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Pope Francis has called for a gathering of bishops and people between October 2021 and 2023 with the first step to be synods held in every diocese throughout the world. What is a diocesan synod you may be asking? It is a gathering wherein the bishops listen to the people's views on needed changes in the Church. The Pope is interested in hearing from all the people, even those who have dropped out of church attendance. Join with people from around the world by signing this petition in your own language to ensure that we, the people, will be included in this all important synodal process. For the Spirit to be heard at these diocesan synods, the voices of the people must be well represented. Once you have signed it, please post it on your social media accounts and pass it on to all your circle of contacts. One additional step you are encouraged to take: Use this model letter to write to your own bishops and pastors letting them know how important it will be for them to include a good cross section of the lay people of God in your diocesan synod. Sign the petition now and pass it on to everyone you know, even those who've left the Church out of disappointment or frustration.

On Wednesday 20th May Fr Rob Esdaile lead a Virtual discussion to helps us see how we can action the Pope’s teaching. ​Rob is well known as a speaker on Justice and Peace topics and the current Parish Priest of Thames Ditton RC parish.

We held the St Clements Parliament in your Parish event o the 18 May . We were joined by parishioners form St Michaels Ashtead. We organised this meeting to talk to our local MP, Chris Grayling, about how Britain can play a leading role in making sure we plan to recover from the pandemic in a way which includes everyone and cares for our common home. The timing of this meeting was significant as this week is Laudato Si week. The pope has called Catholics and others to an "ecological conversion" based on heeding "the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor." As the coronavirus has surged around the globe, he has urged countries not to return to normal, but to regenerate a world that better conserves its natural resources and cares for the people and creatures living in it. "Both the global catastrophes, Covid and climate change, prove that we do not have time to wait," Francis said in an Earth Day message. "Time urges us, and as COVID-19 demonstrated, we do have the tools to face the loss. We have the instruments. This is the moment to act. We are at the edge." At the end of the meeting our MP Chris Grayling agreed on behalf of everyone present to champion policies in parliament that ensure: • Our homes are warmer and cheaper to run • Our transport is fit for the future, better for our health and environment • We are investing in energy that the British public want– that’s better for our climate (and our pockets). 89% of the public support solar and 79% support onshore wind • We restore our country's iconic natural landscape, planting more trees to improve air quality, and naturally suck carbon from the atmosphere. • Take measures that reduce the levels of poverty faced by 150 million people who are set to fall into extreme poverty as a result of the pandemic.

Wednesday 28th April's discussion led by Dr Gemma Simmonds CJ who takes us a step further in Pope Francis’ teachings with an introduction to “Fratelli Tutti”, the important cyclical of 2020, which explains the papal vision for the Church and the world today.

Not only do we now have live streaming in the parish but even gifting is going hi-tech! From Wednesday onwards we'll have contactless machines at both the entrance and exit of the church. Handy for those (many) of us who don't want to touch cash in these pandemic times. For more information, see the parish website.

The Right People in the Right Seats: Five Essential Qualities of a Great Parish Leader - YouTube Are you in or have you been invited into a parish leadership role? Or perhaps you are a priest looking to raise up more leaders? Join Kurt Klement (Director of Adult Formation, St Ann's, Coppell, Texas), Allegra Mutanda (Director of Evangelisation and Leadership, St Peter and the Winchester Martyrs, Winchester), and Ben Smith (Senior Leadership Team Member, St Charles’ Paisley), as we dig into five impactful qualities of a great parish leader. If you're identifying leaders, what should you look for? If you are a leader, what qualities should you seek to develop in yourself? "We are all on the bus , but do we know where it is going and are the right people in the right seats?

In this interesting webinar Fr James Mallon, Nicky Gumbel and special guests debate the question, what is a Catholic Parish Church for? They argue that Evangelisation must be the Primary, Pre-eminent, and Preferential parish activity. These were words used by John Paul II when speaking of the New Evangelization, new in its ardour, methods and expression. John Paul II renewed the call to all of the Christian faithful to evangelize in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council. Fr Mallon speaks about this being a critical moment in the churches history where we need to look outwards to share our faith with others who are searching for the Lord. Fr Mallon reaffirms that mission is about going out and that the pandemic has created amazing innovation through the prism of the internet and what we need to guard against is that when this is over, we don’t lose the innovation and just regurgitate the old in a new format. Nick Gumbel speaks enthusiastically about how some communities have been innovative and used technology to reach out to people who in the past would have been hard to reach (People who might never go near a church). He equated this new use of technology to the invention of the printing press, which for the first time enabled ordinary people to read the word of God. He speaks enthusiastically about his experience of using Alpha online and the testimonies of people whose lives have been transformed as a result. The presenters urge us to think about how we as a faith community can meet the challenges that face us. One commentator expressed this by saying that we are called to get out of the boat and meet Jesus even though a storm is blowing. I encourage you to watch this webinar and perhaps think about the following questions; In what ways is St Clements looking outwards? The title of the diocesan mission this Easter session is invited . How are we inviting people into the life of the church? Is all that we do focused on evangelisation. If the answer is no, what are the barriers ? What do we need to do to make this a reality?

Thanks to your generosity we raised £872.00 .You donations will mean that CAFOD can help people like Abdella: Abdella is 23 and he has big dreams. He dreams of starting a small business, starting a family, of having his own home. He dreams of not having to walk for ten hours a day to get water. Abdella lives in Afar, Ethiopia one of the hottest places on earth. He spends most of a day getting water for his family to drink. On the days when he's too tired to walk, his brother goes. He knows that if there was water near his home, his family wouldn't have to worry about getting enough to stay alive. There is still time if you would like to make a donation using our just giving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jonathan-inns1

The parish has now installed the necessary technology for live streaming and all masses will be streamed from now on, i.e. ​Wednesday 10.00AM Friday 10.00AM Saturday 6.00 PM & SUNDAY 10.30 AM. ​ If you can't 'make it' to streamed mass on time - never fear, each mass will be recorded and you can view it from the Live Streamed Mass page.