Sunday and Holy Day obligation

Webmaster • June 4, 2022

At their post-Easter meeting the bishops of England & Wales decided that the time and situation has now arrived when all Catholics should take up the Sunday and Holy Day obligation to (physically) attend Mass once more from this weekend (4/5 June) Pentecost. They have reminded us of FIVE REASONS why this is appropriate:


1. Jesus is inviting us to Mass The most fundamental reason to come to Mass is that Jesus is inviting each of us. In St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians he writes that Jesus: On the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:23-24) These words reveal what has been the practice of the Church since its beginning: to celebrate the Mass in fulfilment of Christ’s words at the Last Supper. The Catechism explains that: “We carry out this command of the Lord by celebrating the memorial of his sacrifice.” (CCC 1357) The Mass is where Christ asked his followers to meet him, and even today the Mass is where we find him.


2. Going to Mass deepens our faith in Jesus and friendship with Him

 The much-loved Catholic author, J.R.R.Tolkien said “The only cure for sagging or fainting faith is Communion.” This word, Communion, means a profound union with Christ, specifically in the Eucharist. In every Mass, Jesus is revealed: first in the Word of God, proclaimed through the Bible readings, and then on the altar in the consecrated bread and wine. Because Jesus is truly present at the Mass, this is where we go to form and deepen our faith and friendship with Christ. There is no requirement to already have a deep faith or to feel close friendship with Christ in order to go to Mass. Rather, faith and friendship with God are what we hope to gain through going each week.


3. Because virtual is no replacement for the real thing

Live-streamed Masses nourish the faith of those who are simply unable to attend in person. However, virtual Masses are no substitute for being physically present. We all know from the experience of being separated from our loved ones that meeting on a screen is not the same as being together in the same place. Jesus Christ is God Incarnate: God made flesh. Jesus came to earth as a man in order to be physically close to us. All of the sacraments through which the Church continues the ministry of Christ involve physical signs – sprinkling with water, anointing with oil, consuming bread and wine, the laying on of hands – and therefore real, not virtual or metaphorical, presence. In the Mass, God becomes really present through those who gather, through His spoken Word, through the priest acting in persona Christi (in the person of Christ), and in the Eucharist. A virtual Mass can be a powerful aid to us in making a spiritual communion when illness or grave obligations prevent our being at church, but it is not the same as being both spiritually and physically present to God in the same place where he becomes sacramentally present to us.


4. Because going to Mass helps us grow in humility

Some people worry they aren’t holy enough to go Mass; some think they don’t need Mass to be holy. But there is an old saying: ‘the Church is a hospital for sinners, not a club for saints.’ If the Church is a hospital, the Mass is her medicine. During the penitential rite at the beginning of every Mass, all those gathered proclaim publicly that they are sinners in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. We pray: “I confess to Almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters that I have greatly sinned.” Then we ask Our Lady, all the angels and saints, and everyone present to pray for us to God. The Mass reveals and offers God’s mercy to sinners. If we come to Mass like the blind man at Bethsaida, crying Kyrie Eleison! (Lord have mercy!), we will grow in humility, recognises that we are in need of help, find the source of that help, and grow in holiness, which is intimacy with God. We cannot heal ourselves, but we can come to Mass and be healed.


5. Because going to Mass deepens our sense of mission

Mission is at the heart of the Mass. The English word ‘Mass’ is missa in Latin, which comes from missio, meaning ‘mission’ or ‘sending’. In the Mass we encounter God. No one in the Bible has ever encountered God without then being sent on mission. Think of Abraham (Gen 12:1-4), Moses (Ex 3:1-12), Isaiah (Is 6:1-13), Peter (Mt 4:18-20) and Paul (Acts 9:3-6). After we have received the Lord and have given thanks, we are blessed and sent on mission to live and proclaim the Gospel we have heard, sharing with everyone we encounter what has been given to us in the Mass.

Cobham Foodbank

By Webmaster • June 13, 2025
OUR PARISH SUPPORTS THE COBHAM AREA FOODBANK Please can you help local people in crisis by purchasing items on the list below and placing them in the Foodbank’s collection point in the narthex when to come to Mass at the weekend? 

