The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins today Tuesday, 18th January 2022. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland have produced a pamphlet and various prayer resources: to download them, click here. 
 
The story of the Magi visiting the Holy Family in Bethlehem is one very familiar to us. Indeed, we have recently celebrated Christmas; the Feast of Incarnation and Epiphany. The Magi have sometimes been seen as a symbol of the world’s diversity – different religions and cultures – that comes to pay homage to the Christ-child. The story might therefore represent the unity of all created that God desires. The Magi travel from far-off countries, and represent diverse cultures, yet they are driven by the same hunger to see and know the new-born king and are gathered into the little house in Bethlehem in the simple act of giving homage. In this we can find a metaphor for Christian unity: that is, of different Christian peoples drawn together in their common search to recognise Christ, to know him and to worship him and witnessing to wider need for unity and to overcome injustice.

This year, the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion will take place, all being well, on Saturday 5th March 2022 at 11am in the Cathedral. If you are a catechumen preparing to be initiated as a Christian in the Roman Catholic Church or if you are a candidate for the Call to Continuing Conversion, that is a baptised Christian preparing to be received into the full Communion of the Roman Catholic Church, please take note! At the Rite of Election, the Bishop, in the name of the whole Church, summons the catechumens to the Easter sacraments. In the same liturgy, he acknowledges the desire of those already baptised to be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation, and to share in the Eucharist. Forms and documentation need to be completed and returned as soon as possible in preparation: please ensure you discuss this with your catechist or parish priest.
 
On the day, all catechumens and candidates must register in the Cathedral Discovery Centre between 9am and 10.30am, along with their godparents/sponsors. It is essential for each catechumen or candidate to be accompanied by a godparent or a sponsor. The catechumens and candidates, with their godparents and sponsors will be seated in the front benches of the Cathedral during the ceremony. The catechumens will be on one side, and the candidates on the other. Members of our team will be there to guide and help them. During the ceremony, the catechumens will be called and their names enrolled in the Book of the Elect. The catechumens will be presented to Bishop Philip by their godparents. The candidates in their turn will be presented to Bishop Philip by their sponsors.

Last Saturday, 15th January, I went over to the New Forest, to visit the Dominican Sisters of St. Joseph and to preside over the election of their new superior. Sr. Julie Marsh-Collis was re-elected and is now the superior for another term of three years. Here she is standing on my left, with some of the community around: Sr. Rosaleen, Sr. Veronica, Sr. Hyacinthe and, on my left, Sr. Mary Catherine, Sr. Michelle and Sr. Mary Benedicta. After the election, we said Midday Prayer and then offered Mass in the chapel, with Fr. Richard Saksons, the chaplain, concelebrating. It was a day of joy. I thank God for their presence and inspiring example of consecrated life and also for all their support of the Diocese. Let’s remember Sr. Julie in our prayers and the community with its novices.

Last weekend, I made the Pastoral Visitation of St. Margaret Mary’s, Park Gate, which is in the care of Fr. Robert Stewart, parish priest. It was a happy day! After arriving first thing Sunday morning, I said the 10.15am Mass and afterwards both outside church and also in the parish hall, I met with the parishioners. Also in the hall, I had an informal meeting with members of the Finance Committee. Park Gate is a parish I have often visited before for different occasions, including special Masses associated with Lourdes pilgrimage. Deacon Craig accompanied me for the visitation and Fr. Rob took us both out for lunch at a nearby Chinese restaurant (no Sunday roast - but instead some delicious lemon chicken!). After lunch, I spoke at length with Fr. Rob about his hopes for the parish. We also discussed the Visitation Forms with all their information and data. At 5pm, I led a Holy Hour of prayer for vocations. An impressive number of parishioners turned up for the prayer. I then said the evening Mass at 6.30pm, and again met with parishioners afterwards. It was a great visit. Please remember the parishioners of Park Gate in your prayers, Fr. Rob, and also the staff and children of St. Anthony’s the parish school.

Last Friday’s Office of Readings included a splendid extract from St. Athanasius’s Discourse Against the Pagans (Nn. 42-43: PG 25, 83-87) in which he reflects on the first words of the Gospel of St. John and how the Word of God creates a divine harmony in creation.
 
