Our Lady and St Peter Woodhall Spa
click on the picture above to see inside and here to see the garden
Sunday 9.30 am Mass
and Mass on Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 10 am
Serving Woodhall Spa, Horncastle, Coningsby and Metheringham
Parish Priest Fr Dominic O’Connor
Tel 01205 362056
assisted by Fr John O'Donnell
Tel 01526 352245
Our Lady and St Peter
15 Cromwell Avenue, Woodhall Spa, LN10 6TH
Tel 01526 352245
e-mail catholic.church.woodhallspa@gmail.com
GENERAL CONTACT INFORMATION
Email: ccswc@dioceseofnottingham.uk
Phone Number: 01205 362056
The Catholic Church in England and Wales
Daily Readings - read the entire New Testament over a 2 year period
(reading plan courtesy of Gideon International)
Notices
MacMillan Coffee Morning Saturday, 26th September 10am to noon
Horncastle Community Centre Organised by the churches in Horncastle.
Live and recorded Masses at St Barnabas Cathedral, Nottingham
Please click on the picture link below
Live and recorded liturgies and addresses of Pope Leo with English commentary
Please click on the picture link below
ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION PRAYER
Offered as an example of a suitable prayer for use by home viewers wishing to participate in a Live Streaming of the Mass
After the celebrant has received Holy Communion himself, the celebrant reads aloud the Act of Spiritual Communion, and invites the home viewers to say the words of the prayer with him.
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen
For “Churches Without Walls” and "Community of Enquiry" meetings, programme and information click here
"Talking Philosophy & Theology: a Carmelite Perspective - Reading & Discussion Zoom Group - Open to All" - A group of Third Order Carmelites, a lay organisation, are offering a course via Zoom on the philosophy that is woven into the spirituality of Ss Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Sr. Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein). Meeting via Zoom as follows: 1st & 3rd Wednesday evenings at 7.45 pm for 8.00 -10.00 pm. Philosophy & Theology Combined with “Formal” reading and discussion of Edith Stein. -- 2nd & 4th Thursday afternoons at 12.45 pm for 1.00 -3.00 pm. Philosophy & Theology Combined -- NB Since this is not a “time-limited course”, as such, with no strict “beginning” or “end” other than “in God”, we always welcome new members and old returners, at any time! Should anyone be interested please contact james.hunter200@btinternet.com Click here for more details
Archbishop thanks those who united to defeat assisted suicide Bill 11.09.26
Archbishop John Sherrington, the Archbishop of Liverpool and Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Bishops’ Conference, has offered his gratitude and thanks to those who wrote to their MPs to stop the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill progressing through parliament. Archbishop Sherrington also expressed his gratitude to disability rights groups and legal and healthcare professionals for raising a collective voice to uphold “the dignity and sanctity of every life.”
The Bill failed after Second Reading by 270 (Yes) votes to 286 (No) – a majority of 16.
Places of Welcome
Warmer Welcome workshop
Places of Welcome is for anyone involved in running hospitality from parish premises. If you have a project already up and running, it's a chance to reflect on how your project is going with fellow organisers and volunteers. If you're thinking of opening up, get inspiration and advice from those who've done it!
This is a national network of over 900 initiatives like yours across the UK. Each is unique but all provide a place for people to connect with one another, find belonging and offer gifts and skills that interest them. We will be sharing ideas and good practice gathered from across the country, help you find fresh inspiration for your hospitality, and share advice on any challenges you hope to tackle this year.
Formation for Mission Update
Your gift today goes a long way. CAFOD is the official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales.
We work with local experts across the world, bringing hope, compassion and solidarity to communities, standing side by side with them to end poverty and injustice.
We work with people of all faiths and none.
CAFOD
Israeli-Palestinian Crisis
How you can help
We have all been shocked and saddened by the devastating conflict in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. Our local partners are actively responding and providing urgent humanitarian aid to those in need.
Education Sunday 13.09.26
Education Sunday falls on the second Sunday of September (13 September, in 2026) just as the new academic year starts and is one of the oldest Days of Special Prayer in England and Wales, established 178 years ago in 1848. It provides an opportunity to celebrate and give thanks to all involved in making Catholic schools places of enlightenment, as well as to look forward in anticipation of the year ahead.
The theme for 2026 is drawn from its Gospel reading of Matthew 18:21-35: I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.
The Catholic Diocese of Nottingham
Stories of hope from across the diocese this Summer
Faith and Footprint
Caring for Creation
28 September at 7.00 p.m. on Zoom
Join our next workshop for anyone praying and working for a greener Church and world.
An online opportunity to connect our faith with care for the Earth, taking a lead from Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si.
Our workshops feature:
A chance to share your news and challenges around engaging your parish
An update on opportunities to help the diocese reach net zero
Opportunities to connect with wider Catholic and ecumenical networks
Click below to register, and we'll send you a Zoom link on the day of the meeting.
