Sacred Heart Exeter
Latest News & Events
St Nicholas School now has it's own tab for school news under 'More'
Sacred Heart Repository
We are now back displaying on Sundays a few repository items for sale; currently we have rosaries, bracelets, Statues, Confirmation and First Holy Communion cards, and new items every week. Depending on the support we receive, this will grow into something a bit bigger! Please contact Coral at the Parish Office if you would like to see more any day.
01392 642389
News from Valladolid
March & April
Sam is still enjoying his time at Valladolid. In between his lessons he find time to explore the parts of Spain around him.
He has been enjoying the many religious processions taking place at this time of the year.
January & February 2025
"My time of formation is going very well, and it is flying by. In January, I enjoyed a placement in the diocese, where I was based in Weymouth. I was able to visit Exeter for a day, but only briefly. It was lovely to be back in the diocese for a few weeks, and I felt at home once again. Shortly after, I returned to Valladolid, where we have had a busy couple of weeks. We have spent time studying death, and how to care for the dying, but also a lot of work on our human formation with a visiting psychologist. I was therefore very grateful for a little break, and I enjoyed a few nights in Toledo. It is a stunning city on the Tagus river, with great views, a beautiful cathedral, a historic castle, and most importantly good food (the zipline was an added bonus). It was just the break I needed. I am remembering you all in my prayers, please keep me in yours as I return now to Valladolid to restart studies again on Monday."
Sam keeps in contact with us on a regular basis. He wishes all of the parishioners a very blessed Easter, and asks us to continue to carry him in our prayers.
November & December 2024
I have been getting on well in Valladolid. Seminary life is busy, with a lot of studies to be done, and a very strong prayer life. We are very lucky to be in such a beautiful country, and that we can have some time off to explore. The other weekend, I enjoyed a few nights in Bilbao, exploring the arts and culture of the vibrant city, and going back to the sea which I miss so much in landlocked Valladolid. The sunset over the Bay of Biscay one night was particularly stunning. (Sunset).
We were also very lucky to be joined for the First Sunday of Advent by Bishop Mark Davies, who led a retreat on priestly spirituality and the spirituality of St Jean Vianney. After the two days of silent prayer and talks, we travelled as a college to Avila, to celebrate Mass together at the convent of St Teresa. It is a beautiful city (church and view)
Overall things are going well, and I am looking forward to being back in the Diocese of Plymouth over January. The parish remains very much in my thoughts and prayers"
September & October 2024
In a solemn celebration of St Teresa of Avila, Sam Mapletoft, a seminarian from Sacred Heart here in Exeter, alongside 25 other seminarians from different nations signed the Liber Alumnorum and so joined a list of students of the Royal English College, Valladolid, dating back to 1589. The College has been training priests for centuries, and today Sam joined the great list of students that includes 23 martyrs.
As well as signing the Liber Alumnorum, Sam was also enrolled in the Confraternity of Our Lady Vulnerata, and bestowed with a medal to show his devotion to Our Lady, the Wounded One. Please keep Sam, all those at Valladolid, and all of our diocesan seminarians in your prayers.
In other news, Sam had his first visitor from Sacred Heart. He and Maria met up in Segovia, which is a stunning little town near Valladolid. Sam says he was very happy to see her.
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National Statues of Our Lady of Fatima
The Centenary of the Fatima Five First Saturdays devotion takes place this year, 2025, and as part of the celebrations, the World Apostolate of Fatima in England and Wales is arranging for the two National Statues of Our Lady of Fatima to visit the Cathedrals of England and Wales between May 2025 and October 2026.
The Pilgrim Virgin Statue and Relics of Saints Jacinta and Francisco are due to visit the Cathedral Church of St Mary & St Boniface, Plymouth, on 10 June 2025. This Visitation is a particular remembrance of the apparition to Sr Lucia, the oldest Fatima seer, which took place in December 1925 when she was a postulant with the Sisters of St Dorothy at Pontevedra in Spain.
The Blessed Virgin appeared with the Child Jesus and gave more details of the devotion of reparation which she had mentioned to the shepherd children during the July 1917 apparition. You can see more details about this Five First Saturdays devotion here: https://worldfatima-englandwales.org.uk
This devotion is connected with the conversion of Russia and ultimately with world peace, and this is why the World Apostolate of Fatima in England & Wales is promoting it so strongly during the centenary year, given that our world is so much in need of peace. And it is also providential that this celebration coincidences with the larger celebration of the Church’s Jubilee year, which has the theme of “Pilgrims of Hope.”
The Visitation will include a number of different events, including:
· Procession of the Fatima Pilgrim Virgin Statue.
· Enthronement and Crowning of the Fatima statue.
