St Theresa of Lisieux

Parish of Southwick with Portslade

Welcome

to the website for St Theresa of Lisieux (the Parish of Southwick with Portslade) and St George (the Parish of Hangleton and West Blatchington), situated in the west of the Roman Catholic Deanery of Brighton & Hove.

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The Parish Priest is Fr Alistair Simmons.

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Masses

Sunday Mass is celebrated at the church of St Theresa of Lisieux in Southwick at 9:30 am and at the church of St George in Hove at 11 am.

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While the threat of the coronavirus Covid-19 remains with us, it cannot be 'business as usual'. We ask you, therefore, to note these important points:

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  • Numbers at Mass will be strictly limited to allow for social distancing.
    You must request a seat, preferably by emailing (using this link, rather than the usual Parish Office address) if you wish to attend.  If you just turn up, stewards will have to turn you away. This isn't how we'd choose to do things but, unfortunately, is necessary at present.

  • We have produced some guidance for you and would ask you to take the time to read it so that you know what to expect. This guidance was updated on 31 July; one of the changes is the Government's requirement for us to wear face coverings.

  • There is no obligation, at present, to attend Mass. For some people, it would be wiser not to come because of age or health conditions.

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The deadline for requesting a seat is the end of Thursday for the following Sunday. Please remember to tell us which of the two Mass places/times you wish to attend.

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Online Masses

If you are unable to attend Mass in person, we suggest you follow Mass online. There are many churches which have the technology to live-stream Mass. The Diocesan website has links for churches in this area. Other useful websites, allowing you to select by place or by time, are Church Services TV and Mass-online. For the readings of the day, see Universalis.

Bishop Richard's Message for 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the midst of these stormy waters, the Lord is not distant from us.  

Read the full message.

St George's
Parish of Hangleton and West Blatchington
A Prayer

 

Lord, our God,
we are in the shadow of your wings.
Protect us and bear us up.
You will care for us as if we were
little children, even to our old age. When you are our strength,
we are strong;
but when we are our own strength,
we are weak.
We now return to you, O Lord,
that we may never turn away again.

Amen

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St Augustine of Hippo

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The Pope’s Prayer Intention
for August
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We pray for all those who live
and work from the sea,
especially sailors, fishermen
and their families.

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Money Matters

We don’t much like talking about church finances, but the lockdown has made things difficult.

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Every organisation has running costs and the church is no different. There are people costs: priests and lay staff, both at parish and diocesan level; these are the people who keep the organisation functioning.  Then there are property costs: maintaining buildings, mainly churches and priests’ houses, and equipment. Most of these costs have continued throughout the lockdown, but parish income has taken a big hit.

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Please ask yourself:

  • How recently did I review my giving to the church? £1 in the collection doesn’t go far these days!

  • Have I set up a standing order for my giving? That’s easier for the church and easier for me – no more scrabbling around for cash.

  • Could I make a donation to cover the amount I would normally have put in the collection had the lockdown not happened?

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Everybody’s personal circumstances are different. Some people might need to reduce their giving to the church but there will be others who might now be in a position to be more generous.

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Read more about giving to the church.  

Elsewhere on this website...

Notices which, in normal times, would be in the newsletter, together with other useful information, are on the covid-19 page.

Articles by Fr Alistair and other contributors are on the blog page. All parishioners are invited to submit material for possible inclusion on the blog. Just send it to the Parish Office.

Part of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. The Arundel and Brighton Diocesan Trust is a Registered Charity no 252878.