Bishop Richard issued a new Pastoral Plan for the Diocese The Word Who is Life: The Call to Mission in January 2024. The Plan marks an important new stage in the development of diocesan parish structures, with the 11 former deaneries of the Diocese becoming 11 new parishes. Two new parishes have been established this year; Brighton & Hove (14 September) and Guildford (29 November). Weybridge will be inaugurated on 7 December. To find out more about the Pastoral Plan, visit the diocesan website: www.abdiocese.org.uk/diocese/pastoral-plan .

Dear brothers and sisters, The Prophet Isaiah, writing some 800 years before the birth of Jesus, looks forward to a time when there will be peace and justice. His prophecy, which we hear in today’s first reading, speaks of openness to those gifts that we now recognise as the gifts of the Spirit, of mercy and justice for those who are oppressed, of total harmony for all of creation. In the Gospel this weekend, we find the last of all the prophets – John the Baptist – speaking out against the oppressors of his day and warning them of the coming of the Messiah, the Christ, whose message St Paul preaches to the Romans in a way that reflects the prophecy of Isaiah – for Christ has come that all may live in harmony. At a time in our own history when we see so clearly that this message of peace and justice, of harmony between peoples and across the whole of creation – itself, God’s gift to us – is in peril, let us pray fervently for a renewed openness to the gift of peace. Let us pray for the recognition of the dignity of every person, especially on the part of all those in positions of power. May the world hear the warnings of John the Baptist and be open to the gifts of the Spirit and the peace that is Jesus’ gift to us. With every blessing,  + Richard

Dear brothers and sisters, This Sunday sees the Church begin a new Liturgical Year. The First Sunday of Advent heralds a time of preparation for our celebration of the Lord’s birth. It is, also, a "season of two parts." We begin with a focus on the coming Kingdom of God. The second part, beginning on 17th December, provides a more intense preparation for Christmas. In this first part of Advent, we reflect on our hope in the coming Kingdom. This carries a particular resonance this year, perhaps, as we enter the final month of the Jubilee Year of Hope. Advent calls us to be open to the gift of hope. Hope is a virtue. Hope is a gift. It is a mark of the Christian, for our lives are a preparation for the coming of the Lord. We proclaim, every time we profess our faith in the Creed: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” The Christian life looks forward all the time – in hope – to the wonder of the experience of total love in the Kingdom of the Father. This hope must inform our actions, our encounters with others, our words, our prayer. It is this hope that enables us to live our Christian life, sometimes in the face of opposition and not without suffering and difficulty, here and now – to be Christ’s people each and every day, as we await His coming.  May this season be a time of renewed hope for us all, bringing us to be ever more effective in the work of mission that the Lord has given to us as beacons of hope, witnesses to the coming Kingdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ. With every blessing, + Richard

Throughout November, we will have the Books of Remembrance in the church. Please come and write in names of loved ones who have died in the past year (no need to rewrite names from previous years). On 22nd November at 10.00am, please join us for a special Memorial Mass at St Peter’s to pray in particular for loved ones who have died this year, and all those who are bereaved. Refreshments will be served afterwards in the Parish Room. All are welcome.

Dear brothers and sisters, The feast we celebrate this Sunday was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 - the 16th Centenary of the Council of Nicaea when the definition of Christ being consubstantial with the Father was made – an anniversary that the Church has been keeping again this year. Jesus is our King – the word Christ means ‘the anointed one’ – and we are all called to share in His Kingship. Indeed, we are reminded of this at our baptism when we are anointed with Chrism in a prayer that speaks of our sharing in His Kingship. In an age when there are so many challenges to the Christian Way, challenges to the Kingship of Christ, it is good for us to be able to celebrate this feast, for it reminds us of who we are, and it speaks of our destiny as the children of God. Jesus, sprung from the race of David – who had been anointed by Samuel for his role as king – fulfils the Father’s plan. We read of this in today’s second reading. All is brought to fulfilment in the One who died on the Cross and rose from the dead; Christ who is the Word of God, Who existed before all things and in Whom all is created. We are His body; He is the head. He is King. The Gospel this Sunday speaks of that destiny in a most powerful way. Jesus tells the thief who recognises the Lord’s goodness: “today, you will be with me in paradise.” These are words we must all wish to hear, for when we do we have confirmation of our destiny, we know we shall share in the life of the Anointed One, Christ our King – that we shall live the fullness of what it means to be His. With every blessing,  + Richard

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales (CBCEW) and Birmingham Newman University are conducting research into Neurodiversity and our Faith. If you are an adult neurodivergent Catholic or a caregiver of a neurodivergent Catholic, they would like to hear from you. Your experiences will help them to become more inclusive and responsive to your needs. To find out more and to complete the short surveys, please visit: www.godwhospeaks.uk/neurodivergent-catholic-surveys/ If you have any questions about this research, please email E: fleur.dorrell@cbcew.org.uk .

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,  + Richard.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, This Sunday we celebrate the beautiful feast of All Saints. This day reflects the full wonder of the family of the Church. Throughout the year, we celebrate the feasts of those who, through canonization, are set before us as examples, teachers and guides – those who through their martyrdom, their teaching, the witness of their lives inspire us on our pilgrim journey. We seek their intercession in our need. Today we remember the countless numbers of people - “a huge number, impossible to count, from every nation, race tribe and language” as St John described them in today’s first reading, who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. They are our family members, our friends, fellow parishioners, people we have known and loved, people we have never known. They too, like the canonized saints, pray for us. They have attained the destiny that the Lord won for us through His passion, death and resurrection – that live in the love of God in its completeness for all eternity. In the second reading, the same John who wrote the Apocalypse – this time in his first letter – offers us this wonderful hope: “What we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; all we know is that when it is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as he really is.” To know God in his fullness, to be LIKE Him – this is the hope of a love beyond anything we could possibly know in this life, for it is completeness, wholeness, peace and utter joy. St John also reminds us in the letter that we must, in this life, prepare ourselves for this destiny-beyond-description. The beatitudes of today’s Gospel provide a sure guide for our pilgrim journey. Reflect on these words of Jesus: poverty of spirit, gentleness, acceptance of sadness, desire for all that is right, mercy, purity, striving for peace, acceptance of persecution and difficulty on account of our following of Him. This the way we are called to follow.  Let us rejoice, then, in all those who share the wonder of heaven and, enriched by the gift of hope, follow the way that leads to life. Let us become a community of saints. With every blessing, + Richard

Arundel Cathedral is hosting the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima and relics of Saints Jacinta and Francisco. The day includes the celebration of Mass, a procession and enthronement of the statue and opportunities to venerate the saints’ relics, with the rosary and a number of talks. For a timetable of the day, visit the A&B website and WAF https://abdiocese.churchsuite.com/events/udvkxhjw If anyone is able to offer lifts to other parishioners, please contact the office: adurvalley@abdiocese.org.uk