Parish of St Thomas of Canterbury Fairford, with St Mary's Cricklade

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Becoming a Catholic

From time to time we run sessions for those who are interested in exploring the Catholic faith and whether they should join the Church. We call such people ‘enquirers’.
Joining the group does not commit them to becoming Catholics – we just assume it is a possibility.



If you are interested, please contact Fr Michael Robertson.



Catholic Social Teaching

These papers were written for the Lent 2014 period to encourage us the learn and reflect on Catholic Social Teaching.
You might find them to be of interest in informing you of Catholic teaching in these areas:

  • Community & Participation "Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the bandits' hands?'
    In remembering that our neighbours are not only those who live near us, we can tend to overlook the very people who are nearby.
  • Caring for Creation"Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing.”
    The environmental crisis unfolding across the world confronts us with the physical consequences of our mistreatment and neglect of the fragile planet which God entrusted to our care.
  • Peace & Reconciliation "Blessed are the peacemakers: they shall be recognised as children of God".
    Part of the tragedy of the First World War is that anyone could have imagined for a moment that a war could end all wars. History shows that wars do end things, for a while, but it also shows that peace is much more than just an absence of war. Far away from any fighting it is easy either to romanticise war or to stand piously above the battle while taking any benefits that accrue from it.
  • Solidarity "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." The Psalms, the Gospels and our faith itself are centred on an inconceivable intimacy between God and individuals: Jesus tells us ‘even the hairs on your head have all been counted’. With him the person always comes first, not their economic usefulness, their education or their citizenship.