St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Epsom

06/09/2026

Important education update from Canon Bill;

EDUCATION,
EDUCATION,
EDUCATION
The cry of a former Prime minster!

Over the years I have witnessed the dedication and determination of parents to seek the best schools for their children, and we know that catholic schools have an excellent reputation in achieving this.
But Catholic Education cannot just be about acquiring the best academic results, it must also educate our young people in their Catholic Faith and thereby helping parents to fulfil their baptismal responsibilities.

Under the forthcoming changes, parents will need to provide a Certificate of Catholic Practice, as required by the Bishops of England and Wales. Please ensure that you are registered with the parish, and as far as possible to be fully engaged in the life of the parish.

From Monday 07 September, families who need a Certificate of Catholic Practice (CCP) for secondary school entry in the 2027/28 academic year may collect an application form from the parish office. Completed forms must be returned by 2 October 2026. CCPs will be issued using the information provided to the parish team and returned in time for the school application deadline.

We are not proposing to make any changes to school applications this year for St Joseph’s Primary school. Parents will continue to provide a certificate of baptism and complete a (SIF) form provided by the school.

Our Shared Responsibility;

As a parish team, we take seriously our responsibility for the education, wellbeing, and safety of all parishioners, especially the children and young people of our parish.

This reflects the longstanding and fundamental relationship between home, school, and parish. We are here to support you as you educate your children and help them grow in their Catholic faith.

May God continue to bless you and your families.


Canon Bill

https://newsletters.st-josephs-epsom.org.uk/Vol66.39_06.09.26.pdf

29/08/2026

At the start of the new term…

What a summer it has been and how quickly the past weeks seem to have flown by. A welcome back to those of you who have been away and to everyone at St Joseph’s, Epsom, we hope it has been as relaxing and refreshing a time as possible this scorcher of a summer.

On the cusp of a new academic year we wish all those who have taken exams and all who are beginning a new school, college or university year every success. Let us keep in mind Mr Brooks at St Andrew’s as he takes up his new responsibilities as headteacher. And our prayers with Mr Hallet and all at St Joseph’s for the year ahead.

🇧🇷 🇵🇹 We also welcome Fr Gerado who has replaced Fr Giandomenico in celebrating the Brazilian Mass on a Sunday evening and supporting the Brazilian/Portuguese community.

A new academic year is a fresh start that presents us with opportunities to learn and to grow. And that is true even for those of us who have moved beyond formal education. St Peter, who in last weeks Gospel recognised Jesus as the Christ and Son of God, in the Gospel this week has to learn that the path Jesus treads is not the one of earthly success. St Peter still has much to learn.

The Church is facing many challenges and like St Peter, these will call us to grow in faith. The greatness of Christ’s Love is revealed in the Gospel today – that Christ will offer His life in dying and rising to new life. Where Christ goes, His disciple and the Church must follow. If we allow Him Christ will hold us through all the immense change and challenge that will be upon us – but like St Peter how well we learn that lesson depends on us!

With every blessing

Father Simon

https://www.stjosephsepsom.org.uk/

24/08/2026

https://righttolife.org.uk/Sept11vote

Easy tool to contact your MP to ask them to vote no to Lauren Edward’s new assisted su***de Bill at Second Reading on 11 Sept

22/08/2026

https://newsletters.st-josephs-epsom.org.uk/Vol66.36_23.08.26.pdfhttps://newsletters.st-josephs-epsom.org.uk/Vol66.36_23.08.26.pdf

17/08/2026

https://newsletters.st-josephs-epsom.org.uk/Vol66.36_16.08.26.pdf

09/08/2026

But immediately he spoke to them, saying, “Take heart, it is I, have no fear.”

- Matthew 14:27

https://newsletters.st-josephs-epsom.org.uk/Vol66.35_09.08.26.pdf

Photo: The Chosen
https://watch.thechosen.tv/

02/08/2026

A big thank you to Trish and her flower arranging team for all of their hard work this weekend to create the wonderful displays you can see around the church over the summer break.
God bless your talents and commitment to St Joseph's 🙏

31/07/2026

Weekly update: Canon Bill

As August begins, I find myself once again aware of how swiftly time passes.

