Upcoming Events
Centenary Celebrations
Our Lady of Lourdes
The foundation stone for the wonderful Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Haslemere was laid in 1923 with the Church opening for worship two years later. A more detailed background and history to the Catholic community and Church in Haslemere can be found under the heading ‘About’ on another part of this website.
The Parish wanted to celebrate this great milestone and November 2022 marks the start of our centenary year celebrations. We have a variety of events planned, which will bring us together as a church community and give the opportunity for our friends, families, and those from the wider Haslemere community to join us and see what we do.
A Quiz Night with fish and chip supper takes place on February 25th, so plan your teams and get revising!
For those interested in the arts, we have a talk on 14th March 2023 entitled ‘Medieval Church Art’ and later, on 21st October a guest speaker will be presenting ‘'Pigments of the imagination – Ten things you should know about icons’.
On 29th April 2023 we will be hosting an Open Church afternoon where anyone can come and learn about the history of the Church, Catholicism in general and learn about aspects of the church such as the meaning of the Vestments, Tabernacle, and Stations of the Cross
Tuesday 16th May, 7.30pm, Finding Hope amidst Hostility
The last year has continued a trend of growing hostility towards refugees and asylum seekers, manifested in government policies and new plans for asylum, and inflammatory rhetoric in the media. In this open and conversational-style talk, Megan Knowles (Interim Deputy Director at the Jesuit Refugee Service UK) will share the different ways JRS UK works to create communities of hospitality. She will introduce some of the refugee friends JRS accompanies and offer concrete ways we can all find hope and solidarity amidst hostility. Megan has worked and volunteered supporting refugees and asylum seekers for over six years. She is an integral part of JRS’s mission to accompany, serve and advocate for the rights of refugees.
Venue: Our Lady of Lourdes Church Hall, Tickets £5 (with half the revenue going to JRS)
Flowers are often used to decorate the Church and on 25th May we will be holding a Floral Workshop at which one our experienced flower arrangers will be giving a demonstration and sharing tips and ideas.
Come and learn a harmony with us in the summer or take part in a wine tasting event in September.
Our centenary year culminates in the weekend of 17th/19th November with a Special Mass, attended by Bishop Richard and some former Parish Priests. We will have a display of photographs in the Parish Hall showing celebrations at the church over the years, and cake and nibbles to enjoy.
For further details about all events see the weekly Bulletin or contact the Parish Office (haslemere@abdiocese.org.uk).
Quiz Night - 25th February 7pm
Medieval Church Art - 14th March 7pm
Talk by Jesuit Refugee Service - 16 May 7.30pm
Flower Workshop - May 25th 7pm
Sing a Harmony - Date TBC
Open Church (Heritage Weekend) - 16th September – all day
Wine tasting - 23rd September
Pigments of the imagination - Icons - 21st October –afternoon
Centenary Mass weekend - 17-19th November