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About us
The best way to define the Catholic society would be to say that we are a group of eager and dynamic people who want to connect with those around us.
Our weekly meetings provide a place for us to discuss our thoughts, around like-minded people and also get to know new perspectives and different ways to see the world.
All are welcomed, no matter your faith. We have plenty of socials, including dinners and pub quizzes which are a great opportunity to get closer together, have fun and learn.
Retreats and pilgrimages are also done often, giving you an opportunity to strengthen your faith and spend time together with our group. We also aim at supporting our community outside campus through volunteering work and charity support.
Weekly meetings:
Main meeting: Wednesdays @ 6:00pm in The Jurgens Centre in Englefield Green* - check our Instagram (@rhulcathsoc) where we post what we will be doing that week. Our weekly social events usually vary between socials like pub quizzes, talks and faith discussions.
Coffee Mornings: Friday (fortnightly) @ 12:00pm to 1:00pm in Royal Holloway Chapel, Founder's Building (Queen's North Quad)
Multifaith Chaplaincy
Updates on Multifaith Chaplaincy events are posted to the Multifaith Chaplaincy Facebook page, the RH Chapel Community WhatsApp group, and the RH Chaplaincy Instagram page. You can, also, opt to recieve newsletter updates from the Multifaith Chaplaincy team, via your Royal Holloway email address.
Mass
Most of the Catholic community, at Royal Holloway, University of London, will attend worship at our on-campus chapel, located in the Founders Building's North Quad. The Chapel can be found underneath the clock tower by the entrance. Everyone is welcome to the weekly services: Catholics and non-Catholics, students, and members of the general public. Each service is followed by a small get together in the roundel, where wine, soft drinks and snacks are served. This is a great way to meet another students and parishioners.
Unfortunately, the Royal Holloway Multifaith Chaplaincy team has been unable to employ a Catholic Chaplain for September 2023. So, services will be temporarily stopped at the Chapel and moved to the Catholic Church of the Assumption of Our Lady in Englefield Green.
However, Royal Holloway Chapel is still open for private worship and visitors from 9:00am to 8:00pm, Monday to Sunday. It can be great place to unwind and reflect after a busy day of study.
We hope that Catholic services will return to Royal Holloway Chapel soon. Keep your eye out for updates on our Instagram page, WhatsApp group and Multifaith Chaplaincy Facebook Page.
Catholic Church of the Assumption of Our Lady
- Address: The Assumption of Our Lady, 91 Harvest Road, Englefield Green, Egham, TW20 0QR
- Exposition & Benediction (Every Saturday) @ 9:15am
- Mass (Every Saturday) @ 10:00am & 6:00pm | (Every Sunday) @ 9:15am & 11:00am
- Confession/ Reconciliation (Every Saturday) @ 10:35am & 5:15pm
Contact Details:
Alternative Places of Worship
Some Catholic students may prefer to attend services off campus. This is a great way to get involved with the wider community and meet new people.
There are a variety of options for Catholic worship across Greater London, Berkshire and Surrey. Egham's strong transport links make commuting for worship easy. The local runs hourly trains towards Reading, Weybridge and Waterloo, whilst Royal Holloway campus has regular bus routes (441 Staines - Englefield Green | 500 Staines - Frimley Park Hospital | 8 Heathrow Airport T5 - Slough | RH2 Founder's Building - Egham Station | RH3 Egham Station - Kingswood).
More infomation on public transport can be found on the Royal Holloway Student Intranet website
Our Lady of the Rosary Church
- Address: Our Lady of the Rosary Church, 59 Gresham Rd, Staines TW18 2BD
- Mass (Tuesday) @ 9:15am* | (Wednesday) @ 9:15am* | (Thursday) 9:15am | (Every Saturday) @ 6:30pm | (Every Sunday) @ 9:00am & 11:00am
*Weekday masses are subject to change. So, consult the weekly newsletter for Catholic Parish of Staines. This can be found on parish website. If you are unable to locate any further details, please contact the parish via email.
Contact Details: 01784 452381 (Telephone/ Landline) | staines@rcdow.org.uk (Email Address)
St David's Presbytery
- Address: St David’s Presbytery, Everest Rd, Stanwell, Staines TW19 7EE
- Mass (Every Monday & Tuesdays) @ 6:00pm | (Every Wednesday) @ 9:30am | (Every Friday) @ 6:00pm | (Every Saturday 'Sunday Virgil') @ 6:00 pm | (Every Sunday) @10:30 am
- Holy Adoration (Friday) @5:30pm, followed by Holy Mass
- Confession (Every Saturday Evening) Before Evening Mass. Do approach the priest if you want to confess.
- Eucharistic Holy Hour (1st Friday of the Month) @ 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm, followed by Holy Mass.
Contact Details: 01784 252230 (Telephone/ Landline) | stanwellparish@rcdow.org.uk
Membership
Your bargain £5 Catholic Society membership includes admittance to all weekly meetings as well as end of term dinners (if possible). Our regular pilgrimage trips will be free of charge to members, where possible. Previous day trips include Cambridge, Salisbury, Arundel and Guildford.
For non-members each day trip costs the same as a membership, so it's worth joining! You’ll also get an opportunity to join us on trips abroad (previous destinations include Rome and Barcelona) as well as free day retreat excursions throughout the year.
Your membership fee helps our society function and allows to us run our events, such as our hugely anticipated Christmas Dinner as well as covering the cost of travel for our day trips.
We pride ourselves on being a society that is huge value for money as along with all this you’ll have the opportunity to socialise and make friends in an inclusive environment.
Events and Activities
Over the course of the year we host weekly meetings which include: bible studies, discussions about faith, external speakers and pizza dinner.
We also host several social events such as; quizzes, pub crawls, Christmas dinner and BBQs.
We go on day trips, for example: Oxford, Salisbury Cathedral, Canterbury and Cambridge (usually free for members).
Day or extended retreats are also something we do often:
- One day long retreats are normally held at the Salesian house in Chertsey, usually around Lent and the Advent, providing a chance to reflect and get away from the busy student life
- Extended retreats vary in length. It can go from a weekend to a full week. Recent examples include a weekend retreat to Douai Abbey and a Pilgrimage to Rome.
Contact Us
We are always open to new members, and are very excited to meet new faces.
You can use the following WhatsApp link (to be added soon!) to join our group chat. Here you can get to know us better and get all of the up to date information on future events!
Royal Holloway Catholic Chaplain
Royal Holloway's Multi-faith Chaplinacy team is attempting to recruit a new Catholic Chaplain.
We hope to provide more infomation soon.
Become A Catholic Society Committee Member!!!
Applications for other roles (e.g. President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Charity Officer, Events Co-ordinator(s) and Well-being Secretary) will not be available until the end of this academic year (May/ June 2024). You must purchase an official Catholic Society membership to apply for a position on the committee.
SADS Charity Fundraiser: In Memory of Michael O'Toole
Our late Vice-President and dear friend, Michael O'Toole, sadly passed away last October from SADS (Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome). Despite being young and perfectly healthy, Michael suddenly went into cardiac arrest.
For more information on SADS and how to donate directly to the charity, please visit the official SADS UK page.
In his memory, Michael's former Sixth Form is running a 24-hour cycling event, where each participant will cycle the distance of Honiton, Devon, to the French Capital, Paris, and back to the Royal Holloway University of London; that's over 700 miles!
The fundraiser aims to raise enough money to purchase a defibrillator (or two) for his hometown of Honiton and Royal Holloway University. Each defibrillator costs £1,000 (roughly $1,200).
For more information on the fundraiser and how to donate, please visit the event's JustGiving.com page. Every donation is much appreciated.