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made. In these words, John the theologian teaches that nothing exists or remains in being except in and through the Word.
 
“Think of a musician tuning his lyre. By his skill he adjusts high notes to low and intermediate notes to the rest and produces a series of harmonies. So too the wisdom of God holds the world like a lyre and joins things in the air to those on earth, and things in heaven to those in the air, and brings each part into harmony with the whole. By his decree and will, he regulates them all to produce the beauty and harmony of a single, well-ordered universe. While remaining unchanged with his Father, he moves all creation by his unchanging nature, according to the Father’s will. To everything he gives existence and life in accordance with its nature, and so creates a wonderful and truly divine harmony.

During January, and throughout this Year of the Eucharist, I encourage you to recite the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, which brings to mind the words of St. Paul: “Whatever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Col 3:17). The Litany was largely composed by two 15th century saints known for their love for the Name of Jesus: St. Bernardine of Siena and his student, St. John of Capistrano. The Litany gives us a great opportunity to meditate on Our Lord’s attributes and on His life, while asking Him for heavenly guidance and assistance. Pope Sixtus V approved the Litany for private use in 1585 and in 1886, Pope Leo XIII approved it for public use.
 
Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, hear us. Jesus, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us (after each line)
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Spirit,
Holy Trinity, one God...

Tomorrow, Wednesday 19th January, is in England the (optional) memorial of St. Wulfstan (1008-1095), Benedictine monk and Bishop of Worcester. He came from Warwickshire and as a child, educated in Peterborough, he excelled both in sports and in his piety. In 1033, he joined the household of the Bishop of Worcester and was ordained a priest but later entered the Worcester cathedral priory as a Benedictine monk. In 1050, he became prior and was zealous in both his administration and in his pastoral care and preaching. When in 1062, the Bishop of Worcester was appointed to York, Wulfstan was recommended by the papal legates as his successor and shortly afterwards, he was consecrated. He combined well the role of monastic superior and diocesan bishop and was the first English bishop to undertake a systematic visitation of his diocese. He encouraged the building of churches, promoted the celibacy of the clergy and insisted on the installation of stone altars over wooden ones. He had a particular devotion to the early English saints such as St. Bede and St. Oswald. After his death in 1095, his cult began, with many pilgrimages to his shrine in the Cathedral. St. Wulstan is a patron saint of vegetarians and dieters. It is said he was one day very distracted at Mass by the smell of a cooking goose, after which he swore never to eat meat again.

This Thursday, 20th January, is the (optional) memorial of St. Sebastian (d. 288), a trusted soldier of the Emperor Diocletian who put his allegiance to God before his duty and so suffered martyrdom at his master’s hands. We know little for certain about him, although his legend gained has great popularity and he became a popular subject for artists, especially in the Renaissance. It is said he was born in Gaul and in 283 enlisted in the Roman army. His Christian faith was unknown to Diocletian, who appointed him captain of the praetorian guard. He supported and encouraged Christians under persecution and made many converts amongst the prison staff, including the prefect of Rome. In time Sebastian’s faith became known to the Emperor, who accused him of disloyalty and ingratitude, and ordered him to be shot to death with arrows. However, although the sentence was carried out and Sebastian left for dead, he had not in fact been killed outright and his wounds were tended and healed by a Christian widow. Instead of fleeing the city for safety, Sebastian deliberately went back to Diocletian to reproach him for his cruelty. The Emperor condemned him again to a brutal death, this time by being beaten with cudgels. His body was buried secretly in a grave now marked by the Basilica of St. Sebastian. After his death, he became popular as the patron saint of archers and soldiers. He also gained a reputation for his efficacy against the plague and in mediaeval times was listed as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Let’s ask his intercession with the Lord for an end to the current coronavirus pandemic.

