Dear Friends, The main theme of this Sunday’s readings is the warning that the selfish and extravagant use of God’s blessings, like wealth, without sharing them with the poor and the needy is a serious sin deserving eternal punishment. Today’s readings stress the Covenant responsibility of the rich for the poor, reminding us of the…
Dear Friends, Today’s Gospel appears to show Jesus praising the actions of a dishonest steward. When reading the text, it could be interpreted that Jesus is displaying some form of admiration for the steward, who aware that he is about to be found out for misusing his master’s goods, decides to defraud his master’s accounts…
The relics of St Bernadette will come to our diocese in October. This is a wonderful opportunity to pray with the woman to whom Our Lady chose to appear in Lourdes. Here are the details: BRENTWOOD CATHEDRAL Sunday 16th October 11 am: Relics of St Bernadette arrive. 11.30 am: Holy Mass, celebrated by Bp Alan.…
A book of condolence has been placed in the church. Should you wish to sign, the book will be available after each of the weekend’s Masses.
On 21 April 1947, on her twenty-first birthday, Princess Elizabeth said, ‘I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.’ Now, seventy-five years later, we are heartbroken in our loss at her death, and so full of admiration for the unfailing way in…
I am greatly saddened to hear the news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I pray for the repose of her soul and for all the members of the Royal Family at this time of sorrow. On 21 April 1947, her 21st birthday, in a speech broadcast on the radio from Cape…
Dear Friends, In the first two parables, there are the common elements of loss, searching, finding, rejoicing, and sharing of the joy. These parables show a God seeking sinners, but in the third parable, we see a God forgiving and receiving sinners. As a group, the parables tell us about God’s generosity in seeking and receiving the sinner…
Dear Friends, I am delighted to have been appointed by Bishop Alan as your new Parish Priest and I am very much looking forward to joining you later this month. I especially look forward to getting to know you, your families and our wider community in the months and years ahead as we journey together…
Dear Friends, Today, the church celebrates the spirit of commitment and self-sacrifice of Christ. The spirit of self-sacrifice motivates one do the unimaginable. It was this spirit that made Jesus give up everything, including his own life for our sake. So, through this same spirit, we can become true his disciples of Christ. Today’s first…
Dear Friends, On this twenty second Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Church calls our attention to a very important Christian virtue, humility. It is an attribute and quality of God which all his children must strive to possess and live. We are therefore enjoined this Sunday to reflect deeply on this great virtue. Also, we…
Dear Friends, “Are you saved”? When the questioner asked Jesus “How many will be saved?” he was assuming that the salvation of God’s Chosen People was virtually guaranteed, provided they kept the Law. In other words, the Kingdom of God was reserved for the Jews alone, and Gentiles would be shut out. The Jewish catechism,…
Dear Friends, The Feast of the Assumption is one of the most important feasts of our Lady. Catholics believe in the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven. We believe that when her earthly life was finished, Mary was taken up, body and soul, into Heavenly glory, where the Lord exalted her as Queen of…
Dear Friends, Today’s reading from Luke 12 is one of three eschatological discourses in the Gospel. All three of the Synoptic Gospels record Jesus’ concern for his disciples as he warned them to keep alert, to keep watch over themselves with careful attention. The passage is a collection of short parables, in which the chief…
Dear Friends, The theme of today’s readings is the futility of the greedy acquisition of wealth and power because everything and everyone is “here today and gone tomorrow.” So, the meaning of life cannot be found in selfishly hoarding wealth and possessions, but only in sharing these with the needy. The first reading, taken from…
Dear Friends, The first reading, taken from the book of Genesis, gives us the model for intercessory prayer provided by Abraham in his dialogue with God. Although Abraham seems to be trying to manipulate God through his skilful bargaining and humble, persistent intercession, God is actually being moved to mercy by the goodness of a…
This weeks Baptism course has been cancelled. Please lookout for future courses on our website, Newsletter and Facebook page. Thank you
Dear Friends, Today’s first reading describes how Abraham and Sarah’s hospitality to angels in the guise of strangers was rewarded by God, who blessed them with a son in their old age. The refrain for today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 15) He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord, reminds us of…
Dear Friends, The first reading, taken from Deuteronomy, reminds us that God not only gives us His Commandments in Holy Scriptures, but that they are also written in our hearts so that we may obey them and inherit eternal life with God. In the second reading, St. Paul reminds the Colossians, and us, that just…
Fr Lee will be leaving the Parish to undertake Pastoral duties in the Diocese of Shrewsbury, in order to be closer to his family in the north. He is to be replaced by Fr Liam Hayes who currently has responsibilities at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology in Cambridge. He will continue with this role…
