some of the commissions do operate individually, headed by a Priest, except the Women commission, which is headed by a Religious Sister, while some are coupled together for operational convenience, depending on the volume of work they undertake. Each commission is committed to giving a monthly and periodical report to the Curia and this will be published in the newsletter of the diocese each month. The commissions are quite active and they keep the parishes busy all the time with visits, discussions, planning, programmes, celebrating and reporting.

In the art of farming and cultivation, pruning plays an important role. Experts remark that it is surprising the amount of dead wood one can shake out of a very good tree and plant after a hard winter or dry season, and they stress the necessity of pruning and cutting back branches in order to produce fruit. In many ways, our lives are no different from a garden -the gospel is telling us that it is amazing the amount of dead wood that can be found in a good life. To get the best out of our lives, we need caring and cultivation in getting rid of weeds and briars, which, if left unchecked, will choke and destroy Christian growth. This means cutting away what is useless and nourishing what is good.

The good fruit that we are expected to bear is love of our neighbour, in word and deed. This is the test of our genuineness because it has the stamp of the love of Christ imprinted in it. There is nobody without fault and even the best of people can be torn apart on their weaker side. The decision to live love has its price and we should not minimise the difficulties involved. The practical love of our neighbour will more than make up for a multitude of our own sins.

If Jesus is to have an effect on the world, it is through His followers living in such a way that people will see the hand of God at work in the most ordinary situations in our lives. The best contribution that we can make to the wellbeing of the Church is to allow Christ’s love to seep into our own lifeblood. If we live in Christ and He lives in us, the fruit we can bear is beyond imagining. God demands a lot from His children, in expecting them to make the Church a vibrant community by living good and fruitful lives.

Have a fruitful week ahead.

A MONTH OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 11:10:49 GMT

Between today’s ‘Good Shepherd’ Sunday and Pentecost, we are invited, as a Diocese, to come together for four weeks of prayer to the Holy Spirit, to grant us a missionary spirit through the raising up of new vocations to all walks of life in the Church, and especially to the priesthood. Please take one of the leaflets available in the pews, to read more on this call to prayer. In his message for this, the 61st, World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Francis says ‘Each year, the World Day of Prayer for Vocations invites us to reflect on the precious gift of the Lord’s call to each of us, as members of his faithful pilgrim people, to participate in his loving plan and to embody the beauty of the Gospel in different states of life…..Our life finds fulfilment when we discover who we are, what our gifts are, where we can make them bear fruit, and what path we can follow in order to become signs and instruments of love, generous acceptance, beauty and peace, wherever we find ourselves.’

Fr Xavier Writes 21st April 2024

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 11:06:08 GMT

The Diocese of Kumbakonam in the state of Tamilnadu in India covers the whole district areas of Perambalur, Ariyalur where the avocation of life of Catholic people is as agricultural labourers, barring a few having a small landholding, but these parts are rainfed and some with irrigation from open wells. The diocese shares some parts of Trichy, Thanjavour and Thiruvarur districts, where the supply of water for irrigation is from the river Cauvery and its tributaries. This is the fertile delta region of the river Cauvery. In both these areas, most of the Catholics are daily wage workers and some of them are small landholders. Overall, the diocese is rural-based and no cities are in its boundary and so people are simple, poor, pious, church going and much involved in church activities.

The picture of Christ as Good Shepherd tending his sheep is a favourite in Christian circles and people have been comforted and consoled by His seeking out the lost sheep and carrying it on his shoulders. The image provides inspiration, as it expresses the type of care, compassion and guidance which Christ offers to all of us. This instils hope in us and increases our confidence. Even when sin causes us to wander and stray, the Good Shepherd is there to come to our rescue.

We can ask ourselves how we are responding to the closeness of the love and care God has for us. Is it evident by word and example that Christ is the cornerstone of our life, or have we kept him at a safe distance? We, in turn, need to be caring and draw close to those we meet. Sometimes, we deceive ourselves by keeping people at arm’s length, with obligations to nobody.