· Holy Mass will follow the enthronement.
· The opportunity to venerate the relics of Saints Jacinta and Francisco.
· The Rosary will be prayed with the intention of world peace.
· During breaks, a book table will be available for browsing and purchases.
· Informative talks and videos about Fatima will be presented.
· Participants can enrol in the Brown Scapular devotion.
· The Visitation concludes with a Holy Hour and Benediction.
We need people to join our organisation to promote the Fatima ideal and also to promote the teachings of the Church generally. Please visit our website at: https://worldfatima-englandwales.org.uk/ for more details.
Also, please make a note of the Visitation in your diary, and be sure to tell your friends and fellow parishioners about this important event. If you can help with the Visitation programme at the Cathedral Church of St Mary & St Boniface in any way, or more generally, please email: membership@waf-ew.org.uk
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SPUC
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children is holding its annual Pro-life Prayer Chain by the Blue Bridge on the A385 Ashburton Road, Totnes from 11.00am to 12.00noon on Saturday 26th April. Please come and join us. We stand and pray in silence holding placards towards oncoming traffic. It is a powerful witness that we are against the killing of unborn babies. Please make this a priority and come along for as long as you wish, to show your support. Thank you.
Exeter WAYmakers Update
Exeter WAYmakers would like to thank everyone who has so generously supported our community sponsorship group over the last four years, through donations, our various fundraising activities and with prayers. Without your generosity, encouragement and practical support we would not have been able to welcome a family to Exeter and support them in settling here and developing a new life.
The family arrived a year ago and has been so appreciative of the support received. They have made great strides in learning English and two of them have found work, an incredibly impressive feat given what they have been through. Your generosity has enabled us to secure suitable accommodation, kit it out with more than just the necessities and give the family a stable base from which to start again. The outstanding support of our lead sponsor, Caritas Plymouth, has also facilitated this, as well as working with us to provide ongoing help.
It has been both a pleasure and a huge privilege to walk together with this family on their journey of settlement and our team has committed to do so for another year.
As yet, Exeter WAYmakers has not decided whether to support a second family at the end of our current commitment. We will keep you posted!
Please pass on our thanks to your friends and family who have generously supported Exeter WAYmakers but may not see this newsletter. Thank you and may God bless you.
Rise to Our Cause' on Ascension Thursday for the Catholic Children's Society (Plymouth)
Following the success of our two previous CCSP Ascension Day fundraisers, last year at St Mary’s in Poole and the previous year at Buckfast Abbey, this year’s ‘Rise to Our Cause’ event is being held at St Cuthbert Mayne in Launceston on Thursday, 29 May 2025. St Cuthbert Mayne Church in Launceston is a sacred site of pilgrimage for the Jubilee Year, and pilgrims can get their pilgrim passport stamped, and venerate the relic of Cuthbert Mayne.
The event will start with Holy Mass in the church at 12.30pm, followed by a two-course hot lunch kindly prepared for us by the parish. Following lunch, our Guest Speaker this year will be Phil McCarthy, the Hearts in Search of God project lead, who will describe his own walking pilgrimages to Rome and Istanbul and reflect on what it means to be a pilgrim of hope in this Jubilee year. To read more about Phil and the work he does promoting the Cornish pilgrimage, visit www.pilgrimways.org.uk
Tickets cost £15 and can be ordered by -
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emailing vicki.dunstone@ccsplymouth.org.uk
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calling the CCSP office on 01364 645420
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visiting the parish office at St Cuthbert Mayne
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All proceeds from this event, will go towards helping vulnerable children and families living in our Diocese. There will also be a raffle on the day to help raise money for CCSP to enable us to continue helping families of all faiths and none living throughout Devon, Cornwall and parts of Dorset.
Retrouvaille For Marriage Help
Out of 21 couples who joined the Retrouvaille programme in February, two couples have turned away from divorce, and others now found hope to restore their marriages. Your bulletin announcements, referrals and prayers made this possible.
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MARRIAGE HELP - Retrouvaille helps couples find hope and healing for their marriage.
Next date: 20-22 June www.retrouvaille.org.uk Tel: 0788 7296983
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Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
For Immediate Release
1 April 2025
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Pastoral Letter on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
5/6 April 2025
Fifth Sunday of Lent
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I wish to speak with you today about the process in which our Parliament is currently considering legalising assisted suicide through the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. As I have made clear earlier in this debate, as Catholics we have maintained a principled objection to this change in law recognising that every human life is sacred, coming as a gift of God and bearing a God-given dignity. We are, therefore, clearly opposed to this Bill in principle, elevating, as it does, the autonomy of the individual above all other considerations.
