St Edmund's Catholic Church

First Holy Communion

Registration is now open for our First Holy Communion preparation course which will run in 2025. First Holy Communion Mass will be on Saturday 24 May 2025.
Registration must be made online. Please click on the 'Find out More' button below to complete the online form and download the list of session dates.
Registration for this course will close on 31 December 2024. No applications after this date will be accepted.
Children must be baptised Catholics and be in Year 3 or above at primary school in order to attend this course.
If you child is in secondary school, please contact the parish office before submitting an application.

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Retrouvaille

Retrouvaille is the name of a programme designed to help heal and renew marriages. It all began in 1977 as a French language weekend for couples in Canada who were experiencing difficulties in their marriage.
The word "Retrouvaille" simply means "rediscovery". The programme offers the chance to rediscover yourself, your partner, and a loving relationship in your marriage.
Retrouvaille now offers support and a lifeline for married couples facing difficulties in the UK and elsewhere around the world.

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A Dementia Friendly Parish

A number of parishioners recently completed a Dementia Friends training course as our first step to ensuring that we are a dementia friendly parish.
The five key take aways from this training seem obvious, but they challenge how we often think about dementia: (1) that dementia is not a natural part of ageing; (2) that dementia is caused by diseases of the brain; (3) that dementia is not just about losing your memory - it can affect thinking, communicating, and doing everyday tasks; (4) that it is possible to live well with dementia; (5) and that there is more to a person than the dementia.
If you would like to find out more about being a Dementia Friend, or the support that the Alzheimer's Society can offer to those living with dementia and those who care for them, please click on the button below.

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Praying for Peace

Each Wednesday, after morning Mass, we pray together for peace in the world, remembering especially the conflicts in Ukraine and the Holy Land. You can also join us online using our live streaming service. Click on the button below to download the payers.

Prayers for Peace

Information & Resources

Mass Times

Saturday:
18.00: St Edmund’s (Vigil)
Sunday:
08.30: St Edmund’s
10.30: St Edmund’s (Live Streamed)
10.30: Lawshall
10.30: Montana
16.45: St Edmund’s (Polish Language)
Syro-Malabar Rite:
15.00: St Edmund’s (1st & 3rd Saturdays)
Confessions:
10.30: Wednesdays and Saturdays
For weekday Mass times see the newsletter
Sunday's Gospel

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.’
Luke 1:39-45

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The Season of Advent

Over the next four weeks we will be urged in our readings at Mass to stand confident and alert: to live lives of ever growing holiness as we await the return of the Lord. We will be told to prepare his path: to work in the world so that other people, too, will hear his voice and recognise his loving presence.
We will be reassured: the Lord is very near, so close to us. We will be reminded that his name is Emmanuel, meaning God-with-us.
Each week at Mass another candle on the Advent wreath will be lit, reminding us that Christ our light grows closer and closer to us in this season. Why not extend that idea to our homes, and gradually decorate them over the next four weeks, each Sunday adding more festivity to mark a step closer to Christmas itself.
The most important thing to be decorating, during this time, is ourselves. By opening our hearts a little bit more each week in Advent to the love of God, let us all grow more festive and alive.

The New Lectionary

From the first Sunday of Advent (1 December) we will hear the Scriptures proclaimed at Mass read from a new translation of the Lectionary.

Our current Lectionary uses the Jerusalem translation of the Bible and the Grail translation of the psalms. The new edition will use the English Standard Version (Catholic Edition) of the Bible and the Abbey Psalms and Cantlcles.

Watch these videos to find out more about the change.