Caring for one another is shown by discreet acts of kindness, like making a phone call, giving an understanding look, greeting someone or an unexpected gift - all of which say, ‘I am with you’. It offers hope to a friend, to continue on the road of life with a tiny flame of confidence in their heart. Our call from baptism is to have hands to help others, feet to hasten to the poor and needy, eyes to see misery and ears to hear the sighs of our friends in sorrow. This is what being a Good Shepherd really means.

Have a caring week.

Fr Xavier Writes 14th April 2024

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 17:49:06 GMT

The Diocese of Kumbakonam was born on 1st Sep. 1899, bifurcated from the Archdiocese of Pondicherry and was entrusted to the Paris Foreign Mission Society (Missions Étrangères de Paris) and now we have our indigenous Bishops. The diocese is keen on the pastoral ministry and care of the people and eventually there were lots of conversions in the missions and we have two social service centres doing the development works. In education, the diocese has 123 schools, of which 13 are Higher Secondary (till year 12), 2 technical schools, 1 school for those with hearing or speech impairments. In health ministry, there are 2 leprosy hospitals, 8 general hospitals, 20 dispensaries, 2 homes for the aged and 2 for differently able.

We are in Easter season, celebrating Christ’s victory over death. Yet, today,the readings focus on the necessity of repentance, conversion and the avoidance of sin. There are no shortcuts to eternal life - death and resurrection must take place in each of our lives. We must die to self in order to live in God. Sin must be avoided at all costs.

Resurrection must take place here and now in the life of every Christian. True life is not something we achieve overnight but is a gradual transformation that takes place within us, as we turn away from the deed of darkness and live for God. In the gospel, Christ opened the minds of the disciples to understand the scripture. They were to be witnesses, preaching penance for the remission of sins. Our minds and hearts should be opened and it’s our turn to be witnesses to the gospel. The first disciples could not keep the good news to themselves but hurried to share it with those who had ears to listen. If we are to be witnesses to Christ’s gospel we must stop living in a halfhearted manner and show forth the resurrection in our lives. Drawing close to Christ implies truly Christian behaviour and being of one mind and heart with Him. May we strive to be true witnesses to the Risen Christ.

Have a Great week ahead.

Fr Xavier Writes 7th April 2024

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 17:30:28 GMT

Happy Easter and best wishes for Divine Mercy Sunday. Herewith I shall give a paragraph of my background in each newsletter, since some of our parishioners were interested in knowing some details. As you all know, I am a diocesan priest of Kumbakonam in Tamilnadu, which is heading for its 125th year in September this year, with 262,462 Catholics (as at 2021), 4.4% of the total population, in 93 parishes having 174 diocesan priests and 94 religious priests, along with 647 female religious sisters working in the diocese.

There is an old French saying which states that ‘God often visits us but most of the time we are not at home’. In today’s gospel, when Jesus appeared to the apostles while they were at prayer, Thomas was not at home. The others tried to convince him, as best as they could, that they had seen the Lord, but his reaction was doubt. All that went on at the Last Supper and the death of Jesus on the hill of Calvary had crushed Thomas, leaving him disillusioned, angry and deeply wounded and not easily able to trust again without a proof.

It's consoling because our path of faith in the Lord is often a slow walk-through moment of doubt and confusion, creating a rift between ourselves and God. Is it any different from our reaction and lack of faith when our life is shattered by a death in the family, the loss of a job etc? The loud doubts Thomas echoes lurk in all of us. Jesus respected Thomas’ honesty and met him at the very point of uncertainty. God understands our situation, too, in moments of crisis and despair. Doubt for Thomas proved to be a growing point of faith, made stronger when tested.

As descendants of first believers, our faith should have life in his name, as it made real impact on the lives of early Christians. They took it to heart and reached out, related and encouraged one another in a prayerful spirit of neighbourliness. There is no greater example of faith than to live with others in a common spirit of friendship, harmony and love. May we strive our best to express our faith in love of our brethren.

