September 2026 – St Edmund of Canterbury, Loughton

Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

WEEKDAY TIMES 28^th September- 2^nd October 2026

28^th September Monday No Morning Mass 1:00pm Funeral Mass John Forwood-RIP ✞

29^th September Tuesday No Morning Mass

30^th September Wednesday 9:30am Mass

1^st October Thursday 9:30am Mass

2^nd October Friday 9:30am Mass

There will be a 2^nd Collection on the weekend of 3& 4^th of October for CAFOD -Harvest Sunday.

THE CALL TO BE HUMAN – An Introduction to Catholic Morality:

What does it mean to be moral? What has religion got to do with morality?

What does it mean to be truly free, and is love all you need?

Tuesdays at 7pm, 7th • 14th • 21st • 28th October. For more information, visit www.ourladyoflourdeswanstead.com or see the poster on the church noticeboard in Loughton.

Everyone is welcome — bring a friend!

School Forms:

Many Catholic schools require the Parish Priest’s signature for confirmation of a family’s attendance on a school form. Please bring your form with you to the Sunday Mass you normally attend and speak with Fr. Adrian after the service. Please ensure that the form is fully completed before bringing it to him.

For parents whose children are applying to Davenant School, please note that they write directly to the parish requesting information about a family’s Mass attendance over the previous five years. If your child is applying to Davenant, please see Fr. Adrian after a Sunday Mass to discuss the application and the information required. Regrettably, Fr. Adrian cannot complete or sign the relevant form unless a conversation has taken place with the parent(s) in person.

Fr. Adrian is asked to complete each form truthfully and to the best of his knowledge, based on the information available to him. We therefore kindly ask parents to understand that he must provide an honest response and not to put him in the difficult position of being asked to state anything other than the truth. We are grateful for everyone’s understanding and cooperation in this.

We encourage parents to speak with Fr. Adrian as early as possible during the application process.

Thank you for your understanding, and for helping us to handle this matter with honesty, care and kindness.

Contemporary Music Group:

We will next be singing and playing at the 11am Mass on Sunday 4th October

and holding a practice beforehand 7 to 8pm on Monday, 28th September.

Trinity Catholic High School : Invites Year 5 and Year 6 families to its Open Evening on Thursday 8th October, from 5pm to 8pm. Visitors are welcome to tour the school, meet staff and students, and find out more about life at Trinity. All are welcome. For more information, contact the school office.

Please do try to come to the practice as well as the Mass as we’d like to run through the psalm and the hymns we’ve chosen. Three things to mention: We’ll have a ‘guest’ musician at the Mass, we’d love to see some new young singers from the Parish to come and join us and, finally, it was really good to join forces with Sue and our Parish choir at the wonderful Parish centenary Mass on the 13th September – a great celebration and thank you!

First Holy Communion Programme Registration Forms:

One of the most important things we learn as disciples of Jesus is that he calls each of us into a deep and loving friendship with him.

One of the greatest gifts he gives us to nurture and strengthen that friendship is the Eucharist, where we receive Him in Holy Communion. In our parish we begin preparing children for this special sacrament in Year 4 (ages 8–9), helping them to grow in their understanding of God’s love and in their relationship with Jesus.

Registration forms for our First Holy Communion programme are now available at the back of the Church for children in Year 4 and above (minimum age 8).

The closing date for applications is 30 September 2026. Please take a registration form and return it to the parish office by this date.

We ask that you also provide a copy of your child’s baptism certificate when submitting the form.

There will be a meeting for parents in November, and our formation sessions will begin during Advent as we journey together towards this important milestone in your child’s faith. We are very much looking forward to accompanying our children and families through this year’s programme as we help guide our young people in growing closer to the Lord. Over the coming months, we encourage you to begin talking with your children about Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist and what it means to receive him in Holy Communion. It can also be a wonderful opportunity to share your own memories of your First Holy Communion and reflect together on what the Eucharist means in your own life of faith. If you have any questions, then please contact Fr. Adrian.

There will be a 2^nd collection on the weekend of 10^th & 11^th October for Prisoner’s Sunday.

11^th October 2026- 3:00pm Divine Mercy Devotions

Please Pray for those who are Sick: Evelyn Bearne, Robert Bearne, Karl Britz, Brenda Bryant, Bernadette Hall, Ann Hawkes, Claire Howes, Angela Long, Lilian Mothersole, John McKernan, Remy, Geraldine Taylor, James Wright, Pamela Gibson, Geraldine Stains, Linda Moriarty, Victoria Leahy, Jean Collins, Barbara Searl, Lyn Povey, Mason Family, Ben Lewis,

Brian Carter and all our loved ones who are unwell.