The passage of the Bill through Parliament will lead to a vote in late April on whether it progresses further. This will be a crucial moment and I, together with all the Bishops of England and Wales, am writing to ask your support in urging your MP to vote against this Bill at that time.
There are serious reasons for doing so. At this point we wish not simply to restate our objections in principle, but to emphasise the deeply flawed process undergone in Parliament thus far. We wish to remind you that it is a fundamental duty of every MP to ensure that legislation is not imposed on our society which has not been properly scrutinised and which will bring about damaging consequences.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will fundamentally change many of the key relationships in our way of life: within the family, between doctor and patient, within the health service. Yet there has been no Royal Commission or independent inquiry ahead of its presentation. It is a Private Member’s Bill. The Bill itself is long and complex and was published just days before MPs voted on it, giving them inadequate time to consult or reflect upon it. The time for debate was minimal. The Committee examining the Bill took only three days of evidence: not all voices were heard, and it comprises an undue number of supporters of the Bill. In short, this is no way to legislate on such an important and morally complex issue.
One consequence of this flawed process is that many vital questions remain unanswered. Can MPs guarantee that the scope of the Bill will not be extended? In almost every country where assisted suicide has been introduced the current scope is wider than was originally intended. What role, if any, will the judiciary have in the process? We were told that judicial oversight was a necessary and vital part of the process; now we are told it isn’t needed at all. What will protect the vulnerable from coercion, or from feeling a burden on family? Can the National Health Service cope with assisted suicide or will it, as the Health Secretary has warned, cause cuts elsewhere in the NHS? Can MPs guarantee that no medical practitioner or care worker would be compelled to take part in assisted suicide? Would this mean the establishment of a 'national death service'?
In contrast to the provisions of this Bill, what is needed is first-class, compassionate palliative care at the end of our lives. This is already provided to many in our society but, tragically, is in short supply and underfunded. No-one should be dispatched as a burden to others. Instead, a good society would prioritise care for the elderly, the vulnerable, and the weak. The lives of our families are richer for cherishing their presence.
It is sad reflection on Parliament's priorities that the House of Commons spent far more time debating the ban on fox hunting than it is spending debating bringing in assisted suicide.
I am sure that you will share these concerns. It is now clear that this measure is being rushed without proper scrutiny and without fundamental questions surrounding safeguards being answered. This is a deeply flawed Bill with untold unintended consequences.
Every MP, and government, has a solemn duty to prevent such legislation reaching the statute book. So I appeal to you: even if you have written before, please make contact now with your MP and ask them to vote against this Bill not only on grounds of principle but because of the failure of Parliament to approach this issue in an adequate and responsible manner.
In his Letter to the Philippians, from which we heard in the Second Reading, St Paul reflects on the difficulties and responsibilities of life. He speaks of 'pressing on' and 'striving' for the fulness of life promised in Christ Jesus. Yet he is totally confident in his struggles because, as he says, 'Christ Jesus has made me his own'.
We too have many struggles. We too know that Christ Jesus has made us his own. So we too press on with this struggle, so important in our times.
May God bless you all.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster
President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
The Diocese of Plymouth currently has a vacancy for a Head of Caritas. Further information can be obtained by emailing recruitment@prcdtr.org.uk
Youth Events has 2 residentials coming up this summer.
Heatree 2025; May 23rd – 25th.
This residential is open to young people aged 10 – 12. It is a great chance for young people to meet others from parishes across the Diocese. During the weekend we will explore the scripture John 14:23, whilst we try things like high ropes and raft making, games around the campfire, along with other activities (activities will be confirmed nearer the time). Cost £90 per person. To book: For further information please contact, Saskia: youth@prcdtr.org.uk
Proclaim, Sclerder Abbey, 2025; June 20th – 22nd
This residential is open to young adults aged 18+ Proclaim is running for the first time this year. It is a Christian gathering for young adults in the South West, featuring talks, workshops, testimonies, prayer and worship. People are encouraged to camp but there are opportunities to stay in the Abbey. A contribution of £60 for those camping. For further information please contact, Saskia: youth@prcdtr.org.uk
Campaign Against Assisted Dying
A Letter from Richard Collyer-Hamlin, The Chair of The Catholic Union of Great Britain
Dear Reader
As we continue on the Lenten journey to the great feast of Easter this year, I am writing to update you on the work of the Catholic Union and our endeavours to help Catholics become better able to engage in the public square.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST ASSISTED DYING
These past few months, with the Terminally Adults (End of Life) Bill making its way through the parliamentary process, has shown it has never been more crucial to equip Catholics to be fully informed about the great issues of the day, and to support our parliamentarians.
