Pastoral Letter from Bishop Richard
Webmaster • April 30, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
On the Wednesday of Holy Week, at the Mass of Chrism, the priests of the Diocese renewed their priestly promises and those present in the Cathedral, representing all the faithful of the Diocese, confirmed the commitment to prayer for our priests and to work with them in the mission the Lord has given to His Church.
Today – Good Shepherd Sunday, the entire Church focuses once more on prayer and reflection for priests and, specifically, for vocations to the Priesthood.
Every one of us has a vocation, a calling, given to us by God so that we can take our rightful place in the life of the Church and the world, bringing the message of the Gospel to those around us in accordance with God’s will for us as individuals and for all his people. This is a consequence of our Baptism – life lived in the love that exists in the Blessed Trinity.
Those called to the Ordained Priesthood commit themselves to the service of Christ and His people. The priest celebrates the Sacraments with and for the whole Church, specifically for those he is sent to serve. He preaches the Word in accordance with the teachings of Christ and His Church. He is a leader in the community – a leader through service. The promises of the Priesthood – prayer, obedience, celibacy – enable him to truly give his life in service and to be a sign of the Kingdom of God for the world.
To say that this is, for those called to it, the most wonderful vocation is an understatement. We become the people God calls us to be when we truly respond to his call. Every vocation brings challenges along the way, but also the greatest joy. For those called to Priesthood, this response enables them to find the fulfilment that God Himself desires for them. It is fulfilment found in the Eucharist, in prayer and in the service of all.
Those who have attended Masses of Induction for our parish priests will have heard me ask for prayer for our priests every day. I ask you today to pray for our priests every day, asking the Lord to strengthen and sustain them in service to all.
I ask you also to pray that those in our Diocese whom the Lord calls will be open to listen to His call and answer with complete generosity of heart. Pray for our five seminary students, for those in earlier stages of discernment and for those who have yet to experience the first stirrings of the call to Priesthood. For some – like myself – such reflections can begin at an early age, as a grace flowing from the Sacrament of Confirmation. For others, the awareness of God’s call comes a little later in life. The example of a priest, living Priesthood with joy and commitment is an almost universal element in the discernment of a priestly vocation. Like so many priests, I give thanks to God for the example of a priest deeply committed to the service of those in his pastoral care. When the thought of Priesthood is shared with others, it needs to
be met with gentle encouragement and prayerful support, especially from parents.
This Good Shepherd Sunday, I invite you to join me in a time of prayer for Vocations to Priesthood in our Diocese, leading up to Pentecost Day.
To assist us in this time of prayer, a leaflet has been produced, outlining an intention for each of the coming weeks and providing a ‘prayer itinerary’ for this journey to Pentecost. I am grateful to Fr Tristan Cranfield, our Vocations Director, for putting this together and I know that the prayers of all in the Diocese will bear fruit.
I ask also that, in every parish, a Mass for Vocations to the Priesthood is offered each week. This is already the practice in many places, as are times of Eucharistic Adoration especially for this important intention.
The Good Shepherd calls us to Himself and our priests, through their proclamation of the Word, through being the Lord’s instruments in the celebration of the Eucharist and other Sacraments and through their leadership and guidance, hold a necessary place in the mission of the Church that all may come to the sheepfold of Christ Himself.
May this Good Shepherd Sunday and the time that follows to our celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Our Lady and the Apostles, be a period of fervent and fruitful prayer for us all.
With every blessing,
+R
We welcome Fr John Boles, Regional Director of Columban Missionaries Britain, chosen as this year’s Diocesan annual Mission Appeal. There will be a second collection for their work. To read more, see their website: www.columbans.co.uk .
In a week when we remember the anniversary of the Shoreham air crash we are confronted with the tragic deaths of three members of one family in the sea off Shoreham Fort: Hassan, Zeina and Sara. Life is fragile and a gift to be treasured. Every moment is precious. It can all change so quickly. God is the giver of the gift. It is to Him that we look for strength, mercy, help and love. The life of faith is no less vulnerable and fragile. One moment Saint Peter gets it right and then he gets it wrong. In the gospel for this week Peter speaks with insight and with a revelation of knowledge from the Father that Jesus "is the Christ, the Son of the living God". The following verses (next week), with Peter basking in the elation of this spiritual gift, he plunders from the height of presumption after accusing Jesus that God has got it wrong! Jesus gives Peter and us the reason for his downfall: setting his mind of the "things of man" not of God. Jesus does not avoid suffering as He knows we cannot avoid it. In fact, Jesus uses suffering as a means to save us. He is not a remote or impervious God. He shares the fullness of our humanity that we might share in His divinity and have a life beyond death. We are not untouched by another's pain either. So we do more than remember or say empty phrases - we pray. We pray for all who suffer and have died. That is what God would have us do. With my prayer for you all. God bless you. Fr Graham
Do you have an old mobile phone surplus to your needs? If so, please consider donating it to a parish in Ghana. My close friend Fr. Gregory from Ghana is in the UK supplying holiday cover. He re-purposes mobile phones, giving them to people in remote parts of Ghana so they can make contact in an emergency, (spiritual or physical). Battery condition does not matter but they should have the sim card removed and be reset to factory default which wipes them clean, (I can help with this). I can collect them from St. Peters Shoreham, Christ the King Steyning or The Towers between now and August 30th (please note change of date). Many thanks Deacon Simon
26 September, 10am-6.30pm, St Wilfrid’s Church, Burgess Hill, RH15 9EN (Cost: £20). Young Adults (18-35) are invited to a jam-packed day of prayer, formation, friendship, and fun - praying to discover true peace within ourselves, to become peacemakers in the world around us, and to be renewed with an apostolic fire burning brightly within our hearts. Young Adults' Retreat Day (26-Sep-2026) · ChurchSuite Events
Calling all mothers, including spiritual mothers, godmothers and grandmothers. You are invited to come and pray for our children. First Friday of the Month, 10.00-11.00am, in the Parish Room at St Peter’s.
