There will be two opportunities to attend the Deanery Marriage Preparation Course for those intending to be married in a Catholic Church in 2027 as follows. The first opportunity will be in November 2026, the first four Thursday evenings, 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th starting at 7pm - locations to be finalised in September. The second opportunity will be two consecutive Saturdays in 2027, 30th Jan, 6 th Feb. A morning session 10am-12 noon, and an afternoon session, 1pm-3pm on both days; locations to be finalised in September. Full attendance, at the four sessions that constitute each individual course, is required before permission to marry can be granted. Application forms will be made available in September when the locations have been finalised.  Deacon Simon Wright, Worthing Deanery Marriage Preparation Coordinator.

Many thanks to everyone who has donated items to our summer campaign. All the final donations will be delivered this week.  We always have a box in the porch, so please continue to donate when you can. You can find their up-to-date wishlist on their Facebook page.

Bishop-elect Stephen shared this message for diocesan parishes on 2 July 2026: Dear friends in the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton, dear brothers and sisters, I’m so happy to be appointed as your new bishop, and I am really looking forward to meeting you and getting to know the Diocese – the priests and deacons, those in consecrated life, all the lay faithful, and so many others. I’m really looking forward to visiting our parishes and schools, and all the other communities that make up our Diocese. I’m just sorry that I can’t get back to be with you at this time because we have our diaconal ordination in Rome this weekend. As you can imagine, the news came as a complete surprise to me. The first thing I did after being told on Tuesday morning was to visit St Peter’s Basilica. I prayed at the tombs of St Peter and St John Paul II for you all and offered Mass for the Diocese. There are many challenges ahead, but I am full of hope. I’ve seen so many times what God can do when people pray and work together, and when they put their trust in him. If we listen to one another, and to the Lord, then he will show us the way forward. You have been very blessed to have Archbishop Richard with you over these years. I keep being told what a wonderful diocese it is and how lucky I am to be going there! Which I certainly am. I want to thank Canon Jonathan Martin as well, for looking after things so well in this interim period. Let’s pray for each other, and for our Diocese. Please pray for me and for my intentions. I put all my trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in his Church, and in his mother Mary. His love is so powerful. There is so much to be grateful for, and so much to do. I pray that we can grow in holiness together, be of service to those around us, and help all people to know the love and mercy of Jesus Christ and the message of the Gospel. With every blessing, Fr Stephen Fr Stephen’s Biography Fr Stephen Wang was born in London in 1966 and grew up in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. He read Theology and Religious Studies at Cambridge University from 1986 to 1989, before undertaking priestly formation at the Venerable English College in Rome from 1992 to 1997. Ordained on 3 January 1998, he worked in parish ministry in Dollis Hill, London, from 1997 to 2001. From 2001 to 2005 he studied for a PhD on the subject of human happiness at Cambridge University, assisting at Fisher House Chaplaincy, based at the University, for two years. He lectured in Philosophy and Theology at Allen Hall seminary in Chelsea from 2005 to 2013 and was Dean of Studies from 2009 to 2013. During this time, he was also a visiting priest at Wormwood Scrubs Prison, White City, and a confessor at Notting Hill Carmel, a cloistered convent of Carmelite nuns located in St Charles Square. From 2013 to 2021, Fr Stephen served as Senior University Chaplain in the Diocese of Westminster and was Catholic Chaplain at The London School of Economics. In 2014, a group of young people led by Fr Stephen developed ‘Sycamore’, a video-based Catholic faith formation programme that explores the Christian faith through short films and guided discussion. Designed to make Christianity more accessible, Sycamore is now used by Catholic parishes, schools, and university chaplaincies across the world. Following three years as Vocations Director for Westminster Diocese, Fr Stephen was appointed Rector of the Venerable English College in 2021, where he served for five years.

The new Parish Leadership Team (PLTe) met recently and developed two potential Vision Statements for our new Parish, from which another was developed, (using a Large Language Model), that amalgamated the two. Here are the three candidate Vision statements. Please read them and pray over them, asking the Holy Spirit to help us discern which of the three is most in tune with the Pastoral Plan and best for the new Parish. Statement 1 Our vision is to be a vibrant, joyful, Christ-centred Catholic parish where all are made welcome, find a place to belong, grow in faith and work together with other faith communities to make a difference through our new parish. Statement 2 Our vision is to be a family of churches and communities where everyone is welcome: • Inspired by God’s message of compassion, love, and inclusion of all with Christ at the centre; • Caring for the vulnerable and those in need; • Building a sense of shared community, growing in faith, and nurturing each other’s talents. Statement 3 (created by amalgamating the above two statements) Our vision is to be a vibrant, joyful, Christ-centred Catholic family of churches and communities where everyone is welcome and finds a place to belong. Inspired by God’s message of love, compassion, and radical inclusion, we grow together in faith, nurture each other’s talents, and care for the vulnerable. Moving forward as a new parish, we seek to collaborate with other faith communities to build a deeply shared community, working together to make a difference for all.