Dear Friends, Jesus has a vision in this week’s Gospel: Satan falling like lightning from the sky, the enemy vanquished by the missionary preaching of His Church. Sent out by Jesus to begin gathering the nations into the harvest of divine judgment (see Isaiah 27:12–13; Joel 4:13), the seventy-two can be seen as a sign…
Should you wish your child to be registered for the First Holy Communion programme commencing around September 2022, please contact the parish office via the contact form below or call the office on 01279 816 889 no later than noon on Thursday, 28th July 2022. (Late registration may mean your child will be registered for…
Dear Friends, There is a sense of call in today’s readings, underlying our theme of Vocation explored on the Fourth Sunday of Easter. We hear Elisha called to assume the prophetic mantle of Elijah after first kissing his parents goodbye and setting off to follow the prophet’s call; we hear Jesus saying “Follow me”, and…
On Wednesday 29th June we celebrate the feast of Ss Peter and Paul. This is a Holy Day of Obligation, and we shall be holding two Masses on this day, our usual 12:30 p.m. and an additional Mass at 7:30p.m. Please do try and attend, all are welcome.
Dear Friends, Today’s Solemnity is one of the few Holy Days of Obligation that used to fall in the middle of the week, not to be restored to its rightful place. This great feast was always kept on the Thursday following the Most Holy Trinity. We hope that one day it may be restored to…
Dear Friends, The mystery of the most Holy Trinity is a basic doctrine of Faith in Christianity, understandable not with our heads but with our hearts. It teaches us that there are three distinct Persons in one God, sharing the same Divine Nature, co-equal and co-eternal. Our mind cannot grasp this doctrine which teaches that…
Dear Friends, Pentecost literally means 50th. It is a feast celebrated on the 50th day after the Passover feast by the Jews and a feast celebrated on the 50th day after the feast of the Resurrection of Jesus by Christians. The Jewish Pentecost was originally a post-harvest thanksgiving feast. Later, the Jews included in it…
Dear Friends, Today’s readings are about people’s bearing heroic witness to Jesus through life and death, and the Source of the inspiration behind such witness-bearing. They urge us to work for greater Christian unity and to consider the power of Christian witness. The first reading describes the martyrdom of Stephen, showing us how he bore…
Dear Friends, Today’s readings show us the effects of the abiding presence of God in His Church and of His indwelling in each one of us. The first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, tells us how the Holy Spirit, dwelling in the Church, helped the apostles to solve a major doctrinal problem,…
Dear Friends, The first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, describes how the small Christian communities helped the work of renewal in their members by their agape love, imitating the agape love of Paul and Barnabas. The second reading, from the Book of Revelation, explains how God renews His Church, the New Jerusalem, by being present in her members,…
Since the start of the pandemic the obligation to attend Mass has been suspended. We are pleased to confirm that The Bishops of England and Wales have now removed this suspension with effect from Sunday 5th June 2022 (Pentecost Sunday). We look forward to welcoming those of you that are yet to return to Mass.…
Dear Friends, The fourth Sunday of Easter, known as Good Shepherd Sunday, is also the “World Day of Prayer for Vocations.” Each year on this Sunday, we reflect on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who devotedly and kindly takes care of his flock. The title “pastor” means shepherd. A shepherd leads, feeds,…
Dear Friends, Today’s Gospel narrative shows us the rehabilitation of Peter, who denied Jesus three times in the courtyard of Caiaphas, repented, and then received Primacy in the Church from Jesus. The Gospel also shows us God in search of man, even when man tries to evade Him. The first reading, taken from the Acts…
Dear Friends, St. Faustina of Poland is the well-known apostle of Divine Mercy. On the 30th of April 2000, at 10:00 AM, on the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday, the Feast requested by Jesus in His communications with St. Faustina), His Holiness Pope St. John Paul II celebrated the Eucharist in Saint Peter’s…
Dear Friends, A couple of weeks ago we started what looked like a hopeless, and an endless journey. Today we have come to the end of that journey. Today is the greatest of all Sundays in the Christian calendar because of the newness of life that it brings. Today a new epoch has completely began.…
Dear Friends, The readings for Palm Sunday (Passion Sunday) tell of the death of Jesus Christ, who showed us the true meaning of love and the nature of God. The reading for the procession of the palms recounts how Jesus was greeted by crowds while entering Jerusalem. The first reading tells how we will be…
Dear Friends, The central theme of all three readings today is a merciful God’s steadfast love. The readings remind us that we should not be self-righteous and condemn the lives of others when God is calling them tenderly to conversion. Reminding us of God’s readiness to forgive sin, give the sinner a second chance, bind…
Details of our Holy Week Masses can be viewed here We look forwarding to seeing you.
