CAFOD Family Fast Day Appeal this Harvest - Friday 3rd October 2025: Please donate to CAFOD’s Family Fast Day parish collection to share God’s abundant gifts with our global neighbours as they find lasting solutions to poverty and climate challenges. Your generosity offers “signs of hope” in this Jubilee Year, helping build more water tanks in communities like Waré’s in Ethiopia where women have to walk for hours to get water. Use the CAFOD envelope which will be in church the week coming up to the 3rd October, donate online at cafod.org.uk/envelope or call 0303 303 3030. You can also text CAFOD to 70560 to donate £10.
Talking Philosophy & Theology Combined : a Carmelite Perspective” Zoom meetings for the next three months are 1s and 3rd Wednesday evenings, from 8.00pm until 9.30pm, September 3rd & 17th; October 1st & 15th; November 5th & 19th; 2nd or 4th (not 5th) Thursday afternoons, from1.00pm until 3.00pm,
September 11th or 25th; October 9th or 23rd; November 13th or 27th. For more information contact Deacon James Hunter OCDS, james.hunter200@btinternet.com
Young Adult Mass In September Young Adults across the diocese are invited to start the new academic year at one of our Masses on:
Thursday 11th at Saint Hugh of Lincoln’s church, Lincoln
Thursday 18th at Saint Joseph’s church, Derby
Thursday 25th at Holy Cross church, Leicester (Mass at 6:10)
Arrivals from 6.00pm with Mass from 6.30pm and some social time afterwards. For more info contact charles.archer@dioceseofnottingham.uk
The Mary Potter Heritage Centre is delighted to take part in this year's Heritage Open Days Festival. Visit the Centre at 32 Regent Street, Nottingham NG1 5BT, on Saturday 13th September, from 12.00 noon to 5.00pm. It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn, discover and explore the life and mission of Venerable Mary Potter and The Little Company of Mary Sisters through interactive screens, quotations, and artefacts.
Join the welcome and celebration for the National Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope on Saturday 13th September
Pilgrims on the National Jubilee Pilgrimage of Hope will soon set out from across the country towards our diocese, converging at Nottingham Cathedral. Several of our parishes are offering hospitality along the way. Let’s give the pilgrims a warm welcome at their journeys’ end on Saturday 13th September. 3.00pm onwards: Pilgrims arrive. The Cathedral will be welcoming the public for one of its planned Heritage Open Days, with CAFOD’s Jubilee Icon on display. 5.00pm Thanksgiving Liturgy for the Pilgrimage, to which all are welcome. 6.30pm Mass as usual. 7.30pm Ceilidh to welcome the Pilgrimage of Hope. All are warmly invited to a celebration Ceilidh in Cathedral Hall to welcome the Jubilee pilgrims. Mancunian Irish folk trio ‘Ride On’ provide the music. Tickets, including a ploughman’s supper, are £10 and available from the Cathedral Office (cash or bank transfer only): email cathedral@dioceseofnottingham.uk and notify any dietary requirements. Book early to avoid disappointment!
The pilgrimage culminates on Sunday 14 September with Solemn Mass in the Cathedral at 11.15am for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
For further details of all the Jubilee pilgrimage activities visit https://bit.ly/pilgrimage-welcome.
The Martyr-Saints of the North-West, Friday 12th until Sunday 14th September is a weekend studying some of the Reformation-era martyrs of the North-West region. Part-retreat, part-biographical, the weekend will be led by Monsignor John Allen of Salford Diocese, who has recently published a history of the diocese with a foreword by Eamon Duffy. For more information and to book: https://christianheritagecentre.com/events/the-martyr-saints-of-the-north-west/
THE LETTER: On Wednesday 17th September, 7.00pm-9.00pm, the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace will be showing The Letter in Cathedral Hall, Nottingham, NG1 5AE. Inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ this film invites us to reflect on our common home during this Season of Creation. Light refreshments will be provided, and for details contact david@csjp-uk.co.uk
The CSAN Jubilee of Social Justice will be celebrated in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool, on Saturday 20th September, at 12noon, by the Most Rev Malcolm McMahon OP, Emeritus Archbishop of Liverpool, followed by a light lunch and Social Action Exhibition in the Pontifical Hall. See the poster for more details.
Diocesan Jubilee of Altar Server Mass: All Altar Servers are invited to the Diocesan Jubilee of Altar Servers, with Mass celebrated by Bishop Patrick in our Cathedral in Nottingham (Derby Road, NG1 5AE) on Saturday, 27th September. Bring your alb / cassock and cotta, and arrive for 10.30am onwards, for Mass at 11.30am. Bring a packed lunch too, and enjoy a picnic in the Cathedral Hall and gardens. All are welcome!
CAFOD’s Harvest Family Fast Day: A Mass to celebrate is being celebrated in Christ the King Church, Alfreton, on Friday 3rd October at 6.30pm. All are welcome.
