Latest News
Minehead Parishioner celebrates Centenary!
We are delighted celebrate our "Centenarian" parishioner in Minehead/ Sacred Heart Parish recently. Pictured are Mrs Helen Dowley and Fr Michael Thomas just after a special Mass which was celebrated in Eastleigh Residential Home in Minehead.Assisted by...
Closing church-run schools and healthcare facilities in Eritrea denies ‘fundamental human rights’, says Bishop Declan
Eritrean Catholics in London and those standing in solidarity with them engaged in a ‘day of witness and vigil for the Eritrea people and Catholic Church’ on Saturday 2 November.Bishop Declan Lang, addressing those gathered through his representative Fr...
Double celebration at St Francis Church Nailsea
On Sunday 20 October there was a double celebration at St Francis Church, Nailsea, when we welcomed Bishop Declan who came to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on Gustavo, Marietta, Miguel and Jim and to bless our beautiful new statue of St Francis.The...
Vocation Discernment Retreat at Downside
Last weekend Downside Abbey welcomed about 35 young people for their second Vocation Discernment Weekend. The idea was to offer young Catholics an opportunity to think about vocation in the widest sense, and there were speakers to address a variety of...
Celebrating the Harvest at St Pius X Primary School
The pupils and parents of St Pius X school in Withywood, Bristol, joined by Parish Priest Fr Michael Healy, held a special assembly on Friday 4th October to Celebrate the Harvest Season. The celebration included prayers and poems created by the children,...
Golden Jubilee and the Consecration of Holy Family Swindon
On Monday the 7th of October a large number of parishioners and friends of Holy Family Swindon gathered to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Church. It was a beautiful and unique Mass of Consecration of the parish led by Bishop Declan with a good number...
Taunton Week of Guided Prayer
The Taunton parish recently celebrated the end of the Diocesan year of prayer with a week of guided prayer. 32 parishioners signed up, with more than a little trepidation after talks and leaflets at Sunday Masses, and an introductory evening. A team of 7...
Pope at Canonisation Mass: New saints “kindly lights” in the gloom of the world
Pope Francis presides over the canonisations of Cardinal John Henry Newman, Sister Marian Thresia, Sister Giuseppina Vannini, Sister Dulce Lopes Pontes, and Marguerite Bays. In his homily, the Pope reflects on the Gospel account of the lepers, and on the...
Year 11’s come together for joint retreat on the theme of ‘Resilience’
On the weekend of Fri 27th – Sun 29th Sept, students from five Catholic Secondary schools in the diocese came together for the first ever joint year 11 retreat organised by the chaplains of St Augustine’s, St Bernadette’s/Bede’s and St Gregory’s. As...
St Francis pupils help launch the Extraordinary Month of Mission
On a fairly wet Tuesday October 1st St Francis School Nailsea were gathered together with Bishop Declan to celebrate their 40th Anniversary. This day also happens to be the start of Pope Francis’ Extraordinary Month of Mission. The pupils and staff decided...
Clifton Parishioner at the Vatican!
Clifton Cathedral parishioner Paul Williams has just returned from speaking at the Vatican, where he also met the Holy Father, Pope Francis.Paul is Emeritus Professor of Indian and Tibetan Philosophy at the University of Bristol. He was invited to the...
Cardinal Nichols welcomes annual report on safeguarding
Cardinal Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales, welcomed the annual report of the work of safeguarding in the Catholic Church in England & Wales. This report has been published every year...
Youth Ministry Networks launch
In response to Christus Vivit and the Synod on Youth, Faith & Vocational Discernment, Youth Ministry in the Clifton Diocese is taking a step forward in its support and ministry to Parishes.To facilitate this, we have developed a new vision for Youth...
Confirmation Catechist formation evenings
Clifton Diocese Youth Ministry is holding formation sessions for Confirmation Catechists across the diocese. If you are an experienced catechist, or just interested in accompanying young people towards, and beyond the Sacrament, these evenings are ideal....
Canon Thomas Atthill’s 50th anniversary of Ordination
Canon Thomas Atthill was ordained a Priest in Downside Abbey by Bishop Joseph Rudderham on July 18th 1969. On the 21st August, he was joined by many priests from Clifton Diocese and from other dioceses as well as many friends and family to celebrate the...
Day of Prayer for the care of Creation and the Season of Creation
The idea of celebrating 1 September as a day of prayer for creation was first introduced by Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios in 1989, and was endorsed by Pope Francis in 2015, following his encyclical Laudato Si’ which calls on ‘every living person on this...
Launch of the ‘Year of Communion’
Bishop Declan is inviting our diocesan community to come together ahead of the launch of the 'Year of Communion'. There are two events to which the bishop extends an invitation to our parishes, schools and communities.On Saturday 19 October we gather at St...
St Bernadette’s parish youth retreat
St Bernadette’s parish, Whitchurch hosted their first Youth retreat in July.The theme of ‘Masks we wear' was inspired by scripture and was explored during the retreat.‘We all wear masks in our lives. We wear makeup to make ourselves feel prettier, we act...