Skip to main content

St Joseph’s Church. 39 Braccan Walk, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1HA

office@bracknellcatholicchurch.org

St Joseph & St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Parish

Home
Watch Live
GIVE
Planned Giving
Parish Life
Justice and Peace
Contact

Newsletters

Home Parish Life Newsletters

Sign-up to receive the parish newsletter to your inbox

AUGUST 2026

23aug

23rd august 2026

16aug

9aug

2aug

26Jul

19Jul

12jul

Facebook Posts

St Joseph & St Margaret Clitherow Bracknell

4 days ago

Five months ago, MSPs voted to reject Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying Bill ending the threat of assisted dying in Scotland, at least for the time being. Or so it seemed. That threat, however, could return very soon. Lauren Edwards, the Labour MP for Rochester and Strood, is attempting to reintroduce Kim Leadbeater’s assisted-dying proposals, and its second reading is scheduled for 11 September. Leadbeater’s bill failed to overcome multiple concerns over safeguards in the Lords and ultimately fell on that basis. The attempt to reintroduce the same bill is a forlorn effort to resuscitate a lost cause while Parliament and the country have moved on. It is important that Scottish MP’s turn up to vote against this Bill which could simultaneously reverse engineer assisted suicide back on to the agenda in Scotland. MPs will be concerned that the Bill offers no opt-outs to Catholic and other faith-based care homes. If passed it would mean these homes would be forced to close and countless beds lost to those hoping to live their last months supported by their faith communities. We don’t need another divisive debate about assisted suicide far more urgent is our national challenge to improve palliative and social care. In this context the Prime Minister’s recent intervention was both timely and welcome. As he suggests, we have a duty to ensure that every person approaching the end of life has access to the compassionate palliative and social care they deserve. No one should feel driven towards assisted suicide because they lack the care and support they deserve. The British population agree. In a country where one third of our fellow citizens do not get the end of life care they need, two thirds of us polled earlier this year said “it is essential that high-quality hospice and/or palliative care is universally available before any assisted suicide laws are passed”. Aware of the myriad risks of assisted suicide, the Scottish Parliament rejected it. I hope the PM’s intervention will encourage Westminster MPs to reflect carefully before taking a step that would fundamentally change the way our society deals with the sick and vulnerable. Perhaps this is an opportunity fundamentally to rethink our whole approach to assisted suicide. The compassionate response to the suffering of our fellow citizens is not to help them end their lives, but to ensure they receive the highest quality care, love and accompaniment they need. As well as being a serious threat for the sick, elderly and vulnerable across England and Wales this bill, if enacted in law, would set an invidious precedent for Scotland.I pray for all who are seriously ill, for their families and carers, but also for those in public office, who have the unenviable weight of important decisions on their minds, that they choose to build a society that goes the extra mile to care for its most vulnerable and uphold the dignity of every human life. Bishop John Keenan, President, Bishops Conference of Scotland ...

View on Facebook (opens in a new tab)

St Joseph & St Margaret Clitherow Bracknell

4 days ago

Good afternoon parishioners,I hope you're all well, please find the newsletter for the 21st week of ordinary time attached.Also attached are the 4th and final encyclical infographics, and the coming week's details for the online Rosary, sponsored by the Knights of St Columba.Confessions with Fr Richard will be at 5pm Saturday and 8am Sunday, and after Masses as well for those wanting it then.Have a lovely, cooler, weekend!Every blessing, warmly,FrancisParish AdministratorParish of St. Joseph & St. Margaret Clitherow Tel: 01344 425 729 Office hours: Monday to Tuesday 9am-3pm, Wednesday to Friday 9am-5pmEmail: office@bracknellcatholicchurch.orgWebsite: bracknellcatholicchurch.org ...

View on Facebook (opens in a new tab)

St Joseph & St Margaret Clitherow Bracknell

4 days ago

There is nothing to fear in the act of beginning. More often than not it knows the journey ahead better than we ever could. Perhaps the art of harvesting the secret riches of our lives is best achieved when we place profound trust in the act of beginning. Risk might be our greatest ally. To live a truly creative life, we always need to cast a critical look at where we presently are, attempting always to discern where we have become stagnant and where new beginning might be ripening. There can be no growth if we do not remain open and vulnerable to what is new and different. I have never seen anyone take a risk for growth that was not rewarded a thousand times over.JOHN O'DONOHUEExcerpt from the books, Benedictus (Europe) / To Bless the Space Between Us (US)Ordering Info: johnodonohue.com/storeCounty Clare, IrelandPhoto: © Ann Cahill#johnodonohue #johnodonohuequote ...

View on Facebook (opens in a new tab)

St Joseph & St Margaret Clitherow Bracknell

4 days ago

THE WORDS OF THE POPES Jesus rebukes the scribes and the Pharisees, who were the teachers of the community, because their own conduct was openly in conflict with the teaching they rigorously taught others. Jesus underlines that they “preach, but do not practise” (Mt 23:3); rather “they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger” (Mt 23:4). Good teaching must be received but it risks being contradicted by inconsistent behaviour. Thus Jesus says: “practise and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do” (Mt 23:3). Jesus’ attitude is exactly the opposite: he is the first to practise the commandment of love, which he teaches to everyone (…).Jesus also firmly condemns vanity and observes that “deeds to be seen by men” (Mt 23:5), places them at the mercy of human approval, undermining the values that found the authenticity of the person.Dear friends, the Lord Jesus presented himself to the world as a servant, completely stripping himself and lowering himself to give on the Cross the most eloquent lesson of humility and love. His example gives rise to a proposal of life: “He who is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Mt 23:11). We invoke the intercession of Mary Most Holy and we ask especially for those in Christian communities, who are called to the ministry of teaching, that they may always witness by their works to the truths that they communicate by their words. (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 30 October 2011) ...

View on Facebook (opens in a new tab)

CATHOLIC PARISH OF ST JOSEPH & ST MARGARET CLITHEROW
St Joseph’s Church. 39 Braccan Walk, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1HA (Directions)
Tel: 01344 425729
Email: office@bracknellcatholicchurch.org
Office Hours: Mon – Tue: 9:00 to 3:00pm, Wed – Fri: 9:00 to 5:00pm

South Berkshire Pastoral Area

The parish is part of the Diocese of Portsmouth.
© Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth 2023 | Registration number: England Registered Charity No. 1199568 Jersey Registered Charity No. 457 and Guernsey Registered Charity No.CH263 | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy

St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Copyrights 2024

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept” before cookie settings, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.

Cookie settings ACCEPT REJECT

Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.

Necessary

Necessary

Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT