Fr. Aaron Writes :6th March 2022

Webmaster • March 5, 2022


Dear Friends,


Prayers and help are urgently needed for the people of Ukraine. What is happening before our eyes is heartbreaking and so worrying.


Parishioners have been asking what we can do as a parish, we can:

1) Pray – On Sunday evening at 6:30pm we shall hold a Holy Hour Prayer Vigil for Ukraine before the Blessed Sacrament. Do come

together to pray together in solidarity with our brothers and sisters. Also pray the Holy Rosary each day for the Consecration and

conversion of Russia and an end to war.

2) Fast – This is a powerful prayer made in union with the men, women and children of Ukraine and those forced into war and suffering.

3) Give aid – A way of giving goods to the refugee effort. Robert from the Polish Community has informed me that donations are being

collected in order to be brought to the Polish/Ukraine border (Medyka). This will take place in the car park of the New House Farm

Shop, Old Crawley Road, Faygate, RH12 4RU between 8:30am - 2pm on Monday 7th March.

No general clothes at the moment but the following :

Nappies, wet wipes, including nappies for the elderly.

Thermal clothing, gloves.

Batteries, torches and candles.

Food for children – long term life and dry.

Warm blankets and sleeping bags.

Tents.

Painkillers.

Dressing and bandages.

Face mask and gel.

I will also share further news at the weekend Masses.

4) Have an emergency second collection this weekend, where we shall ask for your generosity with CAFOD and Aid to the Church in

Need.

5) Directly donate to CAFOD which will help the sister charity CARITAS UKRAINE and the UK Disasters Emergency Committee to help

hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflict in the country. You can donate to CAFOD’s Ukraine Humanitarian

Appeal here: https://cafod.org.uk/donations/picker?defaultuniversaltype=single&_Appeal=123770 . To find out more please visit

CAFOD’s website.


Lenten Devotions - The Holy Season of Lent has begun. There will be the usual Lent devotions such as Stations of the Cross on Fridays.

Confessions will be restored to 5:15pm before the Saturday evening Vigil Mass. All confessions from now on will be heard in the confessional.


First Holy Communion Children – At whichever Mass the children attend this weekend, they will be asked to come forward and prayed for

as they begin their preparations. Their first session takes place the same weekend on Saturday 5th March at 2pm.


First Holy Communion Parents – There will be a compulsory Parents’ meeting on Monday 14th March at 7pm. This will take place in church.


Pastoral Letter – This weekend we have a pastoral letter from Bishop Richard for the beginning of Lent.


Stewardship and Parish Renewal – I briefly spoke to the Parish Pastoral Council about the forthcoming Stewardship drive that we are to

embark upon in Lent, as the parish begins to return to normal. This is an opportune time to do this as we look to the future mission of the

parish and our part in the renewal of parish life. More details will be shared with you next week.


Synod of Bishops - Synod 2021-2023 - A webinar with Bishop Richard, Wednesday 9 March at 7.30pm. Join Bishop Richard for a webinar

highlighting the Synod feedback received from people and groups across our Diocese. To register your place, see the diocesan website.


Deanery Meeting – This week there is a Deanery meeting at St Wilfrid’s school on Wednesday 9th March. Holy Mass will be at 9:30am to

enable us to arrive in good time for 11am.


Children’s Liturgy – It is my hope and wish that this restarts in the next few weeks. We are just awaiting the completion of Safeguarding

training for the volunteers. Please see the notice elsewhere in the newsletter from Mariela.


Deanery Business – As many of you know, in addition to my duties in Horsham, I am also the Dean of Crawley. As part of this role, I have to make visitations of the neighbouring parishes and meet with the clergy in order to submit a report to the Bishop. This week I visit Henfield. Thank you for your understanding.


COVID regulations – With the end of COVID legal requirements, it is a personal choice whether to wear a face covering in Church. Please

respect the decision of those who continue to wear masks and those who do not.


In Memoriam – Please pray for the souls of Brenda Farley RIP, Denis Walton RIP and Josie Aguilar RIP, whose Requiems take place this week.

Please keep their families in your prayers as they mourn at this sad and testing time.


With my very best wishes and prayers for you all.

- Fr Aaron

Fr Tristan Writes Feast of All Saints -this weekend

By Webmaster • October 28, 2025
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

By Webmaster • October 11, 2025
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

By Webmaster • October 11, 2025
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

By Webmaster • October 11, 2025
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

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

SVP Update

By Webmaster • October 10, 2025
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

By bernadette cooper • October 10, 2025
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

By Webmaster • October 10, 2025
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

By Webmaster • September 27, 2025
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

By Webmaster • September 20, 2025
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.