The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) is seeking expressions of interest from parishioners to join a new Working Group.  The Working Group will plan and deliver a programme of formation for adults and a programme of parish evangelisation activity.

Christianity is a faith rich in spirituality and deeply rooted history.  We find that the salvation offered by Jesus’ sacrifice gives meaning and purpose to our lives. Christ commands us to share His message with all people: to be the ‘salt of the earth’; to shine the light of our faith, not to hide it ‘under a bushel’.

The teachings of the Roman Catholic Church guide us how to live our Christian lives in the closest union with Jesus.  But for many of us the last formal education we received in Christianity was during our childhood and adolescence. Some of us may have had instruction as adults in preparation for marriage or the baptism of our children.  Yet the simple faith we learned in preparation for the Sacraments only touches on the historical depth and spiritual mystery of Christ’s teaching.  There is so much more to discover, so many ways to deepen our faith!

And having heard the good news why would we not want to share it? In Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975), Pope Paul VI famously said: “The Church exists in order to evangelise” (EN 14); and the Catechism of the Catholic Church is explicit about our personal duty and what we must do.

But evangelisation can be so difficult on one's own, we may fear ridicule and hostility. Working together makes it easier and following the successful experiences of others shows us how to approach evangelisation without provoking anger or contempt. The Catechism reminds us that “The missionary task implies a respectful dialogue with those who do not yet accept the Gospel” (ccc856)

The PPC is now seeking women and men, of differing ages and cultural backgrounds to join the Working Group and welcomes all expressions of interest. 

To find out more read the introduction to the Working Group, you may download it by clicking HERE.

If you would like to talk about it, without any obligation, and/or to register your interest contact Anthony Palmer or Vincent McLaughlin. Call Anthony on 07719 687552 OR  email him at antpal11@gmail.com. Vincent's email is vincentemclaughlin@gmail.com.

First published on 16th February 2026

Please check the Newsletter for updates on this group's meetings. More details can be given by John who runs the group. Please contact the Parish Office for John's email address.

Toddlers and their carers are welcome to come to Greyfriars Hall on Fridays from 10:30 until 12noon. Please spread the news far and wide that this group is open for pre-school children and is great for helping the little ones learn to socialise and to give a break for parents!

All families are welcome. More details from Sarah King, after 10am Sunday Mass, or via the Parish Office.

The Greyfriars Friendship Club is open to parishioners and non-parishioners who enjoy fellowship and good company.

The Club is made up of a team who work together to welcome and prepare the meetings while other members are their guests. We particularly welcome the housebound, elderly and single people.

Meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month except August.  We usually commence our meetings at 2pm with Sherry and shortbread followed by a prayer and a hymn, then we might have a speaker or an activity or some entertainment.  Our afternoon concludes at 4pm after a traditional tea of cakes and sandwiches and a chat.

There is no fee but guests are invited to make a donation towards expenses.  For further information please contact Paul Spindler via the Parish Office and he will contact you back.

Tuesday evenings in Clevedon Church at 7.30pm

We are a group of 11-15 year olds who meet in Greyfriars Hall every month to share our time and our faith. We welcome all young people whatever their religion or those with no faith.

Our meetings commonly consist of interactive prayer, snacks and drinks, art and craft activity, games and a charity activity every other month.

The meetings start at 4:15 and end at 6.00pm on a Friday afternoon. Greyfriars Hall is next to the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Clevedon.

If you would like to join us or hear more about what we do, please email Tom .

Blessed Carlo Acutis

Carlo Acutis was born in London on May 3, 1991 the son of Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano.   A few months later he moved with his family to Milan. Carlo was diagnosed with leukemia as a teenager. Before his death in 2006, he offered his sufferings for Pope Benedict XVI and for the Church saying: “I offer all of my suffering to the Lord for the pope and for the Church in order not to go to purgatory but to go straight to heaven.”

Even though his parents weren’t especially devout Carlo had a special love for God from a young age and loved to pray the rosary. After he made his first Communion he went to Mass as often as possible at the parish church near his elementary school.

