Pastoral Area Past Events and Photos
December 2011

The Holy Rood Children's Choir
singing carols at the Carol Concert on 18th
December.

Mary and child from the Nativity
Tableau performed at the concert.
Children's Christmas Nativity Play at St John's

The children of St John the Evangelist Church
re-enacted the Christmas story on Christmas Day,
complete as always with a recent addition to the
parish playing the part of Jesus.


Seniors' Christmas Lunch at English Martyrs

A wonderful Christmas Lunch was prepared by the
Fundraising Team at English Martyrs, especially for
the senior members of the parish. Many thanks
to all involved in the preparations. A
great time was had by all.
November 2011
English Martyrs and St John's Day of
Recollection

Parishioners enjoying a Day of Recollection for
Advent at Littlemore, run by Fr Kevin Delaney.
Fr Bob's 80th Birthday Celebrations

Congratulations to Fr Bob as he celebrated his
80th birthday with parishioners at East Hendred.
Mass of Thanksgiving on the occasion of Bishop
Crispian's retirement

Deacon Richard Budgen from North Hinksey was
privileged to be asked to help celebrate Mass at
Portsmouth Cathedral on 19th November.
October 2011
Rene MacDonald's 90th Birthday
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Rene
Macdonald, a longstanding member of the congregation
at Our Lady of the Rosary, receives a bouquet from
Father Paul on the occasion of her 90th birthday. At
coffee after Mass the congregation
shared in a birthday cake provided by Rene's
daughter.
Sponsored Walk in aid of Cafod

The children who made their First
Holy Communion last June at Our Lady of the Rosary
took part in July in a sponsored walk to raise money
for the community of Biera in Ethiopia. This was
their "Gift to God" - the final part of their
Catechetical programme. They raised over £350 - well
done, boys! At Mass on Sunday 9th October they were
presented with badges and certificates by Christine
Plews, the Parish CAFOD representative.
September 2011
Parish Welcome Weekend
English Martyrs and St John's held
their annual Welcome Weekend on 23rd and 24th
September, celebrating the diverse range of culture
in our communities.
Congratulations to the winners of
the competitions held, as follows:
Photographic Competition
Winning Entries - Caption Section

Anne-Marie Bromley

Misbehaving Altar Servers
Punished
Andy Robins

Salt and Vinegar Lips
Tony Shields
Photographic Competition
Winning Entries - Landscape Section

Thames Water Scene
Anne-Marie Bromley

After the Harvest
Richard Cutler

The Twelve Apostles
Armelle Belcher
Sisters of Mercy leave Abingdon


August 2011


Many thanks to Anne-Marie
Bromley for the use of her photos
JULY 2011

The children enjoyed climbing Jacob's Ladder
together, along with a family treasure hunt, and
Mass celebrated by Fr Liam from the Carmelites.

Fun and games at the joint parish
BBQ for English Martyrs and St John's on 3rd July
2011.

For more photos click here
MAY 2011

Plant Sale for CAFOD at Our Lady of the Rosary

A very successful plant sale was held at Our Lady
of the Rosary after Mass on Sunday 22nd May. The
green fingered members of the congregation
contributed a large and varied selection of plants
which were sold , raising over £120. The proceeds
will go to the community of Biera in Ethiopia
which the Parish has chosen to follow through the
CAFOD Connect2 scheme.
APRIL 2011


Constructing the organ at Holy Rood Church,
North Hinksey

Under the direction of Roy Foster,
the organ builder, Hinksey parishioners clean and
polish some of front pipes for the Great Organ which
is nearing completion in the gallery of Holy Rood
Church. The three-manual organ is being constructed
from parts of twenty redundant organs from around
the country.
Mothering Sunday
at Our Lady of the Rosary, Hinksey Parish

As is now
traditional, the Fourth Sunday of Lent was
celebrated at Our Lady of the Rosary with a
special Family Mass at which the children made
posies to present to their mothers, and other ladies
in the congregation.Mass was followed by a
special brunch, and a second hand book stall to
raise funds for our Parish CAFOD project in
Ethiopia.
MARCH 2011

Cardinal Newman
Thank you to Deacon Stephen Morgan for giving an
enlightening and informative talk on John Henry
Newman to parishioners from the whole Pastoral Area
on 30th March at English Martyrs Church, Didcot.


On Friday 4th March over forty young people
between the ages of 10 and 18 years met at Abingdon
Parish Centre for a successful Quiz Night.
Those attending came from all the churches in the
Pastoral Area, and enjoyed an evening of interacting
with and meeting other Catholics from the area.
Thanks to all those who helped with organising a fun
evening for everyone.
JANUARY 2011
On the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 2
February, Vera Fanning was presented with a Diocesan
Medal for her long and devoted service to the
community of the Good Shepherd Church, Kennington.



