Changes have been made to the Disclosure and Barring Services Update Service (DBS), to which many volunteers already subscribe. To keep DBS Certificates up to date the Update Service are sending emails to volunteers 30 days before their certificates are due for renewal, dates are based on your joining date. This email will ask volunteers to access their Update Service Account and confirm. In preparation for this change DBS advises volunteers to check that the email address attached to their subscription is the correct email address. For those who confirm, this request will be repeated annually. If no confirmation is made, their volunteer subscription will automatically be cancelled. Volunteers who do not renew their subscription will not be able to keep their DBS certificate(s) up to date and organisations will not be able to check them. They will need to reapply for a DBS as per a new applicant if they need one in the future. It is the policy of the Catholic Church to renew DBS checks every 3 years, this is a separate requirement to that of the DBS in renewing the Update Service subscription on an annual basis. We recommend writing the date of your renewal on a calendar or dairy. Please do check your emails as they may automatically go into your junk or Scam mailbox, your DBS Certificate is personal to you, so if you have a query you can ring the DBS on 0300 020 0190 or enquires to www.gov.uk Click for Update Service. Thank you.

Le Platon Lottery Results for the September draw –

1st – 94 – £100

2nd – 16 – £50

3rd – 03 – £25

Parishes worldwide celebrate World Mission Sunday. By supporting Missio, the Pope’s charity for world mission, we stand united as God’s global family, in prayer, solidarity and action. The Holy Father has chosen the theme ‘One in Christ, united in mission’ to celebrate 100 years of World Mission Sunday and encourages us to unite with missionaries as they strive to reach out with God’s love to communities in need. Please pray for the work of mission and give what you can to this vital collection.

To donate call 020 7821 9755 (office hours) or visit missio.org.uk to give a gift, set up a Direct Debit and Gift Aid your donation if possible or scan the QR code.

Thank you for your continued generosity!

Freedom Camp on 16th-18th October at Rue Maingy, Guernsey (ONLY A COUPLE OF PLACES LEFT)

This is a camp for younger youth (Yrs 7-10). We’re running it as a partnership between Orbital and South West Youth Ministries (SWYM) and Ollie O’Meakin from SWYM is coming over to help host it. Parents need to book young people on themselves using this link. It will be suitable for all young people, whether they call themselves Christians or not and will be a great place to build friendships, have loads of fun and explore faith together.

Freedom South West Youth Ministries: https://share.google/QR2TZyafxzYJalmGc

Dear Parents and Carers, We are delighted to announce the start of our First Holy Communion preparation programme for 2026–2027 in the Parish of Our Lady and the Saints. There will be some changes to the programme this year, with both children and parents taking an active part in the preparation.

All parents wishing to enrol their child must attend our introductory meeting on Tuesday 3rd November from 6:00pm-7:00pm at Notre Dame School Hall, next to St Joseph’s Church. The meeting will be led by Fr Marcin, who will also be leading the First Holy Communion preparation programme. During the meeting, we will explain the programme, share the dates and outline the commitment involved for children and their families. Registration forms will be completed at the meeting.

The programme will begin on Tuesday 17th November, from 6:00pm–7:20pm, for both parents and children. Sessions will take place on Tuesday evenings, following the schedule shared at the introductory meeting. We look forward to welcoming you and sharing this important journey of faith together. If you have any questions, please contact the Parish Office.

With every blessing, Fr Marcin

Confirmation preparation starts in January for young people in Year 8 and above who would like to be confirmed in 2028, or don’t necessarily want to be confirmed but just want to explore more about their faith.

Contact Tom – Tel: 07781 129310 / E-mail: youth@catholic.org.gg

We are inviting applications from practising Catholics to join the Education Governance Board for St Mary & St Michael Catholic Primary School. This offers a great opportunity for any parishioner to contribute to the life of our Parish and especially to invest in its future through the children in our school. You will be required to attend one Governance Board meeting per term (usually held late afternoon), training provided by the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture and you will be invited to visit the school regularly to get to know the children, their families and the staff. If you are interested, please contact Elizabeth Dene, Chair of Governors for the Voluntary (Catholic) Schools Cluster (edene@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk). Further information about the role can be found on the Education Governance website.

