As part of the celebrations to mark 150 years of St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Scarborough, the four Catholic churches within the Scarborough area are uniting together in a special Parish Mission over a two week period from 7th to 22nd June 2008.

St Joseph’s, Newby; St Edward’s, South Cliff; and St George’s, Eastfield, are joining with St Peter’s to share in the mission and bring the congregations of the four churches closer together through a number of Masses, services and celebrations.

The theme of the mission is based on the meaning of the religious cross and how Catholics live in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The mission will help the parish community to focus on prayer, unity, celebration, and spreading the good news of the Gospel through visiting members of the community. Preparations are already well under way to ensure the mission is a success, including the involvement of pupils from the Catholic schools in the town.

Fr John Loughlin, Parish Priest, said: ‘A Parish Mission is a wonderful opportunity for us to step aside from our normal routine to spend time reflecting on the love of God as shown to us in the gift of Jesus Christ his Son as our Lord and Saviour. It is a chance for us to ponder how well we answer the call to be followers of Christ, and strengthened by his Word how well we share the Good News of the Father’s love with the communities that we live in. It is an opportunity also for us to reach out and invite all members of our Parish community to place their trust in God as we seek to build up the Father’s kingdom here on earth’.

Over the course of the fortnight, the Parish will be led in their mission by two teams from the Sion Community, a group of priests, religious and lay people who are committed to proclaiming the Gospel in an encouraging and challenging way.

Anyone who wishes to find out more about the mission, get involved, or even offer to help out, can contact Tom Henry on (01723) 354460 or by e-mail to tom@henry6579.freeserve.co.uk