SALISBURY CATHOLICS, INTERNATIONAL MASS, FRIDAY 13 OCTOBER 2017.
On Friday evening, 13 October 2017, nearly 400 ‘Salisbury Catholics’ packed into St Joseph’s Catholic School Hall for their annual International Mass followed by a Bring and Share Supper. This year’s theme was ‘Peace and Reconciliation.’
Canon Michael concelebrated the Mass for us with Father Saji, adding an international dimension, and Father Anthony, the new Parish Priest of Christ the King, Amesbury. Pupils from St Joseph’s School led the prayers of intercession and our Filipino and Keralan community choirs sang some hymns - each one in their own mother tongue.
The centrepieces of our Bring and Share meal were the ever-popular, tasty Keralan community curry and this year’s special treat was a real-Spanish paella. The success of this evening was dependent upon different teams working behind the scenes to prepare the food, furniture, liturgy, music and car-parking.
Comments included:
· ‘We were thrilled to see such a crowd; there was a beautiful spirit about the place’. 
· ‘My friends from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Poland and Ghana really enjoyed it’.
· ‘In a world where there is so much hatred and bitterness between our fellow men, it was truly awe-inspiring and heart-warming to see our diverse community come to worship, sing, eat, talk and laugh together.’
· ‘I liked the fact that everybody jelled and worked together’.
· ‘This is the first time I spoke to Catholics from other countries; it was so inspiring to hear that we are so lucky to hold a Mass like this so “freely”...
Photographs by Courtesy of Spencer Mullholland and Michael Presley