There are plenty of ways to get involved in the life of our community here at St Bede’s.
We haven’t listed everything that we do here, so if you have a skill or a talent you would like to share – get in contact with us!
Liturgy and Ministry
Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist
Ministers of the Eucharistic assist the priests in distributing Holy Communion at Mass. They are also available to take Holy Communion to any parishioner unable to get to Sunday Mass due to sickness or being housebound. If you know somebody who would like to receive Communion at home, contact the parish office.
If you would like to volunteer, you need to be a regular attender at Mass, be in communion with the Catholic Church and received the sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation.
Readers
The Church has always venerated the Holy Scriptures as one of God’s greatest gifts to us Christ truly speaks to us in his Holy Word.
Our readers proclaim the Word of God at Mass.
If you would like to volunteer, you need to be a regular attender at Mass, be in communion with the Catholic Church and received the sacrament of First Holy Communion. You don’t need to have English as a first language but you do need to be able to read English and speak it clearly. You’ll be asked to do a reading to check you are suitable for the role.
Musicians
Our music groups lead worship in a variety of different styles. New singers and instrumentalists are always welcome.
The 9am Choir sings in four part harmony. Music at the 11am Mass includes organ and cantor singing, the Popley Music Group’s voices and instruments, and Filipino Choir members bring their uplifting sound. The 6pm Sunday evening Mass music is led by by piano and vocal groups, The Lord’s Flock, organ. Jim Mooney brings his own unique style of singing and playing guitar; respectful, soulful, expressive and often energetic. Some masses are reflective in nature without music, which are appreciated by those who have sensory difficulties.
If you would like to volunteer as a musician, you will join one of our music groups. They each have different requirements – some require you to read music, others just need you to be able to hold a tune. Some are looking for singers, others for musicians.
Altar servers
Being an altar server here is fantastic! As a major church in the diocese, we have a variety of liturgies we need to serve. Apart from Sunday Mass, we must be able to serve a Solemn Pontifical High Mass when the Bishop celebrates the diocesan Significant Wedding Anniversary Mass here.
We are also very good at serving! We know exactly what to do and will make sure you have the knowledge and skills to serve, not just at St Bede’s but anywhere. We are considered the best team in Diocese, not just by our bishop but by visiting bishops and other clergy.
If you would like to volunteer as an altar server, you must be dedicated and willing to learn. If you are a child, you must have been baptised and received your First Holy Communion and have parental approval. If you are an adult, you must have at least received a canonically recognised baptism and be received into the Catholic Church. You must also be able to pass a Disclosure & Barring Service check (DBS).
St Bede’s Flower Girls
The St Bede’s Flower Girls decorate our churches with beautiful flowers for many occasions, including Christmas, Easter, First Holy Communion and the diocesan Significant Wedding Anniversaries celebration. Flowers help us to express our thoughts on happy occasions, as well as sad.
The SBFG consider it a privilege to arrange floral displays before the altar and Our Lady’s statue.
If you have an appreciation for flowers, do consider joining.
The Holy Dusters
The Holy Dusters work hard to keep our church looking clean and provide an important service for our community.
They welcome anybody who can spare some time after morning Mass to lend a hand.
Bereavement Support
The Bereavement Group provides support to those who are recently bereaved. We organise an annual bereavement service for those who have been bereaved in the last year. This is led by our parish priest and is followed by a tea. We also assist the priest during the blessing of the graves at Worting Road cemetery every November.
Prayer groups
The Lord’s Flock are a charismatic community, gathering together for praise and worship, to learn more about the Word of God and for fellowship on Saturday evenings.
Feast Light Basingstoke
Feast Light Basingstoke is a weekly gathering of “messy” people sharing stories and watching life-changing recorded videos of the Feast, the live weekly gathering of the Light of Jesus Family.
Learn more at feastlight.com.
Healing on the Streets
Healing on the Streets reaches out to the lost and hurting on the streets of Basingstoke.
A team of volunteers from St Bede’s, Community Church and Buckskin Evangelical Church set up our banner at the bottom of Wote Street in the town centre.
Sometimes people stop and have a conversation with us and we have the opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus with them.
Charities and social action
The Association for the Propagation of the Faith (APF) is best known for its red box collections, which can be found in 200,000 homes and raises millions of pounds for the missions. We support all 1,069 mission dioceses throughout the world providing pastoral care and preaching the Gospel. The APF works with the Mill Hill Missionary Society. Its priests, lay brothers and associates work in 27 countries and in every continent.
We have an active CAFOD network in our parish, the official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales. They work with partners across the world, wherever the need is greatest, to bring hope, compassion and solidarity to poor communities, standing side by side with them to end poverty and injustice. During Lent we have Lenten lunches in our parish to raise money for CAFOD. This is a simple meal of soup, bread and a drink.They are held in people’s homes and in the church hall. Catch up with the latest events in our area at the CAFOD Portsmouth blog: cafodportsmouth.wordpress.com
The St Vincent de Paul society (SVP) motto is ‘Turning Concern into Action’ and here in Basingstoke, the St Bede’s and St Joseph’s SVP group aims to tackle poverty in all its forms, particularly by visiting the sick and the lonely. Volunteers are very welcome to join and all members of the parish are asked to recommend names of people who might like a visit or some help; the confidentiality and dignity of those we serve is always respected. Funds are used for specific purposes such as a small grant to someone in need; helping our twinned SVP Conferences in Southern India; contributions to social, peace and justice projects here in Basingstoke.
We’re proud to support the Basingstoke Food Bank, providing emergency food for local people in crisis. We donate non-perishable, in-date food – check our newsletter for their latest requirements. Volunteers sort food to check that it’s in date and pack it into boxes ready to be given to people in need. Doctors, health visitors, social workers, Citizens’ Advice Bureau and Police identify people in crisis and issue them with a voucher. The voucher can be redeemed at a foodbank centre for three days’ emergency food. Volunteers meet clients over a cup of tea or coffee and are able to signpost people to agencies able to solve the longer-term problem.
Social and community groups
Sunday afternoon teas
We hold a monthly afternoon tea in St Bede’s church hall on the last Sunday of the month.
It’s a chance to meet for prayer, conversation, fellowship, tea and cake.
Donations are welcome and go to Cafod.
The Catenian Association offers a social network that provides support to members based on friendships built on the firm foundations of a shared faith. This friendship is developed by attending a meeting monthly followed by a shared meal and by providing a varied social programme in which wives and families are fully involved. Support is both practical and spiritual: by steadfast friendship in times of trouble; by offering financial help when needed and through prayer. This support continues with on-going concern for a deceased member’s widow and dependants.
Basingstoke African Caribbean Catholic Association (BACCA) brings African and Caribbean families together to enable them increase their sense of belonging in the parish and the community on the basis of their faith and common background. We meet every four to eight weeks in the North Basingstoke area and celebrate Black History month with a Mass in October.
The Knights of St Columba are a group of Catholic men who meet at St Bede’s monthly for prayer, faith-sharing and fellowship. We aim to support the Church’s mission and each other. We have members aged in their 20s and others in their 60s. If you’re a Catholic man keen to make new friends and get involved with the life of the Church please come along. Be assured of a warm welcome! Keep up to date with the ‘Knights’ local news in Basingstoke on Facebook.
With your generous support of the ‘Lucky Me’ draw, we raise funds which enable them to support charities locally and internationally. It pays better odds than the Lottery, and it is well worth supporting. The funds that aren’t paid out as prizes go to support our charitable aims. You can join by giving your name, address and phone number to the Parish office, or putting this information in an envelope, marked ‘Lucky Me’ Draw, in the Offertory collection.