We hold three of these get-togethers through the year. The next will be on 28 September 2026.
Israel's total disregard for Palestinian self-determination blocks path to lasting peace in the Holy Land 22.08.25
The Holy See has long advocated for Palestinian self-determination and a Two-State Solution as the only viable option to bring security and peace to Israelis and Palestinians.
On 20 August, Israel’s Higher Planning Council gave final approval for 3,753 housing units for its settlement project in the occupied West Bank, including 3,401 in the E1 neighbourhood of Ma’ale Adumim. The project seeks to link settlements and separate the West Bank from East Jerusalem, effectively killing off any hope of a contiguous Palestinian State.
The Bishops of the International Affairs department who lead the Bishops’ Conference’s work on the Holy Land have condemned the move and appealed for the international community to assert pressure to stop further settlement expansion and settler violence.
Prayer at the heart of all we do 12.09.26
As Bishop Patrick continues a two-year journey through every parish in the diocese, he begins each visit at prayer with the people
The World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 01.09.26
The World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation will be on 1 September, thus beginning the Ecumenical Season of Creation, which will conclude on 4 October.
The Holy Father’s Message highlights the connection between armed conflict and environmental degradation. Such degradation constitutes both a serious violation of our duty to care for creation, as well as a long-term threat to the lives of hundreds of millions of people.
The Diocese’s new Youth Forum
Not the future of the Church. The present.
The met for the first time on 27.06.26. The Bishop spent most of it listening.
Go, Make Time: pray with Bishop Patrick
Three short guided meditations, about twenty minutes each. Launching on the feast of the Sacred Heart, listen wherever you are
Street Pastors in Lincoln
Seventeen towns and cities in Nottingham Diocese have a Street Pastors scheme which reaches out to young people..
Lincoln Street Pastors are looking for people who are willing to offer up their time and their prayers for the Night Time Economy streets of Lincoln and become one of the team of Lincoln Street Pastors.
To find out more about what's involved follow the links below.
Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical Magnifica humanitas
Pope Leo XIV’s first Encyclical Letter, titled Magnifica humanitas, on preserving the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, published on Monday 25 May 2026.
Ukraine
Pray for Peace in Ukraine
Click on the picture link above for details
Good news for prospective hosts
of Ukrainian refugees
October 2022
We are happy to announce a new matching service under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, supported by the nationwide Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) in England and Wales.
St John of God Hospitaller Services in partnership with CSAN are offering a matching pathway, training and support programme for sponsors and individuals displaced by the war in Ukraine. We aim to support people on their journey and provide opportunities to integrate into our community in the UK.
After months of the brutal Russian war in Ukraine, the number of people fleeing the war and in need of shelter remains high and will continue to rise as winter is fast approaching.
We are very conscious that so much of our attention is rightly focused on those at home who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. There will be those in our communities less affected by that who may be able and willing to open their hearts and homes to displaced people from Ukraine. Can you help?
CAFOD Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal
At least 3 million people have fled their homes to escape conflict in Ukraine. Your donations will reach families who are in urgent need of help.
Parishes of Welcome
The war in Ukraine shows no sign of ending soon, and its people are continuing to flee. Would you like to help your parish extend a welcome to refugees? Are you seeking to host a family or individual - or do you already have a guest and experience you'd like to exchange with fellow hosts?
We have received numerous expressions of interest in hosting refugees from the conflict in Ukraine. Compassion and solidarity are alive and well in the Diocese of Nottingham. That's why we're opening a Parishes of Welcome scheme, to help you find the support you need as a welcomer, locally and nationally, within the Church and beyond.
Even if you don't have spare accommodation, there are already plenty of opportunities to develop the care, support and accompaniment that will help those who have fled Ukraine to find a place of safety.
Click on the picture link above to read the message
Sponsorship to all Ukrainian refugees
Click on the picture link above for details
Caritas in Ukraine
Caritas Ukraine and Caritas-Spes are working on the ground to help about 13.000 people in different parts of the country, and especially in critical areas such as Mariupol, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kyiv and Odessa. Caritas Internationalis have launched a campaign to support their work, especially for the most vulnerable people, such as the elderly and children in the conflict zones.
#HelpUkraine
Organisations in Derby serving the Ukrainian community have come together to launch the #HelpUkraine appeal. The national launch was hosted by the Ukrainian Parish Church of St Michael the Archangel, near the Arboretum. It is introduced in the video above by Fr David Senyk, parish priest of communities the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy in the area of our diocese.
You are invited to donate to this appeal, which is managed by the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain with the Church's support. It represents the efforts of Ukrainians here in Nottingham Diocese and across the UK, and is the perfect way to show solidarity with our own neighbours, and their efforts for their compatriots, in this crisis.