Dear Friends, The fourth Sunday of Lent marks the midpoint in the Lenten preparation for Easter. Traditionally, it is called Laetare Sunday (Rejoice Sunday). It is a sign of what liturgical authors call “anticipatory joy”— a reminder that we are moving swiftly toward the end of our Lenten fast, and the joy of Easter is already on…
On Friday, the Church demonstrates her spiritual closeness to those directly affected by the conflict in Ukraine by consecrating Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate heart of Mary. “This Act of Consecration is meant to be a gesture of the universal Church, which in this dramatic moment lifts up to God, through his Mother and…
Dear Friends, All three of today’s readings speak of God’s mercy and compassion in disciplining His children by occasional punishment, while giving them many “second chances” despite their repeated sins. Although God’s love for us is constant and consistent, He will not save us without our co-operation. That is why He invites us during Lent…
Dear Friends, The first reading describes the transformation of Abram, a pagan patriarch, into a believer in the one God (Who would later “transform” Abram’s name to Abraham), and the first covenant of God with Abraham’s family as a reward for Abraham’s Faith and obedience to God. The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 27) declares that Faith,…
You will have all seen the distressing pictures being televised of the people displaced by the conflict in Ukraine and the growing humanitarian crisis. CAFOD is part of one of the largest aid networks in the world, Caritas Internationalis, who along with other humanitarian organisations, are already helping people affected by this conflict. Due to…
Dear Friends, Lent begins with a reflection on the Temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The Church assigns temptation stories to the beginning of Lent because temptations come to everybody, not only to Jesus, and we seem almost genetically programmed to yield to them. The first reading describes the ancient Jewish ritual of presenting the…
Dear Friends, In today’s Gospel Jesus draws our attention to practical points of Christian living and challenges us to use our words as he used his in his preaching and healing ministry — to heal, to restore, and to bring back life, joy, and hope. Today’s readings also instruct us to share our Christian life,…
Details of our Ash Wednesday Masses and Lent programme can be found here.
Dear Friends, Today’s Scripture readings challenge us to make three types of correct choices in life. First, we are advised to choose the love in the “golden rule” instead of selfishness and insensitivity to the feelings and needs of others. Second, we need to choose unconditional, agape love instead of jealousy and hatred in our…
Dear Friends, Today’s readings teach us that true happiness, or beatitude, lies in the awareness that we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father and that we will be happy only when we share our blessings with our brothers and sisters in need, and when we work to uplift them, thus declaring our “option…
Dear Friends, Last week we were made aware of our call to share in the prophetic ministry of Jesus. In our readings today we explore this further in considering vocation and discipleship. We are helped by the wonderful stories given to us of the calls of the Prophet Isaiah, and the disciples Peter and Paul.…
The guidance below has been issued by the Bishops of England and Wales following the removal of restrictions by HM Government today (27th January 2022). Those attending an act of worship may continue to wear a face covering (both nose and mouth) whilst in the church building. There is no need for formal social distancing…
Dear Friends, Along with the Law, the Prophets are the dominant theme of the Old Testament. The Power, beauty, and disturbing truthfulness of the Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Minor Prophets take hold of our consciousness, and they come to the fore during our Advent and Lent Liturgies. The Prophet is one who is…
