As the St. Elena House of Mission & Prayer opens in the Diocese of Northampton, former CNSC coordinator Maria Heath shares her belief that the new mission house is part of a wider work of the Holy Spirit and a fruit of the hierarchical and charismatic elements working together.

The St. Elena House of Mission & Prayer in the Diocese of Northampton was officially opened on Saturday 13 December 2025. The idea for the house has been in the planning for some time. Mission Northampton is an office in the Diocese of Northampton established 5 years ago. It exists to help the Church embrace the call to mission. We do this in many different ways. One of the stated aims of Mission Northampton is “to explore the possibility of new ecclesial communities or movements moving into the diocese.”

The Church needs both the hierarchical and charismatic dimensions of the Church (Lumen Gentium, para 4) and if Dioceses are to respond to the Church’s call to become mission orientated, such communities and movements, (which are expressions of this charismatic dimension) offer an energy and focus on mission that can support this important work. As the Director of Mission in the Diocese, I have first-hand experience of being part of a new community for many years as well as experience working in a parish and now the Diocese, so I understand the fruit that comes from the hierarchical and charismatic working together. This has, therefore, been a project close to my heart.

Over the last three years, we have been exploring various options, for example, inviting new communities and religious orders into the Diocese, which we are still working on. The St. Elena House of Mission & Prayer came from an idea of a home-grown community, where single people, who have a heart for mission, would share a house and give significant time to mission and prayer. The Trustees approved the project in June 2025, and we have been working hard on establishing it ever since.

 New House of Mission & Prayer includes people "with a heart for prayer and mission"

We currently have two people living in the House, with another moving in soon, though there is potential for up to five people to live in the community. People living in the community work (or study) full or part time as the members need to be self-supporting. They are single people between the ages of 20 and 40-ish, with a heart for prayer and mission.

One of the main focuses of the community is on establishing 24/7 prayer. For Catholics, this is often centred on adoration, which will be the case for us, but there may be different expressions, especially when there is an ecumenical gathering. This is something that has been on our hearts for a while, but when some of us read the book by Johannes Hartl, ‘Heart Fire’, we realised that the Spirit is working to raise up such Houses of Prayer with 24/7 prayer across Europe.

Since starting this project, numerous people have been in touch with me from various places in the United Kingdom who sense a calling to begin a House like this.  I do have a strong sense that this little project we are doing is part of a wider work of the Holy Spirit.

Community named after Apostle of the Holy Spirit, St. Elena Guerra

Another focus of the community will be on providing a safe and welcoming space for people who are unchurched but are interested in exploring faith. For example, they will be running an Alpha course in partnership with the Diocesan Youth Ministry Team for young adults in the coming spring. It will also be a place of discipleship, with regular worship evenings open to all, and other such events. It will also be a space where prayer ministry can be offered to people by those trained and experienced in this ministry.

We have named the community after St. Elena Guerra who was canonised on 20 October 2024. Known as the apostle of the Holy Spirit, she wrote numerous letters to Pope Leo XXIII imploring him to encourage Catholics to open their hearts to the Holy Spirit’s power and presence in a deeper way. Here are two of Elena's comments:

“Pentecost is not over. In fact, it is continually going on in every time and in every place, because the Holy Spirit desired to give himself to all men, and all who want him can always receive him, so we do not have to envy the apostles and the first believers; we only have to dispose ourselves like them to receive Him well, and He will come to us as he did to them.”

“The mystery of Pentecost is a permanent mystery. The Spirit continues to come to all souls who truly desire Him . . . If they only want Him . . . if they only invoke Him . . . if they only prepare a place for Him in their hearts. . . . Who is hungry enough? Who is thirsty enough? Who is humble enough? Who is zealous enough? . . . It is necessary that we return to the Holy Spirit so that the Holy Spirit may return to us.”

As a result of her letters, Pope Leo wrote an amazing encyclical about the Holy Spirit, established the Novena to the Holy Spirit leading up to Pentecost and dedicated the twentieth century to the Holy Spirit, intoning the beautiful hymn ‘Veni Creator Spiritus’ in St. Peter’s Basilica on 1 January 1901.

 'The narrative of decline is no longer our story'

With the focus on establishing  24/7 prayer, St. Elena is a fitting name for the community, as this practise is very much about returning to that Upper Room where the Apostles gathered with Mary, as they waited and prayed for the Holy Spirit — though, in our case, the chapel in the House is in the basement. On that first Pentecost, the Spirit sent them out to proclaim the Gospel to others. And so, prayer and mission go hand in hand, and this is what St. Elena longed to see for the Church.

We are at the beginning of this journey, but we hope that this will be the first of many houses across our Diocese — and beyond.  We are living in a unique time where we are extremely fortunate to witness the numbers of people who are coming into the Catholic Church at an unprecedented high level.

The narrative of decline is no longer our story, and there are so many more people who are open to explore faith if they were just invited.

I am reminded of these words from Jesus in the Gospel: 'The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest” (Luke 10:2). This project is one answer to the call of Christ to increase the number of labourers, but the call to community means that it is more fruitful, because what we can do together is always much more than what we can do on our own.

Houses of mission & prayer "a natural place" for an encounter with Jesus

In a Church where priests are experiencing increasing pressures and responsibilities with fewer priests, we need to encourage every baptised person to live out their faith as evangelising  disciples in the mission they have received within the Church. 

The St. Elena community House offers a centre of prayer and mission that works in unity with the local parish, but is able, crucially, to operate independently. Many of the people coming into the Church are crying out for formation, accompaniment and community that is hard to find in a big parish – houses of mission & prayer would be a natural place for their encounter with Jesus.

Mass for the opening of the House was celebrated by the Episcopal Vicar for Mission, Canon Simon Penhalagan, with Canon Michael Harrison, the Vicar General, and Fr. Jithu, the assistant priest at the Cathedral, concelebrating. It was a special occasion where the three members of the community and those of us who are part of Mission Northampton were joined by friends and supporters of the project. We are looking forward to seeing how the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us as we continue to seek His heart for this project.

If you are interested in being part of this community, please get in touch And please pray for us, too.

St. Elena Guerra, pray for us