From Bishop Richard - 22nd June
Webmaster • June 20, 2025
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The celebration of Corpus Christi that takes place at our cathedral each year is a wonderful occasion. The celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass, the procession of the Blessed Sacrament and the Carpet of Flowers, laid in honour of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, is a high point in the life of the cathedral and diocese.
It is a clear reminder to us all of the central place of the Eucharist in our lives. The absolute love of the Lord – seen in the feeding of the five thousand that is the gospel reading this week – is there for us every time we celebrate Mass. As St Paul reminds us in the Second Reading this Sunday, the sacrifice of Calvary is made present and the Lord feeds us with His very Self, for He is the Bread of Life. We find life every time we join in this celebration, together with our brothers and sisters. It is this life that sustains our every action – indeed, every moment of our lives. The Mass, the Eucharist, is a proclamation of our faith in the One who died and rose from the dead for us; it is the food for our journey and the source of all our action. We leave the celebration, as the dismissal at the end of Mass reminds us, to “announce the Gospel of the Lord.” Without our closeness to Christ in the Eucharist, this proclamation would be less effective. The sustenance of the Bread of Life Himself makes life and mission possible for us.
In the Eucharist, we are in the Divine Presence, we are in the presence of Christ, who is a “priest for ever” as Psalm 109 reminds us. May this encounter with the person of Christ Himself – truly present in the Eucharist – be the wellspring of our every breath, our every moment, our every action, that all we do may proclaim to the world the wonder of all the Lord has done for us.
With every blessing,
+ Richard
For over 140 years, Arundel Cathedral has celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi with a magnificent festival of flowers, featuring a world famous Carpet of Flowers in the central aisle of the Cathedral and a procession of the Blessed Sacrament from the Cathedral to the courtyard of Arundel Castle, where Benediction is given. The design of this year’s carpet has the communion host and chalice, the objects of veneration at the feast of Corpus Christi, at the centre. The letters ‘A&B’, and the number ‘60’, below, celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, established in 1965. Prior to that Arundel had been part of the Diocese of Southwark. The letter ‘F’ is in memory of the late Pope Francis, with the papal keys below, followed by the letter ‘L’ in honour or out newly elected Pope Leo XIV. At each end of the carpet are the words ‘Jubilee Year’. Every 25 years the Catholic Church holds a jubilee year, with a specific theme. This year the theme is ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, intended to be a time of hope and renewal. Individual arrangements of flowers are displayed in the baptistery at the entrance, and around the main altar and side altars, together with a display of liturgical vestments and altarware. Thanks to our parishioner, Pauline Zahoui, for the photos below. Pauline was part of the team creating the carpet, and has kindly brought some of the leftover stems and placed them in vases below the tabernacle at St Peter’s, linking us to Arundel Cathedral.
Saturday 5th July , 12pm-4.15pm,Church of Our Lady of Consolation & St Francis, West Grinstead, RH13 8LT. With Mass, personal consecration to Our Lady, Rosary, Adoration, Chaplet, Benediction and opportunities for Reconciliation. Bring a packed lunch. For details, contact Jayne by email .
www.mothersprayers.org Calling all Mothers, (Including spiritual mothers, godmothers and grandmothers) Come and pray for our children. Mothers prayers group starting Friday July 4, 10 -11 am in the Parish Room at St Peter’s. On the first Friday of the month thereafter (except August). You are all welcome to join us for tea/coffee and prayers. See poster and flyers in the church porch
To Gus, Aria, Jayden, Daisy, Emilia, Alesha, Anna and Mila, who have all received their First Holy Communion over the last few weeks. All are welcome to the Parish Room at St Peter’s after the 9.00am mass this Sunday for a celebration. There will be cake!
