Blog Post
St Robert's Building Fund
Update
Recently it was announced that, due to an accumulation of quite urgent work which needs to take place on the church and presbytery, mainly in the area of roof and drains, we would be setting up a Building Fund to ease the burden on existing parish funds. Just to update everyone, we are grateful to the parishioners who have joined a small Building Fund Committee to steer things. A number of ideas were put forward at the initial meeting and it was decided to launch the fund on Low Sunday (27th April). A number of parishioners have indicated that they would like to add to the fund in this financial year and arrangements have been made so that this can happen through contact with Caroline in the parish office.
Once the fund launches, an overview of the proposed works with pictures of some of the affected areas will be available on the parish website along with regular updates on the progress of both the fund and the work.
Just now, the architect’s proposals are going through the various diocesan committees whose approval is needed in terms of art, architecture and finance (the church is a listed building). A reminder that the advantage of the Fund is that it can be gift aided and the Diocese will not take any portion of it as part of their assessment. We will keep parishioners updated as time goes on but, as always, thank you for your continuing generosity to the mission of St Robert’s.
Father John Butters of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, formerly professor of Moral Theology at Ushaw College, will lead us in a day of recollection beginning at 1030am on Wednesday 9th April with the theme of looking towards the liturgies of Holy Week. Do join us for what should be an enjoyable and stimulating day of prayer and reflection towards the end of the Lenten season. Coffee will be available from 1015am. The day will begin with the first talk at 1030am followed by adoration in church with the opportunity for Confession. After the Noon Mass we will reconvene for lunch in the parish centre and this will be followed by a closing talk and final prayer. A sign up sheet is available in the narthex to give us an idea of numbers for catering.
Holy Week is the culmination of the Lenten season. Leading up to the celebration of Easter, it commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Beginning with Palm Sunday on 13th April, we mark Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The Chrism Mass in the Cathedral sees the clergy and lay faithful of the Diocese gathering around the Bishop in St Anne's Cathedral, Leeds. During the Mass, the priests of the Diocese renew their vows of ordination and the sacred oils to be used for the sacraments during the coming year are consecrated by the Bishop. Maundy Thursday recalls the Last Supper, where Jesus instituted the Eucharist. Good Friday observes His crucifixion and death. Holy Saturday is a day of quiet reflection, leading to the joyful celebration of the Easter Vigil followed by Easter Sunday, which celebrates Christ's resurrection and victory over death. During the Vigil Mass at 8pm on Saturday 19th April, a number of our community who have spent many months preparing will be received f
Thank you to those parents who have signed up their children for First Holy Communion this year. Applications for this year's programme have now closed - the registration period of several weeks is now over.
The First Holy Communion Programme will begin with a parents evening at 7pm on Tuesday 22nd April 2025 in the parish centre. This will be an opportunity for all parents to attend a presentation on what the programme involves and on the work that they are expected to do with their children at home between the sessions.
The catechesis will take place after the 9am Mass from 10-11.30am on Sundays 27th April, 11th May and 18th May with your child receiving First Holy Communion at your usual mass time throughout June. Please arrange with the parish office the mass date and time you would like your child to receive the sacrament for the first time.
A plenary mass, when all the children come together to be presented to the parish and receive their certificates, will take place at 9am on Sunday 6th July.
Throughout Lent, on Tuesday evenings, there is a series of House Masses in the parish. A sign up sheet is available in the narthex for the next mass to be held at 7pm on Tuesday 1st April. Thank you to the Walker and McNamara families for hosting the first two Lenten House Mass. Details of where the Mass is being held will be sent to you after sign up - just drop an email to Caroline in the office once you're on the list. Those hosting will provide a room for the Mass and tea/coffee afterwards.
The growing faith of the Christian Church was not tolerated in the Roman Empire prior to 313 AD, when the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan permitting the Faith to flourish publicly. Prior to that time, Church buildings as we know them today were rare - Mass was usually celebrated in houses. In the history of our own nation, during penal times, Catholics had to gather in secret in houses where itinerant priests would celebrate Mass for illicit congregations.
By holding House Masses in the parish d
Stations of the Cross for Lent take place on Fridays at 6pm in Church including Good Friday. They are led by different parish groups each week. Please do join us for this journey with Christ in His Passion.
Many thanks to the children and staff of St John Fisher's and St Robert's Schools who joined us for Mass on Friday 7th March to mark the Jubilee logo arriving in Harrogate on its journey around every school and college as part of the Jubilee year. We celebrated together as 'pilgrims of hope' and reflected upon the importance of the Jubilee for our schools and our parish community. Over recent days the logo has also visited schools in Ripon, Knaresborough and St Joseph's Harrogate. We continue to pray for each other, fellow pilgrims of hope in this Jubilee Year.
Fr Simon writes: As we head towards the Lenten season, I would like to recommend a book - Healing Wounds - for those who are seeking some Lenten reading. A contemplative book, Healing Wounds provides a structure to guide readers through a journey of reflection, beginning with the raw reality of suffering and moving toward the possibility of redemption and renewal. The author, Bishop Erik Varden, is a Trappist monk. Formerly the Abbott of Mount St Bernard's Abbey in Leicestershire, he is now the Bishop of Trondheim in Norway, the country of his birth. Bishop Varden is the author of a number of books and articles in the field of Christian spirituality and monasticism. He is likewise a musician and studied Gregorian chant, co-founding the Chant Forum with Margaret Truran of Stanbrook Abbey. I have six copies of his book, priced at £11.95, for those wish to buy one. Otherwise, it is available as a book or an e-book on Amazon or from other good bookshops and online retailers. We have arranged for two sessions
Please pray for our children preparing to make their first Reconciliation in April. The sacrament will take place at 3pm on Saturday 5th April and preparation sessions will take place on Sunday mornings after the 9am mass on 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th March. Attendance is expected at all sessions. A parent’s session will be held on Wednesday 12th February 7-8pm in the parish centre.
Please hand the completed form, with a copy of baptism certificate to Fr Simon after Mass. The final date for submission of forms for this year’s programme is 9th February - any names submitted after that date will be placed onto the programme beginning late 2026 in preparation to receive the Sacrament in 2026.
Please find on the link below a letter from Fr Simon and Miss Collins, headteacher of St Robert's School, outlining information for parents who are considering signing their children up for First Sacraments in St Robert's parish. Details of dates for the First Communion course and dates for holy communions will be announced in due course. This year, families will be given a choice of dates and Masses during the month of June at which their child can make their first holy communion and then there will be a joint celebration organised in July to bring the group together. You will find elsewhere on the website and on the parish bulletin details of the Reconciliation programme. The deadline for application for Confirmation has now passed but candidates will be able to apply for the 2026 Confirmation course in due time.
Click on the link below to see a longer version of the introductory video showing a Birds Eye view of the church. With thanks to Rob Fakes of Skycam in York for his work on this project.