NEWSLETTER

Trinity Sunday (Year C)

Day for Life

Sunday 14th June, 2025

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Message from Canon Kristian

Dear brothers and sisters

The first Sunday after Eastertide is always dedicated to the celebration of the Christian understanding of God as Trinity – Three Persons in One God. We believe that, within the unity of God, there is an eternal relationship between three distinct but indivisible personal realities – the Father (the One who creates/the Lover), the Son (the One who was sent to redeem/the Beloved) and the Holy Spirit (the One who gives life and makes holy/Love Itself). At the heart of our faith stands the One God, who is both dynamic and diverse in nature, into whose life of eternal love we are invited and drawn through the Incarnation, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ and by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

As Trinitarians, this understanding of who God is should be reflected in the way we experience our own personal spiritual relationship with God, the way we envision the life of the Church and the way we interact with each other and the world around us. We are called to a profound unbreakable unity – with God, as a Church, with every other human being and with all created things, whilst acknowledging and rejoicing in our diversity and the dynamic, ever-changing nature of our physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual being. What a beautiful, but challenging, vision for our engagement with our own personal spiritual journey, for the discernment of how we are being called to be the Church as we face the future and, given the tragedy of what is happening in our world at this moment (including over these last couple of days) with the seemingly ever-increasing reality of war, destruction and division, for our outreach and mission as Christ-like disciples.

All this can seem an overwhelming (and maybe even impossible) ask, conscious, as we are, of the frailty and the often deep woundedness of our own lives, of the Church and of our planet and its inhabitants, but we are an “Easter People”, a hope-filled community, convinced that grace is always stronger than sin, light always disperses the darkness, and life ultimately conquers death. This is our witness to the world, especially in this Jubilee Year when we are called in a particular way to be Pilgrims of Hope. This is not a naive optimism. It is the belief that, whilst acknowledging and sharing in the painful reality of suffering and death which is an unavoidable part of human existence, there is a deeper reality, flowing directly from the heart of the Triune God of dynamic love, which draws us towards a new horizon, the dawn of a new day, where God will wipe every tear from our eyes and and the whole of creation will be made new.

Connected with the call to be Pilgrims of Hope is the invitation to undertake pilgrimage during this Jubilee Year. The Newsletter contains details about the Parish Pilgrim Walk of Hope from Tiverton to Crediton, the birthplace of St Boniface, on Tuesday 24 June. The Parish Laudato Si’ Group has put a lot of work into preparing and mapping out this pilgrimage walk, the stages of which are set out in the attached leaflet. Some parishioners have already said that they are going to walk the whole way, which is great, but the idea is to enable as many people as possible to undertake at least a part of the walk, according to their ability. The four stages differ both in length and difficulty, so there is hopefully an appropriate stage for all those who want to take part. It is a weekday, so inevitably there will be some who would like to take part in the Pilgrimage Walk but can’t due to work commitments. However, it would be good to see as many parishioners as possible gather for the Mass in St Boniface’s Church in Crediton at 6.00pm to make it a great parish celebration. For those who have issues of transport, I am sure there will be someone able to offer a lift.

The updating of the parish database continues and there are more census form available this weekend for those who did not pick one up last week. Thank you, once again, for completing the new form. I know it is a chore, especially as you might feel that your information has not changed, but it is essential that we have your signed consent to hold the information that we do as a parish. If you receive this Newsletter, but don’t get to church very often, please send an email to the parish office and we will ensure that a form gets to you, so that you can still continue to receive communications from the parish and so that I know you are part of the parish community.

Along with the Newsletter this weekend, I attach:

Monika Manser’s weekly guide to a prayerful reading of the Sunday Gospel
the latest edition of Deacon Peter’s Inspire
the Pilgrims of Hope Itinerary
a poster about the St John’s Starmakers’ and Mid Devon Singers’ musical evening

In this time of great political instability and danger of increasing international conflict, let us pray earnestly that peace, a keener sense of our shared humanity and a renewed appreciation of the value of every human life may be given to our world by the Holy Spirit.

May God bless you all, especially those who are sick and in need.

Canon Kristian

Canon Kristian Paver
Parish Priest
Parish of St Boniface and St James Mid Devon
40 Old Road Tiverton EX16 4HJ

Updating the Parish Database

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, it is necessary for us to ensure that the data the parish holds on our parishioners is up to date. We therefore need to ask each person/family to fill out a new census form at regular intervals. It has been some years since the parish database was last updated, so new census forms are available over the next few weekends and parishioners are asked to complete them and return to back to church as soon as possible. If you know of anyone who does not attend church regularly, but who would still like to be included on the database, please take a form for them to complete and return.

