The Catholic Churches of Esher &
Thames Ditton

FAITH IN ACTION 2026/27 – Faith, Service and Leadership   

We’re excited to announce the start of our new 2026/27 Faith In Action Programme.

Our kick-off meeting will be on Saturday, 26th September at 4:30pm in the OLOL Church Hall. This information meeting is for young people as well as parents and carers, so please do come along if you’d like to find out more about the programme and what we have planned for the year ahead.

This year, we’ll be exploring new ways of reaching out and sharing our faith with our community. Alongside our reflection sessions, we’ll also be taking on two big charity events throughout the year.

We are especially looking for young people who have completed their Pin Level Award or higher to step up and take on leadership roles this year, and to challenge themselves to work towards the next level of award.

Our first Reflection Session will be on Friday, 7th November, from 3:00–5:00pm at OLOL.

We’re really looking forward to another exciting year of Faith In Action and to seeing what we can achieve together as a team. Please feel free to share this with anyone who might be interested in joining us this year.

FIA 2025/26: A Year of Faith, Service and Leadership

Our FIA group of 2025/26 has had an incredible year, filled with faith, service, leadership and fellowship. Throughout the year, our candidates have put their faith into action, supporting a number of charities and making a positive difference to the lives of others.

They supported Mary’s Meals by fundraising at St Paul’s, helping to provide nutritious school meals for children in some of the world’s poorest communities.

They also supported fellow parishioner Helen Clark’s charity, Kingston Advocacy Group, by providing gifts and writing letters for its Befriending Project. Through these thoughtful acts, they helped bring comfort and companionship to elderly people who may otherwise feel isolated during the holiday season.

Through KidsOut, the group donated Christmas gifts to vulnerable children, helping to ensure that they had something special to open and enjoy on Christmas morning.

During Lent, the candidates took part in CAFOD’s Big Lent Walk, collectively walking an amazing 702 kilometres and raising more than £1,000. Their fundraising will help provide access to clean water for a community that would otherwise be without it.

Alongside their service to others, the group also spent time reflecting on and developing their own faith. Through reflection sessions here at OLOL, they explored what their faith means to them and strengthened their friendships and fellowship as a group. Together, they created a final piece of artwork celebrating who they are and what they believe.

And, of course, no FIA year would be complete without plenty of laughter, friendship and — perhaps most importantly — a lot of pizza!

We are incredibly proud of our lovely candidates. Their year has been a wonderful example of faith lived out through kindness, service, prayer and the choices we make each day. These actions may sometimes seem small, but they can make a huge difference to the lives of others and are a beautiful way of putting God’s love into action.

Well done to all our FIA candidates on an amazing year!