The bill, which would make assisted dying legal in this country, has so far passed through two readings in the House of Commons. As it is a Private Member’s Bill, the sponsor, Kim Leadbeater MP, has been able to choose the members of the committee going through the bill line by line, which means that a majority of committee members who are responsible for scrutinising it, are in favour of such legislation. After that process, the bill will go back to the Commons, before going to the House of Lords for several more readings, and amendments are possible after that.
This means that there are several more occasions on which parliamentarians will be able to speak on the bill and vote on it, and we know that MPs pay close attention to letters from constituents. So, it is vital that the Catholic Union keeps the public, MPs and peers informed about the issues and why the Catholic Church is opposed to assisted dying. We held a very well-attended expert event at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in London earlier this year to discuss the bill.
IMPORTANT WEBINAR
Our next public event regarding the bill will be a special webinar on assisted dying, open to the whole Catholic community, on Thursday 3 April. Chaired by Baroness Hollins, President of the Catholic Union, it will give members and supporters the chance to unpick the Bill guided by three experts: Dr Matthew Doré; Dr Philip Howard and Professor Julian Hughes. Please register your attendance here and the zoom link will be sent to you in due course.
SOCIETY
While a crucial issue, this is not the only one concerning the Catholic Union. We are planning to bring together headteachers of Catholic schools with MPs to discuss their greatest concerns such as how poverty affects pupils’ educational achievements and the problem of knives – a tragic death of a pupil at a Catholic school in Sheffield recently was a reminder that Catholic schools are not immune from the most dangerous trends in society.
WEEKLY BRIEFING & BIDDING PRAYERS
Our Weekly Briefings keep thousands of readers up to date with news from the Catholic Church and other issues which concern our community. A recent innovation that has proved very popular has been our Bidding Prayers, produced each week for use at Sunday Mass.
PUBLIC EVENTS - ONLINE AND IN PERSON
We look forward to an exciting Craigmyle Lecture later this year, and our new series of Pub Talks, which give our supporters a chance to meet and talk with leading Catholic public figures, gets underway next week. There will be webinars and special briefings too.
YOUR VITAL SUPPORT
All these projects take a huge amount of work and planning, for which we need your prayers. Please remember the Catholic Union this Lent. And, of course, these efforts also require funds. If you are able to make a donation to our Lent Appeal 2025, it will make an enormous difference to the success of our work to strengthen the Catholic voice in our society.
ST THOMAS MORE CIRCLE
You may wish to make your donation to the Catholic Union Charitable Trust. There are various levels of membership of the St Thomas More Circle, from £100 a year as a starting level, to as high as £20,000 a year, with an increasing number of benefits. Your contributions are vital to the mission and work of the Catholic Union. Please may I ask you to consider supporting us in 2025?
WORD ON FIRE - BISHOP BARON
You are invited to watch a new six-part series from Word on Fire, in which Bishop Baron teaches on the Mass, with an online group, Wednesday evenings at 7pm during Lent and Easter.
Each one hour session will consist of a half hour film followed by prayer and reflection.
For a link or for more information contact deborah.vankroonenburg@prcdtr.org.uk
LENT RETREAT DAY ON THE SATURDAY
15th MARCH 2025 AT ST RITA’S CENTRE
"WHO AM I? A TOURIST OR A PILGRIM?" by Fr. Ignatius Paul Raj
The day will begin with coffee/tea on arrival at 9.30am. First Talk will start at 10am, second talk will be at 11am. Exposition and Adoration of the holy Sacrament in silence will be at 12pm. Lunch will be served at 1.00pm, Mass at 2.45pm and there will be an opportunity for Confession. The charge for the day, including lunch, is just £25.00. Booking can be made by phone, email or click here Payment can be made on the day.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE !
To tie in with the Jubilee of Volunteering on Saturday, 8 and Sunday, 9 March 2025, the Catholic Children’s Society (Plymouth) is delighted that a number of parishes have stepped forward and now have a Parish Volunteer in place to help them with their fundraising.
There is a ladder of involvement and some parishes just want to MAINTAIN AND MONITOR the supply of CCSP promotional material such as the twice yearly newsletters, whilst others want to help PROMOTE organised CCSP fundraising events such as the Annual Appeal, Crib appeal and the Great Big Diocesan Quiz and some are happy to get more involved by ORGANISING fundraising events of their own.
The CCSP Parish Volunteer pack has recently been updated and if you would like a copy to see what's involved, please ask in the parish office for a copy or you can email vicki.dunstone@ccsplymouth.org.uk or alternatively please call the office on 01364 645420. And don’t forget, a member of CCSP staff or one of their Trustees could visit your parish to make a short presentation on the role of the Parish Volunteer and how your parish could help the charity further.