Bishop Launches ‘Go, Make Disciples’
A New Vision for Renewal and Mission 24.01.26
On this weekend when the Church celebrates the Sunday of the Word of God - a day dedicated to the celebration of Sacred Scripture—the Bishop has announced a transformative new roadmap for the future of the diocese: a Five-Year Diocesan Mission Plan entitled ‘Go, make disciples’.
Pastoral Letter on the Launch of the Diocesan Mission Plan 24.01.26
The latest Pastoral Letter from Bishop Patrick, in which he announces the launch of the Diocesan Mission Plan, 2026-2030. At the heart of this Plan is a call to move the diocese from managing decline to fostering missionary growth and spiritual renewal by empowering every person to use their unique gifts to fulfil Christ’s commission to "Go, make disciples."
Dilexi te – Pope Leo XIV’s first papal document 09.10.25
Pope Leo XIV’s first Apostolic Exhortation sees the love of Christ incarnated in love for the poor, in caring for the sick, opposing slavery, defending women who experience exclusion and violence, making education available to all, accompanying migrants, charitable giving, working for equality and more.
youth2000uk Youth 2000 seeks to draw young people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, lived at the heart of the Catholic church. www.youth2000.org
Marriage Week 2025
7-14 February
Marriage Week is an annual celebration offering the opportunity to support and promote marriage and family life. It is celebrated from 7-14 February.
Pope Francis Letter to Married Couples December 2021
Pope Francis Message for the first world day for Grandparents and the Elderly 25.07.21
A Father's Heart - A Podcast for Catholic Dads
This new podcast series from the Diocese of Nottingham for the Year of St Joseph will explore what does it mean to be a Catholic Dad , taking St Joseph as our model. Each month a section of the Apostolic Letter Patris Corde will be explored through conservation with two dads from the Diocese of Nottingham sharing their thoughts and experiences.
'Being a Disciple'
The 'Being a Disciple' series was run in conjunction between the Diocese of Nottingham and Catholic Voices over four evenings on Zoom in January 2021.
Brenden Thompson, CEO of Catholic Voices presented in each session a fundamental principle of being a Catholic disciple. Session 1 explores the Word of God and how as disciples we are called to internalise it that means to live it, to share it and to seek to know it better.
This course was aimed at both those who would like to grow in their personal discipleship and those who want to help others grow.
The recordings are presented here for you to access and use this course to help you grow as a disciple or to help others in your community.
Pope Francis 03.02.15 - Daily contemplation of the Gospel
Daily contemplation of the Gospel helps us to have true hope. The Pope again urged people to take 10 minutes out of their day to pick up the Gospel and talk to the Lord, rather than waste it on TV soap operas or listening to other peoples’ gossip.
Take up the Gospel, read and imagine the scene, imagine what happens and talk to Jesus, from the heart. And with this we allow hope to grow, because we have our gaze fixed, we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
We should all carry out this contemplative prayer. 'But I have so much to do!'. At home, 15 minutes, pick up the Gospel, a small passage, imagine what happened and talk with Jesus about it. So your gaze will be fixed on Jesus and not so much on a TV soap opera, for example. Your ears will be focused on the words of Jesus and not so much on your neighbourhood gossip ... ".
Hope comes from this prayer, he said, adding "our Christian life unfolds in that context, between memory and hope": "Memory of our past journey, memory of so many graces received from the Lord. And hope, looking at the Lord, who is the only one who can give me hope. And in order to gaze at the Lord, to know the Lord, we pick up the Gospel and carry out this contemplative prayer.
Today, for example, try for 10 minutes - 15, no more – to read the Gospel, picture it and say something to Jesus. And nothing more. And so your knowledge of Jesus will be bigger and your hope will grow.
Bishop Patrick recommends the new Pocket Gospels
Pope Francis has said "Everyone should carry a small Bible or a pocket edition of the Gospels and should find at least a few minutes every day to Read the Word of God"
Priced £4.99 from the Bible Society
Daily Readings - read the entire New Testament over a 2 year period
(reading plan courtesy of Gideon International)
Of all things visible and invisible angels then are part of that invisible side of God's creation and so worthily deserve our attention.
Angels are God's messengers not only for great occasions but we can be assured they are constantly looking after us too as promised by the Psalmist 'The Lord will command his Angels to guard you in all your ways, they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone' (Ps. 91 11-12). Angels then are body and soul guards, and each of us has a guardian angel to watch over us.
Pope Francis: Guardian angels our companions on life’s journey
Pope Francis at Mass at Casa Santa Marta. "Guardian angels exist, they are not the fruit of imaginative doctrine, but companions that God has placed beside us on our life’s journey."
Travelling away or going on holiday?
Click on the link below to find out Churches and Mass times at or near your destination