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    Fr Jonathan, Bishop Richard and Fr Rajesh

    Induction of Fr Rajesh

    On Saturday 10th December we welcomed Bishop Richard to the 6pm Mass at St Edmund’s to induct Fr Rajesh Minz as one of our parish priests. It was a memorable and joyful occasion, and along with Bishop Richard presiding we were blessed with the presence of four priests, a deacon, and several altar servers. The following morning Bishop Richard celebrated the 11am Mass at Haslemere to induct Fr Rajesh and Fr Jonathan as parish priests of Haslemere, Hindhead and Chiddingfold.


    Fr Rajesh’s message to the parish: ‘I look forward to working together with Fr Jonathan and all of you. I also look forward to getting to know you all. You are very much in my prayers, and I would ask you to keep me in your prayers. I can only promise you that I will do my best to serve you as your Priest. Please make a place for me in your prayers. With my love and prayers for each of you, Fr Rajesh Minz’.

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      Creation Mass at Ladywell

      We marked the start of the Season of Creation by celebrating our 10.30am Mass outdoors in the beautiful surroundings of Ladywell Convent. Sitting comfortably with a fresh breeze, a cloudy sky and no threat of rain, we could listen to the voice of Creation, hearing the wind in the trees and experiencing the beauty of the outdoors. Our hymns reflected the theme, and we started Mass with 'How Great Thou Art' and ended with 'Lord of Creation to you be all praise!'. After Mass we enjoyed fabulous cakes freshly baked by the Ladywell chefs, along with coffee and tea - and not surprisingly it took some time for the very sociable and large crowd of parishioners to disperse! We also kept the people of Pakistan, who are suffering from a climate-induced flood disaster, in our thoughts and prayers, and held a retiring collection for funds to support them.


      The Season of Creation is a month of reflecting more deeply on our stewardship, which ends on the Feast day of St Francis on 4th October.

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        Celebrating the Feast of the Assumption

        The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was transferred to Sunday this year, and as is the tradition in our parish on this feast day, we had the pleasure of a family gathering, kindly hosted by Richard Grey in the grounds of his home in Elstead. Despite the sweltering heatwave parishioners remained cool in the shade of the garden and enjoyed refreshments and picnic lunches. Children and parents joined in Alan’s ‘Animal’ game and were rewarded with icecream, and everyone came together to pray the rosary and sign Marian hymns of praise before a statue decorated with flowers. Many thanks to everyone who organised and supported this lovely parish afternoon.

        1. 'Rubbish Talk' and Shared Supper on Saturday 24th September

          Please join us for a fun evening of rubbish, at which Ian will be sharing his knowledge on the dos and don'ts of recycling and why it’s so important as part of the actions we take to care for our common home. We hope to have a good discussion on green matters and what we can do to make a difference.

          Amongst all this rubbish there will be plenty of light entertainment! The evening will include the 'Scrunch Test' and the 'Shoebox Challenge'…and Ian will be performing his not-to-be missed ‘Witley Rap’ and, of course, it’s a perfect opportunity for a quick quiz! 

          We look forward to coming together as a community and we hope for a full house. Please sign up via the calendar on the homepage of the website and look out for the noticeboards at Mass to let us know what you are able to bring to the shared supper.

          This event is arranged by our parish Live Simply group and is part of our parish support for Great Big Green Week (24th September–2nd October). For more https://greatbiggreenweek.com/information   

          1. Father Michael's 60th Jubilee Celebrations

            Over 20 parishioners, along with the Bishop, Father Jonathan and nearly 40 other priests from the Diocese celebrated the 60th jubilee of Father Michael at Arundel Cathedral on 9th June 2022. The occasion was a stirring reminder of the many years of service that Father Michael and his fellow Jubilarians have given in parishes throughout the Diocese. It was also an opportunity to catch up with a much loved former priest of this parish. I am sure that everybody would like to wish Father Michael all the very best at this time. Thanks for everything Father Michael!

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              Welcome!