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus knew his time was brief and so began his urgent mission of proclaiming the Good News.

In this weekend’s Gospel, I am struck by his humanity: grieving the death of John the Baptist, he withdraws to a lonely place, seeking the quiet and space that each of us may need in sorrow.

Yet the people find him: countless, hungry, and in need. “Give them something to eat yourselves,” he tells the disciples, and the miracle of the loaves and fishes follows.

That call remains urgent today. Hunger and need endure, even close to home, and I am grateful for all who respond with such kindness and generosity.

For many of us, August brings the hope of rest, holidays, and quieter contemplation. Our Masses will have less music while the choirs take a well-earned break, and I want to say how deeply grateful I am for their time and talent, and for the faithful care Father Simon and Father Gary give to our parish. I hope this may be a calmer time for us all: a chance to enjoy the sunshine, pray for the rain our land needs, walk in the beautiful places we are privileged to have nearby, read a little more, and renew the spiritual life from which there is, of course, no holiday.

It has been a pleasure to welcome Father Sergion over these past couple of weeks. He has made himself very useful, saying Holy Mass each day and preparing some interesting dishes for us at the Priests House. Please keep him in your prayers as he returns to a new parish in the Diocese of Kieve. In the next week or so, I will also be delighted to welcome back Bishop Alex from Kieve for a well-earned rest. Time passes swiftly indeed; may we seize the day.

May St Joseph and the Holy Family bless and protect you all

Canon Bill Davern

https://newsletters.st-josephs-epsom.org.uk/Vol66.33_26.07.26.pdf

Photo courtesy of The chosen
https://watch.thechosen.tv/

27/07/2026

Tomorrow Tuesday evening at St Joseph's;

St. Gerard Majella (1726–1755) is a revered Catholic saint known as the patron of expectant mothers. His life was famously marked by miraculous events, including bilocation, healing the sick, walking on water to guide fishermen to safety, and a famous incident where he retrieved a dropped key from a well using a statue of the Child Jesus.

The Handkerchief Miracle;
Before his death from tuberculosis, Gerard accidentally dropped his handkerchief. When a young girl attempted to return it, he told her to keep it because she would "need it some day". Years later, during a difficult and life-threatening childbirth, she asked for the handkerchief. As soon as it was brought to her, the complications ceased, and she safely delivered a healthy baby. This event established his legacy as the patron of mothers.

Other Miraculous Accounts
During his time as a Redemptorist lay brother, witnesses reported that Gerard frequently exhibited mystical gifts, such as:

Multiplying food: He reportedly blessed and multiplied scant
supplies of wheat and bread to sustain poor families until the next harvest.

Infused knowledge and reading souls: He possessed the ability to know of distant events and read the consciences of those who came to see him

Resuscitating the dead: He miraculously restored life to a young boy who had fallen from a high cliff.

25/07/2026

Day-Trippers To Paradise…

This week pilgrims from across our Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, including our own Fr Gary, will be journeying to the Pyrenees in the south of France to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes.


Since 1858 and Our Lady appearing to a young girl, St Bernadette, Lourdes has been a place of pilgrimage, prayer and healing. The 700 or so pilgrims from our diocese, including St Joseph’s, will be a true cross section of our parish communities – young and old, ordained and lay and at the heart of the pilgrimage especially those who have particular needs in body or spirit.

As we prayer for them on their journey of faith they will undoubtedly be praying for us and lighting many candles for those of us ‘back home’. Lourdes is a special place and we wish the pilgrims a safe and blessed time.

Closer to home there are plenty of opportunities to make a spiritual journey – if in London why not pop into Westminster Cathedral or the beautiful Brompton Oratory and a little further afield the oasis of peace that is Aylesfod Friary down in Kent or indeed our own Cathedral in Arundel. Details of all these places of worship and shrines and many more besides can easily be found on the web.

We are all pilgrims of faith – may the weeks of summer be a blessed time to renew and encourage us on the journey.

With every blessing
Fr Simon

https://newsletters.st-josephs-epsom.org.uk/Vol66.33_26.07.26.pdf