A Personal Testimony - James Burrows

Hi, my name is James Burrows and I have been a parishioner at Our Lady of Mt Carmel now for 20 years. I moved to Faversham aged just 18 months shortly after the 'great' storm of '87 (which, of course, I can't remember). I have been brought up coming to church every week and I made my first Confession, had my first Holy Communion and was also confirmed here. During my time in the parish there have been 8 priests who I have got to know, especially as I became an altar server when I was 7. Aged 21 I am now a senior altar server... though not as senior as some!
 
I think the fact that I still serve today is a testament to the loving and welcoming family that everyone has built at Our Lady of Mt Carmel. I have found it a vibrant community which has never stagnated. We are constantly improving things, either physically (with the paint job in the main church or the rennovation of the church hall) and also spiritually (by having priests and parishioners who enjoy coming together not just for Mass but for prayer meetings, discussion groups, music groups and other activities). Everyone does their bit from 1 - 101. We have regular teams of servers, musicians, church cleaners and flower arrangers who are all pleased to welcome new faces, which they constantly do as Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a growing parish. I like to think that Our Lady of Mount Carmel acts as a shining example of a happy diverse family to not just the rest of Kent but the world!
 
I say this because when I was 16 I went to the World Youth Day in Toronto, Canada and I feel this experience really strengthened my faith. I had recently been confirmed and had always been comfortable with my faith but in Canada I learned that it was actually quite "cool to be Catholic"! I have brought this ethos back to Faversham and I will continue to do everything I can to maintain Our Lady of Mount Carmel's friendly and family atmosphere. 
 
To conclude, our church has an interesting history and a unique architecture; but this can be found elsewhere on the website. I have written this personal account, so you will know about the people who care a lot about their Catholicism and community and put a lot of effort in to sustaining Our Lady of Mount Carmel as the loving parish it is now.
 
I hope you have found reading this article interesting, but more importantly I hope I will be seeing you in church soon. Don't hesitate because you are be welcome every single day, not just high days and holy days!