Welcome to the website of St Joseph and the English Martyrs. Our church is situated in the Hertfordshire Market town of Bishop's Stortford and is part of the Diocese of Westminster.


Priest : Canon Edward Matthews

Parish Office:
Open 10.00am - 3.00pm Weekdays



Email Address: bishopsstortford@rcdow.org.uk

Parking arrangements (pdf)

For information on the human fertilisation and embryology bill Click Here

Information about the Parish Pastoral Council
Download the PPC Member Nomination Form (pdf).
Download the newly approved Parish Pastoral Council Constitution (pdf).
Saint of the Day
Today's Readings
Daily Prayer
Vocations information page

CAFOD – Harvest Fast Day – Friday 3 October 2008
envelopes are available at the back of the Church for those who wish to ‘Gift Aid’ their donation to CAFOD Fast Day. There will be a retiring collection after all Masses next weekend 4/5 October. On Friday 3 October the Justice & Peace Group is holding a soup/bread & cheese lunch in the Parish Centre on Friday 3rd October, 12.30 - 2.00pm; Cost: £3.00, children 50p. Proceeds to the CAFOD Fast Day collection and Penny Collection for Mivumoni, Kenya.

THIS SUNDAY 28 September
is the closing date for the return of forms for First Holy Communion 2009. Children, should be 8 years old on or before the 31 August 2009. Meeting for parents - Friday 10 October, first session for children Saturday 11 October 10.30am to 12md. Both these meetings will be held at St Joseph’s School in Great Hadham Road. On Sunday 12 October we welcome the children and their families to the 9am Mass. (Parishioners please note this Mass may be very full.) A list of all dates will be sent out to parents during the coming week.

"Rosary Crusade for Peace"
Starting the 3rd October, on all Fridays during October the rosary will be recited at 7.15pm in the Church.

100 Club 2008/2009
- in 2008/2009 the 100 Club will support St Elizabeth’s Training Therapy & Vocational Centre in Much Hadham. Application /renewal forms available at the back of the church and the letter contains full details.

There are lots of things going on both in the parish and the wider community. Full details are available in the Parish newsletter or on the notice boards in the porch

Canon Eddie is away now for his 'Summer' holiday and will return at the beginning of October. Fr Frank Wahle and Fr Peter Dwyer will be saying the weekend Masses during this time.

Sometimes it’s nice to know where the money we give in our second collections actually goes – below is part of a report on Day for Life’s collection for 2007 - Day for Life 2007 aimed to explain why the Church opposes abortion and at the same time highlighted the practical care and emotional support offered to women and babies in need. Proceeds from the Day for Life 2007 collection held in parishes in England and Wales have been given principally to Life and the Linacre Centre for Healthcare Ethics (see below); £25,000 was also donated to Ethical Stem Cell Research and a series of smaller grants will also be given to life-related charities.

Life - Thanks to the generosity of parishioners up and down the country who supported last year's Day for Life collection, Life, the charity dedicated to helping and supporting thousands of men and women through its work in caring, education, housing and Fertility Care has just received a cheque for £70,000. Bishop Longley in presenting the cheque said, “ It is important to acknowledge that it is only through the generosity of parishioners that we are able to be here today and offer our Day for Life donation- we are only really a channel –a channel between the generous parishioners and people who contribute to the Day for Life collection each year and the organisations, families and individuals who most need and deserve the Church’s support” ……… he thanked Life for all the work they do, Life Caring, Life Housing and the fertility Care Programme.

The Chief executive of Life, Martin Foley in replying said, “…………some of the money will be used to help renovate the gardens in our Life houses and to install play equipment to make our houses real homes from home; some will be used to support some new care initiatives we are launching in the Midlands and the South East; and some will be used to support our education programme in schools – right across the whole range of Life Services. I would just like to reiterate how enormously grateful we are to the Church for remembering us through Day for Life.” The full article can be read on www.rcdow.org.uk