Current building works taking place at St Mary's,
East Hendred.



DECEMBER 2010
Children from Holy Rood took part in the Choir
Carol Concert before Christmas.

Nativity Play at St John's on Christmas Day




Senior Citizen's Parish Christmas
Lunch at English Martyrs


Organised by the Fundraising
Committee, parishioners enjoyed festive fare and
good company.
SVP Feed My Lambs Appeal Charity Auction

A wonderful total of £2169 was raised at the
local Charity Auction held at Wallingford Town Hall.
This makes a total collected throughout the year of
£8460, helping to save the lives of 241 babies in
the Sudan.

Advent at Our Lady of the Rosary

The Advent wreath on its way to be
blessed, carried by two of the family who made it.
OCTOBER 2010
Parish Day of Recollection at The Carmelite
Monastery, Boars Hill

St John's and English Martyrs parishes organised
a Parish Day of Recollection which was led by Fr
Frowin Reed, a Benedictine monk who helped out in
the Pastoral Area over the summer. The day was
well attended, with everyone benefitting from the
peaceful surroundings and thought provoking talks
given by Fr Frowin.
SEPTEMBER 2010
Pope Benedict XVI Visit to the
United Kingdom 2010
A number of parishioners from our
parishes were lucky enough to receive VIP tickets to
attend Westminster Cathedral, Hyde Park and Cofton
Park for the Papal Liturgies. More
parishioners attended as part of the Pastoral Area
pilgrim group. Below is a selection of
photographs taken.
Papal Prayer Vigil at Hyde Park
 Parishioners from Our Lady of the
Rosary attending the Papal Prayer Vigil at Hyde
Park.

The Thames Isis Pastoral Area Pilgrims

The banner for Our Lady of the
Rosary was created by Janet Farnsworth, and was
carried during the Procession.

The banner carried for St John's
and English Martyrs Churches
Papal Mass at Cofton Park


Thanks to Julie Lazarus for
the use of her photos
The Diary of a Pilgrimage

By 4.30am we had all sleepily
assembled at our meeting point in Abingdon. After a
short prayer for our pilgrim journey by Fr Paul
King, the coach trundled off into the early hours
for our trip to Cofton Park Birmingham for the
Beatification Mass of Cardinal John Newman
celebrated by no less a personage than the Pope
himself. We arrived on time, and were advised
that it was a ten minute walk from the coach to the
park. An hour later we were actually through
the barriers and finding an advantageous spot on
which to put up our chairs and make ourselves
comfortable in the miserable drizzle that had
started as we approached Birmingham. The drizzle
may have been miserable but the crowd were certainly
not. An air of celebration pervaded the whole park
with choirs and crowd singing lustily and cheering.
Amidst all that, priests, sitting on their fold up
chairs, with umbrellas protecting them from the
rain, were hearing confessions, with the penitents
kneeling on the wet grass, oblivious of their
surroundings. Then suddenly it was
nearing 10.00am, mass was due to start, helicopters
were hovering overhead and we were all trying to
spot the papal helicopter, especially the children
who were in a constant state of excitement. Then on
the numerous screens we could see the Pope had
arrived and lo and behold the sun appeared and the
rain stopped. The pope-mobile made its way to the
altar with its life-size mosaic of Cardinal Newman.
Unfortunately we were too far away to get a close up
view of his Holiness, but it didn’t matter, we were
waving our flags and cheering with everyone else.
Suddenly around 60,000 people were singing Praise to
the Holiest in the Height for the entrance
procession and the deeply spiritual and moving mass
and Beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman
began. What a spectacle. Thousands upon thousands of
people receiving Holy Communion from priests under
papal umbrellas all over the park. Something
that I will always remember , during the moments of
silence, that was what it was - silence. In the
midst of 60,000 people in a park in Birmingham you
could hear the birds singing – incredible.
Then we had our picnic and incredibly, we bumped
into friends from different parts of the country
including, sitting a few rows in front of us,
Ian and Ruth Mawdsley from Llandudno who came to our
parish last week to talk to us about the Sudan.
Tired but happy we made our way back to our coach.
800 coaches but no queuing to get in or out of the
park. Whoever organised the coach arrivals and
departures deserves a medal. We arrived home even a
little earlier than we thought, spiritually
stronger, and proud to have been involved in such a
wondrous occasion.
Mary Hill, St John the
Evangelist Church, Wallingford


Thanks to
Mary for the use of her photos
Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust
Ride and Stride Event

Striders and riders were sponsored and welcomed
at churches throughout Oxfordshire - here are a few
arriving at St John the evangelist Church,
Wallingford for refreshments.

