Have you registered yet? Churchsuite is a new, computerised records system specifically designed for churches. We would like every parishioner to register - it only takes a few moments.
If you are new to the parish, or have only recently joined, please could you complete the Churchsuite registration. This will ensure we have your details in the parish records and can effect a proper introduction and welcome to you and your family.
You can find more information about Churchsuite and a registration form here.
On Saturday 27th September, we came together as a community to celebrate a special Mass at 12 noon. This was a Mass of thanksgiving for the long service as a priest of Fr Paul Chanh.
The Mass was very well attended by a number of parishioners from St Mary Magdalen, St Marks and Holy Family churches and was a moving and emotional farewell to a much loved and respected priest.
The Mass was followed by a BBQ and reception in the parish garden, when Fr Paul was presented with a cheque to mark his retirement. His retirement accommodation has not yet been finalised, so he will remain living for the time being in the Norwich Road Presbytery.
A selection of photographs from the event are shown below.
As well as Fr Paul's retirement, also retiring this month, after 47 years since his ordination to the priesthood, was “our own” Fr Pat Cleary, who retired from the parish of Thetford on 5thSeptember. We also wish Fr Pat a long and happy retirement.
Fr Pat's retirement features in an article in the November edition of Catholic East Anglia, the Diocesan newspaper, which you can find here.
The Autumn 2025 issue of LIFE news is out and you can read it by clicking the image to the left.
Life has also launched an appeal and you can read the story of Zena, that is being used as part of this appeal, by clicking here.
Donations to LIFE may be made by posting the donation form in the appeal, or online here at the LIFE website.
As you probably know, in the space of one week at the end of June, MPs voted to decriminalise abortion up to birth and legalise assisted suicide. The Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (SPUC) has launched its Fightback campaign to raise awareness and support and to encourage people to make their voice heard and stand up for the most vulnerable in our society. There are some postcards at the back of church which you can complete and send off to SPUC and you will be sent an information pack about what you can do to help support this cause.
Following the recent appointment of new joint head teachers at St Pancras school, efforts have been made to reinvigorate the relationship between school and church which has declined in recent times. Mr Ross McGill, a teacher at St Pancras for many years, has been appointed as the new Head of School and the new Executive Headteacher is Mrs Jo Berry. Fr Luke has met with the new leadership team at the school and one early outcome from these changes is the reintroduction of regular school Masses. Starting Thursday 5th June, year group Masses for the St Pancras children will be held each week at 10:00 in church, and in July a leavers Mass will be held. The new leadership team is looking for opportunities for the school to engage more with the parish and is open to approaches from parishioners to be involved with the school, and to further promote this interaction, it is hoped that Mr McGill will take up an ex-officio appointment on the Parish Mission Council. Let us pray that the rekindling of the church-school relationship develops and proves to be a source of inspiration and development of the faith of our young people.
If you are, or know of anybody who is, housebound and cannot get to Mass regularly, and would like a home visit with Holy Communion from a priest or an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, please let Fr Luke or Fr Paul know, or send an email, and we will organise something for you.
The East Anglia Diocesan Youth Service exists to help young people in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to connect with Jesus Christ and His Catholic Church. It carries out this mission by running pilgrimages and events, by providing support to parishes and schools and also through its Ignite Team, which visits schools and churches to run retreats, activities and workshops.
The Diocesan Youth Service publishes an annual newsletter summarising the passing year's activities, and the most recent newsletter, November 2024, has just been published - you can find copies in the church porch or you can read it online here.
We are very grateful to the North West Ipswich Big Local Trust which has recently made two grant awards to the parish to be used for improvements to our church hall. These are an award of £1,000 for participating in a Dragons Den event at the end of September and a further £3,000 towards refurbishing the kitchen. We are very grateful to the Trust for these awards which will greatly assist with our continuing activity to modernise our hall.
The gate to the right hand side of the church giving access to the memorial garden is padlocked and normally closed, thus preventing people from visiting without making prior arrangements with a key holder to give them access. To address this, the gate padlock has been changed for a combination lock. If you wish to visit the garden, please send an email and the combination will be sent to you. Your name and email address will also be added to a list and you will be automatically advised if, at any future time, the combination is changed.
