Friday April 24 saw the 175th anniversary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Redditch. Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Vincent and other priests of the diocese attended, many who had served there themselves at some point in recent, and not so recent, years. With a packed congregation and equally over-flowing sanctuary a wonderful service was enjoyed with an eclectic mix of music and a beautiful performance of Elgar’s Ave Verum by a soloist Charlotte Colley who has sung in the parish for over ten years and who is now a semi-professional singer. Her mother is also part of the parish choir.

On April 14 and 19 and May 1, our twelve Catholic Today tandem parachute jumping team leapt out of a Cessna Caravan Aeroplane at 13,000ft, high above the Nottingham countryside, in order to raise much needed money for the Johnson Fund which cares for the elderly, sick and infirm secular priests of the diocese.