Welcome, I invite you to complete a short, anonymous questionnaire about our Holy Habits and the diocesan plan. By sharing your experience, you will be actively contributing to the growth and development of the Diocese and helping me discern how the Lord is at work. It will take only a few minutes. Thank you in advance. We hope to repeat the survey in three years’ time to view the journey made.

Please scan the QR code or visit: eu.surveymonkey.com/r/QTBWYRP

THINGS VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE

Dear Friends of Christ,

Whenever we come to Sunday Mass, we profess our belief in the existence of a loving God, the Creator of heaven and earth, visibilium omnium et invisibilium: the Maker ‘of all things visible and invisible.’¹ God’s creation is magnificent! He made it out of nothing and He sustains it in being.² But as the Fourth Lateran Council affirmed, He made it two-fold, the visible creation and the invisible, with two orders of creatures, material and spiritual, humans being both.³ When we explore the visible world God has made, we cannot help being filled with awe and wonder. Yet this pales before the majestic invisible world of the angels and saints, gathered around God’s throne, exclaiming Sanctus! Sanctus! Sanctus!⁴ The world of God’s invisible creatures, the angels and archangels, the cherubim and seraphim, is brought out admirably for us this coming week by the Church’s liturgy, when on Tuesday we venerate the archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael and on Friday our Guardian Angels.

Bear with me a moment. Angels are spiritual beings. They are immortal. They are personal, with intelligence and free will. Each, according to St. Thomas, is its own species.⁵ They are God’s servants and messengers, although we also know from scripture – and we might add, from experience too – that some of them are fallen. Nowadays, living in a society with so many advances in science and technology, some find it hard to believe in angels, yet ironically cutting-edge science is open to the existence of invisible, immaterial worlds. ⁶ Have you ever been in a room with an odd atmosphere? Or met a person struggling with an addiction? Or thought of a friend who then suddenly phones you? Many things in life are invisible. Even as you listen to this Letter, your church is filled with data links, mobile phone calls and other electronic signals, all invisible yet real. Some processes have their origins in the spiritual realm. It is from there that God sends His angels to help, serve and protect us, just as in scripture, when we read of Michael bringing God’s victory, Gabriel God’s messages and Raphael God’s healing. ⁷ This is why each day we should thank God for His love, whilst entrusting ourselves to Him and asking His protection.

Why do I mention this? For two reasons. First, this time of the year has been named ‘The Season of Creation. ’ The Season is an ecumenical period of prayer and action when we thank God for His creation, reflect on humanity’s impact on the natural world and commit ourselves to sustainable living and environmental protection.⁸ This year, Pope Leo has urged us to turn off the noise of daily life in order to “hear the melodious voice of creation.” It is not yet too late, he adds, to repair humanity’s relationship with the environment.⁹ So, in the words of the Mass for the Care of Creation, let us ask the angels to help us care lovingly for creation and to live in harmony with all creatures. ¹⁰

But secondly, this is also the time of the year when parishes take a Mass count and begin assembling their pastoral statistics. When I was a parish priest, I used to worry whether the figures were down! In the Diocese, for some communities, this will be the case, challenging them to renew their prayer, welcome and outreach. On the other hand, by God’s grace, we have a mission-plan, You Will be My Witnesses, with an exciting ten-year vision¹¹. It is a plan for expansion, for strengthening and deepening faith. The Church exists to evangelise,¹² but like breathing-in and breathing-out, evangelisation is about ourselves growing in faith, as much as about reaching out to others.¹³ Whilst progress cannot be measured simply by numbers, numbers do say something. The visible does in some way point to the invisible. So are we growing in love for Jesus in His Word and in the Holy Eucharist? And are we going out to serve Him in the poor?¹⁴ How are we deepening our faith and putting it into action?