Talk on The Shroud of Turin
Sunday 9 March at 6:30pm in Exeter Cathedral’s Chapter House. Optional refreshments will be served at 6pm.
Mackenzie Robinson will give a presentation on the Shroud of Turin, examining its provenance, and whether it could be the burial shroud of Christ. He invites you to set aside your preconceptions, and follow the evidence to wherever it leads.
Robinson is a licenced lay minister in the Ashburton and Moorland Mission Community. He was formerly a Benedictine oblate of Buckfast Abbey and teaches meditation in the Christian tradition. He has studied, written and lectured on the Shroud of Turin for a number of years, drawing on his 20 years of forensic experience as a criminal defence lawyer, and now tribunal adjudicator.
All are welcome to attend this free event. Advance booking is not required.
NEWS FROM THE CCSP
2024 was a wonderful year for the Catholic Children’s Society (Plymouth) thanks to the generosity of all our loyal supporters, parishes, schools and grant funders. Our Annual Appeal, Crib appeal, Great Big Diocesan Quiz, orange box recycling scheme and ink cartridge recycling scheme all raised record breaking totals for our small children’s charity. Final totals will be included in the Spring edition of our newsletter ‘Children First’ which should be sent to all parishes sometime in April. This means that we have been able to help so many families thanks to you all. We receive some wonderful feedback from families who tell us what a massive difference our support makes to their family life. Here is just one recent example -
“A huge thank you to the Catholic Children’s Society for your kind help, the washing machine arrived today, and everyone is delighted. It is such a huge relief to be able to do our own washing at home again. I’m just so thankful to you. One day when we are in a better position, we will pay the kindness forward and help someone else in a situation similar to mine. Again, thank you.”
Diocesan Prayer Group
An online group has been sharing Morning Prayer and Night Prayer, Monday to Fridays, for the last two years. We simply pray the Divine Office together (over about twelve minutes) - 'for the sake of the Church and the world'. People dip in, as they can (no apologies needed when we can't). There is no obligation to read, just join us in prayer. For more information contact <deborah.vankroonenburg@prcdtr.org.uk
Assisted suicide: what you can do to defeat the Leadbeater Bill
MPs voted for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to pass its Second Reading in November. This bill can still be defeated when MPs next vote at the end of April, but we need your help. To find how to best lobby your MP on this issue, please attend a meeting by the SPUC South Devon branch on Friday, February 28, 7 pm St Peter's RC Church, St Boniface Lane, Plymouth, PL5 3AX or Saturday 1st March at 10.30 a.m. St Joseph's RC Church Hall, 96 Queen St, Newton Abbot. TQ12 2ETNewton Abbot.
To book or for information contact
Plymouth - Christine Hudson: chrishud78@gmail.com
Newton Abbot - Deborah van Kroonenburg: deborah.vankroonenburg@prcdtr.org.uk or newtonabbot@prcdtr.org.uk
Have You Heard About 'Forming In Faith'?
Join us as we explore the richness of the Vatican II documents through video and discussion.
We will focus on Gaudium et Spes on Monday 10 March. 10.30-12.00 in the Lower Room, Sacred Heart. All welcome.
News from The Catholic Youth Ministry
Flame 2025, Saturday 15th March 2025
Flame is aimed at young people aged 13- 23. The Diocese will be taking 2 coaches of young people one coach starting from Plymouth, picking up on route through Devon. The other coach will be taking a group from Dorset. Flame is a series of speakers and bands from across the world. This year’s lineup includes: lily Jo; Guvna B; Bear Grylls and Bryan Enriqiez amongst others. Young people are always very inspired by the event. For more details about the programme: https://cymfed.org.uk/flame/ Tickets are £35 to include entry and travel. To book: https://forms.office.com/e/xFz6K2Vkd7 For further information contact, Saskia: youth@prcdtr.org.uk
Catholic Marriage Care in Devon and Cornwall
Catholic Marriage Care is a national charity, with over 80 years’ experience of working with couples as they navigate the marriage journey, both in preparation for their marriage and during the various challenges that occur during a long relationship.
All our work in the Devon and Cornwall region is online, with group ‘Preparing Together Anywhere’ courses, ‘Foccus’ which is an individual preparation course, and our counselling service for couples of any faith or none.
To find out more or to access any of our services, please visit our website: www.marriagecare.org
GIFT Sacrament Families News
GIFT: Did You Know?
Did you know that GIFT welcomed over 45 parents, 45 primary aged children and 20 youth to their February session, served by a cross parish team of over 20 parishioners? Families, we’d love you to join us; register using the link below. Parishioners we’d love you to help us; get in touch if you could offer one Saturday morning a month to join the catechist teams or volunteer to serve refreshments to our families.
