St Robert's School, ‘Jillfest’
Webmaster • June 21, 2026
To celebrate the retirement of the lovely Headteacher Miss Collins, St Robert’s School will be hosting ‘Jillfest’ on
Friday 26th June from 5.30 – 8.30pm. There will be live performances, games, bar and lots more! It would be great to see as many old and present families as possible. Raffle tickets are available to purchase online:
https://app.classlist.com/events/#/events/view/1450970830
Dates for your diary: Pilgrimage to Walsingham: Saturday 26th September. St Aelred’s Church Cleaners meeting - At St Aelred’s on Saturday 26th September at 10am (for half an hour) CAFOD Harvest Family Fast Day: Will be on Friday 2nd October. Collection Sunday 4th October 2026 Week of Guided Prayer – 11th -16th October 2026: If you would like to take part, then please return your completed form to Fr Gerard by Sunday 15th September. November Mass for the deceased: 7pm - Tuesday 10th November STA Confirmation Catechesis for the Sacrament of Confirmation - session 1 Sunday 18th October 11.30am to 2pm with a half an hour break for packed lunched session 2 Sunday 8th November same timings. Both sessions to be held in the classroom at St Mary’s. It is essential to attend both sessions before receiving the sacrament of Confirmation. Please email Fr Gerard before Wednesday 14th October to apply for Confirmation this year. The Sacrament will be celebrated at St Aelred’s on Saturday 21st November at 5.30pm First Reconciliation: will be held on Saturday 14th March 2027 at 4.30pm at St Aelred’s. Wednesday 17th March 2027 at 6pm at St Mary’s. A meeting for parents from St Mary’s on Sunday 29th November 2026 following the School Family Mass. A meeting for parents from St Aelred’s on Saturday 28th November 2026 at 4.30pm in church. First Communions: will be held at St Mary’s on 22nd May 2027 at 11am and St Aelred’s on Sunday 23rd May 2027 at 9am. A meeting for parents from St Mary’s on Sunday 29th November 2026 following the School Family Mass. A meeting for parents from St Aelred’s on Saturday 28th November 2026 at 4.30pm in church. Christmas Fair St Aelred’s: 29th November 2026. Christmas Lunch for both parishes will be held at St Aelred’s on 9th December 2026. Advent Reconciliation Service. Thursday 10th December 7pm STA.
As part of the auction on Sunday 13th at St Mary's, we have a lot which could be purchased individually or by the parishioners in a group to keep for the Church. Pictures of the Não by Lladro nativity scene are attached to this email. At the auction there will be a reserve of £400 as each porcelain figurine purchased as new can cost between £150 and £350. Similar 8 piece sets are retailling for around £1160. Many of you have seen the Nativity scene on display at Mass today. Should you wish to pledge towards buying the Nativity scene for the Parish. Please can you email Fr Gerard the amount you wish to pledge by Saturday 12th September. This allows us to know any starting bid. All money raised for the Nativity Scene will go directly to the building fund.
St Mary’s Auction - will take place on Sunday 13th September after Mass. We have two beautiful paintings with a reserve set at £50 each. If you have any other valuables that we can auction towards the building fund please let Fr Gerard know. As part of the auction, we have a lot which could be purchased individually or by the parishioners in a group to keep for the Church. Pictures of the Não by Lladro nativity scene are below. At the auction there will be a reserve of £400 as each porcelain figurine purchased as new can cost between £150 and £350. Similar 8 piece sets are retailling for around £1160. Many of you have seen the Nativity scene on display at Mass today. Should you wish to pledge towards buying the Nativity scene for the Parish. Please can you email Fr Gerard the amount you wish to pledge by Saturday 12th September. This allows us to know any starting bid. All money raised for the Nativity Scene will go directly to the building fund.
Harrogate Hospital - has withdrawn the part-time chaplaincy role that Canon Gerard Kearney held due to funding cuts within the Trust. Meetings and written complaints have been entered into with so far, no movement from the Trust. If you require a Catholic Priest to visit whilst you, or a relative, are in hospital please ask the ward staff to facilitate this. In the meantime, please write to Eillen Watson at Harrogate hospital to register your dissatisfaction with the new arrangements. Her email address is eileen.watson3@nhs.net
Opportunity to Support St Mary’s Building Fund. Ian Burrell will be walking with a group of Pilgrims from Leeds Cathedral to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham from 12th September to 25th September. If you wish to have an Intention taken to Walsingham then please write your Intention and place in a sealed envelope and give this to Fr Gerard. These will be taken to Walsingham by the Pilgrims. If you would like to support the Building Fund by sponsoring Ian then please donate by one of the following methods: 1. Cash: Please give to Fr Gerard. 2. Pledge: Please write your name on the A3 paper in the Narthex. 3. Dona Machine: Please use the Dona Machine and select the ‘Walsingham Pilgrimage’ option. 4 .On-line Giving: Please use https://acdgnssr.donorsupport.co/page/FUNMFLQELFG and then select the designation ‘St Mary’s, Knaresborough, Building Fund’. Thank you for your support.
CAFOD's local Caritas partner, Caritas Nepal, is assessing and coordinating its response with local authorities. The immediate priorities are search and rescue, evacuation, emergency health care, aid distribution and restoring critical services. They have already dispatched food to provide meals for 300 families for 15 days. This response will be expanded as assessment continues and more areas become accessible. If you wish to support this work go online to: cafod.org.uk Please join us at CAFOD in praying for all who have been affected.
Week of Guided Prayer – 11th-16th October 2026. Please take an information leaflet from the back of church and consider taking part in this valuable offering for ALL parishioners . You do not need to have taken part in a retreat before. If you wish to talk it through, ask questions etc before committing, speak to Fr Gerard, Deacon David, Deacon Philip or Bernadette. If you would like to take part, then please return your completed form to Fr Gerard by Sunday 15th September. Payment towards the retreat in daily life can be made in cash, on the dona machine, QR code from the bulletin or by bacs (please see Fr Gerard for details of the account number)
American Style Ceilidh - Saturday 12th September 7.30pm in St Aelred’s hall. Come and dance to a top class live band. Sociable and fun. No previous dance experience needed - our expert dance caller will explain everything. This event is open to the public - bring your friends from outside the parish. Tickets £12 / £6 on the door. Tea, coffee & cake in the interval. No licensed bar but you can bring your own drinks if you wish. For more information see Philip Rowe (Sunday organist 9am).
Saturday September 12th 11.30am to 3.45pm in St. Aelred’s church hall. Speaker is Nick Price. "How do we begin to see coincidences and situations as encouragement for growth in the Holy Spirit within our daily lives."
Please note that when you hand in a Mass intention all dates are allocated 2 weeks in advance. Please be aware that due to the high volume of Mass requests we have received this year, the timeframe from the request to the Mass being celebrated is approximately 10 weeks. If you want a specific date you will need to hand in well in advance to avoid disappointment, if the date you request has already been taken you will be given the next available date nearest to your request. Please ensure that you put your donation inside the envelope (minimum donation £10), and the details on the outside ( in block capitals) , who the mass is for, and the date and church you would like. Thank you.