This Friday, 21st January, is the memorial of St. Agnes (d. 301), one and the most famous of the virgin martyrs and a powerful symbol of Christian chastity and innocence. She was born of a wealthy Roman family and although very beautiful consecrated herself to chastity as a child. When she was betrayed to the Roman authorities as a Christian by a rejected suitor at the age of 12 or 13, she endured martyrdom rather than compromise her faith or her virginity. During her arrest, she is said to have been unmoved by the governor’s range of torture implements. After her martyrdom, she was buried in a catacomb on the Via Salaria, that was later named after her, the catacomb of Saint Agnes, and by the year 349 a basilica had been built over her tomb by Constantina, the daughter of the Emperor Constantine. Her head was removed from the shrine to the Lateran Palace in the ninth century, which on examination in the early 20th century was pronounced to be that of a girl aged 12. From the sixth century onwards, her emblem has been that of a lamb, from the similarity of her name to the Latin agnus, ‘lamb.’ At St. Agnes in Rome, where nuns weave the pallia for archbishops, the lambs which provide the wool are specially blessed on her feast day. Her cult became very widespread in the early Church and influential figures such as St. Ambrose and St. Jerome singled her out for praise. Several early English churches are dedicated to her. She is, of course, commemorated in the First Eucharistic Prayer, the Roman Canon.

This Saturday, 22nd January, is the (optional) Memorial of yet another martyr from the Roman period, this time the deacon, St. Vincent (d. 304). Vincent came from Saragossa and is the proto-martyr of Spain. He was mentioned by St. Augustine, who has left us several sermons preached on his feastday. He was martyred at Valencia, during the persecution by Diocletian. The Acts of the Martyrs describe his tortures in some detail and record his speech to Dacian, governor of Spain: ‘The more I witness your fury, Dacian, the greater is my pleasure. Do not lessen in any way the sufferings you prepare for me so that I can make my victory shine more resplendently.” The Opening Collect of the Mass for this feastday is taken from a Spanish sacramentary. It highlights the courage of St. Vincent in enduring torture and death. As his feast falls in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, let’s ask the prayers of this most celebrated martyr of the Iberian peninsula that we too can hope to overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that stand in the way of unity in faith and charity: Almighty ever-living God, mercifully pour out your Spirit upon us, so that our hearts may possess that strong love by which the Martyr St. Vincent triumphed over all bodily torments. Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Next Sunday 23rd January, the Third Sunday of the Year, is ‘Bible Sunday,’ the Sunday of the Word of God and the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation has produced a welter of materials to help us keep it. You can access them here.  Pope Francis instituted this day in 2019 saying that it “is to be devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God.” This “Sunday of the Word of God will thus be a fitting part of that time of the year when we are encouraged to strengthen our bonds with the Jewish people and to pray for Christian unity. This is more than a temporal coincidence: the celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God has ecumenical value, since the Scriptures point out, for those who listen, the path to authentic and firm unity. … The various communities will find their own ways to mark this Sunday with a certain solemnity. It is important, however, that in the Eucharistic celebration the sacred text be enthroned, in order to focus the attention of the assembly on the normative value of God’s Word” (Aperuit Illis 3).

You can find Sunday's readings here and read Scott Hahn's Sunday Reflection here.

Next Monday, 24th January, is the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622), one-time Bishop of Geneva. Francis was born in the family castle in Savoy in 1567 and was privately educated in Annecy, a Jesuit college in Paris. In 1588, he went on to study philosophy and theology at the University of Padua where in 1591 he became a doctor of law. It looked to see if he would have a dazzling career with the offer of a senatorship and a highly desirable marriage. Francis, however, had decided to become a priest and despite strong opposition from his family, was ordained in 1593. He education well equipped him to be a memorable preacher and he also became known for his works for charity towards the poor. His first mission as a priest was in Chablis, where he attempted to convert the strongly Calvinistic people there back to Catholicism. He was frequently under attack and in physical danger, but by patient and compassionate preaching, he succeeded in making many new converts and restoring many lapsed Catholics to their faith. In 1602 he was appointed the Bishop of Geneva and became a leading figure in the counter-reformation movement, famed for his simple, straightforward preaching, his administrative process and his untiring intellect. Francis involved himself personally with the teaching of catechism, and he also founded many excellent schools. It was during this time that he befriended a widow, Jane Francis de Chantal. He became her spiritual advisor and, guided by him, she founded in 1610 the Order of the Visitation, usually known as the Visitandines. He died in Lyon in 1622 and was canonised in 1665 by Pope Alexander VII, who declared him a doctor of the Church. Francis has been named patron saint of writers for his example of persuasive and reasonable Christian writings. Two of his works are still popular today: his Treatise on the Love of God and his Introduction to the Devout Life, the latter being first guide to piety to be written for laypeople. It grew out of advice and instruction which he had written privately to his cousin, who later persuaded him to publish it. Many of his letters to Jane Francis de Chantal also survive. The story of his remarkable life is well worth exploring. May he pray for us during this week of prayer that one day all Christians may enjoy full communion in doctrine, life and worship.

