24th July 2016 (the next newsletter will be early in September)

Thank you for all your help and suppory during the year.

The Holiday Period
Schools have broken up, holidays started so this is the last newsletter until September.
I’m away from Monday 8th August to Tuesday 30th August inclusive.

We welcome Fr Peter Andrew, who with Fr David, will be celebrating Mass whilst I’m away.

Marie in the office is away from Friday 5th – 19th August. As usual our music groups will be taking a well deserved break. There is no Exposition or Benediction from Monday 8th August.

25th July 2016

Passing the Test

The medical students were beginning their third year. They were all enthusiastic, bright and confident they would not just become doctors but had great futures ahead of them: all their tutors assured them.

Dear new parishioner, you would be most welcome to join in the services and the social activities of the church. Please make yourself known to members of the community.

To keep parish records up to date, please complete the New Parisioner's Form and return to the parish office.

On 23rd July we celebrated St. Bridget's Day, an occasion when we recalled the Foundation of the Bridgettine Abbey at Syon Abbey in 1415 and the Celebration of the 600th anniversary of the Foundation around this time last year.

Alas our website ess not working at this time last year and the newsletter was about to cease publication for a month so events following the Celebration were not reported.

A warm and appreciative "Thank You" for the occasion came in an email a day after the event from an eminent member of the Syon Abbey Society who is J.R.R Tolkien Professor of English at Oxford University. He thanked our community i.e. everyone who took part with the words:

"Many thanks for your help yesterday. It was a terrific occasion, and a great tribute to your community and to the enduring spell of Syon Abbey.  I was very impressed by the whole thing, and often moved by it. Best wishes, Vincent Gillespie".

You can still view a collection of some 200 photographs of the event by our parishioner Nowell, and to purchase relevant books or programme please click on the following link:   Syon Abbey 600 website

Prof. Gillespie appeared recently on BBC4 in a programme "The Search for the Lost Manuscript: Julian of Norwich".  Julian was a visionary contemporary of St. Bridget and another very exceptional woman, the first ever to write a book in English called "The story of Revelations of Divine Love".  It's still available!

"Syon Abbey 600": A Summer Celebration

Last year marked the 600th Anniversary of the foundation of the Bridgettine monastery at Syon Abbey in 1415.  It was fitting we should commemorate this very special occasion for the Order which gives our church its name.
In celebration, an open air ecumenical service was held at the site of Syon Abbey behind Syon House on Sunday 19th July 2015 at 3pm.  Some 700 people attended, mostly standing, many sitting on the grass or on bales of hay marking the boundaries of the Abbey.
It was a collaboration between Syon House, St. Bridgets and All Saints, Isleworth and was led by Cardinal Vincent Nichols.  We are most grateful to the Duke of Northumberland for offering to host this occasion, in recognition of its undoubted historical importance.  It was a wonderful opportunity for all the churches of Isleworth and Brentford to come together in unity as they were in 1415.
The service took the form of Evening Prayer of the Church with hymns plus music and liturgy both modern and of the period.  All were welcome to come.

“The Catholic Community in Isleworth” available now
Stuart Bagnall's history of the Catholics in Isleworth was republished in an attractive, updated new edition in time for the Syon Abbey 600 celebration.  Price £5.00 at the Repository Gift Shop.  All profits go to parish funds

Commemoration Calendar
Also in celebration of this Foundation in 1415, we published a new 2015 calendar. A few are still available from the Repository Gift Shop.   Price £7.00.  Orders can also be placed by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .   This very attractive calendar includes a variety of photographs and some outstanding "Thoughts for the Week" from Father Stewart.                                                                                               Very few copies left............don't miss it!