Parish Life – The Catholic Parish of Hunstanton

Parish Prayer

Rosary Group: meets at St Cecilia’s at 2pm every Monday except Bank Holidays. New members or visitors always welcome. Enquiries to May 01485 544953

Mothers’ Prayers: meets every other Monday in the Garnett Room at Our Lady at St Edmund 2.30-4.00 pm to pray especially for families and the Church. All are welcome – you do not need to be a mother to join us. For date of next meeting please check the newsletter.

Please pray for the repose of the souls of those whose anniversaries occur about now including: Mary Lean, Zelinda Robb, William Purslow, Glen Hughes, Maud Brown, Moira Grantham, John Boyer, Alice Davis, Frederick Henry Cooper, Sr. Angela McMenamin, Kenneth Barkham, Maria Palmer, Kathleen Bryce, Christopher John Rigby and John Baird.

Please pray for those who are sick, especially: Paul Bloomfield, Michael Brooks, Cathy Cambridge, Madeleine Coughlan, Fr. Bill Dobson, Michael E. Griffiths, Winifred Heathcote, Sarah King, Nicholas Koning, Anne & Christopher Lindley, Fr. Henry MacCarthy, Joan McTaggart, Dickie Nally, Linda O’Neil, Sharon Parkin, Helen Seaman, Nicky Sugden and John Witting.

Parish list of those who are sick: Anyone who would like his/her name added to the list below is invited to email the Parish Office, or to complete and sign the slip on the back of the Parish Newsletter. Please note, it must be the person to be included on the list who sends the email or signs the form. To remove a name from the list, please contact the Parish Office.

Spiritual Formation

Spiritual Development: A warm welcome is assured, as we meet on the last Friday of the month , to deepen our spiritual lives . Alternately at Our Lady’s & St Cecilia’s, there are refreshments from 2pm and the session starts at 2.30pm, for prayer and confidential small group discussion. Our current themes alternate on the practice and approaches to prayer, learning from the life of a Saint (different saint(s) each time) & exploring how the Synodal Process in the wider church can be a source of practice in our local church.
AND these themes are not set in stone, and we welcome subjects to be explored for future events.
Contact – Paul Mulligan via Parish email: hunstantonparish@rcdea.org.uk

Bible Group: Meets on Tuesdays at 4pm in the Garnett Room at OLSE. For date of next meeting please see the newsletter.

Parish Groups

SVP – The Society of St Vincent de Paul The Parish SVP Conference, The Wash, was started in early 2023, as a response to increasing needs observed both within and beyond the parish, and as a support to the many parishioners who already give great help to the elderly, infirm and those in need. We are twinned with a Conference in South Sudan, and have regular contact with them, as well as providing financial support for their work. The group is made up of full visiting members, and supporting auxiliary members and meets every third Wednesday of the month after 10.15am Mass at St Cecilia’s. Membership is not confined to Catholics and new members are always very welcome. Contact – email: PresidentE060012@svp.org.uk; phone SVP The Wash 075160172902

Steering Group: This is an informal group of parishioners interested in being involved in any aspect of parish life. We meet alternately at Our Lady’s (1st Monday of the month) and St Cecilia’s (1st Wednesday of the month), and work with matters across the whole range of parish life ranging from liturgy to social events; Catholic Social Teaching to ecumenism and mission – anything that touches on the life of the parish. New members are always very welcome. Contact via Parish email: hunstantonparish@rcdea.org.uk

The Parish Supports….

Fair Trade: There is a Fair Trade stall after each Mass on the first Sunday of the month.

Hunstanton Food Bank: There are collection boxes at borh churches for donations for the Hunstanton Food Bank, and also a list of the items that are most needed. More details are available on the Hunstanton Food Bank website.

Ukraine: ‘Ukrainian Flowers’ greeting cards, designed by Roman, a young Ukrainian living in the Parish, are now available. Contact Nataliya on 07467 562520 or < churikova777@gmail.com > or visit the stall at Our Lady & St Edmund after Mass on Sundays. You can donate to the charity supporting children who have lost their parents in the Russian war against Ukraine; contact Nataliya as above.
There is also a box at OLSE for medical donations (e.g. paracetamol).

Sacraments

Baptism

Through Baptism we enter the mystery of God’s life and begin our welcome into the family of God, the Church. Baptism normally takes place at Sunday Mass, to reflect this communal aspect of the sacrament.

