The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP)
St Birinus's SVP group offers help and support to all in our parish. Its aim is help tackle poverty in its many forms by providing practical assistance to those in need. This includesd not only those suffering financial hardship but also the sick, the lonely, those in prison or those suffering from addiction or depression all fo whom whom we visit and seek to support. Motivated by our shared Catholic Faith and inspired by the Holy Gospels, we strive to meet those in need where they are and offer them sincere supportive friendship. Our SVP group is led currently by Philip Clayden. If you are interested in helping or would like to find out more, please speak to one of us or Fr John. If you are aware of a situation where we could offer help, or if would yourself like some supportive friendship or practical help, please get in touch.
Our twinnage with Romania
As by God's grace we find ourselves in a wealthier part of the Universal Church, it is our responsibility to share what we have with poorer congregations. St Birinus SVP is twinned with the SVP conference of Our Lady of Tenderness in Turt, a town in north-west Romania in the foothills of the Carpathians, close to the border with Ukraine. Our regular subscription supports their work among the poor of their parish — food, firewood, school materials, after-school clubs and care for isolated older people.
The St Birinus Pilgrimage
Each July, Anglicans and Roman Catholics together commemorate St Birinus's sermon to King Cynegils of Wessex with a pilgrimage from Churn Knob in Blewbury to the Abbey church in Dorchester — a tradition recalling the very beginnings of Christianity in Wessex in AD 634. Details of each year's pilgrimage appear in the weekly bulletin.
Our Deanery and local Catholic churches
St Birinus Church is the oldest of the six churches in the Catholic Deanery of South Oxfordshire:
- Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Henley-on-Thames
- St Edmund Campion R.C. Church, Watlington
- Our Lady and St John, Goring-on-Thames, and Christ the King, Woodcote
- Our Lady and St Anne, Caversham
- St Michael, Sonning Common
We are part of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, under Archbishop Bernard Longley.
Catholic media and useful links
- EWTN — the Eternal Word Television Network (Sky channel 589, and online)
- Vatican News and Vatican Radio
- Universalis — daily Mass readings and the Divine Office
- Divinum Officium — the traditional Office and Mass texts
- Prayers of preparation for Holy Communion
- The Holy Rosary — how to pray it
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church