GIFT tots
Our next session will be on Friday 28th February in the Richard Reynolds Centre, Blessed Sacrament.
If you and your little ones would like to join us please register using this link: Gift Tots Link
GIFT families and youth
GIFT is for primary and secondary aged families and supports them to live and grow as Catholics. It enables parents to prepare their children to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation.
The next GIFT session will be held on the 1 March at St Nicholas School at 9.45 to 12.15.
Register for GIFT using the links below: GIFT Sessions
Register for GIFT Youth: GIFT Youth
GIFT youth: Sacrament of Confirmation
Growing in faith, attending GIFT Youth sessions and participating in Sunday Mass are all key elements of a deepening faith. If you are interested in receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation this year, please get in touch with the parish office.
St Nicholas School News
St Nicholas School now has it's own tab for school news under 'More'
2025
As Spring approaches we are looking for volunteers to help us tidy and improve the school grounds. We are hoping to organise a 'ground force' day to do this, weather permitting! If any parishioners would be interested in coming in to do this or can offer any specific help please can you contact Mrs Brocksom, Senior Administrator by emailing school@stncs.uk. Once we have arranged the date we will then contact you and see if you are available. All help gratefully received!
Our Yr 5 children had a fantastic time in London, visiting Parliament, watching Matilda and visiting the Tate Britain to look at portraits. We are now organising our Yr3/4 trip to Sleep with the Sharks at Plymouth Aquarium and to have a boat trip around Plymouth Sound as well as tour the Tamar Bridge.
We are excited to be developing our outdoor areas, particularly in Early Years and are soon having a 'Groundforce Day' when parents will join us to tidy up the area. We have purchased a number of new outdoor resources which the children are enjoying.
If you would like to find out about joining our school from Nursery to Yr 6 please contact our Senior Administrator, Mrs Brocksom by emailing admissions@stncs.uk
Happy New Year to all parishioners from St Nicholas School!
Our yr 5 pupils are excited to be going on their trip to London next week to visit Parliament, the Tate Modern and to see Matilda.
We now start planning for the Yr 3/4 trip to Sleep with the Sharks at Plymouth Aquarium.
We were delighted to have raised nearly £200 for CAFOD World Gifts before Christmas.
Each class is currently deciding what to purchase with their allocation - they can buy bees, Queen bees, vegetable gardens, firewood, worms and so much more. It is so exciting to think that we are making a (small) difference to people's lives.
Congratulations to Ivy, Seth, Antoni and Zack from Year 6 who earned the 4th place at the Wellington Maths challenge, against 60 schools of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. What a great achievement and some great, higher Maths questions on the day!
We enjoyed celebrating St Nicholas Day on the 6th December. Our Pupil Chaplains, as well as other Year 6 children, were superb in our morning Mass taken by Father Jonathan and Mrs Quinn. For the rest of the day, we had a relaxing time creating our St Nicholas Day shoes, our party hats/crowns and participating in a highly competitive paper chain challenge boys vs girls! We loved making the classrooms all festive. We loved coming back from assembly to find 3 chocolate coins in our homemade shoes! A lovely day to begin our Christmas season at school!
We wish all parishioners a happy Christmas and new year!
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2024
Wonderful News - Well Done St Nicks!
We have been informed that we are one of only 50 schools in the country that the Department for Education will be investing in significantly to improve the quality of the environments used to deliver teaching and learning. This is absolutely fantastic for the school and we are delighted to be one of them. This will involve a rapid rollout of decarbonisation initiatives to improve lighting, heating, solar energy and ventilation systems to name but a few. We are very excited about this huge investment in the school.
A Message from St Vincent De Paul—Exeter
Our SVP team requires help from any care sector employers –Sponsorship.
The SVP team are aware that a person within our community needs to transfer their certificate of sponsorship from a Care provider in the north of England to here in Exeter where the family resides. The current hours of sponsorship are 20 hours per week and the SVP team are trying to facilitate a new position within a care residential setting that could take on this person's sponsorship. Once the hours are transferred, the person is willing to work more hours per week. If there are any care providers in our parishes that would like to chat informally to an SVP team member about the sponsorship, please contact one of us at the address below. Peter, on pschranz5@gmail.com or Imelda on imelda.wightman@gmail.com
Candle Event Sacred Heart
On Sunday afternoon our beautiful church was lit up by our new lighting and candles for a special candle lighting and Carols service. Passers by were invited into the church to light a candle and take part in the Carol singing.
Sacrament of Confirmation for Teenagers
There will be a celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation for teenagers 14+ in May next year. Preparation starts in new year, contact parish office if you would like to receive sacrament
Second Collections for 2025
Below is a list of second collections for 2025. There will be no other second collections apart from ones directly relating to the parish e.g. flowers for easter and Christmas.