In Cases of Emergency

If there is no answer from the parish phone and you are seeking a priest in an emergency, please call one of the local parishes, either in Epping Phone: 01992 572516, or the St. Thomas of Canterbury Friary at Woodford Green Phone: 020 8504 1688.

Emergency In the Church

Please follow instructions given by The Priest and/or Stewards.

For fires at the back of the church, we will exit via the sacristy into the hall or side exit.

For fires at the front of the church, we will exit by front doors.

For fires in the middle of the church use the safest exit.

Fire extinguishers are to be used by competent, trained persons only.

Mass Intentions are listed on the website, Back of the Church notice board, and in the outside display case

New Job Vacancies

Walsingham House Manager

Vacancy: To ensure the smooth and efficient running of Walsingham House at Abbotswick, as an inspiring, faith-filled retreat house welcoming over 5,000 young people each year. Specific responsibilities include leading retreats, and leading and training the volunteer community. The post holder also has overall responsibility for Safeguarding and (together with the Site Manager) Health and Safety.
Location- Walsingham House at Abbotswick, with travel to retreat locations and BCYS events, as needed.

Hours- 35 hours per week- including significant evening and weekend work

Salary- £30 – 32K depending on prior experience (ideally this is a “live in” role, with a one bedroom flat provided, however it is not essential).

Contract: 3-year fixed term contract

The closing date for applications is 23^rd October 2026.

Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

WEEKDAY TIMES 21^st September- 25^th September 2026

21^st September Monday 9:30am Mass

22^nd September Tuesday No Mass

23^rd September Wednesday 9:30am Mass

24^th September Thursday 9:30am Mass

25^th September Friday 9:30am Mass

There will be a 2^nd Collection for Evangeli Gaudium Day this weekend after all the masses.

Divine Mercy Devotions will be this Sunday 20^th September at 3:00pm in the Church.

A Heartfelt Thank You:

A huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make our Parish Centenary Celebration such a wonderful and memorable day.

It was a real joy to see so many parishioners, families, friends and visitors come together to celebrate 100 years of our parish. The beautiful Mass and the barbeque afterwards created a wonderful atmosphere of faith, friendship, joy and community.

I am really grateful to everyone who gave their time, generosity and support to make the celebration possible. Every contribution, whether large or small, was truly appreciated and helped make the day very special.

Most of all, thank you for coming together as a parish family and helping us mark this very important milestone. It was a wonderful celebration of our shared faith, our history and the community of which we are blessed to be a part.

As we look back with gratitude on the past 100 years, we now look forward with hope to the next 100 years of our parish. May we continue to grow together in faith, deepen our relationship with God, and be a welcoming and prayerful community for generations to come. May our parish continue to be a place where people encounter Christ, find friendship and support, and grow spiritually together.

With grateful thanks and every blessing to you all, Fr. Adrian

THE CALL TO BE HUMAN – An Introduction to Catholic Morality:

What does it mean to be moral? What has religion got to do with morality? What does it mean to be truly free, and is love all you need?

This is a fascinating four-part series at Our Lady of Lourdes, Wanstead, exploring Catholic morality in a series of talks given by Fr. Martin Boland. Discover how our faith can help us make sense of life, love, freedom and the moral questions we face in today’s world. Tuesdays at 7pm, 7th • 14th • 21st • 28th October. For more information, visit www.ourladyoflourdeswanstead.com or see the poster on the church noticeboard in Loughton.

Everyone is welcome — bring a friend!

School Forms:

We encourage parents to speak with Fr. Adrian as early as possible during the application process.

Thank you for your understanding, and for helping us to handle these matters with honesty, care and kindness.

A Moment of Gratitude and Prayer:

We give thanks to God for the result of last Friday’s vote in Parliament, when the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was defeated at Second Reading by 286 votes to 270.

For Catholics and everyone who believes in the sanctity and dignity of every human life, this is a special moment of gratitude. We pray that our society will continue to recognise the value of every person, especially those who are elderly, seriously ill, vulnerable or approaching the end of life, and that we will always seek to accompany people with compassion, care and love.

A very sincere thank you to all our parishioners who took the time to write to their MPs, to those who prayed, and to those who travelled to Parliament on 11 September. Your concern for the dignity of human life and your willingness to take part in the democratic process are greatly appreciated.

We should also remember in our prayers all those who are facing serious illness, suffering or the end of life, together with their families and carers. May they receive the care, support and companionship they need, and may we as Christians continue to be a people who protect life, offer hope, and stand alongside those who are most vulnerable.

Let us give thanks for this moment, while continuing to pray that our nation may always uphold the dignity of human life and seek compassionate ways of caring for people at every stage of life. God bless, Fr. Adrian

Contemporary Music Group:

We will next be singing and playing at the 11am Mass on Sunday 4th October and holding a practice beforehand 7 to 8pm on Monday, 28th September.

