Corley, Warwickshire · Archdiocese of Birmingham
Mass every dayConfession four times a week
A Catholic parish of about four hundred families. The church is open from eight until dusk, and there is always somebody in it.
Mass
Every day of the week, and twice on Sunday.
- Sunday 10:00 Mass
Holy days of obligation have their own times — see the holy days page. The church is open from 8am until dusk whether or not anything is on.
Confession
The Sacrament of Reconciliation. Four times a week, and whenever you ask.
When
- Wednesday 18:00–18:45 The confessional, by the Lady Chapel · During Adoration
- Friday 10:15–11:00 The confessional · After the morning Mass
- Saturday 10:30–11:30 The confessional
- Saturday 17:00–17:45 The confessional · Before the Vigil Mass
Or at any other time by arrangement — ring the presbytery and ask. Nobody is ever turned away, and asking is not an imposition.
If it has been a while
Then this paragraph is for you, and you are more welcome than almost anyone else who will come through the door this week.
You do not need to remember the words. Say "Bless me, Father, it has been a long time" — or simply "I don't know how to do this" — and the priest will take you through it. That is a normal way for a confession to begin and he will have heard it already this month.
You do not need to list everything perfectly. Say what you have come to say. Nobody is keeping score and nothing you say will be repeated, to anyone, ever, under any circumstances.
You can be anonymous. There is a screen. Use it or don't — both are normal, and no one is watching which side of the confessional you go into.
Parish Priest since 2020
Fr Bernard Achebe
I hear confessions for about four hours a week and it is the best part of the job. If you are reading this and working up to it, please come. I would far rather be sat in an empty confessional than have you not come because you were embarrassed.
The presbytery door is the green one next to the church. Knock at any reasonable hour.
The parish and its clergyThe next holy days
Worked out from the calendar, so this list is still right next year.
- The Thursday forty days after Easter The Ascension of the Lord Holy Day of Obligation
- 15 August The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Day of Obligation
- 1 November All Saints Holy Day of Obligation
Dates for the coming feasts appear here when JavaScript is available; the rules above are what they are worked out from.
Three ways in
None of them requires you to be a Catholic, or to have been to Mass this century.
Come to Mass
Sit at the back. Stand and sit when everyone else does or stay seated throughout — both are ordinary. You do not have to receive communion and nobody counts.
What actually happensCome back to Confession
Twenty years is not a long time and the priest has heard longer. You need no formula, no list and no appointment — the times are above.
How it goesSit in an empty church
Open eight until dusk, every day. People come in to light a candle, to sit, or to get out of the weather. That is what it is for.
The questions people actually ask
Mostly at the back of church, mostly in a whisper.
I am not a Catholic. May I come to Mass?
Yes, and you are welcome to everything in it except Holy Communion. If you would like a blessing instead, come up with everyone else with your arms crossed over your chest and the priest will bless you. It is completely usual and nobody will look.
I am a Catholic but I have not been for years.
Then come to Mass this Sunday and to Confession before you receive communion. Neither is difficult and neither involves being told off. See the confession page — it is written for you specifically.
Do I have to give money?
No. A basket is passed during the offertory and letting it go past is entirely normal. Visitors are asked not to give.
What time should I arrive, and where do I sit?
Five minutes before is plenty. Sit anywhere — the back is fullest, for the same reason it is fullest everywhere.
Is the church accessible?
Step-free from the car park through the west door, an accessible WC in the narthex, a hearing loop throughout and large-print missalettes at the back. Communion is brought to anyone who cannot come up — catch a steward's eye.
My children are noisy.
Good. It is a parish, not a concert. There is a box of books in the narthex and nobody minds.