Pope Leo appointed Fr Stephen Wang as sixth bishop of our Diocese on 2nd July. In a video recorded recently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnVi7K8bWJE  Bishop-elect Stephen offers a simple, practical introduction to prayer. “Prayer is wonderful,” he says, “prayer is so important, but prayer can be hard as well. How many times have people come up to me as a priest and said, ‘Father, I want to pray, but I don’t know how to start. I don’t know what to do, and I feel a bit stuck…’ “I remember the first time I prayed as an adult, I didn’t really know what to do, but I was in my bedroom. I closed my door. I sat on the edge of my bed and… just talked to God and said something like, ‘Dear God, I’m not sure if you're there. I hope you’re listening. These are the things on my heart, on my mind…’”

ARUNDEL PILGRIMAGE - Saturday 26th September 10.00-16.00.  A walk in Arundel in honour of Our Lady and St Philip Howard, starting and finishing at the Cathedral, and stopping at the remains of the ancient religious foundations of Arundel for short prayers. The pilgrimage will commence at 10.00 with Mass in the Cathedral followed by a short period of Adoration. We will then meet outside the main door of the Cathedral and walk across to the Fitzalan Chapel, pray by the new statue of Our Lady of Walsingham, pass the site of the Maison Dieu and leave through the Mary Gate into Arundel Park. The lunch stop will be at Swanbourne Lake and we will then walk along Mill Road to the remains of the Dominican Priory next to the Museum. We will visit St Nicholas Church before returning to the Cathedral for prayer at the Shrine of St Philip Howard. There will be an opportunity for Reconciliation and the day will conclude with tea and cake in the Cathedral Centre. All are welcome, no charge. Join for any part of the day. Please bring along a packed lunch and wear suitable clothes and shoes/boots. Part of the route is over uneven ground and country footpaths. Walk length approximately 3 miles. To book please phone Lindsey Stratford (01903 884567) or email: admin@arundelcathedralfriends.uk

MASS OF WELCOME, 24TH OCTOBER, 11.30, WORTH ABBEY - Following his episcopal ordination, Bishop Stephen will celebrate a special Mass of Welcome at Worth Abbey attended by representatives from diocesan deaneries, new parishes and schools. The Diocese is providing a coach for each deanery/new parish to support participation from across our family of faith, details will be shared with parish communities shortly.

FR STEPHEN WANG WILL BE INSTALLED AS THE SIXTH BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE OF ARUNDEL & BRIGHTON ON MONDAY 19 OCTOBER AT 12 NOON - The Mass of Episcopal Ordination, which takes place on the Feast of St Philip Howard, will include invited representatives from across our diocesan family of faith and be livestreamed from Arundel Cathedral. Bishop Stephen will also celebrate a special Mass of Welcome for people across our Diocese at Worth Abbey near Crawley, on Saturday 24 October at 11.30; further details will be announced soon.

PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE DIOCESE HAVE WELCOMED THE APPOINTMENT OF FR STEPHEN WANG AS OUR NEW BISHOP - Speaking about the appointment earlier this week, Fr Stephen, expressed “gratitude, trepidation, excitement and curiosity.” In an interview, Fr Stephen highlighted the importance of getting to know the people of the Diocese: “I’m sure there’ll be a lot of time and energy to put into meeting people and getting to know them,” he said, “that will be the most important thing, along with praying with them, learning what’s going on for them, and them getting to know me as their bishop, and their friend as well.”

28th May, 12.00, Arundel Cathedral. Join the priests of our Diocese who are celebrating 25, 40, 50 and 60 years of priestly ordination, to give thanks for their years of service at this special Mass in Arundel Cathedral. All are welcome. [ PLEASE NOTE : due to the jubilarians Mass there will be no Mass in the Parish on Thursday 28th May.]

As we prepare for coming of Pentecost this year the Epsom Deanery will be holding an extended time of prayer for 24 hours. The event will take place in St Joseph's Church, Epsom, KT18 7JQ commencing with 10.00 Mass on Friday 22nd May and concluding with Mass at 10.00 Saturday 23rd May . This is a graced moment for us all to gather in prayer around the Lord in the Eucharist - to pray, to adore, to be silent, and to hold the brokenness of our world before the healing presence of Christ. The event will be divided into 1 hour slots to which parishioners from all across the Deanery are invited to commit to coming to the church and spending 1 hour in prayer. We need at least two people to commit to each hour (so that is a minimum of 48 people across the Deanery). If you are unable to offer an hour you can come at any time for as long or short a time as you can manage during the 24 hour period - and of course more than two people can sign up for any particular hour. Those who are sick or housebound and unable to attend are invited to send their prayer intentions (in writing and in good time) via their local Parish Office and these will be placed before the Blessed Sacrament. There will also be opportunities to pray the Rosary, celebrate Reconciliation, and join in communal prayer at specific times (more information to follow). Sign-Up Sheets will be available in all the Epsom Deanery Churches from next weekend (25 th & 26 th April). For those who would like to attend but do not have transport, it is hoped to coordinate lift-sharing through the Parish Offices of the church where you are registered. Once we have a clearer picture of who may require assistance and who is able to offer a lift, we can try to make the necessary arrangements. As St Theresa of Avila said in the 16th Century, 'the world is on fire' - how much more so today. May the Lord bless all our efforts and desires to bring His Peace into the world. Fr Simon Hall, Epsom, on behalf of the Deanery

CORPUS CHRISTI CARPET OF FLOWERS - 3-4 June, Arundel Cathedral.  Experience Arundel’s beautiful Carpet of Flowers, celebrating the Feast of Corpus Christi. View the carpet 09.30 - 19.00 (Weds) and 09.30 - 17.30 (Thurs). Mass, followed by a procession to Arundel Castle, begins at 17.30 on Thursday. All are welcome.

‘CONFIDENT PARENTING IN A WORLD OF SCREENS’ - webinar - 29th April, 20.00 Hardly a day goes by without some headline highlighting the impact of smartphones and social media upon teenagers. They face a whole new level of complexity as they grow up in a digital world, but as parents and carers there are so many things we can do to help them navigate it well. CELEBRATE Trust has invited a speaker from Care for the Family, a national UK charity, to share how we can best support teenagers through the challenges of our digital world, and offer practical advice and principles to apply in our own unique families. This is the first of 2 webinars for parents and carers of teenagers. The second webinar will be on ‘Raising Teenagers in a Catholic Family’ with the Messy Family Project, a Catholic family ministry from the US on 2 nd June 2026, 20.00 To book: www.celebratetrust.org/faith-parenting