Next Tuesday, 25th January, is the Feastday of the Conversion of St. Paul and the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. St. Paul, after Jesus, is probably the most influential figure in the history of Christian thought, doctrine and mission. Saul of Tarsus began life as a fervent follower of the Jewish law. At age 14, he studied as a Pharisee under the famous rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem and following the rabbinic tradition of studying a trade as well as the law, he learnt tent-making. Although Aramaic was his mother tongue, he had a strong Hebrew education. His birth in Tarsus automatically gave him the status of a Roman citizen and he spoke Greek fluently, which made him eminently qualified for his later role as Apostle to the Gentiles. The changing of his name from Saul to the Hellenic form Paul, traditionally associated with his conversion, may have been a Romanisation present from his childhood. As a Pharisee, he persecuted the early Christian Church relentlessly, strictly applying the Jewish law, which the new sect appeared to be flouting. The story of his conversion is in Acts 9: 1-22 and Acts 22: 3-16. While he was on the way to Damascus to persecute Christians, he was blinded by a bright light and thrown to the ground from his horse. (The depiction above is by antititianvs). He heard the words ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ As Benedict XVI wrote, ‘the Risen One spoke to Paul, called him to the apostolate and made him a true Apostle, a witness of the Resurrection, with the specific task of proclaiming the Gospel to the Gentiles, to the Graeco-Roman world.’ Today’s feast reminds us that the best way to hasten the unity of all Christians is to foster our own daily personal conversion to Christ.

Pope Francis has announced that 2025 will be a Holy Year. Here we reproduce the article by Linda Bordoni of Vatican News about the theme for the Holy Year that has been chosen: “Pilgrims of Hope.”
 
According to the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, the Pope's main concern is that the 2025 Jubilee Year be prepared in the best possible way. Speaking after an audience with Pope Francis on 3rd January, Archbishop Rino Fisichella said that during the meeting the Pope approved the motto proposed for the upcoming Jubilee Year, a motto he said, “that can be summed up in two words: Pilgrims of hope." Archbishop Fisichella explained that, like for any motto, it attempts to condense the meaning of the entire Jubilee journey. He notes that the chosen words – pilgrims and hope – both represent key themes of Pope Francis' pontificate. "There is so much work to be done" in these two years, he said, referring in particular to the Dicastery that he heads and that is entrusted with the organisational responsibility for the event. The need, he stressed, is to have a "solid preparatory impact" in order to create an efficient organizational machine. "To activate it completely I am waiting for further indications from the Pope," Archbishop Fisichella added, although work has already begun. One of the priorities concerns the reception of pilgrims and the faithful, with a large number of pilgrims expected in Rome during the Holy Year - in the hope that in the next two years the health emergency will no longer affect activities as it does today. He confirmed that collaboration with “the Municipality of Rome, with the Lazio Region authorities, and with the Italian government” is in full swing so that everything can take place securely and in line with the city’s capacity to receive visitors in the best possible way."
 
Following the extraordinary 2015 Holy Year of Mercy instigated by Pope Francis, the forthcoming Jubilee will take place in line with the norm of leaving a 25-year gap between each one. The most recent ordinary jubilee took place in the year 2000, as the world and the Catholic Church prepared to enter the new millennium. The Jubilee Year is a special year of grace, in which the Church offers the faithful the possibility of obtaining a plenary indulgence. Traditionally, it begins just before Christmas and ends on the Epiphany of the following year.

The Pope inaugurates the Holy Year with the rite of the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica. After that, the Holy Doors of the other papal basilicas – St John Lateran, St Paul Outside the Walls, and St Mary Major – are opened and remain so until the end of the Jubilee Year.

Alton Day of Renewal (ADoRE) invite you to join them this Saturday, 22nd January, 10.00-13.00 for an online spiritual mini-retreat morning... 

