St. Edmund Campion Church

Pastoral Area Update March 2025

Dear Friend and Parishioner,

I’m very conscious that it has been 3 months since my last update, when we were in Advent – and here we are now in the season of Lent. So I’m overdue in updating you on what’s been going on in our new expanded Parish formation, as part of the 10-year mission plan: 'You will be my Witnesses'.

So, what have we done since December?

1. At time of writing, we have just held our Parish Seder meal, for over 90 people. This is our first big Parish event – and I’m thrilled at the response. Feedback has been really favourable, especially the Seder rites that helped explain our eucharist in more detail. Thank you to everyone involved in organising this and selling tickets.
2. The Holy Family Parish Finance Committee (PFC) is now set up and running, having met and agreed their role. The group is currently getting accounts aligned, understanding our overall financial position as a Parish, agreeing how bank accounts will work and ratifying terms of reference. Please look out for posters in your church showing who your representatives are, in case of questions.
3. Similarly, the Transitional Parish Pastoral Committee (TPPC) has now met and agreed how they will work with the existing Transition Group, created to help us change and transform into one Parish – The Holy Family Parish.

   The TPPC agreed that over the coming months any outstanding work of the Transition Group will be subsumed into the TPPC. It is therefore helpful that the new TPPC has members from the existing local church PPC’s and the Transition Group. Ultimately the TPPC will take over responsibility for strategy. It will also determine the future relationships and structures within our churches.

   The existing local church PPCs will remain in place to continue to manage their local church issues as they do now and will become sub-church-groups of the TPPC, responsible for the operation and implementation of those strategic decisions made by the TPPC.

   The Diocese of Portsmouth has provided terms and reference for the TPPC's. These detail the roles and responsibilities of all representatives. If you wish to see a copy of this, please contact any of your representatives. There is a new poster in each church to advise who your representatives are.

   To help the flow of communication between all areas of work underway in the new parish, the TPPC will invite the Finance Committee (PFC) Chair Deacon Mike Jackson, Communications Lead Gabrielle Williamson, Children and Young Persons Lead Maria Beasley and St. John's Convent representative Sr. Veronica Thompson to attend each meeting too.

   I believe that we have put in place an effective council which can really help me, as Parish Priest, in the formation of our new parish and into the future.

4. The Transition Group is still in place and will remain until we formally handover to the TPPC and complete the tangible, practical and necessary changes to help us become the Holy Family Parish, complying with the Diocesan guidelines. Much has been done, as you know from these updates, by our dedicated team.

   We do now need to start thinking about the next steps on our 10-year 'You will be my Witnesses' mission plan, which is to focus in on the spiritual journey of our new Parish and how we can make sure that everyone feels part of our new parish. I’ll update you more on this in the coming months.

5. Maria Beasley, our new Children and Young people Youth worker for our Holy Family Parish, based at St. Josephs has been a wonderful addition to our Parish, but unfortunately is now out of action for a while as she battles a serious illness. I’m sure you’ll join me in praying for her recovery to full health again.
6. It is still our intention to launch our Holy Family Parish formally at St Josephs, our designated Parish church, on Pentecost Sunday 8^th June 2025, with a 3pm Mass for everyone.

   We are still hoping our Holy Family Parish picnic will take place on 22^nd June – please hold that date!

7. There has also been a lot of administrative work completed in line with diocesan guidelines, so we have now archived and consolidated all our Sacramental records and created a new property portfolio for the new parish. You won’t notice any difference, but it will really help us manage documents and centralise all requests for information better. Thank you to Dcn Peter, our Parish Secretaries, Transition Group members and all who helped make this happen.
8. You will have heard in announcements at Sunday masses in the last few weeks, that we are trialling an additional Sunday evening Mass at St Josephs at 5pm in response to feedback from you. This trial will run until Pentecost.

   Let me be clear, we are not changing any existing weekend masses in the short term. At some stage we will review these as a new Parish but will consult widely before (and if) any decisions are made.

9. For those celebrating special milestone wedding anniversaries this year (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60) – we are in the process of creating an Annual Parish Wedding Celebration and Mass. Our plan is for this to take place on 20^th September 2025. Please watch this space for further information if this is you.
10. The Chosen sessions continue at St Thomas More each Monday evening at 7pm, led by Fr.Kevin. There is also a one-off screening of The Chosen – The Last Supper, Part 1 in Showcase Reading cinema on 10^th April, at 7:20pm, a 2-hour "special" which comes highly recommended. Make sure you book beforehand!
11. Fr Ephraim has organised a Jubilee Holy Family parish prayer event on 13^th April from 3 to 4:30pm at St Joseph’s. Look out for more information in newsletters
12. Fr Kevin is considering putting together a Christian Book Club and is looking for ideas and recommendations from you! Would you prefer online or in-person meetings?

Keep talking to your representatives in the Transition Group and the TPPC…

As you can see from all the activity, they need your help. They are available after masses most Sundays for a coffee and a chat. They want to hear from you, so they can feedback your thoughts to our meetings.

If you don’t feel comfortable airing your opinions in this way, please write to me directly at: lcummins@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk and I will listen and respond. The most important thing for me – is that we, the faithful, in all our churches feel included, listened to and heard. This is not being done to you, but with you.

On some subjects, we may want to canvass opinion more widely through surveys or questionnaires. Please look out for these regular ‘You will be my Witnesses’ updates where I will give more information.

Any change is always difficult to accept, and I’m determined to make this journey as transparent and collaborative as I can for everyone in our wider Parish.

Father Liam

 

Parish of the Holy Family, made up of the following church communities:

• Maidenhead: St Edmund Campion, and St Joseph
• Cookham: St Elizabeth
• Twyford: St Thomas More
• Wargrave: Our Lady of Peace (currently closed)
• Culham: Christ the Redeemer
• Kiln Green: St John’s convent

 

Read the next letter here (May 2025).

You can read the previous letter here (December 2024) and the earlier letters here (October 2024), here (May 2024), here (February 2024), and here (November 2023).

Edition 6 – 30 March 2025