During each year the parish has a variety of opportunities for bible study, from courses which stretch over a number of weeks to days of recollection to one off study days and online resources.

This is part of our Adult Faith Formation initiative which aims to give parishioners and those interesting in learning about the Catholic faith a wide range of opportunities to explore, discuss, and learn together.

CAFOD stands for the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. It is the major Catholic charity for supporting the poor outside of the UK and works in partnership with local aid agencie and initiatives acos the word. Each year, in Lent and again October, we take a collection at Mass to support Cafod’s work. We also support their emergency appeals and are woking towards achieving they Live Simply Award as parish.

The Cambodia Group coordinates our support for our twinned parish of St John in Siem Reap in Cambodia.

Begun in 2005, the twinning of our two parishes has brought blessings to both communities, with cultural exchanges helping to form friendships.

St Edmund’s has supported some of St John’s projects in the past which have aimed at helping the poorest members of their community, such as the Rice Bank, the Cow Bank and more recently a rice soup programme.

Contact us if you would like to join this group or for more information about our twinning.

We have a friendly team of catechists who cover the full age range of faith formation, from leading children’s liturgy to preparing our young people for the sacraments of first holy communion and confirmation; from running marriage courses to preparing parents for the baptism of their first child, to co-ordinating and delivering our adult faith formation programme. We also have those who support the catechists in practical ways such as providing refreshments, being an extra pair of hands at children’s and youth events and so on. If you would like to help with this important aspect of parish life please contact us.

The Catenian Association is a network of practising Catholic laymen who meet together as friends to enhance our family life, strengthen our faith and sustain us in difficult times. We meet monthly to pray together, support each other and enjoy each other's company with a meal.

Contac us if you would like to be put in touch with the local group.

On the second and fourth Sundays of each moth at the 10.30 Mass at St Edmund’s we have Children’s Liturgy.

Children are invited to have their own age-appropriate Liturgy of the Word and then rejoin us at Mass.

Parents should register their child for Childen’s Liturgy before Mass begins. Catechiss can be found in the porch area to help you do this.

St Edmund's choir has a long tradition of singing at Sunday Masses and on special occasions. At the moment the choir lead the music on the first, third and fifth Sundays of the month at the 10.30 Mass at St Edmund’s Church.

If you would like to be involved, please come and speak to Patricia Mason in the choir loft one Sunday or contact the parish office for more details.

An official ministry within the Church, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are trained and commissioned to assist with the distribution of holy communion at Masses.

They are also authorised to begin and end periods of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, lead Services of the Word & Holy Communion, and bring holy communion to the sick and housebound.

Ministers must undertake an annual retreat or day of recollection, receive regular ongoing formation, and be commissioned each year.

Both of our churches are often decorated with beautiful flower displays thanks to our flower arranging teams comprising of both men and women volunteers of all ages.

We are always on the look out for new members and if you would like to find out more or join the team, please contact the parish office and we will pass your details on to the relevant person for the church you attend.

An essential team of the parish who work hard each week is the Guild of St Martha who clean the church thoroughly and look after the brassware.

The Guild are a sociable group who clean the church usually on a Monday morning starting at 8.00am (Tuesdays when the Monday is a bank holiday). Jobs are allocated at the time and the Guild welcome anyone who would like to come and help, even if only on an occasional basis.

If you’d like to make an important contribution to parish life, come and join the Guild on a Monday.

We have a great team of altar servers ranging from those who have just made their first holy communion and are aged 8 to those in sixth form and beyond.

Altar Servers join the Guild of St Stephen, which is a national association of servers.

In addition to serving at our Masses over the weekends and for special occasions, the Guild socialises together and has outings and events to build up friendship.

Contact the parish office if you’d like to know more.

Our Helping Hands group do precisely what their name suggests: offer a helping hand to anyone in need. This can range from helping with transport to the doctor’s surgery or the optician, or for hospital appointments where hospital transport is unavailable. It could be help with a bit of gardening, repairing a fence, helping with details of local plumbers and so on. We can help move furniture or help you dispose of unwanted items. We operate a shopping rota too. We visit those who are lonely and the elderly.

If you would like to find out more please get in touch.

t: 07942 373448.

The group was established a few years ago to research and appreciate all aspects of the history of our church and parish both for our interest and for the benefit of all who value the rich heritage and legacy of our Catholic faith and the contribution it has made to the local community and parish life.

The History Group has recently produced St Edmund’s Parish Chronicle which gives a comprehensive account of the history of St Edmund’s Church.

The Ladies Club is a long-standing group within the parish which aims to foster friendship and build community.

Each year the Club runs a programme of meetings with speakers on a wide range of topics, local visits to places of interest, and meals together.

If you’d like to find out more about their programme for this year or how to join, please contact the parish office.

The Men of St Edmunds are a men’s group of who meet once a month for prayer, discussion and fellowship. Currently we meet on the final Thursday of every month at 19:30 – usually after the Thursday evening Mass.

The group is a relatively new addition to the parish and is still discerning its role and mission in our community. However, our early discussions indicate an intention to focus on prayer, fraternity and service to the parish and wider community.

Feel free to have a chat with either John D’Mello or Damian Wallace or contact the parish office for more information.

Missio is the Pope’s charity for world mission. Many associate it with the Red Boxes kept at home to collect loose change to donate to the Missions. Or perhaps you will think of the annual collections at Sunday Mass under its old name of the Assocation for the Propagation of the Faith.

Missio is an umbrella organisation which supports and oversees the whole missionary activity of the Catholic Church.

On the second and fourth Sundays of each month at St Edmund’s, the Music Group lead us in our singing at Mass.

We are an inclusive bunch musicians and singers who are always ready to welcome new members.

If you would like to join the group, please come and have a chat with Mick Truman or one of us after 10.30 Mass.

St Edmund’s has a number of prayer groups and ample opportunities to explore the different traditions of prayer and spirituality within the Catholic faith.

You are always welcome to join a group to find out more and, of course, its perfectly possible to be part of more than one of the groups.

You will find a friendly welcome.

Readers at Mass proclaim the Scripture readings and announce the intentions of each of our intercessions at Sunday Mass.

The role is one of the official ministries of the Church and Readers are commissioned each year .

If you think you would like to take on this ministry, or simply want to know a little more about it, have a chat with any one of our Readers or contact the parish office.

Stewards are at the front line of the ministry of welcome within our parish, helping ensure that parishioners and visitors at Mass can find seats, have access to hymnbooks and orders of service, alerting the clergy to those who might need holy communion to be brought to them, and making sure in the unlikely event of an emergency, everyone is led to safety.

All this and most importantly they are a friendly face and offer a word of welcome.

If you would like to become a steward please speak to a member of the team or contact the parish office.