Fr Tony writes.....

I would like to say a special word of welcome to all our visitors this Christmas. We speak of the church building as “the house of God”, and as such everyone is welcome here. Many will come at Christmas who are not normally here, but whoever you are, you are welcome today and always. There can be many reasons why people drift away. Each person’s story is unique, and each one of us is precious in God’s sight. Christmas celebrates the birth of him whom we call the “Good Shepherd”, and however far you may feel that you have drifted from God, He is always looking out for you, and eager to welcome you with love.
I hope that you all feel welcome this Christmas, and that for some at least, it may open the door to reconciliation with God. There is no sin that God will not forgive. He asks only that we are sorry and that we turn back to Him, and ask for forgiveness. May the love of God touch all our lives this Christmas. May God bless you and all those you love.
On behalf of all the clergy I wish you all a very happy and blessed Christmas.

I want to use my letter this week to offer the best wishes and prayers of all our priests to the people of the parish. I would also like to thank everyone for al that is done in our four churches, in Bognor, in Rose Green, in Slindon and in Barnham. The Parish is in many ways a community of communities. We are all very different but together we make up God’s family in this place. As a priest I am constantly struck by the goodness and generosity of so many people. There is so much that is done quietly and without any show or fuss. I do not intend to make a list or even to single out one or two individuals. You are known to God, and that is what matters. Every Parish Priest is required to celebrate Mass on Sundays and great feasts for the people of the parish. I shall be very happy to do that this Christmas. I shall be thanking God for the love and friendship of so many good people. I will be asking God to bless each of you and to be with you in the coming year. This has been an important year in the life of the Church in England with the appointment of Archbishop Vincent Nichols to Westminster. Next year promises to be an historic year with the visit in September of the Holy Father Pope Benedict, and the Beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman.
I shall be writing more later about these events, but I would ask you now to begin to pray that the Pope’s visit will be a time of Grace for our whole Country and especially for the Church.

We were all rather shocked last Saturday morning to hear the news of the sudden death of Father Stan Burt. Stan was a parishioner here before he decided to offer himself for the priesthood, and was ordained priest in Bognor in 1988. He has many friends here who have fond memories of him, not least as a participant in the Parish Pantomime each year. The Bishop will preside at the Requiem Mass in Our Lady of Sorrows at midday on Thursday December 10th. We are expecting a number of other priests to join us to concelebrate the Mass with the Bishop, and we hope that many parishioners and friends will be here as well. Please remember Fr Stan in your prayers.
I shall be in Birmingham on Tuesday for the Installation of the new Archbishop of Birmingham, Archbishop Bernard Longley. Bernard was ordained as a priest of this Diocese in 1981. For the last six years he has been an Auxiliary Bishop in Westminster. He was also a student at Wonersh when I was teaching on the staff there. I would also ask you to remember him in your prayers as he takes up his new and very demanding rôle.