Our Parishes
The school within the Diocese of East Anglia and has strong links with the three parishes of Our Lady and the English Martyrs (OLEM), St.Philip Howard and Sawston.
The Diocese of East Anglia
The Diocese spans the Counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and the Unitary Authority of Peterborough, and was formed by Papal decree on March 13th 1976. Prior to this the the area came under the jurisdiction of the the Diocese of Northampton. The Diocese of East Anglia is ‘twinned’ with the Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang in Cambodia, and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Patrons of the diocese are: Our Lady of Walsingham (September 24th), St Felix (March 8th) and St Edmund ( November 20th).
Our Lady and the English Martyrs
Ours is a large parish – each Sunday, as well as those who worship with us year in and year out are students from our universities, colleges and language schools, and a steady, and often quite large stream of visitors. In a church with multiple resources and talents, we try in our liturgy, to reflect the diverse needs of the many people who pass through our doors. It is perhaps, our way of trying to respond to the words of Pope John Paul in his Apostolic Letter Novo MiiIennio Inuente:
To make the church the home and the school of communion: that is the great challenge facing us in the Millennium which is now beginning, if we wish to be faithful to God’s plan and respond to the world’s deepest yearnings’ #43
So, whether you visit our website or the church itself, we hope you will have some sense of being at home among us. Let me conclude with further thoughts of Pope John Paul II on what he calls ‘the spirituality of communion’:
…we need to provide a spirituality of communion making it the guiding principle of education wherever individuals and Christians are formed, wherever ministers of the altar, consecrated persons or pastoral workers are trained, wherever families are being built up.’ #43.
The Parish of St Philip Howard was set up in 1978, by splitting off from the parish of Our Lady and the English Martyrs.
Our Lady of Lourdes Church
Sawston has been an active centre of Catholicism in this region for a very long time. Sawston Hall was for many centuries the focal point of Catholic activity and remained steadfast during the troubled times of the Counter-Reformation.
The present Church building is over 50 years old (refurbished in 2010). In 2007, our community became part of the large parish of Our Lady and the English Martyrs, Cambridge. Although we are served by all the priests of the parish, Canon John Minh has special responsibility for the Sawston Catholic community.
Our Lady Of Lourdes is a friendly and enthusiastic community which celebrates its range of parishioners from young and old. It has a strong family ethos as many people have grown up through the Church and are now bringing their own children to church. There is a firm community spirit with all of the work in the community being done by volunteers. Many people visit us throughout the year and we hope everyone feels welcome, either at Mass or in one of our other celebration.
Saint Philip Howard
The parish was established in 1978, by splitting off from the parish of Our Lady and the English Martyrs. It was decided that since the mother parish of Our Lady and The English Martyrs celebrated two Cambridge men: St Thomas More and St John Fisher, that this new parish should echo a Cambridge connection, hence Saint Philip Howard.
The early stages of the new parish meant that the worshiping community would no longer have to use the auditorium of Saint Bede’s Catholic School (as it was then) but would have a permanent home in this new building. A great deal of team work was required and the results show now a lively and vibrant parish which has become the spiritual home to over fifty different nationalities in Cambridge.