Re-Ordering of the Church
Appeal for Funds

Click here to see images of the proposed plans.

Thanks to all who have already responded to the appeal for money.

Our target is £80,000 by the end of November, 2005.

Please look out for the Appeal Form and Gift Aid Envelopes in the entrances to the Church.
Regular updates will appear in the Parish Newsletter, on the noticeboard in the main entrance to the Church and on the update page.

As you now know the total cost is £265,000.

This includes a new lighting scheme for the Church and a redecoration of the inside. It also includes about £26,000 vat. We have already got £100,000 of this money. We still need £165,000. Consulting with the Parish Finance Group and meeting with the diocese we have been able to agree to a loan through the diocese of £85,000.

This will be granted on condition that the parish show that they can raise the remaining £80,000 by the end of November this year.

This is the amount that we are now trying to raise and is our target total.

Why spend so much money?
This is a big project. What we are doing to the sanctuary is not radical. It is making it a fit and beautiful place in which to celebrate Mass which is "the source and summit of the Christian life."

What is our greatest Treasure?
It is Christi. He gives us himself in the Eucharist. The important symbols of the altar ambo font and plinth for the tabernacle must worthy of what they symbolise. We mustn't skimp on what we believe is essential to our way of life as Catholic Christians. This might seem a lot of money but if you consider that nearly a thousand people come to Mass and that means about 275 households which if you distribute the £80,000 by the households that will means about £290 per household. Which is £42 per month till the end of the project in March 2006, which is just over £10 per week. Obviously not everyone will be able to afford £10 per week. But breaking the figures down give you some idea that it is not an impossible amount of money to raise.

What about the Poor?
This parish has a very good track record of giving money to the poor and needy. As you can see on the board at the back of the Church we have raised this year nearly £10,000 for our Lenten project. In January this year we collection over £4,000 for the Tsunami victims and recently we collected over £500 for medical relief in Sri Lanka. This money that we are raising now is an investment that will transform the Church and especially the sanctuary and will last a lifetime. It is making permanent what is now very temporary. This is a once off project. Our celebration of the Eucharist needs to feed and sustain out love for the poor.

How can we raise the Money?
There are several ways that we can raise this money. First there are direct donations. We have already had several from families whose relatives have left them some money and they have given something to the parish. For example recently someone who has had a win on the lottery has promised the parish £500. If the money donated in this way is also gift aided we will eventually next year be able to get the tax back on these donations and that will help us pay off the debt.
I appreciate that there are many who find it hard to make ends meet but there are also those of you that might be able to give a once off donation. There might be some of you might be able to make an interest free loan which will be repaid over five years. But if you need the money sooner obviously we will be able to return it to you. The second way of giving now is promising to give a certain amount extra each week. This can be either a regular cash or Cheque donation. You might decide to do this for a year or two years. If it is a gift Aid donation then use the envelopes provided with your name and number in the space provided. The other way is to take out a Standing order. This can be for an amount weekly monthly or yearly and you can give a date for a final payment. Our project to transform the Sanctuary will be a wonderful expression of our love of the Mass an a fitting gift for future generations.

If you have any comments regarding the Re-Ordering, you can email them to the parish office by clicking here.

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