April 2026

Join us in St Bernadette’s parish church on Thursday 30 April at 17:30 for the blessing and inaugural concert of our new pipe organ. The pipe organ, being “The principal musical instrument for solemn liturgical ceremonies of the Latin Church”, is blessed when it is installed in a new location, allowing it to be dedicated to […]

Local Elections – Why This Matters   In the months ahead, our country will prepare for local elections, possibly taking place in November. Over the coming weeks, the parish newsletter will include short notices to help parishioners ensure they are registered and able to participate. Why are we raising this? The Church does not direct

St Anselm (1033-1109), originally from northern Italy, joined the Benedictine order in France in his youth, where he excelled as a teacher and spiritual director in the monastic school. Later as Abbot of the monastery of Bec he paid several visits to England; his Christian wisdom and experience of Church government resulted in him later

We reproduce below the homily of our Holy Father Pope Leo delivered at the Mass on Easter Sunday morning in St Peter’s Square in Rome. Pope Leo teaches that the Easter proclamation “embraces the mystery of our lives and the destiny of history”. The truth of Easter, the Pope goes on to state, “opens us

Thursday 16 April is the solemnity of our patroness, St Bernadette Soubirous. There will be a sung Mass on Thursday at 17:30, followed by refreshments in the hall to which all are warmly invited. There will also be Masses at 06:30, 08:30 and an Extraordinary Form (Latin) Mass at 13:10 on Thursday. On the Solemnity

Holy Week at St Bernadette’s encompasses a unique 3-day experience in the form of the Triduum. This solemn Lenten devotion, which begins on Maundy Thursday and culminates in the Easter celebration, offers a unique opportunity to enter more fully into the spirit of Lent.  This year’s Easter Vigil included the reception of 9 new members

In preparation for the celebration of Easter, we reproduce this extract from the homily of Pope Benedict XVI at the Easter Vigil in 2007. The Holy Father takes the words of the Introit verse for Easter Day, “Resurrexi et adhuc tecum sum … I arose, and am still with you”, words which the Church puts on