News & Events - Parish News

Building a More Generous Church

Posted on Friday 13 February 2026 at 11:01am

Over the coming weeks you will receive a handout outlining the financial position of our parish and the very real need to grow our regular income if we are to remain sustainable for the long term. Alongside this, during the Sundays of Lent, Fr Nicholas will be preaching and teaching about the meaning of Christian stewardship. This is about far more than balancing accounts. It is about the shape of a Christian life. What does generosity look like in our time, our gifts, our attention, our hospitality – and yes, in our giving? Each week these themes will connect with the season of Lent and with the Sunday Gospel readings, helping us to see stewardship as a spiritual response to God’s grace. The future shape of our life together in God’s name depends, in part, on how each of us responds. Please take time to read the material carefully, to pray, and to reflect. A simple question to hold before God might be: “Is it generous?”

We believe in a generous God who pours out his love without measure. A generous life is therefore one of the clearest signs of Christian faith. As generosity grows, so does our likeness to the God we worship. The ministry and mission of St Matthew’s are sustained through the faithful generosity of parishioners – thank you for all that is already given, and for all that is prayerfully considered in the weeks ahead.

A reminder that we need your consent

Live-streaming, GDPR and Your Consent

Posted on Monday 16 September 2024 at 11:30am

Online live-streaming of services

Some of St Matthew's services (most Sunday mornings and some special services) are live-streamed or recorded for those who cannot attend church in person. Under GDPR, the church must gain the consent of anyone whose image may be captured, as this constitutes collection of "personal data". This includes clergy, readers/intercessors, musicians and congregation.

Whilst every attempt is made not to capture the faces of members of the congregation, this may occasionally happen if people turn around or move around the church during the service. The exception is communion, when the congregation is not filmed. The side aisles and back of the nave are so far as possible film-free areas not covered by the camera. Anyone whose personal data is collected must give their consent. Consent forms are available in church and online . The full policy can be read on our parish website or on the noticeboards in church.

Please read Our Privacy Policy - Filming & Photography and if you are happy to, give your consent by downloading, printing, signing, and handing in the form to a church representative or the Parish Office on your next visit. The consent form can be found at the bottom of the page.

March's Pastoral Letter from the Vicar

Walking the Way of the Cross Together

Posted on Sunday 1 March 2026 at 7:00am

Fr Nicholas

As we enter the latter part of Lent, the Church draws us ever more closely into the heart of our faith. The days ahead are not simply dates on a calendar or familiar ceremonies we observe each year. They are an invitation to step into the saving events at the end of the earthly life of Jesus Christ – events through which our hope was born and our redemption won.

If our Easter joy is to be deep and genuine, we must first be willing to stand at the foot of the Cross. We must allow ourselves to see, to feel, and to contemplate the love for which Christ died. Holy Week is the Church’s great school of love, and its lessons are not learned from a distance. They are learned by entering in – heart and soul.

Our journey begins with palms in our hands and praise on our lips as we accompany the Lord into Jerusalem. The blessing and procession draw us into the excitement and expectation of the crowd. Yet that joy quickly gives way to the solemn proclamation of the Passion, this year from the Gospel according to Gospel of Matthew. In that dramatic reading we are not just listeners; we find ourselves in the story – among the disciples who promise fidelity, the crowds who waver, and those who turn away. From the very beginning of the week, we are reminded that this is not someone else’s drama. It is ours.

As the week unfolds, a quieter, more watchful mood settles over us. We keep company with a tense and waiting Jerusalem. The opposition to Jesus hardens, betrayal draws closer, and the shadow of the Cross lengthens. The Church’s liturgy in these days is rich and restrained, helping us slow down and notice what is happening within our own hearts as well as in the Gospel story.

One of the great treasures of Catholic worship during this time is the Vigil Office of Tenebrae. Candle by candle, the light diminishes. The church grows darker. The symbolism is simple yet deeply moving: the Light of the world seems to be fading from sight. The sound, the silence, the encroaching darkness – all engage our senses and draw us into prayer. This is not outward display for its own sake, but a heartfelt and sincere expression of faith that allows us to feel something of the sorrow and confusion of those days.

Then comes Maundy Thursday, with all its profound contrasts. We rejoice in the reception of the holy oils, signs of Christ’s healing and strengthening presence in the sacraments. We gather for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and 2 give thanks for the gift of the Eucharist – Christ’s own Body and Blood, entrusted to the Church on the night before he died. We watch as feet are washed, and we see love made visible in humble service. But the joy is fragile. The mood shifts. The altar is stripped, the tabernacle stands empty, and we move to the place of watching. In Gethsemane, we are invited simply to remain with the Lord in his anguish. Even our restlessness, our tiredness, our struggle to pray become part of our offering, as we try to keep him company in his hour of loneliness.