              At the Easter Vigil we welcomed five people into the Church: David, and Dean and Kelly and their wonderful daughters, Isabelle and Harriet. The photo shows them and their sponsors - Anna, Sarah and Consuela. Congratulations to them all, and may their gift of faith bring them grace, comfort and strength throughout their lives.

              1. Our parish features in A&B e-news

                We were delighted to read a news story in this week's issue of the Arundel & Brighton e-bulletin about our parish team of 30 walkers who are raising funds for CAFOD's Lent Walk against Hunger:

                'Congratulations to parishioners from St Edmund’s in Godalming who have raised a wonderful £1,674 for CAFOD’s Walk against Hunger Lent challenge. This year’s Walk against Hunger focuses on Sierra Leone and a little girl called Lombeh, who was malnourished as a child.

                Thirty parishioners, including Fr Jonathan and the Sisters from Ladywell Convent, walked, ran, and cycled to complete a total of 6,300 kilometres - the distance from Godalming to Free Town, the capital of Sierra Leone.  On Saturday 26th March some of the group got together for tea and cake at local Bistro Hectors on the Wey, to celebrate their achievement. They have since surpassed their target and completed 6,818 km! '


                Well done everyone! And let's hope we can raise our total oto£2,000 by Easter.

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                  Invited Season II - and an invitation to supper with Fr Jonathan

                  Season II of the Invited Mission ‘Growing in Faith’ launches on Easter Monday with a great video talk, wonderful testimony and some questions posted online at 7.30pm. There will be five videos, released on Mondays, with Thursday conversation evenings on April 21st and 28th, and May 5th, 12th and 19th, leading us into Ascension and Pentecost.


                  Fr Jonathan would like to invite a different group on Thursday each week to join him at 7pm at 19 Croft Road for supper, prayer and conversation about the episode of the week. If you would like to join him for one of these, please sign up through the event on the parish calendar, or drop him an email.


                  Last year Invited took place on zoom, with over 1,000 people taking part from across the diocese. Many commented how good it was to meet and share experiences with new people in this way. To register visit the Diocesan Invited web page, where you can also see last year's videos and a teaser for this year. This year we will start to unpack what it means to be a disciple, a follower of Christ.

                  If you would like to join the online diocesan conversation, please register at: https://abdiocese.churchsuite.com/events/rerwgtid

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                    Alpha Course Starting 1st May 2022

                    We are delighted to be able to offer an in-person summer Alpha programme. Alpha is an opportunity to explore life and the Christian faith in a friendly, open and informal environment. Each session includes food, drink, a short video and discussion. The course starts on Sunday 1st May 2022 and runs from 7pm to 9pm. Full details may be found by clicking here. This link takes you to the registration form.


                    This course is for everybody. If your faith has waned as a result of recent world events, this course is the ideal tonic to renew and to inspire. However, Alpha is not just about us. The greatest gift you can give a fellow human is faith. Unlike every other gift, faith can last for an eternity. If you know of anybody who might like to come to this course, please personally invite them. If they are reticent, offer to come along with them. If you have any questions, please call or email us – Nicki and Alan – 01483 420859 (no answer phone) or alion@btinteret.com.


                    The Lord is knocking at the door of our hearts. Have we put a sign on the door saying: “Do not disturb”?


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                      Parish Easter Egg Hunt 15th-18th April

                      Following on from the success of last year’s Easter egg hunt, the parish is pleased to be able to announce that it will be running another Easter egg hunt this year. With so much happening in the world at this time, we thought that we would focus the hunt on flags of the world, with a special emphasis on the Ukrainian flag and prayers for peace in Ukraine. The hunt will take place on the same two sites as last year. It will run from Friday 15th April to Monday 18th April inclusive. You can go for a walk and look for discs on any of these days.

                       

                      To register and get full details of the hunt, please contact Nicki and Alan by email at alion@btinternet.com or call 01483 420859 (no answer phone). There is no charge for entry and, like last year, there will be lots of prizes!