‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’  Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” There has certainly been a noticeable shift in the way people view the message of the Gospel. Perhaps ten years ago the general perceived stance towards organised religion, particularly Catholicism, was one of mild disdain or, perhaps worse, sheer indifference, but now there is a noticeable renewed curiosity. That would already be a positive step in the right direction, but there’s more. In France alone, about 13,000 adults were baptised or received into the Church this Easter, and in the UK the numbers have also grown significantly. This is not only happening in Europe, but in the US, Australia and other parts of the world. Non-Catholics I have spoken to about this have sometimes tried to dismiss it as merely people searching for direction in a directionless world, or trying to make sense of the conflict and austerity we are currently facing. To that my response is simply that these are not unlikely, or invalid, reasons to turn to the Lord. In fact that is the pattern that stretches throughout the Old Testament; the people of Israel are usually reminded of their covenant to the Lord by encountering great hardship, which has usually been a consequence of them turning away from Him in the first place. However, perhaps this isn’t the full story. Trying to pinpoint where human response to circumstance ends and the intervention of grace begins is perhaps a fraught venture, but in any case, something is happening. People want meaning. They want truth. The Lord is working through people’s lives, and that means that, as His disciples, we are called to share in His work. What could it be about us, as God’s chosen people, that may be attractive to others? Perhaps one way of putting it is that, in a world of people who are lost and in search of direction and meaning, we know where we are going. Not in the sense that the world promises, in fact we may be rather lost when it comes to our career, family life or personal circumstances. But, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, in our daily struggle to follow the Lord, we know that we are ultimately a pilgrimage people on the journey to (please God) our true homeland: Heaven. So, let’s be welcoming to those who come to our parish, so that we can witness to that truth to them. If we see a new face, let’s go out of our way to make ourselves known to them, and make it clear that they are welcome, and that the Lord desires them to be here. After all, it is He who has brought them here, just as it is He who brought us, one way or another, to His Church. If you who are reading this are new to the Church, and are unsure if you have a place here, be at peace; you have a place here, and Christ has prepared a place for you in His Kingdom. You are welcome. Please introduce yourself to us and keep coming. We want you to be here, but more importantly, the Lord does too; in fact, He wants you more than you can possibly imagine.

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

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.