St Joan Of Arc Catholic Church | Catholic Church Farnham | Catholic Church Farnham Surrey | Mass times at St Joan of Arc Farnham

ENGAGE WITH ST JOAN OF ARC PARISH

There is a youth suggestion box at the entrance to the Church. If you want Father to preach on anything to do with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit or a topic related to living out our Catholic faith - put a request in!

Father is always about after the Youth Mass to talk to and to explore our faith with us.
For everyone of secondary school age and older we meet in the Foyer after Mass for snacks and a soft drink just to chat and to get to know each other.

When we request it there is a meeting after the Youth Mass - where Father talks with us about our faith. Sometimes Father puts on meetings too.

So, we hope you get the idea. The Youth Mass is our worship space at which we have input and take part and there is easy dialogue with everyone involved to make suggestions so that we can get what we need from our faith.

Confirmation Experience Year 10

For everyone in year 10 we have a great programme to prepare for our Bishop's visit in the summer of each year to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on us.

Confirmation is all about being aware of God the Holy Spirit living in us to guide us to live our Catholic lives.

The Youth section of the St. Joan's Sunday newsletter has all the details in September each year about the Confirmation experience.

The highlight of the Confirmation experience is our retreat, leading up to taking part in all the Easter services, preparing us for Confirmation day with our Bishop to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit within us.

Confessions

All of us get things wrong! It's not easy to be a part of a family, a group of friends, to be online and to get everything right in thought, word and deed.

Jesus gave us the Sacrament of Confession so that we can confess our sins and be free from the guilt we feel when we do make choices that are not the right ones.

Confession is held especially for us the youth of the parish after Sunday evening youth Mass on the Sundays of Advent before Christmas and on the Sundays of Lent before Easter and once a month after the Youth Mass and by asking for Confession at any other time we need to go to Confession.

World Youth Day

Every few years millions of Catholic young people join our Pope to celebrate our faith in Jesus at World Youth Day. To pray, to learn the Scriptures, to be at teachings, Mass and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

We are doing a lot of fund raising events to pay for the travel and accommodation. You are welcome to help us raise the money!

Open Church

St. Joan's Church is open for prayer every day.

We can come in to pray and to light a candle for all the people in our lives and about our own lives too.
St. Joan's is open - it is God's house here in South Farnham - and the Church is here for you.

Come in and pray. The Real Presence of Jesus is in the Tabernacle for us all to pray before.

Away at University

Each year before our new students go off to University and with those of us who are going back to Uni we have a send-off Mass and a Pizza slice at a gathering in the Church hall. All at Uni are welcome.

At University in Farnham or Working in Farnham

Hello. If you are here in Farnham to study or have come to Farnham to work we give you a very warm welcome to St. Joan's Catholic Parish.

Come and join us at the Sunday evening Youth Mass at 5pm. Please introduce yourself to us.
If you would like us to visit the University campus we can do that too.

If you are a Catholic we want to support you in living out your Catholic Faith.

If you are not a Catholic and would like to learn more come and visit us or ask us to come to you. For more click on: "What is the Catholic Faith?"

What is the Catholic Faith

Jesus came to the earth to bring God to our lives.

Jesus founded the Catholic Church and for 2,000 years we have been doing what Jesus asked us to do.

What did Jesus ask us to do?

Jesus said these core things:

1. "Repent and be Baptised". (This means be sorry for your sins and turn your life around. Be converted. Receive Baptism in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.)

2. "This is my Body....This is my Blood... do this in remembrance of me." (Jesus is talking about Mass here. We gather every Sunday to receive Jesus in Holy Communion.)

3. Jesus taught - when you pray, pray like this: "Our Father...." (Jesus tells us that our faith is about a personal relationship with him. We are invited to pray and to grow in prayer throughout our lives. We pray to the Lord about everything in our lives.)

4. Jesus says - 'if anyone opens the door (of their heart) I will come into them...(Jesus tells us that it is not just being born into a Catholic family that matters. It is about each one of us personally making Him the centre of our lives.)

5. Jesus says 'out of your hearts will flow life giving water.' (Jesus is teaching us to be aware that God the Holy Spirit is the living power of God to guide us from within. He is calling us to know the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives.) Here is a prayer to the Holy Spirit: "Come into me Holy Spirit. Make me aware of your presence within me. Guide me every day of my life and keep me close to Jesus and His teaching. Amen."

Here is a prayer of faith based on Rev. 3.20:

"Lord Jesus as you knock at the door of my heart help me to open my heart to you. Come and live in my heart so that I will always trust in you and be aware of your presence living within me. Amen."

6. Jesus says 'love your enemies.' (Here Jesus is saying that to be His follower is to go beyond what people might be expected to do. Don't just love your family and friends. Love even those who are not like you and who don't believe the things you believe. We need Christ's own power to do this.)

7. Jesus says 'feed the hungry.' (Here we have a responsibility and a challenge to be believers who act out our belief. We are called to care for the needy of our world. The Christian faith is about having faith in Jesus and about acting in His name to bring love and care and help to those who are suffering and needy in any way.)

8. Jesus called God 'Abba.' Abba is a word in the Aramaic language which Jesus spoke. Abba means Dada. It's the word a child would call their Father by. (Jesus is telling us that God our Father loves us. God the Father has created us. He loves each one of us and calls us to pray to Him knowing that we are cared for. You are very loved by God.)

The Basics!

These are just some of the important basics Jesus taught us. To find out more come along to Sunday Mass and talk to us personally.

You will find out week by week the message of Jesus preached and lived out here. Come and see what having a living faith in Jesus can mean for you and your life.

Other Issues God and Science

There are many Catholic scientists! There are many more scientists who are believers in God who belong to other religions. Believing in God and being a scientist go together easily. There is no contradiction!

Ultimately - do we believe that the whole of the Universe created itself or do we believe that God created it? People who believe that the Universe created itself are still left with a mystery. How did it begin? Those of us who believe God is the Creator believe that since God is not created material like rocks and trees and animals are material - He is uncreated. God is the uncreated Creator.

The Bible says 'God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.'

Human relationships and sexuality

Sermons about relationships and sexuality are preached at the Sunday evening youth Mass and in discussion groups with Father, Sister and other parishioners from time to time as advertised on a Sunday evening.

Also to hear more the suggestion box is the place to ask for more Sunday homilies or Sunday evening meetings about these important topics.

God has created us as male and female to be in relationships with each other. Marriage is to give and to receive love and is for the gift of children. Jesus came to the earth to bring God to our lives. Jesus founded the Catholic Church and for 2,000 years we have been doing what Jesus asked us to do.

God bless you and thank you for visiting the St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church Youth page online!