Please do try to come to the practice as well as the Mass as we’d like to run through the psalm and the hymns we’ve chosen.

Three things to mention:We’ll have a ‘guest’ musician at the Mass, we’d love to see some new young singers from the Parish to come and join us and, finally, it was really good to join forces with Sue and our Parish choir at the wonderful Parish centenary Mass on the 13th September – a great celebration and thank you!

First Holy Communion Programme Registration Forms:

One of the most important things we learn as disciples of Jesus is that he calls each of us into a deep and loving friendship with him.

Registration forms for our First Holy Communion programme are now available at the back of the Church for children in Year 4 and above (minimum age 8).

The closing date for applications is 30 September 2026. Please take a registration form and return it to the parish office by this date.

We ask that you also provide a copy of your child’s baptism certificate when submitting the form.

2^nd Collection on the weekend of 3& 4^th of October for CAFOD Harvest Fast Day.

Please Pray for those who are Sick: Evelyn Bearne, Robert Bearne, Karl Britz, Brenda Bryant, Bernadette Hall, Ann Hawkes, Claire Howes, Angela Long, Lilian Mothersole, John McKernan, Remy, Geraldine Taylor, James Wright, Pamela Gibson, Geraldine Stains, Linda Moriarty, Victoria Leahy, Jean Collins, Barbara Searl, Lyn Povey, Mason Family, Ben Lewis,

Brian Carter and all our loved ones who are unwell.

In Cases of Emergency

Emergency In the Church

Please follow instructions given by The Priest and/or Stewards.

For fires at the back of the church, we will exit via the sacristy into the hall or side exit.

For fires at the front of the church, we will exit by front doors.

For fires in the middle of the church use the safest exit.

Fire extinguishers are to be used by competent, trained persons only.

Mass Intentions are listed on the website, Back of the Church notice board, and in the outside display case

Twenty Forth Sunday in Ordinary Time

WEEKDAY TIMES 14^th September- 18^th September 2026

7^th September Monday 9:30am Mass

8^th September Tuesday No Mass

9^th September Wednesday 9:30am Mass

10^th September Thursday 9:30am Mass

11^th September Friday 9:30am Mass

There will be a 2^nd Collection for Education Sunday this weekend after all the masses.

Divine Mercy Devotions will be next week Sunday on 20^th Sept at 3:00pm in the Church.

100 Years of Our Parish – Come and Celebrate!

1926 – 2026

This year, our parish celebrates a very special milestone — 100 years of faith, friendship and community! It would be wonderful for all of us to join together this Sunday, 13 September, as we celebrate this wonderful anniversary together.

Our celebrations will begin with Mass at 11am, celebrated by Bishop Alan, giving thanks for all those who have been part of our parish story over the past century.

After Mass, the celebration continues with our Parish Community Day and Barbecue in the church hall — a chance to meet, eat, laugh and enjoy being together as a parish family.

Everyone is warmly welcome!

Come and celebrate the people, the faith and all the good that our parish has shared over the past 100 years — and, as we look to the future, let us pray together for the next 100 years of faith, hope and service.

We hope you can join us — it wouldn’t be the same without you!

Journey in Faith :Do you feel God’s gentle call to become Catholic? Or have you been away from Church life and want to return, finding out more about your faith? Would you like to deepen your knowledge of the Catholic Faith? If any of these questions apply to your situation then the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults is for you! Running from late September until Easter, the RCIA programme helps to form intentional disciples for Christ and prepare candidates for the sacraments of initiation into the Church, as well as helping anyone who would like a refresher of Catholic teaching.

If you are interested, or know someone who might be, please contact the parish office on

0208 5083492 by 19 September.

First Holy Communion Programme Registration Forms:

One of the most important things we learn as disciples of Jesus is that he calls each of us into a deep and loving friendship with him.

Registration forms for our First Holy Communion programme are now available at the back of the Church for children in Year 4 and above (minimum age 8).

The closing date for applications is 30 September 2026. Please take a registration form and return it to the parish office by this date.

We ask that you also provide a copy of your child’s baptism certificate when submitting the form.

March For Life

Last Saturday the M4L was a glorious and joyful celebration of life from conception to natural death. It commenced with Mass in Westminster Cathedral concelebrated by 15 bishops and 30 priests.

There were many thousands who attended the March, coming from all parts of the UK and overseas and over 50% were young people under the age of 30. How wonderfully encouraging and such a positive illustration of how attractive the church’s teaching on sanctity of life issues and its defence of life at all stages. Many thanks to all parishioners who attended Saturdays sunny event and to those who kept the event in their prayers. Keep the prayers going please! A note for your diary: next year’s M4L is the first Saturday September 2027.

Brian Carter and all our loved ones who are unwell.