Welcome to St Edmund’s Catholic Church

in Bury St Edmunds

We are a friendly Catholic community who welcome others to join us in our worship and service of God.

We hope that you will find this website useful and that it will help you encounter Jesus Christ who is our life.

Mass Times

Saturday

18:00 St Edmund (Vigil)

Sunday

08:30 St Edmund

10:30 St Edmund

10:30 Montana

16:45 St Edmund (Polish Language)

For weekday Mass times see the parish newsletter

Holydays of Obligation

09:00 St Edmund’s Primary School

Term time only

12:00 St Edmund

19:00 St Edmund

Syro-Malabar Rite Masses

15:00 St Edmund

1st & 3rd Saturday of Month

Confessions

10:30 Wednesday & Saturday

Adoration & Prayers for Peace

10:30 Wednesday

The Season of Creation

Each year from September 1 until the Feast of St Francis of Assisi on October 4, the Christian family unites to celebrate the Season of Creation. This year’s theme is ‘Peace with Creation.’ 

Communities everywhere are responding to Pope Leo XIV’s call, planting seeds of hope, peace, and care for our common home. St Edmund’s joins this journey with our Mass of Creation held (weather permitting) in the presbytery garden on Friday 5 September at 12.00 followed by a shared lunch. We also begin our Sunday children’s liturgy for the new academic year with an emphasis on creation. And this year, with some of the children, we will bless the new tree that we planted outside the church, after the 10.30 Mass on Sunday 14 September.

Why not join the journey yourself by thinking of something you could do personally or as a family to mark this special season and reflect on our connectedness with our environment.

Sunday’s Gospel

At that time:

Great crowds accompanied Jesus, and he turned and said to them, ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.’

Luke 14:25-33

News

  • A Prayer for our new Pope

    Faithful God,
    You guide us on the path of life
    and your goodness is our constant companion.

    Be with our new Shepherd, Pope Leo XIV,
    in his service of the Church.
    Fill him with the power of your Spirit,
    the peace of your presence
    and the compassion of Christ.

    May he walk with you,
    in wisdom and humility,
    and lead us, together with all God’s people,
    to embody your love for the world.
    Amen.

  • Pilgrims of Hope

    2025 is a Year of Jubilee, with the theme being Pilgrims of Hope. St Edmund’s will be running 4 pilgrimages this year: one to Rome which is now booked up; one to our little church at Lawshall; one to Walsingham; and one to Norwich to visit our Cathedral, the local synagogue and Mother Julian’s shrine.

    More information of all these pilgrimages will follow soon. Hopefully there is something for everyone so that everyone can experience being a pilgrim during this Holy Year.

  • Pastoral Provision Review

    In December and January this year, the parish engaged in the synodal process to consider the challenges that face our Diocese in providing pastoral provision for the years ahead.

    Our parish submission, along with those from other parishes across East Anglia, has now been considered by the Diocesan Commission for Evnagelisation together with Bishop Peter.

    In the autumn we shall enter into the next phase of consultation and be invited to comment on practical proposals to how parishes are to be structured.

    Our Parish Response to Bishop's Questions

Pilgrimage to Norwich

As part of this year’s Pilgrimage Programme, we are organising a trip by coach to Norwich on Tuesday 28 October to visit our Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist, the local synagogue, and the shrine of Mother Julian of Norwich.

At each location we will have a short talk or tour. We will celebrate Mass at the Cathedral and have lunch together in the Narthex.

The coach will leave from Bury St Edmunds at 08.30 and we aim to be back by around 17.45. Cost will be confirmed shortly. Sign up sheets to book your place are now in the church porch.

Pilgrimage to Walsingham

Another chance to be a pilgrim of hope in this Jubilee Year. We are organising a trip to Walsingham in Norfolk for Saturday 4 October. The coach will leave Bury St Edmunds at 09.00 to arrive in the village of Walsingham by around 10.30. We will then walk the holy mile together to the Catholic Shrine. Mass will be celebrated in the Basilica there at 12.00 followed by time to explore and have your packed lunches. In the afternoon the coach will take us to the Anglican Shrine where we hope to join their traditional sprinkling ceremony from the well. After time to explore the Anglican shrine and village we will return home, hopefully around 17.45. Cost will be confirmed shortly. Sign up sheets to book your place are now in the porch.

Bury Teens

Bury Teens is our recently started youth group for the parish, open to all in Years 9, 10 and 11. Meeting once a month in the crypt on Saturdays from 19.00 until 21.00, each session will include a meal together, lots of fun activities and chance to socialise, and some prayer. Participants need to be registered by their parents/guardian before their first attendance. Registration forms can be downloaded here. For more information email buryteens@gmail.com

Bethany Bereavement Support Service

Most of us will suffer bereavement at some point in our lives. Our parish runs a bereavement support programme which has been described as ‘a journey from heartbreak to hope.’

The Bethany Team offers support for anyone (all faiths and none) who is over the age of 18 years old and living in the Bury St Edmunds area.

The team offers individual and group sessions to support someone through the stages of grief and bereavement and will suggest other services as needed.

St Josephine Bakhita

Feast Day: 8 February

St Josephine Bakhita is the patron saint of victims of human trafficking and modern slavery. There are 50 million victims of human trafficking across the world and as many as 5,000 in the Diocese, hidden in plain sight in your neighbourhood. Pope Francis describes human trafficking as “blood money” and a “crime against humanity”. We are all called to combat this evil trade. To find out more and what you can do click the button below.

Praying for Peace

There seems to be so much conflict going on around the world and sometimes, albeit on a much smaller scale, even within our own lives. As Christians, we are particularly sensitive to conflicts taking place in the Holy Land of Jesus’ birth and it is terrible to see the plight of the people of Gaza, as well as witnessing the terror attacks on those who live in Israel. As people living in Europe, it is shocking to see another European country engaged in such a long and brutal war with Russia. Each Wednesday, after Mass, we pray before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and ask for peace in our world. You can join us in person, or online using the parish’s live stream, or simply use the prayers provided here to pray at home whenever you can.

Retrouvaille

Retrouvaille is the name of a programme designed to help heal and renew marriages. It all began in 1977 as a French language weekend for couples in Canada who were experiencing difficulties in their marriage. The word ‘Retrouvaille’ simply means ‘rediscovery’ and the programme offers the chance to rediscover yourself, your partner, and a loving relationship in your marriage. Retrouvaille now offers support and a lifeline for married couples facing difficulties in the UK and elsewhere around the world.

A Dementia Friendly Parish

A number of parishioners recently completed a dementia awareness course as our first step in ensuring that we are a dementia friendly parish. The five key takeaways seem obvious, but they challenge how we often think about dementia: (1) that dementia is not a natural part of ageing; (2) that dementia is caused by diseases of the brain; (3) that dementia is not just about losing your memory - it can affect thinking, communication and completing everyday tasks; (4) that it is possible to live well with dementia; and (5) that there is more to a person than the dementia.

Prayer

To get in touch, visit us, or for more information