As we continue to celebrate Christmas and now enter 2026, I want to extend a sincere thank you to you all for your contribution to the life of our parish and to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. There are so many of you who have a role in supporting parish life in many different ways, including cleaning, flower arranging, music, gardening, the work of the SVP, children’s liturgy, readers, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, altar serving, safeguarding, counting our offertory, hospitality in serving tea and coffee, and many, many other things.

Each are different ways of supporting our community and at the same time a different form of ministry to our Heavenly Father. I also want to take a moment to sincerely thank you all for your support to my ministry as your spiritual father. I have been bowled over by the number of cards, gifts and messages I have received. I know that you know that the life of a priest is not for the fainthearted, and undoubtedly there will have been times when I have made mistakes, perhaps there have been times when I have inadvertently upset people. For all of those occasions please accept my unreserved apology.

Every day I ask God, though the Holy Spirit, to enable me to be the best priest that I can be to serve Him and you to the best of my poor ability. Despite the ups and downs of the complexities of parish life, as we look towards 2026, I renew my unreserved commitment to the Lord and you. Let’s pray over the coming months that our bond as brothers and sisters will be strengthened and that our community may be salt to the earth and light to the world around us.

God bless and keep you all.

Fr Chris