English Mass in Utrecht, the Netherlands: Every Sunday at 12.30 PM
St. Catherine’s Cathedral (map: Lange Nieuwstraat 36, Utrecht)
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ATTENTION – 22nd January meeting postponed
The meeting concerning the merge to one Utrecht parish, announced for the 22nd January will be postponed.
The reason is due to the concerns around the announced measures regarding paid musicians from July 2019. Also the specific situation about the Salvator parish requires more clarity, concerning the plans for the St. Catherine cathedral and the future of the Catholic faith in Utrecht.
The parish board considers that is best to first discuss the matter internally.
A new date, in the second half of February, will be announced later, once the board has more concrete answers.
We will let the community know whenever we have more information.
Petition for keeping the St. Catherine Cathedral
It has been announced before that the diocese has plans to sell the cathedral due to the current financial situation.
A group of parishioners with a vision of growth and vitality for the St. Catherine Cathedral created a petition to halt these plans and keep the cathedral for the parish.
If you share their opinion, you can sign the petition on this website:
https://catharinakathedraal.petities.nl
And then fill in your name, email address and place of residence.
The website is in Dutch, you can find a Google translated version here:
The petition will be handed over on the 22nd of January, during the information session about the topic announced before.
Future of the Utrecht parish
2019-01-16 UPDATE: The meeting on the 22nd of January was postponed. Please read more about it in a more recent post here.
On the 22nd of January at 20:00 there is a meeting concerning the merger to one Utrecht 
parish. The meeting takes place where we have the coffee and tea after the mass in the cathedral, the Bonifaciushuis – Nieuwegracht 61. Topic of discussion will among others be the financial situation and the plans of selling the Cathedral and the uncertainties surrounding the future of the st. Augustine. At the meeting you can learn more of the plans and express your concerns and ask questions you might have. We hope to see many of you there that evening.
Related to this topic, there is a group of (Dutch) parishioners that gather to pray for the future of the catholic church in (the centre of) Utrecht. Every Sunday at 18:00 you can join them in the sacristy of the St. Catherine Cathedral. You can ring the bell of the red door on the left side of the cathedral halfway the alley.
Would be great if you can join!
Christmas celebration 2018
The Christmas festivities are approaching and although there will be many celebrations in Utrecht, for the English Community we will only have one extra Christmas celebration, on Christmas day:
Tue 25th December, 12:30, St. Catherine Cathedral: Christmas mass in English
If you are interested in the Dutch celebrations please check the Tussentijds magazine, December edition: https://portal.parochiemagazin.nl/digital/2221/109/4190
Christmas Movie – The Nativity story
The Nativity Story, a dramatic and fascinating film about the birth of Jesus. The Nativity Story follows the difficult and dangerous journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, the miraculous pregnancy and the birth of Jesus. The most famous story about love and destiny, about calamity and oppression and about a child that would change the history of the world.
Where: Coffee room St. Augustine Church, PASTORAAL CENTRUM, Rozenstraat 1, (next to Q-PARK parkeergarage/parking garage LA VIE) Utrecht.
When: Sunday December 16, 14:30
Taizé prayer Thursday November 15
Upcoming Thursday, November 15, the doors will be open for our monthly Taizé youth prayer in Utrecht! You are welcome from 20:00 on. There will be the possibility for silence, before the prayer starts at 20:15.
Where: De Wijkplaats, Utrecht
Johannes Camphuysstraat 101, 3531 SE Utrecht
For more information, you can also visit the Facebook event (https://www.facebook.com/events/1518233414959545/?event_time_id=1518233464959540).
In addition, we’d like to inform you about the following:
- Next, we’re looking for new musicians (preferably piano) and people to strengthen our team! Though the team is always present with much enthusiasm, we do need to expand our team as no one is going to stay in the team till eternity. Would you like to join our enthusiastic team and support us once a month with the Taizé prayer preparations, to sing during the prayer or to support with the website/promotions. Please let us know via mail or reach out to us before or after the prayer!
We hope to see you Thursday evening!
On behalf Taizé group Utrecht and Reinier van den Assum
All Saints and All Souls 2018
This Thursday, the 1st of November, we celebrate the All Saints day.
The following mass celebrations, in Dutch, are scheduled:
- On the St. Catherine Cathedral, at 19:00
- On the chapel of the Augustinian sisters of St. Monica (Waterstraat 2, Utrecht), at 12:30
This Friday, the 2nd of November, we celebrate the All Souls day.
The following mass celebrations, also in Dutch, are scheduled:
- On the St. Catherine Cathedral, at 19:00
- On the chapel of the Augustinian sisters of St. Monica (Waterstraat 2, Utrecht), at 12:30
This Sunday Singelloop 2018 – church difficult to reach
This Sunday, the 7th October, it will take place in the center of Utrecht the annual running event known as Singelloop. If you come to mass by car, bus or bike you should count with some delays. So please plan carefully your next visit to the English Mass.
For more information about the event you can check their website:
Movie Afternoon Théresia of Lisieux
As a young girl from a French, bourgeois family, Thérèse Martin traveled to Rome to ask the Pope for permission to enter the Carmel Order at the age of 15. Despite the strict monastic life, she discovered that holiness can be achieved through small acts of charity and compassion. She called this simple but deep spiritual truth her ‘little way’. This film shows in a moving way the life of a remarkable young woman, who fell in love with God. Her life history, with setbacks and victories, is that of an ordinary girl with extraordinary mental power.
- Where: Coffee room St. Augustine Church, PASTORAAL CENTRUM, Rozenstraat 1, (next to Q-PARK parking garage LA VIE) Utrecht
- When: Sunday September 30, 14:30
- Speaker: Father James Smits
Week of Peace – Taizé prayer Thursday September 20
Upcoming Thursday, September 20, the doors will be open for our monthly Taizé youth prayer in Utrecht! In context of the Week of Peace (September 15 till 23), this will be a special edition. The prayer will be organised in collaboration with the Old Catholics in their beautiful Gertrudiskathedraal (near the Mariaplaats). Note the prayer will thus NOT be in the Wijkplaats.
As usual, doors will open from 20:00 on, allowing some moment of silence till the prayer starts at 20:15.
For more information, you can also visit the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/437528756739560/
In addition, we’d like to inform you about the following:
- Our Taizé prayer is only one of the activities in the Week of Peace as can be found attached (full program of the Old Catholics) or the PAX website (https://www.paxvoorvrede.nl/).
Amongst others there will be a Walk of Peace (https://actie.paxvoorvrede.nl/actie/walk-of-peace-utrecht-2018/) on September 23 (Sunday) organised by many churches in Utrecht (will also take place in other cities in The Netherlands)
{Unfortunately all info is in Dutch, but feel free to reach out for any questions}
- Next, we’re looking for new musicians (preferably piano) and people to strengthen our team! Though the team is always present with much enthusiasm, we do need to expand our team as no one is going to stay in the team till eternity. Would you like to join our enthusiastic team and support us once a month with the Taizé prayer preparations, to sing during the prayer or to support with the website/promotions. Please let us know via mail or reach out to us before or after the prayer!
We hope to see next Thursday evening!
On behalf of Reinier van den Assum, and the organizing team of the Taizé events in Utrecht.