It's time to re-think Baptism Preparation. Join The Agency for Evangelisation and Catechesis for a Masterclass webinar on Infant Baptism Preparation on Tuesday 7th October at 7.30pm. The session will explore the Catechetical Institute’s Infant Baptism Preparation resource with Dr Petroc Willey, Dr William J. Keimig, and Jacqueline and Michael van Hemert. The Masterclass will be perfect for priests, deacons, catechists and baptism preparation volunteers. Registration is £5, via www.aec.rcaos.org.uk/latest/masterclass-infant-baptism-preparation
Jubilee of Catechists: To celebrate the amazing work of the wonderful Catechists who do so much in our diocese we will be having a Jubilee of Catechists Day. The day will include the celebration of Mass and a conference to help them in their ministry. There will be two keynote talks from Dr Mark Nash Director for the Agency for Evangelisation and Catechesis, with workshops and time to mingle. The day will be held on Saturday 11th October at Saint Joseph’s Church, Leicester, LE5 6SG; from 10.00am until 4.00pm, and will cost £10; please bring a packed lunch. More information can be found at https://bit.ly/CatechistJubilee or email formation@dioceseofnottingham.uk
Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima and relics of Saints Jacinta and Francisco: Saint Barnabas Cathedral, Nottingham will host the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima and relics of Saints Jacinta and Francisco on Sunday 12th and Monday 13th October, in commemoration of the Centenary of the Five First Saturdays devotion. The Visitation will include a procession and enthronement of the Fatima statue, followed by Mass; opportunities to venerate the saints’ relics; praying the Rosary for world peace; and talks and videos about the Fatima messages. A book table with devotional materials will be available, and attendees can enrol in the Brown Scapular devotion. For further details visit: worldfatima-englandwales.org.uk or email: membership@waf-ew.org.uk
CAFOD Runners in Leicester: Anyone interested in running a half marathon or 10k in Leicester on Sunday 26th October, please contact nottingham@cafod.org.uk
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Marriage Care: Are you interested in training and volunteering as a Relationship Counsellor with Marriage Care? This Catholic organisation specialises in relationship support and is currently looking for those who would be interested in training via the Certificate in Relationship Counselling (CRC) course, and looking for volunteers for the marriage preparation service prior to the CRC selection. To find out more visit: www.marriagecare.org.uk or email: volunteer@marriagecare.org.uk
Bishop Patrick has received a letter from Friends of the Holy Land, thanking parishioners for their generous donations through the Crib Offerings 2024.
Friends of the Holy Land letter
Assisted Suicide: Whilst praying that assisted suicide doesn’t become law, as an expression of practical support parishioners in our diocese last autumn raised over £10,000 through second collections to support the work of the 18 hospices across our diocese. These institutions provide superb care for those coming towards the end of life, and help families to accompany their loved ones at such a difficult time. By supporting hospices in this way, as Catholics we are putting into practical action our prayers for a respect and a dignity of life, from conception to natural death.
The Ascent is coming to the Nottingham Diocese - theASCENT is a three year discipleship process for Catholic young people in years 10-12 who want to embrace their faith in Jesus Christ at a whole new level and learn how to share it with others. At their heart they seek to disciple the few for the sake of the many so that the Gospel may reach the ends of the earth. Bookings are open now, visit www.theascentuk.co.uk/
Nottingham Cathedral has received a £1.69M grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore the breathtaking original vision of architect A W N Pugin. Restoring Pugin will revive the Cathedral’s east end, and open up this heritage gem to over 20,000 people across our Cathedral city, and diocese. New tech, community activities, educational programmes, and even a video game (!) are all on the way. Read more on the diocesan website (www.dioceseofnottingham.uk/news) and watch the announcement video on YouTube (www.youtube.com/@NottsDiocese). Please share this great news widely!
Sad news from The Briars: It is with sadness we heard about the passing of John Morgan who served as the Security Guard & Groundsman at The Briars for over 30 years. John, or 'Morgsy' as he was affectionately known, was a constant presence of warmth and welcome for the thousands of young people and staff who visited during this time. He had a way of making everyone feel at home, with a smile, or a story. He was an inspiration for generations of Briars teams and young people. In 2010, John was awarded the Benemerenti medal for services to the Church and is without doubt The Briars’ greatest servant. He will be dearly missed. If anyone would like more details of the plans to celebrate John's life, please contact Hannah Leech - hannah.leech@ololcatholicmat.co.uk
Young Adult Formation Course: If you would like to deepen your faith, grow in community with other 18-35 years olds as well as engage more fully in your parish then the brand-new Young Adult Formation Course run by the Diocese of Nottingham is the course for you. For more information contact charles.archer@dioceseofnottingham.uk or sign up at: https://forms.office.com/e/9qvH5SjRHh
ACN (UK) has launched an Open Letter Campaign calling on Foreign Secretary David Lammy to make persecuted religious communities priority recipients of UK Overseas Development Aid (ODA). They need your help to reach their goal of 10,000 signatures, which will trigger a response from the Government. Please sign their open letter today: https://acnuk.org/our-campaigns/red-wednesday-advocacy-letter. Together, we can help Christians and other religious minorities trapped in modern slavery, extreme poverty and worse.
Caritas Leicester and Leicestershire Advent Calendar: in this Advent season, we are amplifying the reach of some local charities which aim to bring light into darkness. There are, of course, many others. Please have a look and join us in raising hopeful voices. The colour version is at: https://bit.ly/3ZmMGuI, and the black and white version is at: https://bit.ly/40UwnGw
Catechist Formation Pathways – Are you a catechist? Have you thought about being one? The Diocese offers three courses that can be done together or stand alone. Encounter Catechesis provides the foundations of catechesis; Discipleship Catechesis explores a good knowledge of key points of Catholic Theology; and Missionary Catechesis is focused on going beyond sacramental preparation to help form disciples of all ages. To enquire please follow this link bit.ly/formation2425 or email: formation@dioceseofnottingham.uk
World Day of Migrants and Refugees: The Church has been celebrating the World Day of Migrants and Refugees since 1914. It’s always an occasion to express concern for different vulnerable people on the move; to pray for them as they face many challenges; and to increase awareness about the opportunities that migration offers. The theme of Pope Francis’ message for the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees is: God walks with His people. The Holy Father reminds us that all of us, God’s people, are migrants on this earth, on our way to the “true homeland”, the Kingdom of Heaven. Migrants are a contemporary icon of this people on a journey, of the Church on a journey, and at the same time, it is in them and in all our vulnerable brothers and sisters that we can encounter the Lord who walks with us.