...in pursuit of research on the history of St Mary's University, in local archives held in the Old Town Hall...
Evening Mass at St Elizabeth's. Saturday evening Mass is not the most-attended one, but there were a goodish number of families as well as stray people like me. The whole parish has a youthful feel. There was a report on the parish finances, delivered after the end of Mass.I thought it would be dull and settled down with an I-shan't-bother-to-listen mood. But it turned out to be rather interesting: Mass attendance has increased by 25 per cent over the last two years, various plans for future parish development and mission...
In lots and lots of ways, the Britain of today is so radically different from the one in which I spent my childhood. I've become used to feeling somewhat alienated. Suddenly, waiting in the rain for the bus I had a different feeling, a quiet understanding of what it might be like being a child at St Elizabeth's that evening...or, rather, some one looking back in many years' time, and saying "My dad used to take us to the Saturday evening Mass at the Catholic church in The Vineyard, up by Richmond Hill..." There are still cosy family memories being created.
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2 comments:
How lovely that Mass attendance has increased and that is certainly the experience of St Josephs in Guildford. I believe that last year Mass attendance in the Guildford churches averaged over 2000 people on Sundays. This is the highest in Surrey and Sussex.
This is good news...and I know something of this parish and the young families in it. How great to hear that it is flourishing spo well...and how encouraging. Thank you for lifting the heart! Joanna
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