The statue of the Sacred Heart has now been restored and returned to us. It is now looking much better. It is believed to be about 100 years old.

We are holding a Parish Race Night on Saturday 6th October at 19.30 with a Bar and Ploughman’s Supper. Tickets only £5 on sale after both weekend Masses. £50 to sponsor a race and £5 to sponsor a horse. Eight races and eight horses in each race. Come along for a fun evening. Good luck!

If any young person in Year Nine or above would like to make their Confirmation in the coming year they should sign the list on the table at the back of the Church. Details of classes to be announced. Adults who have not yet been Confirmed are also most welcome.

Please sign the list on the table at the back of the Church if you wish to enrol your child for First Communion classes. They must be in Year Three or above. The classes will take place after the Sunday Mass beginning in the first week of November.

The Feast of the Assumption which falls on Wednesday 15th August is a Holyday of Obligation. Masses will be at 9.30 and 19.00. 

Families from all over the world will meet in Dublin from 22-26 August 2018 to share their experiences, to reflect on the different challenges they face and to grow together in faith. Thousands of families and individuals from Ireland and the world will be attending. Pope Francis will celebrate mass in the Phoenix Park on Sunday 26th August. For more details look up www.worldmeeting2018.ie

Each University and Higher Education Institute in the country has a dedicated Catholic Chaplain based either in the University or in the parish.

The Catholic Chaplaincy is a place for you to explore your faith, to meet people with similar interests from a great range of backgrounds, and to get involved in activities and social outreach.

If you already have a strong faith, this is a chance to deepen it. If you are full of questions and doubts, this is a chance to share them and search for some honest answers about life and faith. Everyone is welcome. For addresses see the special website www.catholicsatuniversity.org.uk

Our former parish priest Mgr. Gerry Ewing is now the vice rector of St John’s Seminary at Wonersh. He has been given the task of renovating this very large building and has launched an appeal across the Archdiocese. We will be taking up a second collection for this purpose on Sunday 15th July. £2,000 is needed to renovate each room. If you would prefer cheques can be sent directly to him at St John’s Seminary, Wonersh, Guildford GU5 0QX.

Sunday 8th July is Sea Sunday, when the Church remembers all those who live and work at sea. Seafarers are commonly recruited from poorer countries where wages are lower. They work in difficult and often dangerous conditions suffering from loneliness, spiritual deprivation and even exploitation as they transport the goods we use and consume every day. The average contract results in them spending ten months at sea at one time. Interestingly, there is an unusually high percentage of Catholics among seafarers.

The Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) is the official maritime welfare agency of the Catholic Church in Great Britain. It reaches out to seafarers that visit our ports each year, offering pastoral and practical support and care.

AoS is wholly dependent on voluntary donations, receiving no official funding from either the Church or the government; it takes the love of Christ to seafarers in the name of the Church, recognising them as our brothers and sisters in need. Sea Sunday is our chance to help AoS make a difference to the lives of seafarers. The parish will take up a second collection this Sunday – please give generously. www.apostleshipofthesea.org.uk.

Father Alex has suffered a ruptured quadricep tendon, which means that the major tendon connecting the thigh to the kneecap has broken away from the knee. He had excellent surgery in St George’s Hospital and is now recuperating in Becket House. He is able to get around on crutches but it is difficult to manage steps; and getting in and out of chairs is not easy. It will take at least twelve weeks for full recovery and he thanks everyone for their sympathy and prayers and for helping in the Church while he is incapacitated.