The hardest change of all is changing ourselves. How can I become more holy, closer to Christ? How can I become better formed in my faith? How can our parish put Christ more evidently at the centre? How can we pass on the Faith to the young? What works of charity, justice and ecology might we undertake? How can we encourage real stewardship, responsibility and tithing? And how can our parish witness to the Gospel in this area? If this parish closed tomorrow, would anyone who is not a member notice the difference?¹⁵

“Son, go and work in the vineyard today.”¹⁶ In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses the image of two sons, one who did the will of his father and one who did not. Which one are you? Over the next months, I want to encourage you to recommit yourself to keeping the Six Holy Habits:

• First, to keep Sunday special by attending Mass;¹⁷

• Secondly, to resolve to spend at least five minutes a day in prayer;¹⁸

• Thirdly to keep Friday as a day of penance and charity towards the poor;¹⁹

• Fourthly, regularly to pay a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament;²⁰

• Fifthly, to go to Confession once a month or so;²¹ and

• Sixthly, to join a small group for formation, prayer and fellowship.

Imagine the revolution if everyone in the Diocese adopted all six!

Finally, to make more visible what might otherwise be invisible, I invite you to complete a short, anonymous questionnaire. By sharing your experience, you will contribute to the development of the Diocese and help me to discern how the Lord is at work. It will only take a few minutes: you can access it here. Thank you in advance. We hope to repeat the survey in three years’ time to view the journey made. Meanwhile, let me offer you the Lord’s blessing. “May the Lord send His holy angels to keep you safe. May they guard you in all your ways. One day, may they bring you safely to heaven.”²²

In Corde Iesu
+ Philip
Bishop of Portsmouth.

¹ The Symbol or Profession of Faith in The Roman Missal. English Translation according to the Third Typical Edition (London, CTS: 2010) 562

² See Gen 1:1, Job 12:10, Ps. 104:29-30, Acts 17:28, Col 1:15-17 and Heb 1:3.

³ In H. Denzinger ed. P. Hünermann Enchiridion symbolorum definitionum et declarationem de rebus fidei et morum 43rd Edition (San Francisco, Ignatius: 2012) – henceforth referred to as DH – DH 800, 3002.

⁴ Cf. Is 6:3 and Rev 4:8

⁵ See Catechism of the Catholic Church (London, CTS: 2016) – henceforth CCC – paragraphs 329-336 and St. Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae, I q 50 a 4 “Whether the angels differ in species?”

⁶ Vincenzo Tamma, Professor of Physics and Quantum Technology at the University of Portsmouth, notes how “one can ‘see’ the vestigia Trinitatis (‘traces of the Trinity’ according to St. Augustine) within the fundamental quantum states of matter, the signature of God’s creative act ex nihilo imprinting their ordering toward all the perfective forms existing in the cosmos, including our humanity created in the image and likeness of God. .. [The] lowest material order of creation already reflects in its quantum structure (and phenomena like entanglement) the Trinitarian relational ontology and points beyond itself towards the recognition of the traces of the same relational ontology in higher orders of reality, particularly within our humanity and in the overall spiritual world.” See E. Pentin ‘Quantum Physics and the Mystery of God’s Creation’ Edward Pentin’s Substack (6th August 2026): https://edwardpentin.substack.com/p/quantum-physics-and-the-mystery-of (September 2026)

⁷ See Rev 12:7-9, Lk 1: 26-38 and Tobit 3:17, 5:4 et passim,

⁸ In 2015, Pope Francis instituted the first World Day of Prayer for Creation to be kept annually on 1st September, coinciding with the ecumenical Season of Creation that runs until 4th October, the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi.

⁹ Pope Leo XIV Homily at Mass for the Care of Creation (1 September 2026): www.vatican.va (September 2026)

¹⁰ præsta, quǽsumus, ut, dociles Spíritus tui spiraculo vitæ, opera manuum tuarum in caritate custodiamus (collecta) and novos cælos et terram novam exspectantes, convenienter una cum omnibus creaturis vivere discamus (post communionem) ‘docile to the life-giving breath of the Spirit, we may lovingly care for the work of your hands’ and ‘as we await the new heavens and the new earth, we may learn to live in harmony with all creatures’ Dicastery Promoting Integral Human Development ‘Presentation of the Missa pro custodia creationis’ 3rd July 2025: www.humandevelopment.va/en/news/2025 (September 2026)

¹¹ Diocese of Portsmouth (2022): You will be My Witnesses. Ten-Year Mission Plan for the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth. www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk (September 2026).