Infant Baptisms
Infant baptisms take place by appointment – please phone, email or speak to Fr Peter. At least one godparent must be a practising Catholic and all godparents must be over 16 years of age. Other committed Christians may be invited to be ‘Christian witnesses’ at the ceremony

Baptism for Adults
If you have not been baptised, and are interested in enquiring about the Catholic faith, please contact Fr Peter.

Eucharist

First Holy Communion
A child’s first reception of the Sacrament of the Eucharist normally takes place in school Year 3 – the year in which the child reaches the age of 8 – or later. The child will be expected to take part in a programme of preparation, and there will also be preparation sessions for parents.

Communion at Home
If you are sick or housebound, you may feel cut off from the spiritual life of the Church, especially from the Mass. Receiving Holy Communion keeps you ‘in communion’ with Christ and the Church at these times. Holy Communion may be brought to you by a lay minister of Holy Communion.

All of the sick or housebound are an important part of the parish, so please inform Fr Peter or Elizabeth Howe if you are unable to be at Mass even for a short time, so that you may be brought Holy Communion at home.

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
The Parish Priest will invite suitable parishioners to undertake this important ministry. After preparation and training in the parish, the new minister will be commissioned by the Bishop for one year. The commission is renewed annually in the parish, normally on the feast of Corpus Christi. As well as assisting with the distribution of Communion at Mass, ministers may be asked to take Communion to sick and housebound members of the parish.

Confirmation

Confirmation completes our baptism, and makes us full members of the Church, committed to being witnesses to Christ in the world.

Confirmation of Young People
Young people are normally confirmed during school Year 10 – the year in which they reach the age of 15 – or later. Candidates will be expected to take part in a preparation course organized by the parish. Confirmation is usually carried out by the Bishop either in the parish church or with other young people in King’s Lynn.

Those who missed Confirmation in their Youth
If you missed Confirmation for any reason, and would like to be confirmed, please contact Fr Peter who will arrange a course of preparation for you. Adult candidates for Confirmation are normally confirmed by the Bishop at a ceremony at Walsingham on the feast of Pentecost.

Reconciliation (Confession)

The Sacrament of Forgiveness and Reconciliation is one of the Lord’s great gifts to us. It is a Sacrament of Resurrection by which the Risen Lord raises sinners from the death of sin and leads them forward on the path of holiness. It is a sacrament of liberation and healing, involving a deeply personal encounter with Christ the Reconciler through the priest in the community of the Church. (source: Diocesan Pastoral Plan for Confession)

Times for Reconciliation (Confession)
Wednesday at S Cecilia’s after the 10.15am Mass
Saturday Holy Family, Gaywood after the 10am Mass
Saturday Our Lady’s King’s Lynn 5.00 – 5.30pm
Fr Peter is always willing to celebrate this Sacrament outside the above times, by appointment.
There are Penitential Services with the opportunity for individual confession held in the deanery during Lent and Advent

First Reconciliation (Confession)
A child’s first celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation normally takes place in school Year 3 -the year in which the child reaches the age of 8 – or later. The child will be expected to take part in a programme of preparation, and there will also be preparation sessions for parents.

Marriage

Care …. needs to be given to immediate preparation for marriage. Such preparation includes the necessary paper-work and organising the wedding ceremony, but the heart of all preparation should be a positive presentation of the meaning of the sacrament of marriage within the setting of the couple’s relationship with God, their vocation from him, and their involvement in the community of the Church. (source: Diocesan Pastoral Plan on Marriage)

Please give at least six month’s notice of your intention to marry. Please phone, email or speak to Fr Peter, who will give you an application form. You will be expected to attend a one day Marriage Preparation course, which is usually held at Poringland, as well as a number of preparation sessions with the Parish Priest.

Sacrament of the Sick

This sacrament (once known as Extreme Unction) is a sacrament of God’s healing love, strength and peace for those who are seriously ill, or weak through advanced age, or about to undergo major surgery.

Important information regarding hospital visits: If you or a relative are in Queen Elizabeth Hospital and require a visit from the priest you should ask the ward staff to contact the Chaplaincy Office or Switchboard. A message left on the parish answerphone may not be dealt with immediately.

This sacrament may be received as often as required, and receiving the sacrament should be normal for any Catholic who is seriously ill in some way. If you or someone you know would like to receive this sacrament please contact Fr Peter, or, if appropriate, the hospital chaplain.

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