St Joseph’s Parish is part of the Diocese of Northampton, which comprises eight Pastoral Areas: North Northamptonshire, Northampton, Milton Keynes, Luton, Bedfordshire, Aylesbury, South Bucks and Slough. We belong to the South Bucks Pastoral Area, entrusted to the patronage and protection of St Monica.
Click here to read Bishop David's feedback on his Pastoral Area Visitation in Autumn 2023.
Parishes in our Pastoral Area
Immaculate Heart of Mary – Great Missenden
Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church
The Presbytery, 23 High Street, Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, HP16 9AA
Visit Us: www.ihmmissenden.org.uk
Contact Us: 01494 862 049 or parish.ihm@northamptondiocese.org
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour – Chesham Bois
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Church
30 Amersham Road, Chesham Bois, Buckinghamshire, HP6 5PE
Visit Us: www.ourladyschurch-cheshambois.org
Contact Us: 01494 727 469 or parish.ourladycbstaidanlc@northamptondiocese.org
St Aidan – Little Chalfont
St Aidan’s Catholic Church
Finch Lane, Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9NE
Visit Us: www.staidanslittlechalfont.co.uk
Contact Us: 01494 763 518 or parish.ourladycbstaidanlc@northamptondiocese.org
St Augustine – High Wycombe
St Augustine’s Catholic Church
24 Amersham Hill, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP13 6NZ
Visit Us: www.st-augustines-church.org.uk
Contact Us: 01494 523969 or parish.staugustinehw@northamptondiocese.org
St Columba – Chesham
St Columba’s Catholic Church
432 Berkhampstead Road, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 3HQ
Visit Us: www.stcolumbas.church
Contact Us: 01494 785269 or parish.stcolumba@northamptondiocese.org
St Dunstan – Bourne End
St Dunstan’s Catholic Church
Cores End Road, Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, SL8 5AR
Visit Us: www.saintdunstans.co.uk
Contact Us: 01628 522 956 or parish.stdunstan@northamptondiocese.org
St John Henry Newman – High Wycombe
St Wulstan’s Catholic Church
Hollis Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP13 7UN
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church
Squirrel Lane, Booker, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP12 4RY
Visit Us: www.stjhnparish.org
Contact Us: 01494 472526 or parish.stjhn@northamptondiocese.org
St Peter – Marlow
St Peter’s Catholic Church
7 St Peter Street, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, SL7 1NQ
Visit Us: www.st-peters-marlow.org.uk
Contact Us: 01628 483696 or parish.stpetermarlow@northamptondiocese.org
St Teresa – Beaconsfield
St Teresa’s Catholic Church
40 Warwick Road, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, HP9 2PL
Visit Us: www.littleflower.co.uk
Contact Us: 01494 673 018 or parish.stteresabeaconsfield@northamptondiocese.org
Schools in our Pastoral Area
Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School – Chesham Bois
Visit Us: www.olschesham.co.uk
Contact Us: 01494 726390 or office@olschesham.co.uk
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School – Chalfont St Peter
Visit Us: www.stjosephschalfont.school
Contact Us: 01753 887743 or office@stjosephschalfont.school
St Peter’s Catholic Primary School – Marlow
Visit Us: www.stpetersschoolmarlow.org.uk
Contact Us: 01628 472116 or office@stpetersrc.bucks.sch.uk
St Michael’s Catholic School (Primary, Secondary and Sixth Form) – High Wycombe/Aylesbury
Visit Us: www.stmichaels.bucks.sch.uk
Contact High Wycombe Campus: 01494 535196 or office@stmichaelscs.org
Contact Aylesbury Campus: 01494 535196 or office-ayls@stmichaelscs.org
All the schools belong to the St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust, which serves 15 school communities in the south of the Diocese of Northampton (see www.stcat.co.uk for more details).
Pastoral Area Council
The Pastoral Area Council (PAC) is made up of clergy and lay representatives from each parish. The Dean is Rev Mgr Provost Seán Healy, the Chair is Joan Barham and our parish lay representative is Christine Cornwell. It meets bi-monthly to communicate parish news, strengthen relationships and progress pastoral area-wide initiatives.
The Pastoral Area Council is an opportunity to focus our reflection about what it means to be a missionary disciple. The Church is an apostolic community that receives the life of the Spirit for mission.
Bishop David
As parishes Bishop David asks us: ‘To be generous; in your prayer of intercession for the parish communities within your Pastoral Area, in your seeking the way forward to encourage a communion of collaboration between these communities, in your vision for the way forward and how we can reach out in welcome to those who are called to belong to the Body of Christ but need our encouragement and accompaniment.’
Pastoral Area Councils exist to serve the mission of the Church in their local area. They offer opportunities to undertake new projects together and enhance the life of individual communities. They connect people across a locality, sharing experience, talent and opportunities for growth. They facilitate the fulfilment of our baptismal vocation.
Bishop David says: ‘A Pastoral Area is not a set of identical units, with each congregation having to function in the same way. As St Paul writes, we are a body, with different skills and functions, because of its variety, not despite it, the Pastoral Area can be a representation of the Body of Christ. The role of the Council, and the Dean and Chair in particular, is to hold that tension creatively and use it for the building of the Kingdom.’
Executive Group: Mgr Seán Healy, Joan Barham, Deacon Gerard Felix, Joanna Hale and Christine Cornwell.
Schools Representative: Mark Holdsworth, Headteacher at Our Lady’s, Chesham Bois.
The way the Church expresses its communion is through synodality, by meeting, listening, debating, praying, and deciding. The Spirit is always the protagonist and the Lord asks us not to be afraid when the Spirit calls us.
Pope Francis
Saint Monica, pray for us.