¹² Pope St. Paul VI (1975) Evangelii Nuntiandi 14 in DH 4573.

¹³ As Pope St. Paul VI put it: “The Church is an evangeliser, but she begins by being evangelised herself (Evangelii Nuntiandi 15) DH 4574

¹⁴ We see this in the life of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta and many of the saints. Thus, St. Pier Giorgio Frassati once said: “Jesus pays me a visit in Holy Communion every morning, and I repay him in the miserable way I can by visiting Him in His poor.” See C Siccardi Pier Giorgio Frassati – A Hero for our Times (San Francisco, Ignatius Press: 2016), 153.

¹⁵ J. Mallon Divine Renovation Beyond the Parish (Frederick Me, The Word Among Us Press: 2020) 35. Each pastoral area has been given a rich resource from Caritas Diocese of Portsmouth setting out the needs of the local communities and about how they might reach out in a tangible way to those in need in their own localities. Have you taken this up or put yourself forward to be a Caritas Champion for your parish?

¹⁶ Mt 21:28

¹⁷ See CCC 1324.

¹⁸ “Let me ask you: Are there moments when you place yourself quietly in the Lord’s presence, when you calmly spend time with him, when you bask in his gaze? Do you let his fire inflame your heart? Unless you let him warm you more and more with his love and tenderness, you will not catch fire. How will you then be able to set the hearts of others on fire by your words and witness? If, gazing on the face of Christ, you feel unable to let yourself be healed and transformed, then enter into the Lord’s heart, into his wounds, for that is the abode of divine mercy” Pope Francis Gaudete et Exultate (London, CTS: 2018) 151

¹⁹ See ‘Re-establishing Friday Penance:’ https://rcdow.org.uk/news/re-establishing-friday-penance/ (September 2026)

²⁰ See CDW Redemptionis Sacramentum [London, CTS: 2004] 135

²¹ Regular confession is good even if we end up confessing the same sins. “It is true. Our sins are always the same, but we clean our homes, our rooms, at least once a week, even if the dirt is always the same; in order to live in cleanliness, in order to start again. Otherwise, the dirt might not be seen but it builds up. Something similar can be said about the soul, for me myself: If I never go to confession, my soul is neglected and in the end I am always pleased with myself and no longer understand that I must always work hard to improve, that I must make progress. And this cleansing of the soul which Jesus gives us in the sacrament of confession helps us to make our consciences more alert, more open, and hence, it also helps us to mature spiritually and as human persons” Pope Benedict XVI Catechetical Meeting of the Holy Father with Children who had received their First Communion during the Year 15th October 2005: www.vatican.va (September 2026)

²² Based on Psalm 91:11-12

The term ‘Rosary’ comes from the Latin rosarium that alternately implies a rose garden, a bed of roses, a garland of flowers, and a collection of nice quotes. So, when we pray the Rosary, we are giving beautiful flowers to Mary and to God. The Rosary is a string of beads or a knotted cord used to count prayers. The term is also applied to the prayers themselves. Rosaries are used in many religions but most often associated with Roman Catholics in a unique and outstanding way. In Roman Catholic practice, the Rosary is a string of beads made in the form of a circle, with a pendant crucifix. The standard Marian Rosary consists of five sets of beads called decades, each composed of one large and ten smaller beads. On the large beads, the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father), is said; on the smaller beads, the Hail Mary, or Ave Maria. In between the decades the “Glory be,” a doxology, is recited. As the prayers are said, the person reciting the Rosary may meditate on a series of New Testament events, called the “Mysteries” of the Rosary, from the lives of Christ and His Mother, Mary. The Mysteries of the Rosary are virtually a summary of the church’s liturgical year. Before Pope St. John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries, it was traditionally believed that the 15 Mysteries (150 Hail Marys) were the summary of the 150 psalms for Christians who could not read and write.

