Our Lady and St Edmund of Abingdon Parish Lenten project 2024

Each year the parish selects one (or two) projects to support with a range of Lenten fund-raising activities. These activities provide not only a source of revenue for the chosen projects but a way of bringing parishioners and friends together in a range of social activities.

The two projects supported in 2024 were Friends of the Holy Land and Helen & Douglas House.

Lent always starts with an Ash Wednesday Soup Supper, followed soon after by our traditional “Big Breakfast” after a Sunday Mass - a chance to have a great Bacon and Sausage breakfast.

Lent fundraising then really takes off with a St Pat’s evening of traditional Irish food and music (and the essential raffle!). This year the music group (some 10 musicians with singers and dancers) entertained more than 70 folks in a lively, noisy event in our small parish hall.

Fundraising continued with Cream teas and a Curry night.

Schools became involved with both the local Junior school (St Edmunds) and Senior school (Our Lady’s Abingdon) raising significant money from their various initiatives.

Coming towards Palm Sunday, the parish is given the opportunity to donate to the Lenten projects as a second collection for those who might have been unable to participate in the prior activities. This is a significant source of income for the projects.

The parish golfers organised a golfing day at a nearby venue (despite the waterlogged greens this year!) and the youth of the parish organised a Sunday car wash-get your car washed whilst at Mass!

A significant new income stream was provided by a parishioner who did a sponsored cycle ride from Preston to Abingdon (some 215 miles!). This was the single biggest source of income outside of the Palm Sunday collection.

Together with some significant private donations (and claiming Gift Aid tax relief where allowed), the parish raised £13500 for the two projects.

Cheques were handed over at our parish day open air Mass in July at which Peter Rand and Maggie Calnan gratefully received a cheque for £6750 for FHL (photo shows Peter and Maggie with Fr Jamie McGrath).

The many parishioners and friends contributed in so many ways to the success-a really great way of bringing the diverse elements in a parish together.

Report written by Patrick Mulqueen.