The morning will include Mass, Adoration, Reflection, Praise, Talk, Prayer and Discussion. Theme: "Our Father in Heaven” - Knowing who we are as children of our loving Abba. Our special guest speaker is Charles Whitehead KSG, acclaimed international renewal author and speaker who was appointed by Pope Saint John Paul II to run the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal office in Rome. Please register for the Zoom meeting in advance here.  You can find out more here and download a poster of events for the whole year can be downloaded here.

 
We devote this evening to dialogue and reflection related to formation of our young adults in the third millennium. The first seminar will present a holistic model for young adult formation, exploring the challenges inherent to our culture today. Our second seminar will focus on social media and its implications for holistic human and Christian formation. All involved in youth and young adults' ministry and formators are invited to attend! Exploring the challenges inherent to our culture today and how social media affects holistic human and Christian formation. These seminars will offer opportunities for dialogue and reflection regarding the challenges of young formation in the third millennium.  The Speakers for the two events are Susan Muto, PhD. and Lori McMahon, MS. Susan is Executive Director of the Epiphany Association and Dean of the Epiphany Academy of Formative Spirituality. Lori serves as Program Coordinator for the Epiphany Academy and is also certified as a Pastoral Associate
in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

You may also be interested in Letting Teresa Speak: An exploration of her life and teaching, a six session online course beginning this Saturday, 22nd January or one of the many courses the centre has on offer.

This coming year, Douai Abbey are offering a programme of retreats, workshops, courses and day-schools which give an opportunity for spiritual and personal development. As the monastery emerges from the heaviest restrictions of the pandemic they are partially resuming their pastoral programme. The focus is generally on spirituality, theology, scripture, history and ministry. Click here for the details and brochure. Bookings for Individual Guided Retreats and any other enquiries about the Pastoral Programme should be directed to Fr Peter Bowe by email or by calling 0118 971 5333.

Following the success of the online retreat during lockdown last year, the Jesuit Institute is offering another opportunity for a retreat in daily life in 2022. This online retreat involves individual spiritual direction and some optional group meetings using Zoom. It will begin late on the afternoon of Sunday 27th March and close on the evening of Friday 1st April. For this retreat an experienced team of Ignatian Spiritual Directors have offered their time. Donations are invited - suggested donation £150-200. Any clergy wanting more information should contact Sarah Young: syoung@jesuit.org.uk (07548 224362). Please note that this retreat is for clergy only. Our apologies for omitting that information last week.

Sheila Wade, Interim Head of Charity, shares further Information about the new diocesan Environment Strategy...
 
The Strategy document is now available for all to read. You can download the document here. We all have a part to play in this very important work to move the diocese towards Bishop Philip’s vision: Care of creation, living simply and promoting a Catholic ecology comes under Priority Four (of our 10 year Evangelisation Strategy) “Becoming Outward-looking Servants”: that “our parish and school communities become outward-facing service-centres, beacons of mission, dialogue and service to all around, especially to the poor, the homeless and those in need.” The task is to promote the conversion of individuals and families, faithful and clergy through the spirituality of an integral Catholic eco-theology.
 
If you have any comments on the Strategy, or would like to help in our work to implement it, please get in touch with me at: swade@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

Jo Lewry asks can you join CAFOD’s Walk Against Hunger this Lent?

This Lent we are asking you to help us to stamp out hunger by joining our Walk Against Hunger. You can take on the individual challenge of walking 200km – 5km each day for the 40 days of Lent or walk as a group to reach 200km.  Why not organise a group from your parish to join our community Walk against Hunger on Saturday 26th March?

There are 200 million children around the world who are at risk of malnutrition.  Lombeh, the third child of Amie and Borbor who live in Sierra Lerone, was malnourished. She was so tiny that a bracelet her mother Amie bought for her at the time now fits round her thumb. Amie and Borbor left no stone unturned to find help, but to no avail. Amie saw a group of new mothers coming along the road, their babies all healthy, and asked where they had come from. They told her about the Sister Anthonia an expert in health care for new Mums and babies. Amie went straight to see her. Even though they feared there was no hope for little Lombeh, they gave her benny mix – a local weaning food. Lombeh immediately began to improve. Now, aged five, Lombeh is a lively and energetic little girl, who can’t believe the stories her mother tells her about when she was a baby. So this Lent please, help us to support those suffering from malnutrition and food scarcity.