Traditionally, the rosary was ascribed to the Spanish theologian St. Dominic early in the 13th century. The Rosary dates to a revelation in a vision by Our Lady to this saint who is the founder of the Order of Preachers. St. Dominic had been praying on finding ways to combat the Albigensian Heresy and the Rosary was given him in a vision by the Blessed Virgin Mary as a weapon against that heresy. Other heresies have equally been defeated with this same tool. The Rosary was popularized by Alan de la Roche while Pope Leo X accorded the month of October the month of the Rosary. As early as 2nd C, the struggle against Satan was already ascribed to Mary (cf. Rev. 12:1-17, Gen 3:15, Rom 5:1-6:1ff, 1Cor. 15:20-21, 54-57). Mary is the terror of demons, she will crush the head of any of our enemies. It was on 7th October 1571 that the great naval battle of Lepanto was fought, the victory of Christian Europe saved Christian civilization against the invading Muslim Turks. It was to gratefully commemorate Mary’s role in this victory (for the soldiers often prayed the Rosary before going to fight) that Pope St. Pius V instituted the Feast of Our Lady of Victory on this day.

Later popes, in keeping with the fact that victory was basically the fruit of the Rosary, termed it the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The feast was officially and permanently placed on the liturgical calendar of the universal church in 1716 when Pope Eugene won another important victory over the same enemy in Hungary still with the greatest tool, The Rosary. On 13th May 1917, in the third year of WWI which was to cost eight million lives, important events were taking place simultaneously. The Mother of God Herself deigned to appear in the first six apparitions to three children to make through to them one final appeal to our materialistic, war-torn world. “In a spirit of sacrifice to our Lord, are you willing to accept everything He may send you as reparation for the sins by which His Majesty is offended, as a means for converting all sinners, and as atonement for the blasphemies offered to the Immaculate Heart of Mary?” a simple “yes” being the reply, she urged: “Then pray the Rosary often and devoutly, for the peace of the world!” “Recite the Rosary daily, and after the Gloria Patri of each decade add: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins! Save us from the fires of hell! Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who most need thy mercy!”

A community like ours, needs to uphold Mary’s Queenly role whereby she carries our prayers to Jesus, our Lord and King, absorbing them into her own and leaving aside whatever may be unworthy. This is one of the best Marian devotions. With Mary as listener, we develop the art of praising the Triune God. The Rosary is a perfect form of prayerful tribute to the Trinity, commencing as it does with the recitation to the Apostles’ Creed and the others. The Rosary possesses great power to enlighten and sanctify those who pray it, having a special efficacy of intercession. It is the best means of perfection for it helps us reflect and copy the lives of our models (as we pray in the “Let us Pray” after the “Hail Holy Queen,” … that we may both imitate what it contains and obtain what it promises), it is the wealth of sanctification, sublime prayer, means of salvation, the best weapon against the greatest enemy, it is used for transforming any group, contemplating Jesus with Mary, etc. The ‘Hail Holy Queen’ acknowledges Mary’s ongoing role in our salvation as only next to that of Jesus. Let priests, religious, fathers, mothers and children pray the Rosary in season and out of season for whatever thing one has to do and it will be successful.

A very big warning: Do not try to dissuade or discourage others from preaching, praying or sharing the Rosary because by so doing, you become an enemy of souls. Don’t try to discourage/fight it, please. When we pray the Rosary attentively with a lot of devotion, perseverance, penance and remorse for our sins, fighting distractions, with purity of intention, etc, the following effects, blessings or benefits are received: sinners are forgiven, souls that thirst are refreshed, those under satanic attacks and possessions are freed from their bonds, those who weep find happiness, those who are tempted overcome the temptations, the poor find help, religious are reformed, ignorant are instructed, the living learn how to overcome pride, the dead (the Holy Souls) have their pains eased, people gain plenary indulgence particularly at the hour of death, some sicknesses are healed, etc. Try it and share the results with others! Mary needs you to propagate her devotion. “I have never yet found a man who was not converted, if previously I had time to pray the Rosary” (St Clement). “Never will anyone who prays his Rosary everyday be led astray. This is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood” (St. Louis de Monrfort).

Read: The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis De Montfort, Rosarium Virginis Mariae by Pope John Paul II.