A young priest from Hong Kong of Sino-Filipino origin, Fr Vince To, IVE (Institute of the Incarnate Word) came to Our Lady of Lourdes, Sawston, as a guest of Canon John Minh to run a three-day retreat. Pauline Leung reports. I wasn’t brought up in a Catholic family and have never gone to study in a Catholic school. I was baptised only a few years before my husband and I came to settle in UK with three young children in 1997 when Hong Kong was handed over to China by the UK Government under the 1984 Joint Declaration. I must admit I know very little about catechism, and when the opportunity to ..read more

Following an energetic and encouraging retreat day led by Derrick Williams aimed at adults in March, St John Fisher in Cambourne church then hosted a children and youth enrichment day the following Saturday, reports Mel Ward. Inviting a Religious Order just slightly younger than our own Catholic community here in the ‘new’ development of Cambourne worked well! Kate, Valentina and Sister Catherine joined us from the Congregation of Our Lady of Walsingham, for adoration with Fr Colin from Blackfriars and led our youngsters of all ages in prayer and reflection, song and art. Seeds of Change is a ..read more

St John’s Cathedral parishioners Andy and Mary Clark have spent the last 18 years working with development charities in Africa. Andy is now chair of Network for a Better World and is looking for volunteers who might like to get involved. Andy and Mary’s journey began in 2006 when they left Norwich for Kakamega, Kenya, answering a calling to serve as lay missionaries, where they worked in an orphanage and school as a nurse and teacher, having been recruited by an organisation called Volunteer Missionary Movement (VMM). Later they were transferred to Makeni, near Lusaka, in Zambia, where, for 18 ..read more

Latest news of interest to the East Anglia Catholic community includes a procession of witness, a churches together event and new Norwich Catenians. On Good Friday, March 29, about 60 members of the four Christian churches in Sawston came together for its Procession of Witness through the village starting at Sawston Free church and finishing at St Mary’s with hot cross buns and hot drinks. Fr John Minh said: “As we walked through the village, we followed a life-sized cross carried by a member of each church in turn . We stopped at various points outside the shops where we listened to the Passi ..read more

The 2024 London Marathon is on Sunday April 21. Jane Crone from CAFOD in East Anglia finds out more about CAFOD’s team members from the Diocese of East Anglia. CAFOD Team of 17 includes two members of staff from St Mary’s Primary School in Lowestoft and two members of staff from St Benedict’s School in Bury St Edmunds, who shared their story last year. You can view it here. The fifth person from East Anglia is my daughter Josie, who took time out from training to answer a few questions about her challenge. She said: “The London Marathon 2024 is my first marathon. I wanted to do a marathon afte ..read more

Latest news of interest to the East Anglia Catholic community includes a Climate and Sustainability Fair in Norfolk, a Mary’s Meals campaign and a special visit to Bishop Peter. The churches of Sheringham including St Joseph’s RC, along with the local town council and other interested local groups, are holding a Climate and Sustainability Fair on Saturday April 20 from 10am till 3pm. The event is being held at St Andrews Methodist Church just across from St Joseph’s, and will include a number of educational stalls, talks, art exhibitions, and a choir. CAFOD is attending to promote ‘Live S ..read more

The annual Diocese of East Anglia Pilgrimage will take place on Bank Holiday Monday, May 6, and parishioners and clergy from across the diocese are welcome to attend. The pilgrimage will begin with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Church of the Annunciation, Friday Market, until 11.45am. At 12 noon there will be the Regina Caeli and the Crowning of the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham by Bishop Peter Collins in Friday Market. Pilgrimage director, Fr Peter Rollings, said: “The procession will then make its way down the Holy Mile to the Shrine reciting the Rosary and singing hymns. East ..read more

To watch a video about joining the Ignite Team, click here ..read more

Come and experience your faith in a new and dynamic way at the Ignite Festival. The weekend will include inspiring talks, passionate prayer, live music, and lots of fun stuff! Followed by the option of joining the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Walsingham on Bank Holiday Monday May 6th.. Click here for a photo gallery video of the Ignite Festival and see www.ignitefestival.co.uk for more information and to book tickets ..read more

In a series about the Religious Congregations living and working in the Diocese of East Anglia, Fr Karol Porczak MS, Vicar for the Religious, introduces the Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of Our Lady of Grace and Compassion (OSB). The Sisters are also known as the Grace and Compassion Benedictines. The Congregation was founded in 1959 by Mary Sunniva Garson (1921 – 2007). In 1954, there were many lonely people living in appalling conditions in Brighton.  A house for the aged and frail was opened by Mary, assisted by Catholic lay women, who continued to provide care and accommodat ..read more