Good Friday brings us to the stark heart of the week. In the morning, the Stations of the Cross allow young and old alike to walk step by step along the road to Calvary. We move with Christ as he falls, as he meets his mother, as he is stripped and nailed to the wood. These prayers are simple, but they carry immense depth, helping us to unite our own sufferings with his. At the Solemn Liturgy in the afternoon, the church is bare and quiet. We listen once more to the Passion, this time according to John, we pray for the needs of the whole world, and we come forward to venerate the Cross. This is a moment of profound encounter. We stand, in spirit, at the foot of the Cross and look upon the measureless love of Christ. Here, words are few. Gesture, silence, and symbol speak more deeply than explanations ever could.

Throughout these days, the Church places before us the treasures of her liturgy – not to impress us with ceremony, but to draw us into the mystery of salvation through beauty, simplicity, and truth. Sight, sound, movement, silence: all are woven together to help faith reach not only our minds but our hearts. We are meant to be changed by what we see and hear. We cannot walk with Christ through these days and remain untouched.

That is why Holy Week asks something of us. It asks us to set aside other things, to make space, to come and participate as fully as we can. Tired though we may be, distracted though life can feel, if we stay close to the Lord in these sacred liturgies, we will begin – like the first disciples, bleary- eyed and overwhelmed – to glimpse the greatness of what he has done for us and continues to offer.

And beyond the Cross… the Church keeps watch in hope. With every blessing for the remainder of Lent.

Your sincere friend and parish priest,

Fr Nicholas

February's Pastoral Letter from the Vicar

What might a good Lent look like?

Posted on Sunday 1 February 2026 at 7:00am

Fr Nicholas

By the time you are reading this, Christmas will already feel like a fond (and possibly slightly blurry) memory, Epiphany will be drawing to a close, and the Church will be quietly, but firmly, steering us towards Lent. Like it or not, the desert looms.

Lent has a rather unfair reputation. For some it conjures images of grim faces, joyless self-denial, and the sort of resolutions that are abandoned by the Second Sunday. But Lent, at its heart, is not about spiritual misery. It is about honesty, attentiveness, and re-centring our lives on Christ – and that, while demanding, is ultimately life-giving. 

My hope for each of us this year is that we might keep a good Lent: not necessarily a heroic one, but a faithful one.

Traditionally, we think of Lent in terms of giving something up. There is real value in that, especially if what we forego genuinely matters to us and serves a spiritual purpose. Going without something we enjoy can sharpen our awareness of Christ’s forty days in the wilderness, his temptations, his vulnerability, and his trust in the Father. Chocolate can indeed be theological.

But Lent also invites us to do something extra. This is often where the deepest growth happens. Perhaps this might be attending a weekday Mass occasionally – or even regularly – allowing the rhythm of prayer and Scripture to shape the week. You might consider joining the parish Lent Course, or coming along to the Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings, where we walk prayerfully with Christ through the final hours of his earthly life.

Lent is also a particularly fitting time to think about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. For some, this will be a familiar and much-loved practice; for others, something distant, uncertain, or even daunting. If you have never made a confession before – or not for many years – Lent offers a gentle invitation to find out more, with a view to making a first (or renewed) confession before Easter. It is not a test to be passed, but a gift to be received.

Whatever shape your Lent takes, I would encourage you to set aside some dedicated time each day for prayer – even if it is brief – using Lenten themes, Scripture, or a simple prayer of quiet attentiveness. Consistency matters more than quantity.

Above all, Lent prepares us to relive, in heart and mind, the saving events of Holy Week, not as distant history, but as something that still speaks powerfully into our own lives and our world today. If we allow ourselves to engage deeply with Christ’s passion, then our Easter joy will not be forced or superficial, but genuine and hard-won. So let us encourage one another to keep

So let us encourage one another to keep a good Lent – faithful rather than flashy, honest rather than heroic – trusting that God will do far more with our small offerings than we could ever imagine.

With every blessing for the journey ahead,

Fr Nicholas

Information Quick Links

Fundraising

Find out what charities St Matthew's will be supporting throughout the year. Take me there...

Weekly Notices

Take a look at this week's weekly notice. Read More...

Parish News

Read the latest parish news at St Matthew's Church. Read More...

St Matthew's Monthly Magazine

Packed full of information about activities and events taking place at or around the church. Download...

Join our Mailing List

To receive our email newsletter regarding the latest news and upcoming events at St Matthew's, kindly provide us with your name and email address below. By opting in and subscribing, you'll stay informed about our community, special services, insightful articles, and other valuable content.

Connect with us

Please show your support by following and subscribing to our church and choir social media channels, where you can find inspiring content, updates on our events and services, live streamed services, and uplifting messages.

Church Contact & Social Media

Choir Contact & Social Media