Thank you to all those who supported the CAFOD Soup Lunch at St. Mary's Church Hall on Sunday 12th March.  The organisers provided a warm welcome and a great selection of soups: Thank you.

At the 5pm Mass on Sunday 12th March some of the Elect were called forward as the parish celebrated the First of the Scrutinies. The Elect, who will be Baptised during the Easter Vigil, were assured of the prayers of the whole parish as we journey with them over the next three weeks.  During the Homily Mgr. Tony had noted that it is a real encouragement to the parish that they have responded so faithfully having heard the Call of God.

Scott visits the seminary to meet the Rector and Pastoral Director to discuss the progress of his formation. (It’s going well, and the pastoral placement in Guildford has been extremely beneficial!)
 
Coincidentally, it’s also the Selection Advisory Conference this weekend, so please pray for candidates for seminary and vocations to the priesthood!

A welcome sight as the Clergy Team continued their visit of the parish this week.

(Look up 'Chalking the Door' if you need an explanation!)

This week saw a rare and uplifting moment in the life of a parish. Peter Strode (St. Pius Community) met with Mgr. Tony.  Peter needed to have his signature witnessed and the parish stamp applied to his account of the life of his brother, Dr. Michael Strode, founder of The HCPT Lourdes Charity.
 
The friends of Brother Michael (as he became in later life) and many who worked with him think he was a saint.  While a formal process of canonisation cannot begin until five years after his death, testimonies about his spirituality are actively being gathered. 

For more information, see www.brothermichaelstrode.org

Young adults adore the Blessed Sacrament on a retreat day with Fr. Tristan, at St Pius X Church; the day also involved talks on the spiritual life, the rosary, confessions and fellowship.

The catechumens and candidates (along with their godparents and sponsors) who are in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) were sent from the parish to Bishop Richard. He will enroll them next Saturday, and then begins the final, intensive period of preparation ahead of Easter, when they will be baptised, confirmed, and receive Holy Communion for the first time.

The RCIA group met on Tuesday to learn about Lent and prepare for the Rite of Election and The Call to Continuing Conversion, which they will celebrate with Bishop Richard in a few days' time.

On December 7th a team of parishioners from CPG and local Anglican Parishes, known as “Camino Guildford”, were delighted to welcome a Syrian family into their new home in Guildford. The family moved from Syria to Turkey 6 years ago fleeing from the war and has now moved to the UK via the Community Sponsorship Scheme whereby a local community group undertakes to support a refugee family and help them to resettle here.
 
The family comprises the two parents and their youngest son who is 16 years old. His 4 older brothers remain in Turkey and Syria. Thankfully they have not been affected by the recent disastrous earthquakes.
 
Since they arrived the team has been busy helping them to integrate into our education, health and welfare systems and to learn English. We will continue this process during the coming months.
 
This project has been co-funded by the CPG Refugee Support Fund and the Anglican Parishes.
 
If you would like to receive occasional updates by email on this project and the work of the CPG Refugee Support Fund, you can join our email group called “The Friends of the RSF” by sending an email to catherineandalanhughes@gmail.com

The priests of the Deanery gathered, at Ladywell Convent (Chapel pictured above), for 24 hours of prayer and reflection on ‘The Word who is Life’ - Bishop Richard’s reflection on the future life of the Diocese.

“Something which has existed since the beginning,
that we have heard,
that we have seen with our own eyes;
that we have watched
and touched with our hands:
the Word, Who is Life –
this is our subject.”
1 John 1: 1

A group of CPG parishioners attended the funeral of Sr. Stella Clifford at St. Thomas of Canterbury Church in Canterbury on Monday 6th February.  Sr. Stella and other members of the Vocation Sisters order, including Sisters Paula, Anne, Marian and Judith, moved to Guildford in 1997, where they lived for around ten years, before moving to Kent.  In a simple and moving tribute to Sr. Stella, Sr. Paula Foreman spoke of her love of music and singing, her lifelong struggles with pain and mobility, her constant cheerfulness and her devotion to Our Lady.  She also mentioned Sr. Stella's love of playing bingo, her habit of winning and donating the proceeds to a local charity!
Sr. Stella died in December at the age of 84.  May she rest in peace.

An audience of over 40 gathered in St. Pius X Hall to hear a talk on Modern Slavery by Olivia Darby of the Wonder Foundation, in support of the CPG 'Parish Aware' programme.
Olivia explained the concept of Modern Slavery and presented some of the shocking statistics associated with these crimes.  She also introduced the thought-provoking concept of a ‘grey area’ of responsibility, somewhere between the ‘innocence’ of what is sold – products and services – and the ‘obvious baddies’: the organised criminal gangs.
We as consumers are in the grey area, needing to make judgements about the consequences of our spending.  Do we look for the cheapest chocolate bar, or seek one whose contents are sourced ethically?  Olivia suggested that we are all involved in this ‘ethical minefield’.
Olivia concluded her presentation by talking about the work of her charity Wonder Foundation in West Africa, the UK and Europe, and the Philippines.

Links:
Wonder Foundation:  wonderfoundation.org.uk/
CPG Parish Aware:  www.cpg.church/modernslavery.html
Parish Aware interest group:  cpg.churchsuite.com/groups/gfcyltvw

Over a hundred readers, servers, sacristans, musicians, welcomers, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion gather for a morning of prayer, formation and fellowship at St. Joseph's School, Rydes Hill.

First Holy Communion Family Day... One of the many prayer and reflection stations attended by 140 families from the parish.

Scott meets with other seminarians on placement to pray together and reflect on their experiences - this time in the parish of Our Lady and St Vincent, Potters Bar.

Fr. Roy speaks about Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick to those preparing to be received into the Catholic Church this Easter.

The Thursday Club arrive at St Joseph’s for Scott’s talk on the twisty-turning journey of vocation to the priesthood, and for tea and some excellent cakes.

A few of the parishioners who attended the Thanksgiving tea hosted by the clergy in recognition of the many ministries in the parish.

21 Wednesday walkers and former walkers came together for a walk and lunch on 29 June 2021 to bid farewell to Michael who for many years was a regular walker. We are sorry to see him go but wish him all the best back in Sheffield.

Michael Wheeler

Thanks to parishioners Grace Bradley and Michael Combes it is now possible to order Fair Trade goods once again...

Alan Hughes introduces us to this amazing book and reminds us of the Refugee Support Fund which assists Syrian refugees in Guildford.

A 'Virtual Pilgrimage'

Here is a tremendous initiative by parishioner Roy Morrow to boost funds for the CAFOD Coronavirus Appeal.  Roy has this message for his supporters:

Roy explains below how the 'virtual pilgrimage' he starts today will work...

UPDATE JULY 2021:  NORTH GUILDFORD FOOD BANK NO LONGER WORKS WITH BANKUET, BUT STILL WELCOMES DIRECT DONATIONS:
http://northguildfordfoodbank.co.uk/food-donations/

Whilst reading about the increased demand at the local food bank, I discovered a new way to make donations - via an organisation called Bankuet which uses one-off or regular cash donations to purchase and deliver the items currently needed to a nominated food bank.  It struck me as a good idea, since it is so simple to use; once the payment is set up a monthly email arrives to confirm that the food parcel has been delivered. 

Sadly, we probably need to consider that the economic problems brought on by the fight against the virus will place demands on the food banks for the foreseeable future.

Watch the 30s Bankuet video here

Donations can also be made directly to the North Guildford Food Bank and food items may be deposited in a collection bin at Sainsbury's in Burpham.

Nick Fox