Day for Life – Hope does not disappoint: Finding meaning in suffering

This Trinity Sunday, the Catholic Church in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, jointly marks the Day for Life, as a reminder of the need to respect and protect the inherent value and dignity of each life. This year’s theme is Hope does not Disappoint: Finding meaning in Suffering, inspired by Romans 5:5-6. St Paul invites us to see that Christian hope is not just naïve optimism but, rather, an unshakeable trust in the power and presence of God who is with us always. This hope can endure the darkness of human suffering and even see beyond it. Suffering touches every person at some point in their lives. It is often associated with illness, grief, and loss. It is not only caused by physical pain but includes emotional suffering as well as ‘soul pain’, such as depression and despair. Christians are not immune to this mystery and we often struggle to know how best to respond to it, and where we can find hope. A message from the three bishops with particular responsibility for this area of ministry and a selection of prayers can be found on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales’ website,

There will be a retiring collection at the end of the Masses for the Day for Life Fund. Please be as generous as possible. You can also donate online via the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales’ website, where you can find more information about the Fund.

Refugee Week 16-22 June – Community as a Superpower

Refugee Week is the world’s largest arts & culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. You can find out more at: refugeeweek.org.uk. Refugee Week offers us a prayerful opportunity to reflect on the struggles of refugees and to stand in faithful solidarity with those seeking safety, dignity, and a place to call home. CSAN, the agency of the Bishops’ Conference for domestic social action, has a range of resources around this year’s theme which can be found at: https://www.csan.org.uk/news/refugee-week-2025-community-as-a-superpower/. The Jesuit Refugee Service also has information on events to mark Refugee Week: https://www.jrsuk.net/refugee-week/.

St John’s Starmakers and the Mid Devon Singers

St John’s Starmakers and the Mid Devon Singers will be singing at St Andrew’s Church this Friday, 20 June, at 7.00pm. Entry is free, but donations are requested which will go to support Bliss, a charity for babies born premature or sick.

Understanding Modern Slavery and How to Prevent it

You are invited to join the parishioners of the Parish of Sidmouth for this special Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee Year event with Caritas Plymouth taking a look at modern slavery and ways it can be prevented which will take place next Saturday 21 June, 10.00-11.30am, at St Teresa’s Hall, Connaught Road, Sidmouth.  All welcome, coffee and cake will be provided.

Kentisbeare House Garden Opening

The garden of Kentisbeare House, Kentisbeare, Cullompton, EX15 2BR, which belongs to one of our parishioners, will be open for charity as part of the National Garden Scheme next Saturday, 21 June, 10.00am-4.00pm. Entrance is £6 for adults, free for children.

Parish Pilgrimage Walk to the Shrine of St Boniface, Crediton

On Tuesday 24 June we will be holding our parish pilgrimage walk from St Andrew’s, Tiverton, to the National Shrine of St Boniface in Crediton. We hope many parishioners will join us for some parts of this special day of pilgrimage. We will be starting from St Andrew’s Church at 7.00am and finishing with Mass celebrated by Canon Kristian at St Boniface Catholic Church in Crediton at 6.00pm.

The Parish Laudato Si’ Group has prepared a leaflet which explains the 5 Stages of the walk and gives an indication of terrain and difficulty. People are welcome to join just for a stage or two, for the whole walk or just for the Mass at the Shrine. There will be someone leading each stage of the walk, who knows the route and each stage will begin with a prayer. We hope that the whole walk will be a prayerful experience, attentive to the beautiful mid-Devon countryside and the gifts of creation all around us. Well-behaved dogs are welcome to come along too!

The leaflet is attached, and a map of the whole pilgrimage walk is at the back of St Andrew’s. It would really be helpful to know if you will be joining the walk at any stage and also if you will be taking part in the Mass. Members of the Laudato Si’ Group will be around at Mass over the next two weekends to answer any questions you may have and to take down names.

200 Club Winners!

Congratulations to Tim Todd who won the £30 prize and to Shelagh Eastwood who won the £20 prize in the June draw. If you would like to join this on-going fund raiser for as little as £1 a month, please speak to Simon Coombs or Sheelagh Bourdon at St Andrews or Siobhan Gilroy at St Boniface.

Masses and Events this week

Sunday 15th June – Trinity Sunday

  • Saturday 14 June – Weekday

    • Wedding of Lisa Bisset and Ben Samuel at 12noon
    • Vigil Mass at 6.00pm

    Sunday 15 June – The Most Holy Trinity

    • Holy Mass at 9.30am (St Boniface)
    • Holy Mass at 11.30am Pro Populo

    11th Week in Ordinary Time

    Monday 16 June – St Richard of Chichester, Bishop

    • Singing to Remember at 2.00pm in St Andrew’s Hall

    Tuesday 17 June – Weekday

    • Holy Mass at 9.00am
    • Coffee Morning, 10.00am-12noon, at 15 Rackenford Road, Tiverton, EX16 5AF

    Wednesday 18 June – Weekday

    • Holy Mass at 12noon (St Boniface)

    Thursday 19 June – Weekday

    • Holy Mass at 9.00am

    Friday 20 June – St Alban, Proto-Martyr of England

    • Confessions and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at 11.30am
    • Holy Mass at 12noon
    • Holy Rosary at 12.30pm

    Saturday 21 June – St Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious

    • Parish Finance and Property Committee at 9.30pm in St Andrew’s Hall
    • Youth Club, 11.00am-12.30pm, in St Boniface’s Hall
    • Vigil Mass at 6.00pm

    Sunday 22 June – The Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)

    • Holy Mass at 9.30am (St Boniface)
    • Holy Mass at 11.30am Pro Populo