Christopher McOustra(rt) 
leading the pilgrimage to 
Domremy in March

At the end of March, on Easter Thursday, Christopher McOustra led a group of pilgrims to Domremy in France, in honour of St Joan of Arc, where they were given a wonderful welcome. It was, by all accounts, a wonderful spiritual and gastronomic occasion. It was intended to focus on Saint Joan as a "teenage" saint. The group included several young people.

Pope John Paul II was rushed to hospital on February 2^nd, and after two spells in hospital, it was clear that he could not go on for much longer. His health took a final turn for the worse on Thursday March 31^st, and he died on Saturday evening April 2^nd.
The news of the death of the Holy Father was announced by Father Tony at the end of a concert arranged by Tom Hagger to raise money to send four of our teenage parishioners to the World Youth Day in Cologne, due to take place in August 2005. World Youth Day had been started by Pope John Paul, and the concert became a tribute from the young people to a much loved Pope.

The New Icon of the 
Divine  Mercy

Blessing of the New Icon of the Divine Mercy
l to r Deacon Michael Stevenson, 
artist George Barais-Windsor 
and Fr Tony

On Sunday April 3^rd, The Feast of Divine Mercy, Father Tony unveiled and blessed a new icon of the Risen Christ over the altar in the Lady Chapel. It was commissioned for our Church, and painted by a Romanian artist George Barais-Windsor, who assisted at the ceremony. It seemed very fitting that this icon of the "Divine Mercy" should be blessed on the morning after the death of Pope John Paul who had created the Feast just a few years earlier.

On Thursday April 7^th the church was filled for a Requiem Mass for the Pope on the eve of his Funeral in Rome. There were clergy from other churches present, and the Baptist minister, The Rev Gary Woodall, paid a very moving tribute to the Holy Father at the end of the Mass.

In memory of Pope John Paul II

Pope Benedict XVI
Photograph taken by Fr Tony December 2005

On April 19^th we learnt that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had been elected as the new Pope, and had chosen to be called Pope Benedict XVI. There was a special Mass to mark the occasion on the day of his inaugural Mass in Rome on Sunday April 23^rd.

  
In May, Bishop Kieran
appointed Father Tony 
as Episcopal Vicar for 
Mission and Unity for 
the Diocese

Bishop Kiernan and Fr Tony at an 
Ecumenical event in Guildford Cathedral October 2005

Father Tony led a Parish pilgrimage to Compostella and Fatima in May 2005.
The group was in Fatima for the celebrations on May 13^th to mark the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima on May 13^th 1917. During the Mass, attended by 30000 people, the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon announced that Pope Benedict XVI has given permission for the process for the canonisation of Pope John Paul II to begin. It was little more than a month since the death of Pope John Paul, and it was an unprecedented decision to allow the enquiries to begin so soon after his death.
During a visit to the home of the visionaries, the pilgrims met a niece of Sister Lucia.
Lucia was the last of the visionaries to die. She had been a Carmelite nun in a convent near Fatima, and had died only in February 2005.

Mass in Compostella May 2005

Fr Tony with Sr Lucia's niece
in Fatima 2005

The annual pilgrimages to Walsingham and Aylesford took place during the summer.

In July Margaret Slattery retired

 Celebration in July 2005 to mark Margaret Slattery's retirement as Head Teacher at Annecy school

In August four young people attended the World Youth Day in Cologne.
Two of them, Geoffrey Hagger and Oliver Purchase, spoke about their experience at each Mass one weekend in October. 
Click here for a transcript of their presentation together with more photographs

The young people of the Parish led the Liturgy on Youth Sunday, the Solemnity of Christ the King. They gave an inspiring and challenging presentation of the Gospel demand for justice and for care for the poor and the needy. They inspired heart-searching and discussion on the part of many people

Sr Odile & Sr Agnes celebration
September 2005

In the summer both Sister Odile and Sister Agnes celebrated jubilees, 70 years for Sister Agnes and 50 for Sister Odile. Again there was a celebration in France and a Parish Celebration in September followed by a parish party in the hall and garden.
Both Sisters received a blessing from Pope Benedict.

Sr Odile & Sr Agnes. Presentation
after Mass

SIster Odile and Sister Bruno with former Annecy school staff members at Jubilee celebrations in September 2005

The year 2005 saw the Parish Hall re-decorated and the Kitchen re-designed.

The Hall is in almost constant use by the various groups existing in the parish.

This year the parish became a "Free Trade Parish".