From Bishop Richard : 19th February 2023
Webmaster • February 18, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters,
The recent tragedy in Syria and Turkey is much in our minds and hearts at this time. I know the victims of the
earthquake and the families who mourn their loss are much in our prayers, and the focus of more practical efforts too.
On Ash Wednesday, at the Ukrainian Cathedral in London, there will be a special service of prayer for an end to the conflict in Ukraine. Please do join in the event if you are able – and remember this intention very specially in prayer this week.
Ash Wednesday brings the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent – an old English word for Spring – points us in the direction of the new life of Easter, for it is a reminder that the natural world is waking up again after Winter. Days lengthen, the first flowers of the new season appear and the trees will soon display their green canopy of leaves.
In other parts of the world, this season is more directly referred to in terms of its 40 days – Quadragesima. Lent is the season in which we spend time with the Lord in the desert, a time which reflects the 40 years spent in the desert by the Chosen People of Israel. This is the journey to salvation, the journey that
leads to Calvary and then to the empty tomb.
The Gospel reading of Ash Wednesday provides us with the ‘three pillars’ of Lent: prayer, fasting and
almsgiving. These should feature always in the life of the Christian – but the accent on these three practices during Lent enables us to draw ever closer to Christ and heightens our awareness of our reliance on God. Prayer is that conversation with God that is a living relationship. Fasting reminds us that - as
Jesus expresses it in the Gospel – we do not live on bread alone.
Our almsgiving provides a practical way to share what we have with those who are in need. The self-denial involved in all of these things, in terms of time, food and drink, money, draw us out of ourselves. We become less inward looking and more aware of the Lord’s presence and the presence of our brothers and sisters, whom we are called to serve.
Let us enter this season with renewed vigour, that we may draw ever closer to the One who has saved us from sin and death and who calls us to share the new life of Easter.
With every blessing, + Richard
For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. We pray and ponder on these words, taken from the Divine Mercy Chaplet, remembering our witness of Christ’s suffering and death on Good Friday. This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. Starting at 3pm at St Peter’s, we will be observing a Holy Hour for Adoration, Divine Mercy Chaplet and Confessions, followed by Benediction at 4.00pm. Something in common with many people’s testimonies of faith, is how they only managed to connect to Jesus when they gave over the time to allow Him in. In our noisy, busy lives, we rarely have time to stop and listen to stillness. This Sunday could be the perfect opportunity for you. All are welcome.
Reflection for Divine Mercy Sunday from St Faustina’s Diary "I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy...... tell the whole world of My great mercy; that whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment. Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy. ... My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy. Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy." (Diary 300) "I am love and mercy itself. ... Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. ... My mercy is greater than your sins, and those of the entire world. ... I let My Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come then with trust to draw graces from this fountain. ... The graces of My mercy are drawn by the means of one vessel only, and that is trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive." A joyful Divine mercy Sunday. With my prayer. God bless you. Fr Graham.
It is easy to struggle with hope especially when we read the news. Yet hope is not merely a vague optimism. Hope is one of the three theological virtues of faith, hope and love. It is therefore much deeper than a feeling. It is a choice and a grace that comes from God. This is where I struggle. My feelings waiver but I must continually choose to hope in God and to trust in Him. Otherwise, we can be led to despair. As Bonhoeffer said "Anyone who knows Easter cannot despair”. This is where our hope is founded. The despair of the cross of Jesus, the darkness of the tomb and mourning - a darkness like no other. If this week ended there then there would be no hope. There is no real hope without Jesus. But this is the crucified and risen Jesus. God does not avoid pain and suffering or even the reality of death. He faces it head on in Jesus who is really God and a man. So, we have hope in Jesus because He changes and gives meaning and even hope in all that oppresses us including sin and evil. Without the crucified and risen Jesus, we are still condemned. This is also why the Divine Mercy Novena and chaplet is so powerful and meaningful to me. Saint Faustina was commissioned by Jesus to be His secretary of Mercy, to share this message around the world. The novena starts on Good Friday, from where all blessings flow. The concluding prayer speaks to me every time. It changes my despondency into hope. Please pray it and the Novena with me. Jesus is crucified and risen. To Him be glory for ever.
Divine Mercy Novena: starting on Good Friday We will begin The Divine Mercy Novena on Good Friday, nine days of prayer in preparation for the feast on Sunday 12th April. You can follow the Divine Mercy Novena using the leaflets we have in the church porch, or a good online resource is PrayMoreNovenas.com to get a daily novena prayer sent to your inbox or ask Patsy at patsydaniels@gmail.com to send you details. What is Divine Mercy Sunday? Jesus made a promise to us via St Faustina that the person who receives the Eucharist in a state of grace on the 8th day of the Octave of Easter (the Sunday after Easter) now known as Divine Mercy Sunday will have all sins and punishment forgiven, if he asks for It. This equates to a second baptism, as stated by Fr Chris Alar a Marian father at the Divine Mercy shrine in Massachusetts in this 3.5 minute video . He suggests we say the following words or something similar when we return to our bench after receiving Holy Communion: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, You promised St Faustina that the soul that has been to Confession [I have] and the soul that receives Holy Communion with trust in Divine Mercy [I have] will receive complete forgiveness of all sins and punishment. Lord, please give me this grace. Jesus I trust in You.” This feast incorporating this most generous of gifts was inaugurated by St John Paul Il in the year 2000 when he instituted Divine Mercy Sunday.
