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
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
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
Parishioners are warmly invited to an online webinar being run by Stella Maris on Thursday, 19th. June from 7:30pm to 9pm. You will hear about the work that Stella Maris has been doing with seafarers and fishers over the past year, including the use of the funds kindly donated on Sea Sunday last year. To attend this webinar, please sign up at: www.stellamaris.org.uk/thankyouwebinar
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
It’s now been confirmed that MPs will debate and vote next week – on either Tuesday 17 or Wednesday 18 June – on extreme abortion up to birth amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill. These proposed law changes represent the most serious threat to unborn children since the Abortion Act was introduced in 1967. The disability rights group, Not Dead Yet UK, is asking people to contact their MP using a new tool on their website. It explains exactly why this Bill would be a disaster for people with disabilities. Please take action now and contact your MP. It only takes 30 seconds. You can read more including a statement from Archbishop John Sherrington (Lead Bishop for Life Issues) here: Opposing the Decriminalisation of Abortion - Catholic Bishops' Conference
When we contemplate the beginning of things and the whole created order, as we do in the scriptures today, we are brought to silence and awe. The Wisdom of God and the love of God made manifest in everything we see and can even imagine. We also consider the beginning and end of life and the wonder of our own being. God who brings us into existence and knows our end. It is all too much for us. It would be easy to see such a God as remote and distant. Yet there is not a cry He doesn't hear or even hair on our head He doesn't count. This God of ours is a God who saves. The movement of love in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit overflows to us in Jesus. God made flesh. God who is spirit is made visible and lives among us and in us. It really is a "wondrous mystery", but it is the "true faith". Everything we do is in the name of the Trinity from the sign of the cross at the beginning of Mass, to the Doxology at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer to the blessing before the dismissal. God the Holy Trinity is our beginning and our end. From baptism to commendation our hope is in God and our "hope does not put us to shame." With my prayer for you all. God bless you, Fr Graham
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 .