Notes from Fr. Claro
15th Ordinary Sunday
12th July 2026
YOUTUBE LINK for the Bible Study and Commentaries:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Iki2AM1FHI
Today’s Gospel is taken from the third of the five major discourses of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel, a collection of parables. Today we listen to the Parable of the Sower Going Out to Sow, although a title such as the Parable of the Four Types of Ground better reflects the focus of the parable. Again and again throughout Matthew’s Gospel, the decisive question is not: “Have I heard the word?” The crowds heard the word. The question is: What has become of the word within me? Has it been snatched away? Has it withered? Has it been choked? Or has it borne fruit?
PLEASE NOTE that the Sunday Mass on 12 July will start early at 9:30am then we join the Sunday Service of the Folly Feast at the Market Square.
Sea Sunday Today. Please encourage prayer and financial contributions to support the work of Stella Maris (formerly, the Apostleship of the Sea), the official maritime charity of the Catholic Church. This mandatory second collection is vital for the future of Stella Maris and its support of seafarers and fishers in the UK and around the world.
TRAINING HOW TO USE THE SUNDAY MISSAL and how to be a good Reader at 9.30 Sunday, contact Dr. David Williamson.
MONDAY BIBLE ZOOM time 7pm
YOUTH MEETING every other Friday, contact Helena Boakye 07455 993296
Clergy Moves
We pray for our priests on their new assignments.
I wish to announce some new appointments, mostly effective 8th September 2026, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Herewith, I express much gratitude to these priests for all their work for the Lord in their current appointments, and for agreeing to take on these new assignments. Feel free, when appropriate, to make these announcements to your people. Whilst the appointments take effect on 8th September, please negotiate the precise changeover dates with both incoming and outgoing priests. There are a few more announcements to come and these will be in a subsequent Ad Clerum. A summary list will eventually go into Enews. In alphabetical order:
- Deacon Craig Aburn to serve as deacon in St. Patrick’s Hayling Island (under Fr. Andrew Wagstaff).
- Fr. David Bateman from St. Joseph and St. Edmund Southampton to Jersey as Assistant Priest
- Fr. Ambrose Chou from Jersey to English Martyrs Reading as Assistant Priest
- Fr. Marcin Drabik from St. Bernard’s and St. Michael’s Waterside with Our Lady of the Assumption Lyndhurst to Our Lady and the Saints of Guernsey as parish priest and Coordinating Pastor/Dean.
- Fr. Nishan Edward from St. Thomas of Canterbury Newport IoW with St. Saviour’s Totland Bay IoW to St. Mary’s and St. Columba’s Gosport as Priest in Charge (under Canon John Cooke)
- Fr. Oliver Ezeani (Archdiocese of Onitsha) to St. Colman and St. Paul Portsmouth as Priest in Charge (under Fr. Andrew Wagstaff)
- Fr. Michael Fava from St. Joseph’s Newbury to St. Peter and the Winchester Martyrs as parish priest and Coordinating Pastor (from 1st November)
- Fr. Inna Gade from Our Lady and the Saints of Guernsey to Our Lady Queen of Peace Southbourne as Priest in Charge (under Mgr. John Nelson)
- Canon Mark Hogan from St. Peter and the Winchester Martyrs to Our Lady and St. Edmund’s Abingdon as parish priest and Coordinating Pastor (from 1st November)
- Fr. Matthew King from St. Mary’s and St. Columba’s Gosport to Our Lady of the Assumption Thatcham as Priest in Charge
- Fr. Innaiah Maddineni from St. Patrick’s Hayling Island to St. Patrick’s Woolston with The Annunciation Netley as Priest in Charge
- Fr. Jamie McGrath from Our Lady and St. Edmund’s Abingdon to St. Joseph’s Newbury as parish priest (from 1st November)
- Fr. Paul Nwune from Holy Ghost Basingstoke to St. Thomas of Canterbury Newport IoW with St. Saviour’s Totland Bay IoW as Priest in Charge
- Fr. Jack Ryan (newly ordained) to St. Joseph and St. Edmund Southampton as Assistant Priest and UoS Chaplain
- Fr. Benjamin Theobald from Holy Family Millbrook and UoS Chaplaincy to Corpus Christi Wokingham as parish priest
- Canon Simon Thomson from Corpus Christi Wokingham to Our Lady and St. Joseph’s Lymington with St. Anne’s Brockenhurst and St. Francis of Assisi Milford on Sea as parish priest and Coordinating Pastor
- Fr. Andrew Wagstaff from St. Colman and St. Paul Portsmouth to Sacred Heart and St. Peter’s Waterlooville with St. Michael’s Leigh Park, St. Edmund’s Horndean and St. Patrick’s Hayling Island as parish priest and Coordinating Pastor
Farewells and Retirements
There will be other opportunities for this too, but I wish herewith to express immense gratitude to the following priests who are either retiring this autumn or leaving the diocese. Our thanks to them for their loyal and generous service, and for their inspiring example of priesthood. Please include them in a Bidding Prayer and keep them in your own prayers.
- Fr. David Adams (from Our Lady and St. Joseph’s Lymington with St. Anne’s Brockenhurst and St. Francis of Assisi Milford on Sea)
- Fr. Alexander McAllister SDS and Fr. Mario Lainez SDS (from Our Lady Queen of Peace, Southbourne)
- Fr. Kevin O’Brien (from Our Lady of the Assumption Thatcham)
- Fr. Mark Whiting (previously announced) from St. Patrick’s Hayling Island
Sabbatical
We pray for the following who will be on sabbatical this September:
- Fr. Ross Bullock
- Deacon Diego Hoyos
Further Studies
Fr. James Lewis will be away this coming year in Steubenville undertaking further studies. We wish him well and offer for him our prayers.
Priestly Ordination
Please pray for Deacon Jack Ryan who will be ordained as priest of the Diocese at the Cathedral on Saturday 18th July 2026 at 11am. Please attend if you can and RSVP to cathedralevents@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk. Bring white diocesan vestments and upon arrival come to the Bishop’s Office door to vest in the Aula.
Bishop Philip Egan
Portsmouth Diocese