We celebrate and thank God for giving us the gift of Himself in Holy Communion, the true body and blood of Christ. How appropriate that we also welcome Fr Peter from Let the Children Live to our parish this weekend. Fr Peter lives and works among the forgotten children in the shanty towns of Medellín in Colombia. We also welcome together our First Holy Communion children in thanksgiving that they have received the "Bread of Life." Jesus asks the apostles to give the crowd of 5000 plus something to eat themselves. It seems impossible but it is God who feeds the multitude through their offering. It is God who feeds the children of Medellín through the charity's offering. It is God who gives Himself to us, His children, in Holy Communion to nourish and sustain us. It all seems impossible. But the small offering of ourselves is transformed into something miraculous. Never think that God cannot change something ordinary into something extra-ordinary. Bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. We feed and rely on Him and we come to know the purpose of our life. Our purpose is to know God, love Him and serve Him in this world and the next. We discover this face to face when we encounter the reality of the living Jesus in the Mass - in the Blessed Sacrament, in Holy Communion. Our first response should be one of adoration (CCC 2628). We adore Him for who He is: God. We see His face and we adore Him in preparation for heaven. With my prayer for you everyday. God bless you Fr Graham
Please view the PDF copy of the letter (below) from our Parish Finance Chair, Patrick O’Donoghue. We are appealing to people to review their offertory giving and consider one of these ways of helping the Parish: • Firstly, would your family be able to raise your offertory contribution by 10% or above? We understand that this may not be possible for everyone, and we are conscious that we are bombarded by price increases in many aspects of daily life. • Secondly, do you give via the collection plate or via the dona machine? These are excellent ways of giving. Another way of giving is by standing order. This is particularly helpful because it saves you having to remember your cash or your card, and it helps our parish with budgeting. • Thirdly, if you are a UK taxpayer, please gift aid your donations. By doing this, we can claw back funds for the benefit of the parish. If you have any questions please email the office. Thank you for your support To all OLQP parishioners, from the OLQP Finance Chair, Patrick O’Donoghue ... Read the document here Here is the video version of the message from our Finance Chair, Patrick O’Donoghue https://share.synthesia.io/8015d7a5-372d-48bc-8d3d-9afef4ea685c
There are several events organised by the Worthing Deanery Justice & Peace Group to celebrate Refugee Week 2025. Please put them in your diary and come along to one or all: • Faces of Resilience on Sunday 15th June 2-5pm at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church Hall, Vermont Drive. East Preston, BN16 1JU. Come and see photographs and listen to a ‘Living Book’, vividly telling the stories of Ukrainian women fleeing war and seeking refuge in the UK. Join us in prayer in the church at 3pm for refugees, people seeking asylum and peace in our world. See you there! • On Wednesday 18th June , there will be a Vigil for Refugees after the 10am Mass at Holy Family Church, Lancing. We are going to spend time together praying and reflecting on the plight of the refugee. • During Refugee week, please come and see Refugee photo exhibition "THE STATIONS" on display at both The Holy Family Church, Lancing, and St Mary of the Angels, Worthing. • "Welcoming the Stranger" - an evening of stories and sharing on Saturday 21st June 7-9pm at St Peter's Church Hall, Shoreham. Come and hear stories from Ukrainian refugees and those who support them in our local community, as well as information from the charity Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group and Refugee Tales. Please bring some snack food and drink to share! See the leaflet with the newsletter for lots more information! Download here
Photograph exhibition happening this Sunday 15th June
A statement from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
More than 80 pilgrims from across the Diocese joined Bishop Richard on a special Jubilee Year Pilgrimage to the National Shrine and Basilica of Our Lady at Walsingham last weekend (6-8 June). The pilgrimage, which saw many people travelling to Walsingham for the very first time, brought Catholics from parish communities across Surrey and Sussex together, offering enriching opportunities for prayerful reflection and fellowship in one of England’s most cherished places of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Bishop Richard celebrated two Masses at the National Shrine during the pilgrimage. Preaching to an international congregation for the celebration of Pentecost on Sunday, he highlighted the “quiet revival” of the Church and emphasised the importance of sharing the good news: “When we, according to our different vocations and circumstances, proclaim Christ, we proclaim the Word that the world can not contain. Let us never underestimate the power of the Gospel message to a world that is in so much need of it.” “The renewal that we are seeing in the life of the Church in recent times is a result of people experiencing the ‘Living Water’ of Christ. Let us open our minds and hearts to the presence of the Holy Spirit, that strengthened by it, we bring hope to our world.” You can see more photos from the pilgrimage weekend on the diocesan Flickr site