If you walk along the cliffs between Seaford and Peacehaven, the wind in your face and the sea stretching endlessly to the horizon, you might not think of it as a place that reflects the deep mystery of the universal Church. But here, in our small seaside communities of Seaford, Newhaven, and Peacehaven, we are part of something vast and beautiful; the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
The word catholic means universal, and that universality is not just about geography, it’s about unity in truth and love. Across continents and cultures, in great cathedrals and small chapels, in bustling cities and quiet coastal towns, the same Eucharist is celebrated, the same Gospel is proclaimed, and the same Spirit moves among God’s people.
As St Paul reminds us: “There is one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:4–6). That includes us, here on the Sussex coast. Our parish is not a spiritual outpost or a forgotten corner, it is the Catholic Church in this place, fully alive, fully called, and fully sent.
In our schools, homes, streets, and churches, we are entrusted with sharing the great Jesus story, the story of God’s love that became flesh, died for our sins, rose again, and now invites all people into life with Him. This is not just the task of popes, deacons, or priests, but of all the baptised. Each of us, by virtue of our baptism, is part of the Body of Christ and carries within us a missionary identity.
As Pope Benedict XVI once said:
“Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”
(Deus Caritas Est, 1)
That Person is Jesus Christ. That event is His saving death and resurrection. And that new horizon? It’s visible right here, where chalk cliffs meet the Channel, and where a faithful people gather to live out the Gospel with hope and joy.
So as we worship together at St Thomas More in Seaford and the Immaculate Conception in Peacehaven, let’s remember: we belong to the one global Catholic Church. But we are also the Catholic Church here, in our local corner of the world, called to love our neighbours, and called to proclaim that Jesus is Lord.
May we live our faith with courage, share it with joy, and remember always that in every Mass, every sacrament, and every act of service, we are part of the great communion of saints, the Church in Seaford, Peacehaven, and Newhaven, and the Church throughout the world.