Fr Paul’s 60^th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood

Fr Paul commemorated the 60^th anniversary of his priestly ordination last Friday, 14 July. To celebrate this magnificent achievement and his many years of priestly service, we will be holding a Tea Party in the hall at St James this Sunday at 3.00pm. Come along and celebrate this great occasion with the parish community. Ad Multos Annos!

Dementia Awareness

Caritas Diocese of Plymouth, together with Age UK and Dementia Friends, will be holding an online lunchtime session on dementia awareness on Tuesday 1 August, 12noon-1.00pm. There are more than 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK today, with 81,000 in the Southwest. This number is predicted to double in the next 30 years and we will see this reflected in our congregations and communities.  All our parishes will know someone living with dementia or caring for someone.

This one-hour introductory session is aimed at parish priests, parish secretaries, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, pastoral workers and welcomers, members of the SVP and all those whose lives are touched by dementia. It will focus on understanding dementia and the practical aspects of how to respond but will also offer advice about resources to understand how to accompany those whose lives have been touched by dementia in their spiritual journey as a dementia-friendly parish.

People are welcome to bring their lunch and listen in. You can register here https://forms.office.com/e/1DijnZkMQk.

CHAT at the Mid Devon Show and the CHAT AGM

C HAT is delighted to have been chosen as the Charity of the Year for this year’s Mid Devon Show next Saturday, 22 July. You will find CHAT in row D and there will be the opportunity to meet the team and join in with lots of fun activities. CHAT will also be holding receptions for its supporters, parish and district councillors, potential volunteers, local landlords or if you are interested in hosting a Ukrainian family.  Look out for the info at the welcome gate and see if you can find Charlie Bear for a photo op!

The CHAT AGM will take place on Tuesday 25 July 2023 at 7.00pm at St James.  You are invited to join the team for some light refreshments while some time is spent reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to the future. Everyone is welcome. 

School Transport Grants

The Diocesan School Transport Fund aims to subsidise the cost of parents of children travelling to Catholic schools in our diocese. If you need assistance in covering the costs of sending your child to one of our Catholic schools, please have a word with Canon Kristian or contact the Parish Office for an application form, which have to be returned to the Diocesan Offices by 31 July 2023.

Parish SVP Skittles Evening

A Skittles Evening will take place at 7.30pm on Friday 18 August at the Racehorse Pub in Wellbrook Street, Tiverton. Adult tickets will cost £10 each, with donations for children, and will include a buffet supper. Please let Simon Coombs (07761420703) know by 10th August if you would like to attend. 

Sponsored Walk for CHAT

Ewelina Żychlinska, and her daughter, Zofia, are doing a 1000km walk over three months to raise funds to support the work of CHAT. If you would like to support them, you can do so online at Ewelina Żych is fundraising for Churches Housing Action Team (Mid Devon) Ltd (justgiving.com) or by giving your donation to them directly.

End of Year School Mass

A Mass to mark the end of the school year will be celebrated at St John’s School, Melbourne Street, Tiverton, this coming Friday, 21 July, at 9.30am in the school hall. It has been a really good year for our parish school, gaining at overall Good judgement in its recent Ofsted Inspection. It would be great to see a good number of parishioners coming along to show their support for our school.

Diocesan Youth Rally

The Diocesan Youth Rally, for young people aged 7-16, will be held at St Rita’s, Honiton, on Saturday 23 September, 12noon-5.00pm. The Rally involves a series of challenges, including the infamous obstacle course, penalty shootout, didi cars and sumo wrestlers. An invitation goes to parishes to form teams of 6, either 11 years and younger or between 12-16, to come and compete against each other. It’s a light-hearted fun day where young people get to meet others from across the diocese. For further information contact Saskia at youth@prcdtr.org.uk.

Relationship Counselling

If you are a couple in need of help to support you to overcome difficulties you may be facing in your relationship, professional counselling can be provided by Marriage Care. To register for this counselling, please visit their website www.marriagecare.org.uk. An initial £15 registration fee will be requested, but counselling sessions are given on a donation-only basis. Sadly, the demand for relationship counselling is extremely high, so there are waiting times.