Bishop celebrates first Stella Maris Mass in East Anglia
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Bishop blesses church as 20-year dream becomes reality
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Over 120 people squeezed into the newly refurbished hall at Our Lady's Catholic Church in March on Monday evening (September 12) for the formal opening and blessing by Rt Rev Alan Hopes, Bishop of East Anglia.
Parishioners mingled with the architects and builders along with guests from other churches and the wider community to hear Bishop Alan remind them that unless we have faith, the future can become rather daunting.
There was a short ceremony opened the evening where, after a short reading from the Bible, Bishop Alan spoke about the huge achievement the parish had made in providing such a beautiful resource for themselves and for the wider community.
Parish Priest, Fr Paul Maddison, thanked all who had been involved in the venture and all who had donated over £115,000 in just two years towards the overall cost of £250,000. He said he "had faith" that the remaining money would come and welcomed the addition of the new hall to the life of the parish and the town.
After a vote of thanks from two of the parishioners at Our Lady's everyone enjoyed a fantastic spread and a celebratory drink.
Pictured above are Fr Paul Maddison and Bishop Alan with some of the architects and builders of the hall.
