Pastoral Letter from Bishop Richard - 11th June 2023
Webmaster • June 12, 2023
We celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi this Sunday, but we have the tradition in this Diocese of also celebrating the gift of the Eucharist on the Thursday, as used to be the case. This provides the opportunity for, as it were, a double celebration – at the Cathedral where the Carpet of Flowers has been a tradition
since the days of Duke Henry, the founder of the Cathedral – and in our parish communities on Sunday.
This year, the Carpet of Flowers reflects the 150th Anniversary of the Cathedral, the Mother Church of the Diocese since 1965 and a sign of faith, standing above the town of Arundel since 1873.
The Eucharist is the high point of our lives. It is The Thanksgiving. It is the Sacrifice of Calvary, the once-and-for-all sacrifice through which our Saviour saved us from sin – made present every time the Mass is celebrated. It is the Lord’s gift of Himself, first given at the Last Supper when He commanded us to
‘do this in memory of me.’ The Blessed Sacrament, then, is the Real Presence. Like the disciples at Emmaus, we ‘recognise Him in the breaking of bread’ – the bread that is become the Body of Christ, the Wine that is become the Blood of Christ. As we receive Him, we are at one with Him and because we are at one with Him, we are one with each other. This is the reality we celebrate on this great feast.
It is from this celebration that we are sent forth to bring to the world around us the message that the Lord has died and is risen, the message that is the Good News for the world. The Eucharist is, therefore, the fount of our mission as Christ’s people. The Lord gives us Himself that we might bring Him to others.
May this Corpus Christi celebration – at our Cathedral and in our parishes – bring us to focus once more on all the Lord has done for us, on his giving of Himself to us in this wonderful sacrament and on the mission that flows from our union with Him.
It might seem odd that there are two accounts of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. Both are in our Mass readings today. The Acts of the Apostles describes a mighty wind filling the whole house and tongues of fire appearing above the head of each before they began to preach to a multitude. In the account from Saint John, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit on the apostles directly. Having two accounts is not unusual. There are two accounts of creation in Genesis particularly describing the creation of Man and Woman. Having two accounts does not mean that one is wrong. That is not how we read or understand the revelation of scripture. Together they give a deeper meaning to the same truth. Both Genesis and Pentecost accounts are about creation - in the beginning and the new creation after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. "Behold I make all things new!" Jesus gives His breath, and life to us through the Holy Spirit and receiving this gift is to receive the very life of God who revealed Himself to Moses in the flame of the burning bush. It is transformative. All nations are to hear the Good News as prophesied in the gathering of all known nations in their hearing. We have received the Holy Spirit. But there is always more to learn and understand about the fullness of His gifts and fruits which we only experience when we delve deeper into the mystery of the gift received. Ask for the Holy Spirit, more and more every day, that the peace and freedom of the fruit of Jesus' resurrection may be more evident in each one of us and our parish. May God bless you all. With my prayer for you every day, Fr Graham.
Please join in our nine days of prayer, the first novena, between Ascension and Pentecost. Other prayers are here and here. O Holy Spirit, Divine Consoler! I adore you as my True God. I offer You my whole heart, and I render You heartfelt thanks for all the benefits You have bestowed upon the world. You are the author of all supernatural gifts and enriched the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, with all favours. I ask you to visit me by Your grace and Your love, and grant me the favour I so earnestly seek… [state your request here]. O Holy Spirit, spirit of truth, come into our hearts: shed the brightness of your light on all nations, that they may be of one faith and pleasing to You. Amen.
Thursday 21 May 2026 , the Vigil of St Rita, marks a National Day of Prayer and Fasting for Life. Inspired by St John Paul II, everyone is invited to pray—through the Rosary, Mass, or Adoration—and to fast in whatever way they can. Offered for an end to abortion and euthanasia, the day encourages each person to make a meaningful sacrifice. This monthly initiative is organised by the Good Counsel Network. www.goodcounselnetwork.com .
On Wednesday 20 May at 7pm, all Catholics are invited to pray the Rosary for peace. Missio, together with other missionary societies, will be leading the Rosary online, with each group praying a decade. Anyone who wishes to join can do so via the link on the Missio website: missio.org.uk . If you prefer, you are of course welcome to pray the Rosary privately at the same time.