JUBILEE YEAR PILGRIMAGE TO ROME

By Webmaster • June 13, 2025
JUBILEE YEAR PILGRIMAGE TO ROME - 5 - 10 November (Cost £1,220 inc. travel, accommodation & half board; single supp. £188). Join two of our diocesan priests Fr Gus Campanello & Fr Nick Harden on pilgrimage to Rome. To find out more and book:-  sarah@tangney-tours.com or  01732 886666

St Alban . . .

By Webmaster • June 13, 2025
St. Alban was the first martyr of England. During a persecution of the Christians, Alban, although a pagan, hid a priest in his home. The priest made such a great impression on him that Alban received instructions and was baptised a Christian himself. In the meantime, the governor had been told that the priest was hiding with Alban, and he sent his soldiers to capture him. But Alban changed clothes with his guest, and gave himself up in his stead. The judge was furious when he found out that the priest had escaped and he said to Alban, “You shall get the punishment he was to get unless you worship the pagan gods.” The Saint answered that he would never worship those false gods again. “To what family do you belong?” demanded the judge. “That does not concern you,” said Alban. “If you want to know my religion, I am a Christian.” Angrily the judge commanded him again to sacrifice to the gods at once. “Your sacrifices are offered to devils,” answered Alban. “They cannot help you or answer your requests. The reward for such sacrifices is the everlasting punishment of Hell.”  Since he was getting nowhere, the judge had Alban whipped. Then he commanded that he be beheaded. On the way to the place of execution, the soldier who was to kill Alban was converted himself, and he too, became a martyr.

Missio red box appeal

By Webmaster • June 13, 2025
In 2024 Sacred Heart, Cobham raised a wonderful £4,093.02 through our Red Boxes and donations to Missio, the Holy Father’s own Missionary Society in England and Wales. Your support of Missionary priests enables people to come together to celebrate the Eucharist and to work together to improve the lives of many missionary communities. Thank you!

Church Mouse Update 15th June 2025

By Webmaster • June 13, 2025
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . Quite a busy time around The Presbytery this week as Fr D had several meetings that were not Parish based . . . . . Last Saturday morning Fr D had the final session before Communion Day with the parents and candidates on the First Eucharist Programme this year. This ‘slice of the cake’ was the penultimate one and covered the actual Communion Rite at Mass (how to receive Holy Communion). This Saturday the participants will practice receiving Holy Communion and ‘walk through’ what will be happening on Sunday when they celebrate their First Eucharist. After the 11.00 Mass on Sunday Fr D celebrated the Baptism of a young parishioner whose parents had been preparing for the sacrament over the past couple of months. On Monday Fr D was quickly off to Worthing where he was meeting with his Ministry to Priest’s Support Group. Being his old parish he was ‘spotted’ by some of his former parishioners and it took a little while to get from the car park into the church for their hour before the Blessed Sacrament! After celebrating Morning Prayer, Mass, and Exposition on Tuesday, Fr D picked up Fr Tony and headed off to Ewell where there was a Deanery Clergy Meeting that had been arranged outside of the normal pattern whilst Fr D was away last month at the Canon Law Conference (Deanery Clergy Meetings usually only take place between October and May!). The ‘cause’ for the meeting was a push by the diocese to move forward with the coming together of all the deanery parishes as one single parish, according to the bishop’s plan. The local clergy were all unanimous that we are not yet ready to move forward with this at this point in time and that things have to be done at our local speed not an external timetable. This decision will be taken back to the bishop at the next Council of Priest’s Meeting.  In the evening on Tuesday Fr D met with those younger members of our Parish who recently celebrated their confirmation by Bishop Richard down in Arundel Cathedral. This was the last formal meeting of this year’s preparation course and looked at how the Confirmation Service went and into the future as they start life as fully adult members of the Church. The youngsters will be helping at the First Eucharist celebration this weekend and will receive their Certificates of Confirmation along with our First Communicants on Sunday 29th June (09.00) . . . . . .