SAVE THE DATE!!!!
Stay Awake, 5th April, 2025 - a day conference for all the family (Mass, Children's streams, Praise and Worship, Speakers, Workshops and pizza!). Venue: All Saints School in Weymouth. More details later! ALL WELCOME! Please save the date!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
​Please note!
The building fund account is set up and ready to go. Please support the Parish in this much needed work on our beautiful church.
Here is the link to our give a little page for the building fund: https://givealittle.co/c/4BXf8amZWDpfo1wjXybhd9
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Or use the QR code:
Catholic Exeter Family All Saints Party
‘A fun time was had by all the families who came to our All Saints party. There were games, crafts, food singing, prayers, a holy pumpkin raffle and lots of children dressed up as saints. See you next year!’
Embracing a New Chapter in my Life: Julian Pinto
As I prepare to embark on a transformative journey at Allen Hall in London, I find myself filled with anticipation, excitement, and a deep sense of purpose. Allen Hall represents not just a place of learning, but moreover a community where faith, service, and one’s sense of vocation come together to shape the future servant-leaders of our Church.
From Exeter to Valladolid: Sam Mapletoft
My period of preliminary discernment on the Ministry Experience Scheme (MES) came to an end in July and, at the time of writing, I am now preparing for the next stage of my discernment and formation, participating in the propaedeutic programme offered at the Royal English College of St Alban in Valladolid
Hong Kong Community News
On 20 September our Hong Kong community celebrated Mass at Sacred Heart church, a talk in the lower room and a mass at a parishioner’s home after home blessing on Saturday morning with Fr Lui. This was a very special day of fellowship for our Hong Kong community.
Baptism Preparation Courses 2025
Are you expecting a baby and/or wish to have your child baptised? We look forward to supporting you in preparation for this important sacrament and welcoming you and your family int the community of the Church. Courses are over two consecutive Saturday mornings from 10:15-12:15 delivered via zoom.
Forthcoming Dates: 15 & 22 February 2025 Godparents are especially welcome to attend the course as the role of Godparents is explored. Click on this link at the end of this article to register. If you have any problem accessing this, contact Coral in the parish office at Exeter-sacredheart@prcdtr.org.uk or 01392 642389 To register for the February Course click here:
Assisted Suicide Bill
Kim Leadbeater MP is introducing a bill to introduce assisted suicide, which will be voted on by MPs on the 29 November. We know that assisted suicide laws in other jurisdictions have had devastating consequences for the poor, disabled and marginalised. This is the biggest threat to the vulnerable in a decade, and we need a huge effort to lobby MPs. Please contact your MP by visiting www.livesworthliving.org.uk
Assisted Suicide Bill Resources
The CBCEW website has been updated with a raft of resources for people to be informed regarding the assisted suicide legislation that is currently working its way through Parliament. This link will take you to the relevant page on the website: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/opposing-assisted-suicide/
IMPORTANT HOLY CROSS -TOPSHAM NEWS
A change will take place to Mass times from Sunday 20 October, from now on mass will be at 11.15 a.m.
Support for Pensioners on Low Incomes
An estimated 880,000 low-income pensioner households eligible for pension credit currently fail to claim it and a deadline is approaching. The government says it is worth an average of £3,900 a year, but it is also a gateway to other financial support such as winter fuel payments. If you know a pensioner on a on low income, please encourage them to check if they could be eligible for pension credit. This can be done online through www.gov.uk/pension-credit-calculator or people can get advice via phone on weekdays - 0800 99 1234.
There is a leaflet with more details and advice at the back of the Church or you can get a copy by emailing caritas@prcdtr.org.uk or calling 01364 645421.
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SPUC (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) Urgent Notice
A Bill to allow assisted suicide will be laid before parliament this month. If passed, it would cause a complete change in the way society deals with terminally and chronically ill people. People must be treated as equal in value and dignity and not as lives ‘not worth living’. Assisted Suicide would place pressure on vulnerable people. Most palliative care doctors denounce these measures. Palliative Care is the Cinderella of the NHS and will remain so if assisted suicide is introduced. Please write to your MP as soon as possible. More information can be obtained from the SPUC website https://www.spuc.org.uk/assistedsuicideuk. This will give you information on what to include in your letter and invites you to enter your postcode which will bring up your MP and allow you to write an email which they will send. Alternatively, you can write a letter by hand and send it to your MP at: The House of Commons, Westminster, London,SW1A 0AA Get a disabled person’s perspective on assisted suicide by watching Liz Carr’s BBC Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G_xF4dvS-U&ab_channel=thev%27joiners Further info: Christine Hudson 07742320717
WHAT ARE OUR SEMINARIANS UP TO?
