‍Bishop Richard Moth celebrated Mass for the inauguration of the new Parish of Guildford at St Joseph's, Guildford, on 29 November, the First Sunday of Advent. Bishop Richard issued a new Pastoral Plan for the Diocese The Word Who is Life: The Call to Mission in January 2024 and as part of that Plan, each of our 11 deanery communities is forming a new parish "community of communities". The new Parish of Guildford is comprised of 15 communities in Guildford; Ash & Heath End; Cranleigh & Bramley; Farnham; Godalming & Milford; and Haslemere, Hindhead and Chiddingfold.‍

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Dear brothers and sisters,

Today, the First Sunday of Advent, we celebrate the start of the Church’s Year. We celebrate, also, a very significant moment in the life of the Catholic community in this part of our Diocese – the inauguration of the new parish of Guildford. Just as this is a new beginning of the Church’s Year, so it is something of a new beginning for the communities that form the new parish.

The readings of this Mass are filled with anticipation.

Isaiah calls the people to the mountain of the Lord, so that all may learn the ways of God. The psalmist rejoices that he – and indeed all the people – are called to go up to the Lord’s house, to the holy city of Jerusalem.

The Lord Himself, as recorded by St Matthew, calls us to be ready at every moment for His coming.

St Paul writes with a sense of urgency, for salvation is at hand. His message is one of conversion – leaving behind anything that would keep us from the Kingdom and walking in the light of Christ.

Do not these passages from Scripture speak to us of our mission as Christ’s Church? We must begin with our openness to the gift of conversion, not just a superficial thing, but an authentic conversion of life. Neither can we put this off for another time, when we think it will be easier or more convenient. The time is now and I pray that this moment in the life of our communities will be a time to embrace this call to conversion as never before. Our conversion to the way of the Gospel is the prerequisite for effective mission – for we cannot share with our brothers and sisters what we have not ourselves truly embraced.

Conversion is both the fruit of prayer and formation and also the way to more fervent prayer and to deeper formation. While there may be particular moments in our lives that we can point to as moments of conversion, it is also a daily journey. Each and every day, we put behind us those things that would keep us from Christ. Every day, every moment, Jesus calls us to be ready for His coming.

It is in this conversion that we become open to the joy of which the psalmist speaks. We, too, listen for the Lord’s call to come to His house – both in this life and for the life to come. This is the joy we are called to share with our brothers and sisters. It is through our own conversion, that we become the Lord’s instruments, calling the world to His house.

This journey of conversion and witness is not only for us as individuals, for through our Baptism we become members of Christ’s Body, the Church. We are communities of conversion, communities of the joy of the Gospel, communities ready for the Lord’s coming. As we work more closely together as communities of faith, our mission will be ever more effective.

It is often said, quite rightly, that it is always a good moment in history to be a Christian and a Catholic. This is certainly true today. We see many fresh shoots of faith across the Diocese, our schools carry out a wonderful mission with our young people, enabling them to take their place in the world as disciples. Our communities are seeing new growth as more people are finding their way to the welcome of Christ’s love in His Church.

We are Pilgrims of Hope, journeying towards the Kingdom. We are called to bring this Hope, the joy of the Kingdom to a world that is divided and so often in conflict; a world in which the dignity of every person is denied and where the weak and oppressed are so often rejected.

The mission of the Church – the mission of each of us, united in our communities, most especially in the celebration of the Eucharist – is vital, in the true sense of that word, for it is life-giving.

Today’s inauguration of the new Parish of Guildford brings us closer together in this wonderful adventure of the Gospel. May this parish truly be a welcoming Catholic community of prayer, formation and mission, where Jesus Christ, the Word who is Life, is encountered, where all can grow in holiness and bear witness in their lives - calling all to conversion, to the joy and life of the Kingdom.