Welcome to the University of Portsmouth’s Catholic Society!

‘Vivere pro dei Gloria’

Who are we?

If you are Catholic, Christian or curious about Christianity, you are invited to join our community of students! We offer an opportunity to practise, talk about or find out more about your faith in an environment with other Catholics as well as join a supportive network of people. We see as our mission a calling to live a life which continually glorifies God and we do this through worship, prayer and living out the sacraments in our day to day lives.

Our motto of ‘Vivere pro dei Gloria’ inspires us to seek God’s glory here on earth and thus directs our society in planning events and activities for the future. It comes from 1 Corinthians 10:31, which compels us, saying ‘So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the Glory of God‘  knowing that living for His Glory will bring us joy and peace.

What do we offer?

As a society we offer a mix of socials, praise and worship, speakers, spiritual development and retreats. Our timetable of events is laid out per month and when you join, you will have access to a Gmail calendar, linked to the email you provided which will be constantly updated with everything that goes on.

Mass

As Catholics, our principal meeting is for mass each Sunday. Usually, this will be at St Swithun’s Catholic Church in Southsea at 10:15am Mass or in St Johns Cathedral at 12pm, however, we are currently exploring the possibility of beginning a dedicated youth and students mass; more details will be available once discussions are finalised with the diocese. For more information on general mass times in Portsmouth, please follow these links-

  View our Daily Services at St Swithun’s Calendar for the prayers for each day this week>

or you can find general Mass Times for St John’s Roman Catholic Cathedral here

  View our Daily Reading Calendar for the prayers for each day this week>

  View our Saints Calendar for interesting information about this weeks Saints>

Retreats

We also aim to provide an opportunity for a retreat once a month, details of which will be given out at Freshers Fayre and on the Society Calendar. Examples of retreats in the past have included Worth Abbey, the Catholic Workers Farm, Cambridge and St Albans. At Freshers Fayre, there will be a sign up sheet available for the first retreat to the Celebrate Conference in Southampton

Praise and Worship

New for 2017, due to popular demand, we will begin offering Praise and Worship with the Christian Union every Monday evening from 6.30pm-8.00pm. We are also appealing for any prospective members who are able to play an instrument, so sometime in the future we may also have our own Praise and Worship sessions.

Socials

Let it not be said we leave Jesus for the Church on Sunday- we must also allow Him to flood every aspect of our lives! As a community, it is vital we also interact at a personal level. To help this, our Social Secretary will organize regular social events which can be meals or other activities such as bowling and football tournaments or simply going to the pub together. We also offer post mass meetups after the mass on Sunday, as well as occasional brunch at the Chaplain’s Flat.

Support – Portsmouth University Chaplaincy Group

As a society and particularly as a faith society, we recognise that there are many of our members who require support in their lives, emotionally or physically. If you need someone to talk to, the committee members will always be there to listen to your concerns and give advice when necessary. As always, contact us through Facebook, send us a message using the links below, or simply speak to us face to face

Alternatively, the Catholic Lay Chaplain- Angela O’Donoghue– is available and ready to receive you. She has been with the university for a very long time and is an incredibly good source of advice and consolation. Do give her a ring or send her an email to sort out a meeting.

Email– angela.odonoghue@port.ac.uk

Telephone– 02392 843030

Information for the Portsmouth University Chaplaincy Group can be found Here

We also have assigned to us a member of the Clergy available for advice and support as well as administration of the Sacraments, such as Reconciliation and the Eucharist. For the next Academic year we will be welcoming Fr Philip Carroll into that role.

The costs for joining the society are £5 for the whole year, which covers overheads for any retreats and socials. We look forward to for you to join us and you are welcome to sign up at any time. You will then receive an email with further information.

God Bless!

So why not come and meet us

Other Resources and Useful Links

Email Gabriel Thomas Semple for more information using the form below 

Websites:

https://membership.upsu.net/group/catholic-society

http://cathsoc-portsmouth.weebly.com

There is no Catholic Chaplaincy Facebook

Chaplaincy Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/PortsmouthUniChaplaincy

So all Students go to St Swithun’s Website where you will find so much information: www.stswithuns.org.uk

All of Father Marcin’s Blogs can be found here 
Parish Diary & Events Calendar 
Daily Readings
Saint of the Day
Daily Meditations by Fr Marcin 

and we’ll be updating it regularly with new content, and more Resources!

PLUS We have also created a brand new Facebook Page with Daily Meditations by Fr Marcin and Parish Albums which you can also see on our website

Like us, share with friends and family, and join the conversation!