Clifton Diocese
Clifton Diocese is the Catholic diocese covering the West of England and includes the City and County of Bristol, the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset.Clifton Cathedral
Clifton Cathedral (The Cathedral Church of Saints Peter and Paul) in Bristol is the Mother Church of the Diocese of Clifton and the Seat of Bishop Declan Lang, the ninth Bishop of Clifton.
Bishop Declan Lang
is the ninth Bishop of Clifton. Within the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, he is Chair of the Department of International Affairs
A Future full of Hope
The Year of Communion we will focus on a Spirituality of Communion and how we are called and saved, not as individuals but as God’s people.
Clifton Diocese
We welcome all to join us!
Cardinal welcomes resumption of collective acts of worship from 4 July
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales said:
“I welcome the statement by the Prime Minister earlier today, that places of worship are now able to resume collective acts of worship from 4 July. This is welcome news for members of all religions in England. I thank all who have worked hard to bring this about, not least my fellow religious leaders.
“As Catholics we now look forward to being able to celebrate Mass together again from 4 July. We have waited with patience and longing for this moment, understanding the importance of protecting the health of people in our society. Now we are full of anticipation that we will be able again to take part together in the Eucharist, which lies at the centre of our faith.
“It is important that we continue to abide by the guidance, given by the Government, on appropriate social distancing and the other measures to avoid all unnecessary risk. Our own detailed guidance will be distributed around dioceses and parishes so everyone can be confident that they may come to Mass securely and understand the part they are to play in protecting each other from any remaining risk of infection.
“The past few months have been a time of fashioning new patterns of prayer, new ways of exploring and enriching our faith and vigorous ways of reaching out to those in need. We can build on these, forgetting nothing of the graces we have been given. Yet now, with the experience of opening our churches for individual prayer already gained, this return to the more normal patterns of worship will be of great importance to all Catholics.
“This time of our ‘Eucharistic fast’ has made our hearts grow in longing for that moment when we can come together and receive again the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. That moment is now very near and for that we thank God.”
Bishop Declan has recorded a short message about the opening of many of our churches
Live Daily Mass
You can watch a daily Mass live from Clifton Cathedral below at 9.30am
If you would like to donate to Clifton Diocese or the Clifton Cathedral in this testing time and while our churches are closed, please do so below:
Clifton Diocese
Clifton Cathedral
Sacred space
Discover a wealth of prayer resources to support and enhance your daily prayer .
Liturgy
Tasked by our Bishop with implementing the vision of the Liturgy Constitution of the Second Vatican Council
Laudato ‘Si
.On the Care for our Common Home is the Pope’s Encyclical Letter on the environment and human ecology.
Resources and information for ‘The year of the Word’ – the God who Speaks. See how you can get involved
Pope Francis
The Pope’s Monthly Intentions videos are to assist in the dissemination of monthly intentions of the Holy Father
Today’s Readings
What is the Liturgy of the Hours? Find the daily readings courtesy of Universalis.com here everyday
Youth Ministry
Clifton Diocese Youth Ministry provides opportunities for young people to further their involvement in the Catholic Church
Pilgrimage
Find all the information about our Diocesan pilgrimages: Lourdes, Glastonbury and the Holy Land
Safeguarding
“Being loved and being kept safe go to the very core of the Church’s Ministry to children and vulnerable adults
FAMILIES AND CHILDREN
Prayer Resources and More
Making (more) room for Jesus in your own home
Make time for each other,
never let work at home become more important than spending time together.
Laugh often, tell jokes; Alexa tell us a joke…
Alexa is brilliant at finding jokes, songs, and musicals.
Share a funny family story that you remember.
Support one another and be thankful for each other.
Think back over the day at the things you are thankful for,
then say thanks to God.
Messy Church is a way of being church for families and others. It is Christ-centred, for all ages, based on creativity, hospitality and celebration.
Sharing the Sunday Gospel with families through primary schools and enriching the Home, School & Parish partnership
Loyola Press gives us tips on how to pray with children on their page here
Some examples of Children’s Liturgy ideas can be found on youtube.com/c/blessedsacramentexeter: Click ‘playlist’ where you will see recent Sunday’s Children’s Liturgies. You will also see ‘GIFT’ (Growing in Faith Together) which is, too, a lovely family resource.
If you are on Facebook ‘Colour and Shape’ is another very good resource for looking at Children’s Liturgy ideas.
‘Family at Prayer Book’ and the leaflet for ‘prayer in times of an flu/illness’ are useful for parents and young adults.
Download this booklet to help you communicate about Covid-19 to the children and teens in your life. Download
Prayer and Other Resources:
Click the text below to be taken to that particular page:
Isolation during the Year of Communion:
As we journey through the Year of Communion we hear from people around the diocese and beyond about their experience of living in isolation during this time of COVID-19.
Our Director of Adult Education and Evangelisation, Sarah Adams, introduces the series of audio reflections.
Reflection 13: Ruth FitzJohn is a Trustee of the Diocese and is a busy retiree following a career as a leader in the NHS and the cooperative movement. She and her family are parishioners at Sacred Hearts in Cheltenham.
Listen to all the Reflections on our Communion page: cliftondiocese.com/communion
Clifton Diocese
Our Latest News
Food bank crisis and good news at St Nicks podcast
A record number of people are now relying on the Food bank run from at St Nicholas of Tolentino in Easton, Bristol since lock-down started to avoid going hungry.Parish Priest, Fr Richard McKay and volunteers at the food bank have witnessed a staggering rise since the...
New Directory for Catechesis
The Directory for Catechesis is a document of the Holy See and entrusted to the entire Church. Much time and work has gone into its preparation, and its publication comes after a wide international consultation. It will be available to purchase from the Catholic Truth...
Radio Broadcast of Mass – BBC Radio 4 – This Sunday
RADIO BROADCAST OF MASS - BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship will broadcast Mass celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols from Westminster Cathedral on Sunday 14 June at 8.10 am. This will no doubt be especially good news for Catholics who do not have access to the internet but...
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