I have been in contact with both Sam and Julian and they assure me that they are settling in well. They will both be serving at the installation of Bishop Philip on 9 November and hope to visit us at mass on that weekend. Sam has sent me a few photo of Valladolid, he says it is a beautiful building which is steeped in history. He assures us that the wine in Spain is very drinkable!!
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Both Sam and Julian send their best wishes and ask for our continued prayer.
SVP NEWS
Recruitment
Thanks to a poster display and personal appeals at our three churches, we have been fortunate to have recruited four new full members to our Conference this year. This has been such a blessing and has been such a boost to our small team.
Visits
This year the members have continued with their face to face visits to beneficiaries at home, in care homes and in hospital. Over the past seven months we made 386 contacts with beneficiaries, with 600 hours spent visiting or offering regular telephone support to those who prefer this means of keeping in touch.
Practical Help
This year we were able to offer and fund a short term break for one particularly troubled beneficiary who was able to spend a few days recuperating in seaside accommodation in a nearby town. We were able to support with travel, accommodation and meals for the short break. This was very well received and proved to be of benefit to the individual’s mental and physical wellbeing.
We spent 71 hours of practical help in people’s homes, including fixing broken blinds, rehanging wardrobe doors, delivering food supplies and offering transport to foodbanks, hospitals etc.
Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Last year’s pilot project in collaboration with Refugee Support Devon proved so successful that we agreed to support the Bus Tickets project for a further six months. This has allowed twenty families weekly bus travel to a community kitchen in town where at ten cooking stations they have been able to prepare meals for their families and take them back to the migrant hotel out of town. This has helped reduce the incidence of child malnutrition that had been raised as a concern.
Chatter Café
Thanks to a small group of volunteers as well as a cohort of SVP members, the Chatter Café continues to provide a warm, safe space for vulnerable individuals to spend a few hours a week in supportive conversation and companionship. We have five regular individuals whom we support as well as a transient population of drop-ins who are also made welcome. Our team are gaining experience and insight into the lives of many desperately lonely and less fortunate people within our city and we are so fortunate to have the continued support of our parish priest and his team in order to enable this project to continue. We intend to open our doors as a Warm Space this year as we have on previous occasions.
Please keep our small Conference in your prayers.
Peter Schranz, President.
Time to say Goodbye
On Sunday 8th September we bid a fond farewell to Fr Albert. The afternoon was very well attended and refreshments were a plenty. Fr Albert was able to chat and catch up with the people he had come to know and love over the past three years.
We know that he will be an amazing Parish Priest and we wish God's grace and blessing in Teignmouth. Thank you to everyone that made this a success.
News from the University Chaplaincy
If you are going to be studying at the University of Exeter this year, we would like to invite you to come to our Catholic Chaplaincy, located at Boniface House, Glenthorne road, between Moberly and Birks Grange Village halls of residence. You can find more details and directions here: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/students/chaplaincy/catholic/
We have a very lively and faith-filled community. Exeter Catholic Society meets weekly at the Catholic Chaplaincy for a range of activities throughout the year, from various socials to talks and society trips, in a friendly environment where students can grow in faith while having fun and making new friends. Masses at our Catholic Chaplaincy are celebrated during term time on Sundays at 11:30 a.m. (followed by a free lunch), Tuesdays at 12 p.m. (followed by a free lunch) and Thursdays at 5 p.m.
For further information on Exeter Catholic Society and the events at the Catholic Chaplaincy, please go to our Facebook page at @ExeterUniCatholicSociety or get in touch with the Chaplaincy Assistant, Dr Maria Giannone, at m.g.giannone@exeter.ac.uk. We look forward to meeting you!
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The Safeguarding Office - Support for Victims of Abuse
The Safeguarding Office provides advice and support to all victims of abuse, regardless of whether this is something that is happening currently or that happened in the past. We work with anyone who has been abused, both those who were abused within the church, as well as those who have been abused in other settings. We are here to help you whether you were a child or adult when the abuse took place. We are not here to blame, judge or make excuses for the abuser, we are here to help all those who have experienced abuse or are still in an abusive situation, in any way we can.
The Safeguarding Office can provide you with support, advice, and signposting to relevant organisations. Our dedicated team of safeguarding professionals work closely with other agencies both locally and nationally including the Police, Probation, Social Services, and to standards that are set out by the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency.
Please contact us for a confidential conversation. You can call us on 01364 645430 (Monday to Friday from 9:00am – 4:30pm) or e-mail us on safeguarding@prcdtr.org.uk
