“There is a variety of skills, but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord”
1 Corinthians 12:4
Up and down our diocese, thousands of people give their time, energy and talents to serve God and their community. From church cleaning to hospital visiting, finance and admin to feeding the homeless, there are so many ways to put our faith into practice and make a real difference to the lives of others. In this section of the website you can explore some ways to get involved.
We are part of a project to develop new forms of leadership in parishes which will be open to lay men and women as well as deacons. Find out more here. There is a consultation underway exploring what these roles might look like in our local communities – more info here.
The Pastoral Ministry Office particularly looks after hospital, prison and university chaplaincy, so you’ll find more information here on what those ministries involve and how to get started.
There are lots of organisations around the diocese if you want to make a difference. Here are just some of them:
St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) – visiting the sick, practical help for the poor and needy https://www.svp.org.uk
Cafod – overseas aid and development on behalf of the Catholic community in England and Wales. Volunteers run parish campaigns and fundraisers, speak in schools and churches, and promote Cafod in a variety of ways. www.cafod.org.uk/Northampton
Legion of Mary – evangelisation and pastoral care as well as personal spiritual growth. http://legionofmary.org.uk
Missio – the official arm of the Church for overseas mission. Volunteers promote the work of mission in local parishes and churches. https://missio.org.uk
NOAH Enterprise – helping people in Bedfordshire who are homeless or in extreme poverty. https://noahenterprise.org
Together, we’re building the Kingdom of God in our local communities.