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

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