As last year we will come together as a united parish of Our Lady Queen of Peace to celebrate the Sacred Triduum. For practical reasons, the best place to do this is St Peter’s in Shoreham. I hope that people from all parts of the parish will want to be involved in the liturgy. We need welcomers, volunteers for feet washing, readers, servers, people to keep watch (on Thursday evening), and singers. I’d like to have a team of people fully representing our wonderful parish. If you can help (including offering lifts to fellow parishioners), please email the office or leave a message 01273 452654. All are welcome.
Last week we celebrated the Annunciation of the Lord. The moment when the Archangel visited Mary and greeted her with the words of the rosary. It is at this moment, after Mary's consent, that the Word became flesh - God with us in the womb of Mary. I wonder if Mary perceived that her simple and uncomplicated "yes" would lead to the events of Holy Week? Yes, she was scared at the sight and message of the Angel but this would fall into distant memory compared to her emotions during her Son's suffering and death. Mary heard the prophesy of Simeon and expected a "sword to pierce her own soul". This was it's fulfilment. She would not have left her Son's side, especially in death. When we give our consent to God's will in our life, when we renew our promises of baptism, we cannot envisage what being faithful to Jesus will mean for us either. Jesus calls us to pick up our cross daily and follow Him, step by step. We know where our final destination is but we do not know the route, only that there will be a Gethsemane, a betrayal, a crowd, a mocking and a Calvary for each of us. Persevere to the end through faith. Do we think that Mary, our heavenly Mother, will abandon us? Our sufferings cause a pain in the same heart of Mary as for her Divine Son, as each sin caused her Son to flinch in an inflicted wound. For love of us He died, for Love of us she follows. Try to keep Jesus and Mary company this Holy Week, especially the last Three Days. The Triduum is the climax of the year, the holiest of Holy Week. Come and see how much He loves you. With my prayer for you and a profound Holy Week. God bless you, Fr Graham.
The diocesan Chrism Mass will be celebrated at Arundel Cathedral by Bishop Gerard Bradley, Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark, on Wednesday 1 April. The Mass offers us an opportunity to come together as the diocesan family, gathering in faith and unity to celebrate the gift of the ministerial priesthood, and the life of grace that flows through the Sacraments of the Church. During this Mass, the Oil of the Sick and the Oil of Catechumens are blessed, and the Oil of Chrism is consecrated. These are then distributed to parishes throughout the diocese for use in the sacraments during the coming year: the Oil of the Sick to bring healing and comfort to those who are ill; the Oil of Catechumens to strengthen catechumens preparing for Baptism; the sacred Chrism, used in Baptism and Confirmation, ordinations of priests and bishops, and the dedication of churches and altars.
Thank you to everyone who came to our Fatima day. The attendance numbers were much higher than previous years. Thank you to all parishioners who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, before, during and after the weekend. We had several comments from visitors noting how welcome they felt. Jerry, (one of the representatives from the WAF) wrote: Thank you very much for an inspiringly beautiful weekend at OLQP! I told the team that this was an edifying start of our year of visitations! It makes us continue to volunteer and spread the message of Our Lady at Fatima. I would like to extend again the invitation for a parish pilgrimage to Westminster Cathedral on Saturday, 31 October, from 12 noon to 5 pm. This will be the Culmination of the Cathedral Visitations in celebration of the Pontevedra Centenary, which began in May 2025. Ave Maria!
The Sacred Paschal Triduum (at St Peter’s, Shoreham) Maundy Thursday (2nd April 2026) 19.30 Mass of the Lord’s Supper Good Friday (3rd April 2026) 15.00 Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion Holy Saturday (4th April 2026) 20.30 The Solemn Vigil of Easter Easter Sunday masses across the parish (5th April) 09.00 Mass at St Peter’s 10.00 Mass at The Towers 11.00 Mass at Christ the King
Lenten Alms: Let the Children Live Some information about the second charity we are supporting this Lent: Many boys and girls in Medellín (Columbia) live in poverty, and in recent years their numbers have been swollen by an influx of Venezuelan children, forced by hunger to seek refuge in Colombia. They need food, shelter, medical care, catechesis, clothing, education, toys and recreation. It is our mission at Let The Children Live! to try to provide these for as many children as we can. Colombia receives very little aid from the UK. Your gift will benefit children there who are in great need. It will help to keep them alive, to make their lives worth living, and to build a better future. Unlike some charities, we never spend more than 5 pence in the pound on fund-raising. 1. £50 would provide lunch and a healthy snack for one child at Casa Walsingham for one month. 2. £25 would pay for one child's bus fares to and from Casa Walsingham for one month. 3. £10 would buy a school pack for one child of primary age