Eleanor Belton, our Trust & Project Manager gives an update on the Diocesan Archive...

The Diocesan archives preserve our past, inform the present and help shape our future. The Diocese has an obligation under Canon Law to keep certain records and is encouraged to preserve records and examples of its mission, evangelisation and pastoral actions for the future as well. Together, these records form the Diocesan Archives. Each parish will also have an archive where sacramental records and perhaps a record of parish life are kept.

Our Diocesan Archives have been overseen for several years by Jean Watson supported by Tom Blair. Jean has decided to retire from this role after many years of great dedication and service to the Diocese looking after our records and managing the varied enquiries to consult the archives. We are very grateful to her and Tom for the commitment they have given to this service. Tom will continue to be involved with the archives going forward.

Matt Fradd is Australian by birth. After experiencing a profound conversion at World Youth Day in Rome in 2000, he committed himself to evangelisation and inviting others to know Jesus Christ and His Church. As a missionary in Canada and Ireland, he has also served the Church through full-time lay ministry in Australia and the USA. He has been appeared on the BBC, EWTN, The Irish Morning Show, and Catholic Answers Live, where he has shared his personal story of sin, redemption, and healing with people all over the world. He lives with his wife and their four children in San Diego. In his book The Porn Effect, he speaks about the many wounds pornography inflicts, the healing Christ offers in the Sacraments, and the freedom that the Church proposes in Her teachings on the virtue of chastity. Recently, he launched a website www.theporneffect.com. In this eight-minute interview, he tackles the question why watching pornography is considered sinful and how to overcome pornography addiction.

It was a great joy yesterday to welcome Rev. Professor Stephen Morgan who is currently on leave from Macau, where he is the Rector of the University of St. Joseph. Besides catching up on all that has been happening, Deacon Stephen gave me a copy of his recently published book John Henry Newman and the Development of Doctrine (Washington, CUA Press). The book has a splendid ‘Foreword’ by the renowned Newman scholar, Ian Ker. The book focuses on the Newman of history in his Anglican context, at the same time “recognising his ‘afterlife’ through his theological legacy, a legacy notably revealed by the Second Vatican Council, its genesis and aftermath, and in an ongoing shaping and influencing of contemporary Catholicism” (Nockles). Congratulations to Stephen for his work! Please pray for him and for the many Catholic religious and clerical students from Asia that the University serves.

The Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth is seeking to appoint:

Senior IT Technician
Salary: £22,000 per annum depending on skills and experience.
Permanent Full time: 35 hours per week.
Based at: St Edmund’s House, Bishop Crispian Way, Portsmouth PO1 3QA 

Do you have 3 or more years experience within IT support, delivering high-quality support to customers within service level agreements and achieving high satisfaction rates? Do you want to use this experience and be part of a small team delivering support to over 700 users across 87 different sites? Do you have the skills to problem solve effectively whilst helping develop and implement an IT strategy throughout an organisation? If so, then we have a fantastic opportunity for you.

Closing Date: Friday 28th January 2022 at 12 noon.
Interviews: will take place on Friday 4th February 2022. 
 

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Members of the Safeguarding Committee (Volunteer Role)
The Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth is seeking to build on the existing membership of the Safeguarding Committee. Acting on behalf of the Bishop and Trustees in matters which relate to safeguarding and risk, the Committee has a role in providing leadership and strong oversight in the development of safeguarding practice across the Diocese in the context of wider developments in safeguarding within the Catholic Church.

Closing date for applications: Midnight on Sunday 23rd January 2022.
 

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St Swithun Wells parish based at Holy Cross Church, Eastleigh 
Finance Administrator 

Salary: up to £21,278 per annum (for 30 hours per week) dependant on experience, plus contributory pension.
Part time: 30 hours per week 
Reporting to: the Parish Priest 

Overall job purpose
•    Management of parish and clergy finance.
•    Car park finance administration. 
•    Property liaison with estate agents.
•    Processing for Our Parish Future programme

Closing Date: Thursday 3rd February 2022
Interview Date: Friday 11th February 2022 

For more information on the above roles and details of how to apply, see here.
 

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There are a number of opportunities in our Diocesan schools which can be found here.