Pastoral Visitation of Twyford

Last weekend, I undertook the Pastoral Visitation of the lively communities of Our Lady of Peace, Wargrave and St. Thomas More, Twyford. They are under the care of Fr. Jude Mbonu, parish priest, and Deacons Michael Jackson and Peter Kelly. The Visitation also gave me the opportunity to visit Sr. Veronica and Sr. Antonia at Kiln Green, and some of the retired priests who live there, especially Fr. Vincent Convery and Mgr. Jim Joyce. I arrived on Saturday for a discussion with Fr. Jude about the Visitation Forms with their information and data. I then heard Confessions and said the 6.30pm Mass, before supper and leaving for Kiln Green, where Fr. Leo and I stayed overnight. Returning on Sunday morning – lots of frost that morning! – I said the 9 o’clock Mass at Wargrave before returning to St. Thomas More for the 10.30am Mass. There was tea and cakes afterwards and I was able to spend time with parishioners. I also had a meeting with a number of the young members of the parish before going to lunch with the clergy and their wives. After lunch, there was a big parish meeting – over 25 turned up – and we discussed how the parish might recover from the impact of the pandemic and what areas of parish life and mission might be developed over the next years. All in all, it was yet another uplifting and very encouraging weekend, meeting a lot of parishioners who are truly committed to the mission of the Church. Please pray for them and for the mission of the parish.