Mass to celebrate the promulgation of the “Parish of The Annunciation, Rushcliffe”, at The Becket School

We celebrated Mass on the Solemnity of the Annunciation on 25th March at the Becket School, to officially announce the establishment of our new “Parish of The Annunciation, Rushcliffe”. During the mass, Fr Simon Gillespie, Private Secretary to the Bishop of Nottingham, conferred the decree on behalf of Bishop Patrick to our priests, Fr John Martin and Fr Liam Carpenter.

The Mass, and the celebratory Hog Roast which followed were full of love, grace and joy. All four churches were joined together in such a wonderful occasion. We had great support from local communities, families and children. Parishioners from the Gambian community led the Offertory Procession through traditional dancing, young children did the readings, prayers of intercession, and led a reflection on the Annunciation through a most eloquent dance.

At the end of the mass, Fr Liam representing our entire parish pledged our unwavering support, prayer and love to Fr John as he becomes Parish Priest to one of the largest parishes in the Diocese with a population of 100,000 people.

Fr John and Fr Liam would like to express their profound gratitude to everyone who played a huge part in making the day the resounding success it was, especially in organising the Mass and celebration which followed. The tremendous hard work and dedication by those involved in such preparation will never be forgotten. On behalf of the whole Parish – Thank you to everyone who was involved, and those who came to celebrate – a parish is nothing without you!

After this day of celebration, we are ready to embark joyfully on a new phase of our Parish journey. We have formed a Transition Team and different working groups to facilitate a new way of being Parish. It is hoped soon that we will also have a new Mission Team, seeking to collaborate with the clergy in a spirit of co-responsibility for the life and mission of the parish. Although at the beginning of any new journey, there may be some uncertainty, we trust in the provident guidance of God in our lives. Let us ask Almighty God for his guidance, concern, and care for each one of us, that we may be emboldened to move from a maintenance model of the Church to being aflame as Missionary Disciples, seeking to build the Kingdom of God, and drawing new people into contact with Christ and His Church. We invite all our parishioners to get involved in contributing their talents and offering their skills to build a missionary parish community that reaches all people, so that all may feel loved and valued.

(The parish) is a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey, and a centre of constant missionary outreach. Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel.