St John the Baptist Catholic Church Purley

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St John the Baptist Catholic Church Purley

Catholic parish church in the Archdiocese of Southwark proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.

04/04/2026

ON HOLY SATURDAY the Lord descends to the just who died before Him, waiting for their Redeemer: "He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison" (1 Peter 3:19). Later this evening our Easter Vigil will begin, as the Church proclaims that the one who lay in the tomb is Risen - the Light of the World has conquered the darkness of sin and death.

Please pray especially for those being baptised at this evening's Vigil in Purley (some pictured at the Rite of Election with Archbishop John Wilson) and for all of those being received into the Church tonight. The Vigil begins at 20:00; those attending are asked to gather in the Parish Hall from 19:45.

02/04/2026

JOIN US FOR THE PASCHAL TRIDUUM as we live the events of Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection. If you haven't already taken note of the details of our liturgies over the next few days - as well as added confession times - please review them here:

https://www.johnthebaptistpurley.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Holy-Week-Easter-2026.pdf

We begin our observances with this evening's MASS OF THE LORD'S SUPPER, remembering the institution of the Eucharist and of the Priesthood.

20/01/2026

OUR MINI YOUTH RETREAT on PRAYER attracted over 30 young people aged 11-17. We are grateful to the team from Southwark Catholic Youth Service, led by Lucy Treloar, for their fantastic input. With times of prayer (inc. Adoration), discussion, testimony, and games, ending with the 18:00 Sunday Mass followed by pizza, it was a joyful and blessed day. Please continue to pray for our parish's youth, that they may grow in faith, hope, and love, and pray too for the continued success of our Youth Club and IGNITE groups.

08/01/2026

MINI YOUTH RETREAT on PRAYER - we are delighted to welcome young adults from the Southwark Catholic Youth Service Retreat Team to Purley to run a retreat afternoon for our young people on the theme of prayer. It is aimed at secondary school aged children and will give them the opportunity to encounter Our Lord through talks, testimonies, activities, and games. A great chance to meet other young people in the parish.

Retreat ends with Mass at 18:00, followed by pizza in the Parish Hall (ends 19:45). To express an interest (and help pizza calculations) please e-mail [email protected].

05/01/2026

THE VIGIL OF THE EPIPHANY invites us to meditate on the visit of the Magi to the newborn Christ: the gifts they brought remind us of our need to acknowledge the great gift that has been given to us in Jesus Christ - and to respond to that gift with self-offering, by making a gift of our hearts.

The Solemnity of the Epiphany (Tuesday 6 January) is a holy day of obligation in England and Wales. Our parish Masses fulfilling the obligation are:

TODAY 18:00 - Solemn Vigil of the Epiphany (w. music)
TUESDAY 07:30, 10:00, 19:30 - Said Masses of the Epiphany

Blessed chalk will be available after this evening's Vigil for those wishing to bless their homes in the traditional way (prayer sheets also provided).

25/12/2025

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS to all of our followers! May the newborn Christ bring peace and joy to you and your loved ones in this festive season.

"Let us therefore announce the joy of Christmas, which is a feast of faith, charity and hope. It is a feast of faith, because God becomes man, born of the Virgin. It is a feast of charity, because the gift of the redeeming Son is realized in fraternal self-giving. It is a feast of hope, because the Child Jesus kindles it within us, making us messengers of peace. With these virtues in our hearts, unafraid of the night, we can go forth to meet the dawn of a new day." - Pope Leo XIV, Homily for Midnight Mass (2025)

14/12/2025

A FRUITFUL MISSION: This Sunday, as we heard Our Lord describing St John the Baptist's greatness in the Gospel reading, we had cause to give thanks for our parish mission which ended on Friday night. Led by Frs Pius Collins and Stephen Morrison of the Order of Prémontré (Norbertines), we were given opportunity to meditate on the figure of our parish patron - his nativity, his public ministry, and his martyrdom - and see him as a guide in this season of Advent.

Among the various events of the mission, students at John Fisher School and Margaret Roper Catholic School had opportunities to venerate a first class relic of St John the Baptist, and to learn from the Norbertine Fathers (joined by novice Br Jacob Plant) more about Advent and the person of St John the Baptist.

Let us continue to pray for our heavenly patron's intercession, that we may make this season of expectation spiritually fruitful!

10/12/2025

PARISH ADVENT MISSION: A reminder that our parish Advent mission begins TODAY, as Fr Pius Collins and Fr Stephen Morrison join us from the Peckham Norbertines for three days of spiritual renewal and preparation for Christmas. All are welcome!

TONIGHT - as well as a Holy Hour, confessions, and a spiritual conference, an opportunity to venerate a first-class relic of St John the Baptist.

FULL TIMETABLE: https://www.johnthebaptistpurley.org.uk/parish-mission-2025-2/

10/11/2025

HELP US UPGRADE OUR SOUND SYSTEM by selecting “SOUND SYSTEM” here:

https://donate.mydona.com/st-john-the-baptist-purley

Cash/cheque donations in marked envelopes ("SOUND SYSTEM") also very welcome - these can be placed in the collection or handed/posted to the clergy/Parish Office. Details for bank transfers (please label similarly) are in the parish newsletter.

24/10/2025

YOUTH CLUB saw a visit last weekend by James Gummett, a parishioner and retired paramedic, who taught our young people lifesaving skills and CPR. The day closed with a prayer of thanks for our bodies and health, spending time in silence thinking of and praying for those who are suffering.

Two tips from Mr Gummett's presentation worth sharing with a wider audience:

📌What3Words enables emergency services to pinpoint where you are precisely: https://www.what3words.com (also available as a mobile app)
❤️ RevivR from the BHF is a 15 minute course you can do to learn CPR: https://www.tinyurl.com/bhfcpr25

04/10/2025

THE FEAST OF ST FRANCIS saw an assortment of parishioners' pets gathering outside the church in the sunshine for a festal blessing. Let us give thanks to God for all of His creatures!

Address

48 Dale Road
Purley
CR82EF

Website

https://www.johnthebaptistpurley.org.uk/

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