There will be two opportunities to attend the Deanery Marriage Preparation Course for those intending to be married in a Catholic Church in 2027 as follows. The first opportunity will be in November 2026, the first four Thursday evenings, 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th starting at 7pm - locations to be finalised in September. The second opportunity will be two consecutive Saturdays in 2027, 30th Jan, 6 th Feb. A morning session 10am-12 noon, and an afternoon session, 1pm-3pm on both days; locations to be finalised in September. Full attendance, at the four sessions that constitute each individual course, is required before permission to marry can be granted. Application forms will be made available in September when the locations have been finalised. Deacon Simon Wright, Worthing Deanery Marriage Preparation Coordinator.
Back in May we celebrated the ascension of Jesus bodily into heaven whereas today we celebrate the assumption of His mother bodily into heaven. The “assumption” is completely different to the “ascension” because one is passive (i.e. one is assumed) and the other is active (i.e. one ascends). But it is the same power that is involved, it is by the power of God that Mary was assumed into heaven, and it is by His own power, the power of God, that Jesus ascended to heaven. Hence Mary’s assumption points directly to the divine power of her Son. So why did God assume Mary into heaven? There are several reasons but for me her Assumption is closely connected with her Immaculate Conception. Mary’s soul was preserved from original sin, hence and her body was spared physical corruption or decay. In addition, it serves as a sign of hope for believers. It foreshadows the ultimate bodily resurrection promised to all followers of Christ at the end of time. Blessings, Deacon Simon
Please save the dates. We will welcome the Relics Tour and Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition of Blessed Carlo Acutis, in the Parish Room at St Peter’s this autumn. More details soon.
Many thanks to everyone who has donated items to our summer campaign. All the final donations will be delivered this week. We always have a box in the porch, so please continue to donate when you can. You can find their up-to-date wishlist on their Facebook page.
Bishop-elect Stephen shared this message for diocesan parishes on 2 July 2026: Dear friends in the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton, dear brothers and sisters, I’m so happy to be appointed as your new bishop, and I am really looking forward to meeting you and getting to know the Diocese – the priests and deacons, those in consecrated life, all the lay faithful, and so many others. I’m really looking forward to visiting our parishes and schools, and all the other communities that make up our Diocese. I’m just sorry that I can’t get back to be with you at this time because we have our diaconal ordination in Rome this weekend. As you can imagine, the news came as a complete surprise to me. The first thing I did after being told on Tuesday morning was to visit St Peter’s Basilica. I prayed at the tombs of St Peter and St John Paul II for you all and offered Mass for the Diocese. There are many challenges ahead, but I am full of hope. I’ve seen so many times what God can do when people pray and work together, and when they put their trust in him. If we listen to one another, and to the Lord, then he will show us the way forward. You have been very blessed to have Archbishop Richard with you over these years. I keep being told what a wonderful diocese it is and how lucky I am to be going there! Which I certainly am. I want to thank Canon Jonathan Martin as well, for looking after things so well in this interim period. Let’s pray for each other, and for our Diocese. Please pray for me and for my intentions. I put all my trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in his Church, and in his mother Mary. His love is so powerful. There is so much to be grateful for, and so much to do. I pray that we can grow in holiness together, be of service to those around us, and help all people to know the love and mercy of Jesus Christ and the message of the Gospel. With every blessing, Fr Stephen Fr Stephen’s Biography Fr Stephen Wang was born in London in 1966 and grew up in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. He read Theology and Religious Studies at Cambridge University from 1986 to 1989, before undertaking priestly formation at the Venerable English College in Rome from 1992 to 1997. Ordained on 3 January 1998, he worked in parish ministry in Dollis Hill, London, from 1997 to 2001. From 2001 to 2005 he studied for a PhD on the subject of human happiness at Cambridge University, assisting at Fisher House Chaplaincy, based at the University, for two years. He lectured in Philosophy and Theology at Allen Hall seminary in Chelsea from 2005 to 2013 and was Dean of Studies from 2009 to 2013. During this time, he was also a visiting priest at Wormwood Scrubs Prison, White City, and a confessor at Notting Hill Carmel, a cloistered convent of Carmelite nuns located in St Charles Square. From 2013 to 2021, Fr Stephen served as Senior University Chaplain in the Diocese of Westminster and was Catholic Chaplain at The London School of Economics. In 2014, a group of young people led by Fr Stephen developed ‘Sycamore’, a video-based Catholic faith formation programme that explores the Christian faith through short films and guided discussion. Designed to make Christianity more accessible, Sycamore is now used by Catholic parishes, schools, and university chaplaincies across the world. Following three years as Vocations Director for Westminster Diocese, Fr Stephen was appointed Rector of the Venerable English College in 2021, where he served for five years.