School admissions to Catholic Secondary Academies (Year 7) - Children born between 01/09/2014 and 31/08 2015. The deadline for submitting your application for a school place is 31 October 2025. Application forms are available on your ‘home’ Local Authority website. For every Catholic school you apply for if you wish your child to be considered and ranked under a faith criterion you should also complete a supplementary information form, and return this form to the school by the deadline, (forms are available from the LA and the school). You must also include the supporting evidence* as required with this form, eg baptism certificate (photocopies acceptable). Failure to supply the required supporting evidence will mean your child is ranked in a lower criterion which may affect your chance of a place. *If you do not have the required evidence please contact the parish where your child was baptised for a copy certificate in good time.
The Social Responsibility Committee of the National Board of Catholic Women (NBCW) is hosting a Zoom webinar on Wednesday 15th October from 7.00pm until 8:30pm focusing on issues affecting women within the criminal justice system and what can be done to support them, especially after release. Chaired by Bishop Richard Moth, it will feature leading experts, Emily Evison (Prison Reform Trust) and Julia Corcoran (Prison Advice and Care Trust). There will be time for participants to discuss how as people of faith we can support women in finding hope and dignity. All are invited: nbcw.co.uk/event/keeping-women-out-of-prison/
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales and Birmingham Newman University are conducting research into Neurodiversity and our Faith. If you are an adult neurodivergent Catholic or a Caregiver of a neurodivergent Catholic, we want to hear from you. Your experiences will help us to become more inclusive and responsive to your needs. To find out more and to fill in our short surveys look here: www.godwhospeaks.uk/neurodivergent-catholic-surveys/
Bible Timeline Course from start to finish, the Old and New Testament, with this Free of Charge, world-renowned course presented online by Mauro Iannicelli. Starting on Wednesday 1st October at 7.00pm (x8 Wednesday evening sessions). For information and to register, visit www.comeandsee.org
Jubilee of Catechists: To celebrate the amazing work of the wonderful Catechists who do so much in our diocese we will be having a Jubilee of Catechists Day. The day will include the celebration of Mass and a conference to help them in their ministry. There will be two keynote talks from Dr Mark Nash Director for the Agency for Evangelisation and Catechesis, with workshops and time to mingle. The day will be held on Saturday 11th October at Saint Joseph’s Church, Leicester, LE5 6SG; from 10.00am until 4.00pm, and will cost £10; please bring a packed lunch. More information can be found at https://bit.ly/CatechistJubilee or email formation@dioceseofnottingham.uk
Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima and relics of Saints Jacinta and Francisco: Saint Barnabas Cathedral, Nottingham will host the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima and relics of Saints Jacinta and Francisco on Sunday 12th and Monday 13th October, in commemoration of the Centenary of the Five First Saturdays devotion. The Visitation will include a procession and enthronement of the Fatima statue, followed by Mass; opportunities to venerate the saints’ relics; praying the Rosary for world peace; and talks and videos about the Fatima messages. A book table with devotional materials will be available, and attendees can enrol in the Brown Scapular devotion. For further details visit: worldfatima-englandwales.org.uk or email: membership@waf-ew.org.uk
Fundraising for Outreach : Tuesday 14th October at 7.00pm. The next ‘Mission Lab’ is all about fundraising for parish projects. If you have a project in mind for your parish, or if you’d simply like to pick up tips for the future, Kristen, the diocesan fundraising manager, will help you realise your dream. Register at bit.ly/mission-lab
Talking Philosophy & Theology Combined : a Carmelite Perspective” Zoom meetings for the next three months are 1s and 3rd Wednesday evenings, from 8.00pm until 9.30pm, September 3rd & 17th; October 1st & 15th; November 5th & 19th; 2nd or 4th (not 5th) Thursday afternoons, from1.00pm until 3.00pm,
September 11th or 25th; October 9th or 23rd; November 13th or 27th. For more information contact Deacon James Hunter OCDS, james.hunter200@btinternet.com
Day of Healing – You are invited to join Bishop Patrick for a day of Freedom and Inner Healing led by 'Unbound UK'. The day will be held at Saint Barnabas Cathedral, Nottingham on Saturday 25th October. There will be talks on freedom and healing, Mass with the Anointing of the Sick, Confession and Intercessory Prayer, and an Evening Healing Service with music from One Hope Project. You can come from the full day or for any of the sessions. It is open to all ages at no cost, but donations are welcome. More information: www.dioceseofnottingham.uk/events or email formation@dioceseofnottingham.uk
CAFOD Runners in Leicester: Anyone interested in running a half marathon or 10k in Leicester on Sunday 26th October, please contact nottingham@cafod.org.uk
WELCOMING THE SACRED STRANGER: Saturday 1st November 11.45am – 3.45pm. The annual diocesan Justice and Peace Assembly will be held at Immaculate Conception and Saint Norbert’s Church, Spalding PE11 2XX. Discover the people hidden in our midst: 11.45am Mass with Bishop Patrick McKinney; 1.00pm Lunch hosted by Project St Thomas; 1.45pm Hear stories of those touched by modern slavery and forced migration, and others unseen in both town and countryside - and help to shape action here in the diocese. Speakers from the Bishops’ Conference, Santa Marta Group, Lincolnshire’s agricultural chaplaincy and a new Caritas initiative to support vulnerable incomers to the county. All are welcome! Find out more at bit.ly/sacred-stranger
Be Still and Know that I am God is a retreat being held between Friday 14th and Monday 17th November by Fr Roger Dawson, SJ, aiming to help participants find a greater attentiveness and disposition to God’s presence in their lives through a disciplining of the mind and awareness of the present moment. More details can be found at: https://christianheritagecentre.com/events/be-still-and-know-that-i-am-god
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Marriage Care: Are you interested in training and volunteering as a Relationship Counsellor with Marriage Care? This Catholic organisation specialises in relationship support and is currently looking for those who would be interested in training via the Certificate in Relationship Counselling (CRC) course, and looking for volunteers for the marriage preparation service prior to the CRC selection. To find out more visit: www.marriagecare.org.uk or email: volunteer@marriagecare.org.uk
Bishop Patrick has received a letter from Friends of the Holy Land, thanking parishioners for their generous donations through the Crib Offerings 2024.