Dear Friends, In his motu proprio of 30th September 2019, Aperuit Illis, Pope Francis has declared that the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be devoted to the celebration, study, and dissemination of the Word of God Today’s Gospel, presenting Jesus’ “inaugural address” in the synagogue of Nazareth and outlining his theology of total liberation, marks a great…
Dear Friends, In today’s Gospel, the small village of Cana in Galilee is the setting for Jesus’ first miracle, and which John refers to as a ‘sign.’ This miracle is the first in John’s series of seven signs by which Jesus manifested Divine power and glory during His public ministry. This ‘sign’ is given during…
Dear Friends, The Christmas season, celebrating the Self-revelation of God through Jesus, comes to an end with the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. Christmas is the feast of God’s Self-revelation to the Jews, and Epiphany celebrates God’s Self-revelation to the Gentiles. At His Baptism in the Jordan, Christ reveals Himself to repentant sinners.…
Dear Friends, Each of the Gospels begins with an account on Jesus’ origins. Mark introduces Jesus to us as an adult, telling us that Jesus was a man from Nazareth whose advent fulfils the arrival of God’s salvation as foretold by the prophet Isaiah. Matthew and Luke’s narratives begin earlier still, recounting Jesus’ very conception…
Dear Friends, The background to today’s first reading is that Hannah had been a barren woman. In that culture, it was disgraceful for a married woman not to have children. Hannah longed for a child and went to the place of worship to beg the Lord to grant her a child. There she promised to…
Dear Friends, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb”: To many Catholics, these lines are most familiar because they form part of the core of the Hail Mary. In the Gospel today, Mary goes to see her cousin Elizabeth, filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. The two cousins…
The following statement has been issued by the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales regarding COVID plan B. Please take time to familiarise yourselves with the new instructions. Guidance for Churches December 2021
Dear Friends, The central theme of today’s readings is the command “Rejoice!” We are to do so mainly by realizing the presence of Jesus in our midst, by receiving Jesus into our lives through our repentance, our renewal of life, and by doing God’s will. Today is called “Gaudete” Sunday because today’s Mass begins with the…
Our Christmas Mass Times for 2021 are now available on our website.
Dear Friends, In our first reading today, the prophet Baruch introduces The LORD, the God of Israel, preparing the way for and leading the Babylonian exiles back to Jerusalem. The prophet announces the return of the whole human race to God. This inspires us this Advent to return to God from our own exile in…
We are pleased to confirm that our Livestream is now back up and running. Sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.
Unfortunately we are unable to livestream our Masses due to an ongoing broadband issue. We will communicate once the problem has been resolved. Thank you.
Dear Friends This Sunday is the 1st Sunday in Advent. Advent is a time of waiting for Christ, allowing Jesus to be reborn in our lives. It is also a time for purifying our hearts by repentance and for renewing our lives by reflecting on and experiencing the several comings (advents) of Christ into our…
Dear Friends, This Sunday, at the end of the Church’s liturgical year, the readings describe the enthronement of the victorious Christ as King in Heaven in all His glory. Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of Christ the King in 1925 and proclaimed: “Pax Christi in regno Christi” (the peace of Christ in the reign…
Dear Friends, The first reading today from the prophet Daniel, was given during a time of great persecution for the Jewish people by a cruel pagan King. It is a reminder to live in the moment rather than waste our time worrying about the future. The Gospel reading from Mark, offered hope to those Christians…
Please note that the Rosary, Exposition of the Sacrament & Benediction has been cancelled this Friday (12th November).