The work of bringing together the ten congregation of the six parishes of the Worthing Deanery into a single new parish continues. This work is not entrusted just to the clergy, rather all of us are invited to participate in shaping the new parish. A structure for the new parish has been proposed - https://www.catholicparishofworthingandlancing.co.uk/our-new-parish/ so please read about it and if you have any comments, please send them to me. The proposed structure contains a revolutionary development which is shared parish governance between Priests and People. The role of the newly formed Parish Leadership Team is ‘Shared governance and strategic leadership of the new Worthing parish’, and its composition is ‘Clergy and Lay Leaders’. The biggest challenge that I see with this new way of working is how can the ten congregations be unified into a new parish. Jesus wants us to be united in our prayer, our worship and our outreach to those in need, but we have become too comfortable and too insular. Our church is changing and we can either shape that change for a better future or do nothing and accept whatever fate befalls us. What are we to do? With my prayers. God bless you. Deacon Simon
The Collect of today's Mass reminds us of the "days of joy" in this Easter season. We might have forgotten the joy of Easter day after the Lenten fast. This joy sustains us. The first apostles and disciples must have felt abandoned by Jesus as He returned to the Father. But He said, "I will not leave you as orphans" and promised another Helper, the Spirit of Truth to be with them. They waited, not knowing for how long. After nine days they experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Their joy was complete and undiminished. This is how are we maintain our Easter joy and hold on to the good news of the resurrection. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, not a short-lived exuberance. We can be joyful disciples as we recall that Jesus is always with us, in us and by our side. As we wait for Him to manifest Himself to us again, we can pray, as the apostles prayed, a novena that we might experience the Holy Spirit in an equally powerful way and have their joy in the midst of trouble. Here are some novenas as well as the one listed in this newsletter. The people of Samaria heard the preaching and saw the miracles of Philip, but it was only after Peter and John came that they received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. The Holy Spirit always unites us to the Body of Christ, the Church. It is fitting that the vigil of the Ascension of Jesus to Heaven is also the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. She who prayed with the Apostles and was already full of the Holy Spirit will intercede for us in these last days. May God bless you and grant you joy. Fr Graham
May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, honouring her as the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven. We will crown her statue in our churches this weekend. We have a longstanding First Saturdays Devotion in our parish and it was good to see so many parishioners and visitors at the recent visit from the World Apostolate of Fatima, England & Wales, in March this year. They write... What is achieved by fulfilling the Five First Saturdays devotion? In the first instance we comply with the desire of Jesus to establish devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart, as revealed by Our Lady in her second apparition on 13th June 1917. She then went on to say, “I promise salvation to those who embrace it, and these souls will be loved by God, like flowers placed by me to adorn his throne.” When we fulfil the requirements for making this devotion, as revealed by Our Lady on 10th December 1925, we make reparation for the thorns of blasphemies and ingratitude which pierce Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart and by which she is offended. Our Lady then promises to assist those souls who make this devotion “at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation.” What a wonderful consolation, to know that at the moment of death when it is natural to feel a sense of apprehension, one need not fear because Our Lady will be there to assist with the graces needed to ensure eternal salvation! May God bless you and Our Lady pray for you. Fr Graham
Join us for a Table Top Sale in aid of the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) on Saturday 9th May at the former St Charles Borromeo Church, located at the junction of Ham Road and Chesswood Road in Worthing. Doors open at 10.00 a.m. There will be a wide variety of items for sale — bric-a-brac, clothes, books, and more. All proceeds will go to support the charitable work of the SVP. Please come along, find some bargains, and support a great cause!
The temporary base the SVP runs out of the former St Charles Borromeo Church needs more helpers. We need help with: • additional drivers - under 70 years old with licence category C. This would be on a rota x1/ month • repairing furniture - small repairs to donated furniture. • sorting of donations - kitchen goods, clothing, bedding etc. If you can help with any of these please contact: Rosaleen Murphy, St Catherine's - stcatherinessvp@gmail.com Sheila Padwick, St Michael's - TreasurerA010406@svp.org.uk Ann Olliver, St Peter's - PresidentA010406@svp.org.uk
Would you be interested in being a small group leader, refreshment maker or prayer minister at our diocesan Young Adult retreats? The Diocese of Arundel and Brighton are looking to run Young Adult retreat days for those aged 18-35 across the diocese. Each will be a day of Faith, Fellowship, Formation and Food! But we need your help...if you are aged 18+ and are interested in supporting these events, please email the Diocesan Youth Project Officer, Bex Driver E : bex.driver@abdiocese.org.uk