Friends of the Holy Land letter
Assisted Suicide: Whilst praying that assisted suicide doesn’t become law, as an expression of practical support parishioners in our diocese last autumn raised over £10,000 through second collections to support the work of the 18 hospices across our diocese. These institutions provide superb care for those coming towards the end of life, and help families to accompany their loved ones at such a difficult time. By supporting hospices in this way, as Catholics we are putting into practical action our prayers for a respect and a dignity of life, from conception to natural death.
The Ascent is coming to the Nottingham Diocese - theASCENT is a three year discipleship process for Catholic young people in years 10-12 who want to embrace their faith in Jesus Christ at a whole new level and learn how to share it with others. At their heart they seek to disciple the few for the sake of the many so that the Gospel may reach the ends of the earth. Bookings are open now, visit www.theascentuk.co.uk/
Nottingham Cathedral has received a £1.69M grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore the breathtaking original vision of architect A W N Pugin. Restoring Pugin will revive the Cathedral’s east end, and open up this heritage gem to over 20,000 people across our Cathedral city, and diocese. New tech, community activities, educational programmes, and even a video game (!) are all on the way. Read more on the diocesan website (www.dioceseofnottingham.uk/news) and watch the announcement video on YouTube (www.youtube.com/@NottsDiocese). Please share this great news widely!
Sad news from The Briars: It is with sadness we heard about the passing of John Morgan who served as the Security Guard & Groundsman at The Briars for over 30 years. John, or 'Morgsy' as he was affectionately known, was a constant presence of warmth and welcome for the thousands of young people and staff who visited during this time. He had a way of making everyone feel at home, with a smile, or a story. He was an inspiration for generations of Briars teams and young people. In 2010, John was awarded the Benemerenti medal for services to the Church and is without doubt The Briars’ greatest servant. He will be dearly missed. If anyone would like more details of the plans to celebrate John's life, please contact Hannah Leech - hannah.leech@ololcatholicmat.co.uk
Young Adult Formation Course: If you would like to deepen your faith, grow in community with other 18-35 years olds as well as engage more fully in your parish then the brand-new Young Adult Formation Course run by the Diocese of Nottingham is the course for you. For more information contact charles.archer@dioceseofnottingham.uk or sign up at: https://forms.office.com/e/9qvH5SjRHh
ACN (UK) has launched an Open Letter Campaign calling on Foreign Secretary David Lammy to make persecuted religious communities priority recipients of UK Overseas Development Aid (ODA). They need your help to reach their goal of 10,000 signatures, which will trigger a response from the Government. Please sign their open letter today: https://acnuk.org/our-campaigns/red-wednesday-advocacy-letter. Together, we can help Christians and other religious minorities trapped in modern slavery, extreme poverty and worse.
Caritas Leicester and Leicestershire Advent Calendar: in this Advent season, we are amplifying the reach of some local charities which aim to bring light into darkness. There are, of course, many others. Please have a look and join us in raising hopeful voices. The colour version is at: https://bit.ly/3ZmMGuI, and the black and white version is at: https://bit.ly/40UwnGw
Catechist Formation Pathways – Are you a catechist? Have you thought about being one? The Diocese offers three courses that can be done together or stand alone. Encounter Catechesis provides the foundations of catechesis; Discipleship Catechesis explores a good knowledge of key points of Catholic Theology; and Missionary Catechesis is focused on going beyond sacramental preparation to help form disciples of all ages. To enquire please follow this link bit.ly/formation2425 or email: formation@dioceseofnottingham.uk
World Day of Migrants and Refugees: The Church has been celebrating the World Day of Migrants and Refugees since 1914. It’s always an occasion to express concern for different vulnerable people on the move; to pray for them as they face many challenges; and to increase awareness about the opportunities that migration offers. The theme of Pope Francis’ message for the 110th World Day of Migrants and Refugees is: God walks with His people. The Holy Father reminds us that all of us, God’s people, are migrants on this earth, on our way to the “true homeland”, the Kingdom of Heaven. Migrants are a contemporary icon of this people on a journey, of the Church on a journey, and at the same time, it is in them and in all our vulnerable brothers and sisters that we can encounter the Lord who walks with us.