Have a great Divine Mercy Sunday

Parish Pastoral Meeting Minutes

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 16:54:34 GMT

Our Parish Pastoral Council meeting minutes for February 2024 have now been uploaded to the website and can be viewed here

Fr Xavier Writes 24th March 2024

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 14:28:40 GMT

Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week and is a day of glory and impending tragedy. The scene is set, with Jesus making his triumphant journey from Bethany to Jerusalem, where he started the final movement which would bring all and everything together through his death, crucified as a common criminal on a cross. The sight of Christ riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, with people waving palm branches, shouting ‘Hosanna’ and acclaiming him as a conquering King, made the visiting crowds, gathered for the festival, stop in amazement. They are not aware that the rejoicing would quickly be swept aside. Before long, as triumph turned to tragedy, those palm branches took the shape of a cross and the hosannas became jeers and calls for his death.

Holy Week is the most sacred time of the church year. It highlights the peak moments of Christ’s love for us, gives us an opportunity to look at our lives and accept responsibility for our sins. The Passion story spells out the last events of the life of Jesus and makes clear the price he paid for our sins. He was betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter and abandoned by all. There was nothing to comfort Him: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This reminds us that we also journey to God, whose friendship we seek. We also should be aware that we have to meet the same fate as Jesus, whose suffering and death we must join to share his glory. Our victory, like Christ’s, comes only through the cross.

In this final week of Lent, while making special effort to attend the church ceremonies and listen to the Passion story in a spirit of prayer, there is no point in comforting ourselves with the thought that a group of Jews two thousand years ago crucified Christ. Each of us had a hand in his death because the face of Christ is marred and scarred by the violence and injury which we inflict on our neighbours. No-one can follow Jesus through the liturgy of Holy Week without the truth dawning anew in our hearts. The truth is that God loves us all, with a love that cost him death on the cross.

God loves us. Have a blessed Holy Week.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR OUR TRIDUUM AND EASTER SERVICES

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 21:55:27 GMT

There is a sign-up sheet at the back of the Church, for Sacristans, Co-ordinators, Welcomers, Readers, Offertory Collectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Communion. If you are willing to help at any of our Triduum or Easter services during the last week of March, please add your name to the sheet, by Sunday 17th March . Thank you, as always, for your help with these important ministries.

Easter Week Services 2024

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 21:52:55 GMT

Please view our full schedule of Holy Week and Easter Services - download HERE (PDF)

Copies are also available from the back of the Church. Please take one home with you and encourage family and friends to join us as we celebrate Holy Week and Easter.

Fr Xavier Writes 17th March 2024

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 21:43:58 GMT

It’s so impressive that the most deeply moved truth is that we are forever loved by God. We do believe, as Christians, with all

conviction, that God’s love reaches down into our sick, bruised and hurt world in the person of Jesus and this is the very essence of

the gospel story - “God so loved the world that he sent his only son, so that whoever believes in him may not die, but may have

eternal life”. God does love us, to the extent of offering His life to all and He excludes nobody.

We come to realise the magnitude of God’s love for us by looking at the crucifix. All life’s cruelties, hatred and injustices are

concentrated in that cross, planted on the hill of Calvary, and the passion and death of Christ mean that it has become the supreme

proof of God’s love. When all else fails, the despairing and the lonely are drawn towards that far-off cross, aware that there is

someone to turn towards. The upright cross, once a sign of shame and humiliation, becomes a channel of healing grace. The tree of

death becomes the tree of victory.

The first reading tells how Israel, as a nation, has been disobedient to the law of God and scorned his love. They broke the covenant

and brought about the destruction of their temple and city. Many appeals through the prophets went unheeded and, even in the

darkest hours of exile, God never abandoned them but kept calling them back. This is a stark reminder of what happens when we

refuse to take God’s love seriously and reject it out of hand. It brings home to us that we, also, are faced with the choice of accepting

or rejecting God’s love, which is stronger than death. God respects our personal freedom and will not force His love on us against our

wishes.

As we approach the halfway mark in our Lenten journey, it is time to review if our lives are joyful responses to God’s love. Is His love

finding expression in the way we live? What are we doing to bring the love of God into the lives of our friends? Lent is a call to step

out of the ways of darkness into the light of Christ.

Let us all reciprocate the Love of God.

Have a fruitful week ahead.

Our Parish Our Responsibility

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 22:22:31 GMT

Parish Finances report 2024 download document here

Fr Xavier Writes 10th March 2024

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 22:13:16 GMT