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Faith and mission teams from across the Diocese of Northampton gathered at St Mary’s Church in Dunstable on Friday 9 October for a celebration of Catholic education, with a special focus on St Francis of Assisi and the call to care for creation. The Celebration of Our Catholic Schools brought together pupils and representatives from schools across the Diocese for a joyful Mass at which school...

Catholic communities across the Diocese of Northampton are helping people in prison to deepen their faith, find comfort in prayer and experience the dignity of being part of the Church, through the work of Caritas Northampton, parishioners in Oundle and the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP). As the Church marks Prisoners’ Sunday on 11 October, these local initiatives demonstrate how practical...

Families and all those wishing to remember a baby lost through miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion or in infancy are warmly invited to a special Diocesan Mass at Northampton Cathedral on Saturday 7 November. The Mass will be celebrated at 12 noon at the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate and St Thomas of Canterbury, Northampton, with Canon Simon Penhalagan, Cathedral Dean, as the main celebrant....

This Sunday, 11 October, Catholics across the Diocese of Northampton are invited to pray for prisoners, their families, victims and survivors of crime, and all those working within the criminal justice system. When Jesus says, “I was in prison and you came to me” (Matthew 25:36), He gives the Church a challenging and deeply human invitation: to see the person behind the conviction, the family...

Parish musicians, choir members and cantors from across the Diocese of Northampton came together for a joyful Diocesan Music Day, combining practical formation with prayer, worship and the opportunity to meet others who share their love of music and the liturgy. The day offered musicians the chance to explore different aspects of their ministry through a programme of hands-on workshops. Those...

There was a distinctly Italian welcome at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Luton as the parish celebrated the feast of St Francis of Assisi and marked 800 years since the death of one of the Church’s best-loved saints. The annual Italian Mass, held on the saint’s feast day on 4 October, brought together people from across Luton and beyond, with parishioners and visitors of many different...

As Catholics across the Diocese of Northampton give thanks for the gifts of creation this harvest season, parishes are finding practical ways to turn that gratitude into generosity, care for our common home and support for people in need. At St Edward’s in Kettering, the parish celebrated Harvest Sunday at Masses on 3 and 4 October, inviting parishioners to bring fresh fruit and vegetables to be...

Winner of BBC’s The Traitors, Harry Clarke, is set to bring his story of faith, courage and adventure to thousands of young Catholics at FLAME 2027. A familiar face from television will be taking to one of the biggest stages in the Catholic Church in England and Wales next year, as The Traitors series two winner Harry Clarke is announced as a headline guest at FLAME 2027. The event, organised by...

A visit to Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre has offered a glimpse of the quiet but important ministry of prayer, pastoral care and practical support taking place there through the Catholic chaplaincy. Loralie Rodrigues, Head of Caritas for the Diocese of Northampton, visited Yarl’s Wood on Monday 5 October with Joan Kedward, a parishioner of Holy Cross and Ss Philip and James Catholic...

More than 50 people from across the Diocese of Northampton gathered at the St Thomas Centre at Northampton Cathedral on Saturday 3 October for the Diocese’s Safeguarding Conference 2026, reflecting on what it means to make safeguarding a shared responsibility and to place those who have been hurt at the heart of the Church’s life.The conference brought together clergy, parish safeguarding...

A newly baptised Catholic from Corby has completed an extraordinary 90-mile pilgrimage on foot from Our Lady’s Catholic Church in Corby to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, raising more than £2,700 for the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP). Robert Dunne, a parishioner of the newly formed Parish of The Good Shepherd, set out from Our Lady’s on 10 June, travelling alone over three days to reach...

A new chapter in the life of the Catholic community of Corby has begun, as parishioners gathered to celebrate the creation of the Parish of the Good Shepherd. On Thursday 1 October, Mass was celebrated at both St Brendan’s Church in the morning and Our Lady of Walsingham Church in the evening, bringing together parishioners from across Corby to mark the formal coming together of the new parish...

This October, Pope Leo XIV invites Catholics around the world to pray that mental health ministry may become established throughout the Church, helping to overcome the stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with mental illnesses. The Holy Father’s prayer intention for October 2026 is: “Let us pray that the mental health ministry be established throughout the Church, helping to...

The Diocese of Northampton will celebrate its connection with one of its patron saints when the Thomas Becket Festival returns to Northampton Cathedral on Saturday 3 July 2027. The annual festival brings together Catholics from across the Diocese to celebrate the life, witness and legacy of St Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury and martyr, whose story is woven deeply into the history of...

Pope Leo XIV invites Christians to pray the Rosary for peace October is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Rosary, inviting Catholics to rediscover this beautiful prayer and, with Mary, to contemplate the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus. At the heart of the month is the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary on 7 October. Its history takes us back to one of the most significant events in the...

Primary and secondary RE leads from across the Diocese of Northampton came together at St Thomas Centre in Northampton for a day of professional development exploring how creativity, Scripture and Christian vision can inspire children and young people in Religious Education. Organised by the Diocese of Northampton’s Education Service, the training day brought together RE leads from both primary...