Seafarers and fishers play a vital role in all of our lives, but they often work in difficult, hazardous conditions. Sea Sunday is Sunday 13th July. It is when the Church prays for all those who live and work at sea. Your support will make a big difference to seafarers and fishers in need. You can donate in church, by visiting www.stellamaris.org.uk/donate , or by texting ‘SEA’ to 70460 to donate £5. This collection is vital to enable Stella Maris to continue its important work, so please give generously.  Thank you.

Deacons Scott Coleman and Gary Carter will be ordained to the Priesthood at Arundel Cathedral on 5th July at 12.00pm. All are welcome to attend the Mass. Those unable to attend are invited to watch the ordination on the cathedral's livestream.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus sends out the seventy-two and gives them a word for those they visit. This word, this message, is the message of peace – and peace is the first gift of the Risen Christ to the Apostles, spoken as He appears to them in the Upper Room. In the 4th Century, as monasticism began to develop in Egypt, Syria and the Holy Land, monks would go to their spiritual fathers and ask for a word by which they might be saved. The word that was given to them, although expressed in different terms, was often about living in peace, in harmony, and in the silence that opens our hearts to the promptings of the Spirit. Just as the seventy-two offered a "word", given them by the Lord, so these monks of earlier times did the same – and this practice continues in the spiritual accompaniment sought by so many in our own times. Openness to the word demands a spirit of listening, and we might reflect that the first word of St Benedict’s Rule is “Listen.” When the seventy-two went on their journey, Jesus told them that if the word of peace was not received, it would come back to them. Listening is just as important as speaking, for the word that is spoken must find a home to be effective. This message of peace is so necessary in our present world, and the need for the spirit of listening is equally necessary. May our word to the world be that of the seventy-two, for it is the gift of the Risen Lord: “Peace be with you.” May this message find a home in the hearts of all. Peace is the gift of the Risen Lord to those gathered in the Upper Room on the first Easter Day. It is in Him that true, lasting, peace is to be found, for the Risen Lord has won the victory over sin and death. He offers us the gift of His peace – it is something real and it is a reality to be accepted.  In a world where, in so many places, peace is not a reality, it is our task, always and everywhere, to offer that greeting of the seventy-two disciples and the joy that is the gift of the Risen Christ. With every blessing + Richard

In recent weeks our numbers have been slightly down, compared with the beginning of the year. Most weeks we help provide support of about 45-50 households, in recent weeks this has been 35-40 households We can but hope this is perhaps a sign that folk are finding it easier to cope, this at a time when food inflation is still higher than general inflation and food now takes a bigger slice of the household budget. In June we provided support on 507 occasions to households, 54 of these home deliveries to the most vulnerable. This provided food and household items to 1136 individuals, 298 of whom were children. Although numbers are slightly down, we are seeing a growth in families needing support.  Current shortages: Breakfast Cereal, Washing-up liquid, tinned tomatoes, pasta sauce, UHT milk (semi-skimmed), red lentils, tinned fish, tinned ready meals, teabags (40s).

Our SVP members have been working closely with their counterparts in Worthing for some time now, leading by example as to how things will work when the new larger parish is formed, in line with Bishop Richard’s Pastoral Plan (copies available in the church porch).  A major project (based in East Worthing) involves collecting, sorting, storing and then distributing furniture, clothing and other essentials to refugee families across the whole of our deanery. If you are interested in learning more, speak to any of the SVP members, or email the Parish office. Current need: Beds, preferably doubles, in good condition. They can collect. Speak to Ann Olliver if you can help.

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

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.

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus speaks with clarity of the Father, Himself as the Son, and the Holy Spirit. His words express the unity that exists between the three persons of the Blessed Trinity. The Holy Spirit will speak what comes from the Son, who has all that belongs to the Father. We express this in the Creed when we speak about the Holy Spirit coming from the Father and the Son. The mystery of the Trinity is about relationships – the relationships that exist between Father, Son and Spirit, one God. The wonder of God, existing eternally – as we hear in the First Reading this Sunday – pours love into our hearts, as St Paul reminds us. It is truly wonderful for us to reflect that, through our baptism, we are brought to live our lives in the love that exists in the Trinity. We are enabled to live in relationship with a God who is all love and whose love we see and experience as it is lived between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As we rejoice in our relationship with the one God, three Persons, let us recall that it is God who gives us life and, in the coming days, pray very especially for respect for life in our own society as those in parliament prepare to vote on the “Assisted Dying Bill”. If you have not written to your MP, there is still time. May I thank all those who have written, for such action is a powerful witness to the wonder of life, given us by God. With every blessing  + Richard