St Thomas of Canterbury

Introduction

The church was opened on 30 December 1894 and dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury.

History

St Thomas of Canterbury in Wroxton is the only thatched church in Oxfordshire. The church was largely rebuilt in 1947-8, substantially in its present form. A village church was opened in 1887, converted from a former wash house or laundry, and dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The front windows show rural occupations within borders of bible text and are the work of Charles Alexander Gibbs (1825-77).

Parish life

The parish runs a Children's Liturgy for young parishioners. The parish supports St Chad's Sanctuary, a voluntary project for asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants.

The parish is proud of its Catholic schools: St John's and St Joseph's primary schools, and Blessed George Napier secondary school. The parish runs WhatsApp and Facebook community pages.

A permanent deacon was ordained in 2004 at Saint Chad's Cathedral for the parish of Saint Joseph the Worker. A permanent deacon was ordained on 4 July 2021 in the Archdiocese of Birmingham and is a Catholic chaplain at a prison.

Visiting

The parish's music ministry has choristers who lead the congregation in singing hymns and other liturgical music during Mass. An usher ministry welcomes and assists parishioners before and during Mass, directing people to seats and handing out bulletins and hymn books.