Manoppello Coffee House
St Patrick's
Catholic Church
Videos
Events
Series
Series
Our events and films come together in series, each a different way into the faith. Explore them here.
Summits
Our annual one-day deep dives into the faith.
Events
Videos
Sessions
Explore ideas that matter. Over Coffee.
Events
Videos
Nightfever
An evening invitation to step inside and pray.
Events
Mary in a Month
A short daily reflection on Our Lady.
Videos
Faith Exploration
Big questions, honest answers, room to wonder.
Events
Faith
Catholic Faith
At the heart of it all is Jesus Christ. Explore what the Church believes and find your way into the faith.
What we believe
The beauty of the Catholic faith, explained simply.
Become a Catholic
Take your next step into the Church.
Pray with us
Spend time with God in our house of prayer.
Eucharistic Adoration
Time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
The Sacraments
How we meet Christ at every stage of life.
Mission
Mission
Soho is one of the busiest corners of London, and we want to reach it. Here is how we serve, and how you can join in.
Our Ministries
The many ways we serve, in body and spirit.
Open House
Our welcome to the homeless of central London.
Join the Team
Give your gifts and time to the mission.
Donate
Help keep our doors open and our work going.
Church
Our Church
Everything here flows from our life of prayer and worship. Get to know the church, its story and its sacramental life.
Who we are
Meet our community and our mission.
Parish Newsletter
Keep up with parish life each week.
Our History
From 1792 to today, in the heart of Soho.
Our Music
The sacred music that lifts our worship.
Mass Times
Menu
Close

What we believe

The Beauty of the Catholic Faith

Jesus Christ was both a human being and the Son of God. Because of this, he offers us divine insight into the meaning of life.

Does God exist?

Does God exist? If so, what does that change in my life? Find out what the Church teaches about our longing for God and how we discover the purpose of our lives in His will for us.

What the Church teaches

Catechism of the Catholic Church [27]

‘The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.’

Fr Alexander writes...

It is said that the ‘greatest tragedy is when people do not want to become saints’ which might sit strangely with our modern world. It could be said that the world has become evermore formless with fluidity in people’s lifestyles, ambitions and choices for life. Everything can be bought and easily accessed and individual interests and attempts at self-determination can be answered by the click of a button.

There is much that can be said about the pandemic of 2020 and 2021 but one thing that it has occasioned is the inability that most have to do what was second-nature when times are normal. No one can travel, social life has been curtailed and there is much uncertainty in the job market which has probably compounded the sense of loneliness and confusion that will be with us for many years.

We believe that each of us is called into a relationship with God when we respond to His call. It is the same as in any relationship, there is an “I” and a “thou” which gives us our identity and sense of self-worth. We say however that that is a dim reflection of the relationship that is offered to us by God and what we hope that this Church of St Patrick’s is able to offer is that opportunity to cross its threshold and begin to know that we are being pulled into a personal relationship with God.

There are many questions that continue to besiege us such as “why I am here”, “what is the purpose of life”, “how do I give and receive love and what happens to me when I die”. A Christian community seeks to be able to answer those or at least point people in the right direction. We are blessed with a rich community of volunteers and a parish team who are ready to meet, engage and share faith in Christ. Please be in touch and indeed ask, the door is always open. However, be prepared for an adventure which means losing oneself so as to find oneself. Our world wants us to marry the spirit of the age but when we do we become a widow in the next generation. That is why our knowing and belonging to Christ is not about a holiday of convenience but an adventure into truth, freedom and of course the journey to Heaven.

Videos about faith
All Videos
Fr Alexander Sherbrooke
What marriage teaches us about love
Watch
Fr Toby Lees OP
Summits
Is Faith Reasonable?
Watch
Fr Alexander Sherbrooke
What is Holy Week? Q&A
Watch
Fr Toby Lees OP
Sessions
Do I need Jesus? | Fr Toby Lees OP
Watch
Kerri Christopher
Summits
Discerning God's Will
Watch
Sessions
Do I need to rest on Sunday?
Watch
Beth Grey
Nightfever
My Nightfever Story
Watch
Paul Kidd
Jesus our healer
Watch
Brenden Thompson
Discovering prayer: Arrow prayers
Watch
Open House Team
The Story of Open House
Watch
Fiona Whitehead
Sessions
Forgiveness is essential | Fiona Whitehead
Watch
Emily Hawkins
Sessions
More than a Label | Emily Hawkins
Watch
John Coverdale
Encountering God in the Liturgy
Watch
Summits
Lord David Frost | Faith in Public Life: Conversion and the Wisdom of the Past
Watch
Fr Alexander Sherbrooke
Sessions
Is Monasticism an answer to our times?
Watch
Pierpaolo Finaldi
Sessions
How to Raise a Vibrant Catholic Family
Watch
Sr Carino Hodder OP
Summits
Rosary as a Scriptural Prayer
Watch
Joanna Bogle
Sessions
Sue Ryder: a great Catholic woman
Watch
Emma Holland
Summits
Discovering God in All Things: The Examen
Watch
Br John Church
Sessions
Can there be friendship without faith?
Watch
Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus? What did He teach? Find out what the Church teaches us about Jesus of Nazareth and how He continues to transform lives today.

What the Church teaches

Catechism of the Catholic Church [2559]

‘"Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart? He who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation of prayer. Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought," are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. "Man is a beggar before God."’

Fr Alexander writes...