Who is Lady Wisdom . . . (Trinity Sunday Year C

By Webmaster • June 13, 2025
In the Christian tradition, we don’t often reflect on passages in scripture that personify a female element of the divine. Today’s reading from the Book of Proverbs does just that. This passage would have been well known to Jesus and his fellow Jews, as well as to the New Testament writers. Those authors sometimes drew direct and other times subtle connections be tween the central figure in the Proverbs reading, Lady Wisdom, with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The voice in the passage is Wisdom, often referred to as Lady Wisdom by scripture scholars. In the Old Testament, this Wisdom figure is always personified as a woman, just as references to God’s spirit (which God breathed into the first humans) are feminine. Lady Wisdom seems to originate within God, not as a creation of God. “The Lord possessed me … I was poured forth … I was brought forth.” Such a description is similar to the phrase in our creed that describes Jesus as “begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father.” Lady Wisdom appears to be a co-worker with God in creation, a master craftsman (craftswoman!) reflecting herself in all of creation. So who exactly is Lady Wisdom? Is she equivalent to Jesus? John suggests this parallel in the first verses of his Gospel. At times Paul equates the two as well. “Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24). Or is Lady Wisdom the Holy Spirit because references to God’s spirit in the Hebrew Bible are feminine? There is no right or wrong answer. The concept of the Trinity is a mystery far beyond what our limited minds can imagine. What is important is that we don’t fall into the trap of identifying God as a male or female, but as possessing attributes of both.  Ultimately, the concept of the Trinity remains a mystery for our limited human brains. How is God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? How is God the creator, the redeemer, and the sanctifier? Where does Lady Wisdom enter all of this? Scripture writers, like us, falter at trying to describe the indescribable, which is why we have so many different and sometimes conflicting images and metaphors for God. Questions of the week • If you think of God as the Trinity, which “person” do you most identify with and why: Father/ Creator, Son, or Holy Spirit? • Does imagining God with a feminine aspect change how you think of God? Why or why not?

A DAY OF REFLECTION FOR MUSICIANS

By Webmaster • June 13, 2025
21 June, 09.30-16.00 , St Dunstan’s, Woking, GU22 7DT. Musicians are invited to come to this day of reflection led by Mgr Kevin McGinnell of the Society of St Gregory, and Catherine Christmas our Diocesan Liturgy Adviser. Further details and bookings:  abdiocese.churchsuite.com/events/kzxkjy1e

‘DAY FOR LIFE’

By Webmaster • June 13, 2025
“Every year, the Church in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, jointly mark the ‘Day for Life,’ as a reminder of the constant need to respect and protect the inherent value and dignity of each and every human life. This year, it will be celebrated next Sunday (Trinity Sunday), the 15th of June . All Catholics are invited to join in prayer and promotion of the Day. Useful resources, including a message from the bishops, and prayers, can be found on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales’ website ( CBCEW.org.uk ).  There will also be a Retiring Collection for the Day for Life Fund. Every year, the fund allocates over £200,000 in grants, to organisations which promote the Christian respect for life from conception to natural death, in various ways. This has made a significant impact in local communities within England and Wales, by for example, providing mothers and children with necessary means. This would not be possible if it was not for your generous support to the fund, we therefore invite you to give as much as you can and encourage others to do so.”

CORPUS CHRISTI EXTENDED PERIOD OF EXPOSITION

By Webmaster • June 13, 2025
Each year ALL Catholic Parish communities are expected to have a period of extended Eucharistic worship. Many parishes throughout the world take the Opportunity of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi to do this, and for the past few years our Parish has held a period of Extended Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Accordingly we will be doing this from after the 11.00 Mass and ending with Evening Prayer and Benediction at 15.30 on Sunday 22 nd June. As always we will need to make sure that there are parishioners present in the church during this time and to this end there is a ’sign-up’ sheet at the rear of the church for parishioners to choose a twenty minute slot where they commit to being present. Please make a point of making sure that we are covered for the entire period on the day.

ECUMENICAL WALKING PILGRIMAGE 2025

By Webmaster • June 13, 2025
9-23rd August. Walking over the Surrey Hills and along the Sussex coast, this year’s route will visit every deanery in the Diocese, with pilgrims welcome to join for a day or two, or the whole 2 weeks. To find out more and book a place:-  thepilgrims.org.uk/book/home.php
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