Dear Friends, The context for today’s Gospel is the worsening situation between Jesus and the Jewish authorities. The first part of the Gospel today sees Jesus warn the crowds not to be like the hypocritical scribes in seeking honour and attention from others. Jesus denounces their hypocrisy of their false religious piety and warns that…
Deacon Des will be holding the following presentation in the Parish Centre on Wednesday 10th November 2021 at 12 noon & Thursday 11th November at 7:00 p.m. The topic will be ‘Just War & The Gospel’. This session will examine the doctrine of the Just War theory from Greco-Roman times, how this developed through St.…
Dear Friends, Today’s Feast is transferred from the 1st November to this weekend. What we celebrate today and on Tuesday, the commemoration of all the faithful departed, is a feast for us all. Coming at the end of our Liturgical Year, they reflect on the past, the present, and the future. They consider the Church,…
St Theresa’s Stansted Visions Zoom Group meets weekly to grow our faith through discussion, music, and paintings. We also aim to grow our commitment through Catholic Social Action in the community. Join us every week or dip in and out as you choose. Dates and details of the Zoom meeting can be located in our events…
Dear Friends, Today’s Gospel readings contains a profound irony, that a blind man, Bartimaeus, is the first person outside of the Apostles to recognise Jesus as the Messiah. And his healing is the last miracle Jesus performs before entering the holy city of Jerusalem for His last week on earth. The scene on the road…
2nd November 2021 is the day the Church sets aside to pray for all the faithful departed. The Church gives us the opportunity to offer three Masses on that day, we will offer Mass at 8:30a.m., 9:30 a.m. and the evening Mass in the Extraordinary Form (Latin) at 8:00p.m. During these Masses we will pray for…
Dear Friends, The Gospel today deals with the question of ambition once again. For the third time in Mark’s Gospel Jesus speaks about his forthcoming passion and death but once again his closest companions fail to understand what he is referring to. The request by James and John underlines their belief that they still see…
Dear Friends, In today’s Gospel selection (Mk 10:17-30), we find three sections: a narrative about Jesus’ encounter with a rich man, Jesus’ sayings about wealth as a possible obstacle to discipleship and Jesus’ promise of reward for those who share their material possessions with the needy. Reminding the rich man of the commandments that deal with relationships…
Dear Friends, In the Gospel today we hear Christ’s explicit teaching on marriage and divorce, family life and the indissolubility of marriage. The Jewish tradition had a very high ideal of marriage and divorce was extremely frowned upon. However, despite this, divorce was very common and in fact very easy to obtain. Moses had commanded…
We are pleased to invite young adults who wish to be confirmed to register for the 2021/2022 course. Should we have enough interest we are planning to start the course after the October Half term break. Candidates should be in Year 10 or above. Please contact Clair in the Parish office via email or phone…
One of the best kept secrets of the Catholic Church is its social doctrine, or Catholic Social Teaching. Social justice and fair treatment for workers and their rights, was the motivation for the first social encyclical of the Catholic Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 and named, ‘Rerum Novarum.’ Hopefully, many of you will…
Dear Friends, Today’s readings reveal to us what being a disciple of Christ requires. If we want to become great in the sight of God, then we must put away all personal ambition and surrender our lives to Him in the service of others. In the first reading we find a messianic prophecy of Jesus’…
We are pleased to confirm that we are now able to offer you the option of making cashless donations via our new QR codes system. The codes have been placed by the exit of the church, next to the donation baskets. This system allows you to make payments via your mobile phone directly into our…
Deacon Des will be holding the following presentations in the Parish Centre: Tuesday 5th October 2021 at 12 noon and Thursday 7th October 2021 at 7:00 p.m. – Session 1: History & Background of Catholic Social Teaching. “From Rerum Novarum to today.” This session will focus on the historical aspects of CST beginning with Pope…
Dear Friends, We are provided with the basis of our faith in today’s Gospel reading. This being the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, who suffered, died, and rose again for our salvation. Mark outlines the conditions that are required to become disciples, namely, denial of self, taking up…
Welcome to our updated website. Here you will find everything that was on the previous site and more. We now have a site that has a better capacity to evolve and so over the coming weeks we will add more information and draw your attention to these in the Parish Newsletter. We have added some…
Dear Friends, Today’s Gospel from Mark reminds us of what is truly important to God. The primary reason we are here is to worship God. Jesus saw that the religious leaders were more interested in the rules that governed religious observance and tradition than worshipping God. The Pharisees had become so fixated on rules that…
You still have time to volunteer for our working parties for the deep clean of the Parish Centre and the Church. This will involve moving the benches in the Church, which are very heavy, please be aware of this when you volunteer. We are hoping to hold these during the week commencing 13th September 2021.…
Dear Friends, Today’s Gospel presents us with the moment when those who followed Jesus had to decide whether to continue in faith with him on his journey or abandon him. This passage in John’s Gospel follows on from the Eucharistic discourse that has been the theme of the last few weeks in our liturgical journey.…
From Monday 19th July many of the legal restrictions around measures to prevent the spread of COVID -19 were lifted in England. This does not mean that coronavirus has gone away. We will have to learn to live with COVID -19 for the foreseeable future, managing the risk for ourselves and others. The guidance…
