April 2026

As we prepare to start the month of Our Lady in May, our local church invites us to celebrate the feast of Our Lady, Mother of Africa. The origins of this feast are connected with the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa (pictured) in Algiers, Algeria, where from the mid-nineteenth century a statue of Our

Local Elections – Are You Registered in the Right Place?   Last week we asked a simple question: Am I registered to vote?This week we take a step further: Am I registered in the right place? In local elections, you vote in the area where you are registered. If you have moved home in recent years, it

In the latter part of 2025, and continuing through 2026, all parish groups—and indeed all parishioners—have been invited to take part in our Parish Formation Meetings, held four times during the year. These gatherings are an opportunity to deepen our shared understanding of the mission of the Church at St Bernadette’s. In particular, they help us to integrate the Southern

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