Ministries

We love serving others

Our church community has so many teams within it, groups of friends exploring faith or serving together in a variety of ways. This is important because we can’t do faith on our own. The vast majority of these teams are run by volunteers who give their time freely. If you are interested in joining any of them, or trying out any of the activities on offer, or you are looking for support for you or your family – just get in touch!

Here are some of our great teams and activities we hope you would like to support:

Welcoming & hospitality

We are investing in hospitality so that anyone who arrives at our church knows that they belong.

Worship & liturgy

Music – From singers to organists, from choirs to instrumentalists, the musical worship of our parish is really diverse.

Adorers – Eucharistic adoration is a beautiful Catholic form of prayer in which we spend time with Jesus – our team of adorers have committed their time to do just this.

Altar servers – Our teams of altar servers play a key role in ensuring our Masses run smoothly and in helping to create an atmosphere of prayer.

Children’s liturgy of the Word – Our Children’s Liturgy teams do a great job, especially in unpacking the readings at mass for the children of our parish.

Parish Life

PeterCares – is a simple befriending project offering support by linking volunteer parishioner telephone callers with fellow parishioners. The support provided includes a friendly chat, continued connection with the parish, information about our virtual church, practical help where requested, and a conduit for prayer requests. For more information click here…….

Church environment – Keeping the church looking beautiful is a big job and has such an impact! This team helps to keep the church clean, the flowers stunning and the brass shining.

Transport – We have volunteers dedicated to bringing members of our parish to mass when they can no longer safely transport themselves to our services. This helps them to remain valued members of our church community.

Youth & young adults – We care passionately that the younger generations of our church grow closer to Jesus and so we have a team that aims to empower them within our community.

The Winchester Catholic History Society – This Society has a diverse programme of Speakers and meets regularly. There are also trips to places of historical interest. Further information here….

Journey in faith – A group for those wanting to know more about the Catholic Church, or who are considering becoming Catholics. The programme tries to answer any and all questions about our faith, about the Church, about the Journey. Further information here…

Messy Church – A meeting place for anyone, especially preschoolers and their families. It takes place in the Pastoral Centre on Tuesday mornings during term time and is a chance to explore a biblical theme through creativity, fun and fellowship.

Catholic Women’s League – A worldwide organisation, united in friendship and love. We aim to support various charities and to care for those in need. Winchester Section, based at St. Peter’s, meets on 3rd Thursday of the month in the Pastoral Centre between 4.30pm and 6.30pm, concluding with the Thursday 7.00pm Mass in St. Peter’s. Further information here….

Pies & Puds – All are welcome for a proper home-made lunch, and a talk, 3rd Wednesday of every month except March 2023, and every August. (arrive 12.45 for lunch at 1pm, event finishes around 3pm. Always worth checking in newsletter, where you can also find the subject of the talk each month)

Repository/bookshop – The shop sells a wide range of books, cards and religious artefacts, and is open after Masses.

Parish archives – Our archivist, John Thornhill, is the guardian of the Parish history, and can be contacted by email: archive@stpeterswinchester.org.uk.

Support & outreach

We want our parish to become one that embraces all through a welcoming and serving attitude to everyone we meet, not only in church but throughout our daily lives. Please visit our Outreach page for further details.

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Want to find out more? Please get in touch here

St. Peter Street has been the centre of Roman Catholicism in Winchester from the Reformation, when being a Catholic became illegal, to today.

In Elizabeth I’s time, Lady West owned a house in the street, where Mass was said clandestinely and priests were hidden; one of whom was executed in the city along with five lay men between 1583 and 1593.

These are the Winchester Martyrs, and their names are: John Slade, Roger Dicconson, Ralph Milner, Lawrence Humphreys, James Bird, John Thomas.

About 1674, Roger Corham built a house in the street – St. Peter’s House – in which there was a chapel and resident priest serving Catholics locally. By 1740, a growing congregation led to a larger but makeshift chapel being built in the back garden. In 1792, with Catholic chapels now legal, Rev. John Milner constructed a new church on the site. In that year émigré priests fleeing the French Revolution arrived, with eventually up to 1,000 being accommodated in the city. Two communities of nuns came later; one setting up in St. Peter Street in what is now the Royal Hotel. Both convents stayed until the 19th century.

Milner’s chapel (which still stands as “Milner Hall”) was replaced by the present St. Peter’s Church in 1926. Steady growth followed. A chapel was opened at Weeke in 1957 and a small convent next to St. Peter’s in 1960. The primary school, which had first opened in St. Peter Street in 1853 and moved to Gordon Road in 1899, began relocating to Oliver’s Battery in 1970. It is now adjacent to St. Stephen’s Church, which opened in 1969. A new presbytery (“Peterhouse”) was constructed in 1986. In 2006, St. Peter’s merged with St. Gregory the Great, Alresford and St. Thomas More, Stockbridge to create a new parish, renamed St. Peter and the Winchester Martyrs in 2017. Throughout, there has been a steady growth in ecumenism, mission and parish recognition of responsibilities to people who are vulnerable and needy.