Carlo’s love for the Eucharist also inspired a deep conversion for his mother, Antonia. She said that before his birth she went to Mass only for her first Communion, her confirmation and her wedding. According to the church official promoting his cause for sainthood Carlo “managed to drag his relatives, his parents to Mass every day. It was not the other way around; it was not his parents bringing the little boy to Mass, but it was he who managed to get himself to Mass and to convince others to receive Communion daily.”

Carlo was devoted to the Blessed Sacrament and his mother said that the Eucharist was the centre of his life.

Carlo’s witness of faith led adults to convert and be baptised. Rajesh Mohur, who worked for the Acutis family as an au pair when Carlo was young, converted from Hinduism to Catholicism because of Carlo’s witness. Carlo taught Mohur how to pray the rosary and told him about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Mohur said that one of the things that most impressed him as a non-Christian was the witness of Carlo’s love and concern for the poor - how he interacted with the homeless man who would sit at the entrance of the church and would bring tupperware dishes filled with food out to people living on the streets.

Carlo wasn’t afraid to defend Church teaching even in situations when his classmates disagreed with him. Many of Carlo’s high school classmates remember a classroom discussion about abortion when Carlo gave a passionate defence of the unborn child from the moment of conception.

Carlo was a faithful friend. He was known for standing up for children at school who got bullied especially those with disabilities. When a friend’s parents were getting a divorce Carlo made a special effort to include him in the Acutis’ family life. He spoke with his friends about the importance of going to Mass and confession, human dignity, and chastity.

Carlo was fascinated with computer coding and taught himself some of the basic coding languages, including C and C++. He used his computer skills and internet savvy to help his family put together an exhibition on Eucharistic miracles that has gone on to be displayed at thousands of parishes on five continents. His spiritual director has attested that Carlo was personally convinced that the scientific evidence from Eucharistic miracles would help people to realize that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist and come back to Mass.

Carlo loved playing video games. His mother recalls that he liked Nintendo Game Boy and GameCube as well as PlayStation and Xbox but limited his video game playing to no more than two hours per week. He would chat with his gaming buddies about the importance of going to Mass and confession.

Carlo died in 2006 on the 12th October, he was 15 years old. His body lies in repose in a glass tomb in Assisi where he can be seen wearing jeans and a pair of Nike trainers. Thousands came to pray at his tomb at the time of his beatification in October 2020.

Two miracles attributed to Carlo's intercession led to his beatification. The first miracle happened in Brazil in 2013 and involved the healing of a 3-year-old boy  who had a congenital malformation of his pancreas. Pope Francis recognised a second miracle on May 23, 2024. The second miracle involved the healing of Valeria Valverde a 21-year-old girl from Costa Rica. Valeria suffered a serious head injury while cycling in 2022.

The passages about Carlo Acutis above are based upon a Catholic News Agency post '10 things you should know about the Blessed Carlo Acutis'

The SVP is a huge global volunteer movement founded in Paris in 1833 with 800,000 members in parish groups known as conferences in 154 countries. There are approximately 10,000 members in England and Wales helping people in their local area and there is a conference in our parish. We currently have 5 members who meet regularly at The Immaculate Conception Church. We visit people in their homes, in hospital and in care home.

Our members offer sincere friendship and support and help where needed such as giving lifts to Mass or taking people to hospital appointments. Loneliness and isolation is a big problem in our counttry and spending time with people is our greatest gift.

At Christmas time we provide monetary gifts for needy families in our parish community. We also provide packs for homeless people in Bristol at Christmas. Our conference gives financial support through twinning to a conference in South Sudan and another in Kerala India. These are just a few of our activities. If there is a family member or someone you know who is in need of support, please tell them about the SVP and contact us.

Should you wish to donate to your local SVP Group online the details are as follows:

Account name: SVP The Immaculate Conception Clevedon  Sort Code 60-60-04  Account number 46081569

Thank you for your ongoing support.

If you are interested in joining the SVP we would love to hear from you. Please email Carmel by clicking here or leave a message for the SVP on the Parish Office number and we will contact you.