SVP Mass for the Sick

The SVP of St John the Evangelist Church
organised a special Mass for the Sick on 5th
September, followed by tea and cakes.

JUNE 2010

Children from St John's celebrated receiving
their First Holy Communion on Sunday 4th July.

East Hendred parishioners enjoy a
garden party in the grounds of Holy Trinity
Monastery.

Birthday Celebrations at North Hinksey


60 Glorious? Years: Deacon Richard celebrating his
60th. Birthday on June 19 with Hinksey Parish

MAY 2010
Parish Sunday at Our Lady and St Edmund,
Abingdon, 23rd May

Every year the parish of Our Lady and St. Edmund
of Abingdon holds a special "Parish Sunday" , so
that the people attending all four Sunday Masses
have an opportunity to meet, and make the
acquaintance of fellow Parishioners whom they might
otherwise never see. This year the celebration
was held on Sunday the 23rd May, and consisted of a
Parish Fayre held in the church grounds complete
with an International buffet provided by members of
the "Cake and Conversation" group. The group exists
to help overseas visitors to improve their
conversational skills and become more integrated
with parish life. There were also a number of
stalls including Fairtrade, a Bookstall, a Tombola
and a Garden plant and herb stall.
Additionally there was a Bouncy Castle and a Puppet
Theatre for the children. The day ended with an
evening Barn Dance in the main hall of St. Edmund's
school.

Churches Together Didcot and District Pentecost
Praise and Party


Congratulations to all the candidates in the
Thames Isis Pastoral Area who were confirmed by
Bishop Crispian on 11th May at Our Lady and and St
Edmund's Church, Abingdon.

Con-celebrating were Fr David O'Sullivan, Fr Paul
King, Fr Terence Fitzpatrick and Fr Tom Taaffe, with
assistance from Deacon Richard Budgen


With grateful thanks to Ernest Janicki for
the use of his photos
APRIL 2010

The St Vincent de Paul Society of St John the
Evangelist Church displayed material on their Feed
My Lambs Appeal at the Wallingford St Georges
Charity Day on Saturday 23rd April, raising £158.69
from generous passers-by. A big thank you to
everyone for their help.
Click here for information on Feed My Lambs


MARCH 2010
Palm Sunday Procession in East
Hendred

Parishioners from St Mary's and from St
Augustine's C of E Church joined together in an
ecumenical procession around the village.


As part of the Parish Lenten
Programme at St John's and English Martyrs Churches,
the Youth Group ran a Cake, Create and Play event
for the younger members of the parish.

The children enjoyed making wooden
crosses, talking about the Stations of the Cross,
singing and decorating cakes.

St Patrick's Day Celebrations at
English Martyrs Church


Parishioners enjoying the results
of their efforts
Mothering Sunday at North Hinksey

Children at Our Lady of the Rosary proudly display
their Mothers' Day cards.

FEBRUARY 2010
Day of Prayer at Holy Rood

Holy Rood Church hosted a Day of Prayer on the
Feast of The Chair of St Peter for Anglicans
discerning the way forward in response to Pope
Benedict's invitation contained in 'Anglicanorum
Coetibus'. The Day of Prayer was proposed by the
Anglican Bishop Andrew Burnham, who lives in the
parish, and was observed in many places all over the
country. We began with Morning Prayer at 10am and
ended with Evening Prayer and Benediction at 5.30pm;
Mass was celebrated in the middle of the day, and a
Watch of Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament was
maintained throughout the day. The photograph was
taken during the watch of prayer.
Life in the Spirit Seminars at Our Lady and St
Edmund Church, Abingdon

We were pleased to welcome David Payne on our first
week, who spoke to a full church about God's love.
David is Director of Catholic Evangelisation
Services, which produce the CaFE videos; he is he
well known from his appearances in these videos.
For more photos of following weeks please click here
Valentine's Gala Dinner at Our
Lady and St Edmund Church, Abingdon
More than one hundred and fifty years ago a
celebratory meal for notable guests including many
of the Catholic aristocracy, was held in the
cloister of Our Lady and St. Edmund’s church in
Abingdon. This event inspired a group of present day
parishioners to organize a fund raising “Gala
Candlelit St. Valentines Supper” in the same venue.
This commenced with a Champagne reception at the
presbytery followed by a three course meal in the
cloister. The event proved to be both a social
and financial success, the people attending agreeing
that the evening was most enjoyable, while over
fifteen hundred pounds was raised for charity.

For more photos click here for the Abingdon Diary
pages
Click here for
Pastoral Area Diary 2009
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