ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST
Welcome to St John the Evangelist Horsham
Since our Parish foundation in 1865, St John the Evangelist Horsham has been at the heart of this growing community of prayer. With Mass every day and many other inclusive activities, we can confidently say that the living stones of the Catholic Church in Horsham are lively, committed and diverse.
We have a mission to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with all whom we meet; and we believe in the vocation of the Catholic Church to bring people life and salvation in Jesus Christ through the sacraments, the scriptures, the teaching of the Church and prayer.
May Almighty God bless you all, and may St John, beloved disciple and evangelist pray for us.
All are very welcome to join us in celebrating the Risen Jesus Christ. Please make yourselves known to Fr Aaron, our parish priest should you be visiting our Church here in Horsham.
Pope Francis
"From the open heart of the Crucified one, God’s love reaches each one of us. Let us allow His gaze to rest on us. We will understand that we are not alone, but loved, for the Lord does not abandon us and He never, ever forgets us"
LIVESTREAM STATUS: 8th JULY 2022 - WE ARE CURRENTLY HAVING INTERMITTENT INTERNET ISSUES WITH THE LIVESTREAM - PLEASE BEAR WITH US WHILST WE TRY TO RESOLVE THIS.
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STEWARDSHIP & PLANNED GIVING
More news from St John's Parish serving the people of Horsham, revealing the love of Jesus Christ...
Parish Clergy serving Horsham
Father Aaron Spinelli - Parish Priest
Father Ian McDole
Deacon Tom Murray
IMPORTANT NEWS FROM FR AARON
'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!
Parish Pastoral Council – Formation Group minutes can be viewed below from Monday 23rd April 2024
Our Parish Pastoral Council meeting minutes for February 2024 have now been uploaded to the website and can be viewed here
PARISH IMPORTANT NEWS
The Catholic Church of St John the Evangelist, Horsham Christmas & New Year Services 🟍🟍🟍🟍🟍🟍 2025 🟍🟍🟍🟍🟍🟍 Monday 22 December 22 December in Greater Advent, ‘O Rex Gentium’ 12 noon Holy Mass Tuesday 23 December 23 December in Greater Advent, ‘O Emmanuel’ No Mass, No Adoration Wednesday 24 December Christmas Eve No Morning Mass 5:00pm Vigil Mass of the Nativity ( children are invited to dress as characters from the Nativity) 9:00pm Mass of the Nativity of the Lord Midnight Midnight Mass (preceded by Carols from 11:30pm) Thursday 25 December Solemnity of The Nativity of the Lord 9:15am Christmas Day Mass 11:15am Christmas Day Mass 1:45pm Polish Mass 5:00pm Italian Mass Friday 26 December Feast of St Stephen, First Martyr 12 noon Holy Mass (followed by Confession) 1:45pm Polish Mass 7:00pm Rosary & Adoration Saturday 27 December Feast of St John, Apostle and Evangelist Patron of our Parish 12 noon Holy Mass ( followed by Refreshments in the Hall ) No Confession, Adoration & Benediction 6:00pm Vigil Mass for the Feast of the Holy Family ( preceded by Confession from 5:15pm) Sunday 28 December Feast of The Holy Family 9:15am Holy Mass 11:15am Holy Mass 1:45pm Polish Mass 5:00pm Italian Mass Monday 29 December Feast of St Thomas Becket, Bishop, Martyr Patron Saint of the English Secular Clergy 12 noon Holy Mass Tuesday 30 December Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas 7:30am Holy Mass, No Adoration Wednesday 31 December Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas No Mass Thursday 1 January Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God 12 noon Holy Mass 1:45pm Polish Mass
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.
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,
Recently members of the Grandparents Group and other members of the parish and friends have been knitting squares which were then sewn together to make blankets for refugees arriving in Greece.
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