Almost everyone knows that the Church is about Jesus Christ, founded by Him, inspired by His witness and called to offer the way to union with Him. It is a bold claim but one that many have lived and died for which is that Jesus is God and His Gospel teaches us how to live and love. We have many life decisions and critical moments in our lives and in an extraordinary and remarkable way, each of those moments can be embraced and informed by the Gospels of Christ namely his teaching, miracles, life and witness. He taught us above all that we are loved by God and that we find our dignity and beauty when we go on our knees, confess our sins and ask for His blessing which flies in the face of evil and darkness.

The proponents of darkness did not want Christ to be humble, to wash the feet of his disciples and to let the woman with a bad name anoint his feet with precious ointment for this did not suggest a world of pomp, power and authority. The one who is God chose the way of humility, simplicity and being a servant, to teach us how to live and he paid for it by the Cross. That Cross, we believe as Catholics, was vindicated on Easter Sunday by the Resurrection which means that our world is not the end but the beginning of the journey into Heaven.

We meet Jesus in prayer, in the poor, in the Church and at Holy Mass in the same way as his disciples met him 2000 years ago on the side of the Sea of Galilee. We hope that your journey into St Patrick’s, united in prayer, joined with the poor and meeting our community will help you in this encounter with Jesus. This Church building, beautiful, dignified and solemn has the only purpose of helping you in that meeting so that you may come into a life-giving and eternal relationship with Christ. The Church in all its richness, complexity and simplicity is about helping you have that meeting.

How can I pray?

What is prayer? Does it work? Discover for yourself what the Church teaches about prayer and how living an active life of prayer changes everything.

What the Church teaches

Catechism of the Catholic Church [2559]

‘"Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart? He who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation of prayer. Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought," are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. "Man is a beggar before God."’

Fr Alexander writes...

So many who say that they are not believers and are intimidated about crossing the threshold of the Church which is open throughout daylight hours. When we cross that threshold and open our hearts in prayer and listen to the voice of love and mercy, we become alive. It is important to care for the body but when we forget the soul we miss that which is essential.

Prayer helps us come to know that we are loved, known and cherished by God. Sometimes it is not easy and there can be moments of tiredness and boredom but God never stops looking at us in love and adoring His creation. It is a journey of mystery but in prayer, we begin to sense the love of the Father who embraced the Prodigal Son on his return to his Father’s house. There are many ways to pray and perhaps we can just start simply by saying that every time we pass the Church, we can give five minutes to coming in, lighting a candle and going on our knees. In the same way, we can make that prayer corner in our own house but here in the Church in the Tabernacle, we believe that truly we meet Christ. This is not something that is difficult, complicated and remote but it is radically close.

Each of us can pray but also each of us can ask others to pray for them. For nineteen years we have had the SOS Prayerline when someone is ready to answer the telephone between 7pm and 11pm to hear our prayers and to intercede. In those years 90,000 prayer requests have been kept, logged and placed next door to the Blessed Sacrament. We know that when we pray that we walk in the footsteps of Jesus for how often he spent the night in prayer, taught his disciples to pray and always wanted to be in the Father’s company. There are many different ways we can pray, from being quiet and contemplative, to the prayer of the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross, to most importantly the Prayer of the Mass and Eucharistic Adoration where love meets love.

What is the Mass?

The Holy Mass is the pivotal act of worship in the Catholic faith. In this most holy encounter with Christ, we gather together as a community to seek forgiveness, hear the Word of God, receive Jesus in the Eucharist, and are sent forth on mission.

About the Mass

The Catholic Mass and the belief in the Eucharist as the physical body of Jesus Christ can be traced back to Jesus’ words at the Last Supper, on the night before He was crucified.

‘Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.’’’ Matthew 26:26

This teaching is so difficult that in Jesus’ day, people struggled to believe it. In John’s Gospel, we read that many of His followers responded to the teaching by saying, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’ (John 6:60).

Since then, Catholic Christianity has affirmed this teaching of Jesus, that He is truly present to us in the Eucharist and at every Holy Mass. This is an incredibly intimate way for Jesus to appear to us today, in a form which we can receive into ourselves every time we receive Holy Communion. Jesus loves us enough to be present to us in this way and through it, He continues to make His Church holy.

The Mass is an act of worship in which we are called to receive Christ so that He may transform us. The graces bestowed on us in receiving Jesus in the Eucharist bring us to a new life in Him, allowing us to reflect the love He has for us on to the people in our lives. The word ‘Mass’ comes from the Latin phrase, ‘Ite, missa est’ meaning ‘Go now, you are sent.’

Videos

Talks, reflections and more from the parish. Watch and share.

Watch
Events

See what's coming up and come along.

See all
Become a Catholic

Thinking about it, or ready to begin? We will walk with you.

Start here
St Patrick's
Catholic Church
Events
Videos
Mass Times
Donate
Become Catholic
Contact Us
Contact
21a Soho Square, London, W1D 4NR
Directions
info@stpatricksoho.org
020 7437 2010
Faith
What we Believe
Become a Catholic
The Sacraments
Pray with us
Eucharistic Adoration
Mission
Our Ministries
Open House
Join the Team
Donate
Series
Summits
Sessions
Nightfever
Mary in a Month
Faith Exploration
Church
Who we Are
Our History
Parish Newsletter
Our Music
Safeguarding
Follow us
Subscribe
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
St Patrick’s is a parish of the Diocese of Westminster (RCDOW) | Registered charity 233699
Privacy policy of the RCDOW