Whetstone lies between Finchley and Chipping Barnet on the Great North Road (A1000). St Mary Magdalen’s is just off the main thoroughfare, five minutes walk from Totteridge and Whetstone Northern line station, local Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools. The Parish of Whetstone was founded in 1926. The church was built in 1958 and consecrated in 1979.
The Parish Priest is Father Ben Woodley.
The Gospel tells us that Mary of Magdala was the first person to meet the Risen Christ on Easter Day. She was told by Him to go and tell the other disciples that He had risen from the dead.
The Catholic parish of Whetstone is dedicated to that same person – St Mary Magdalen, and the purpose of this parish community is to be and do what she was and did. It is to be a witness to the Risen Christ and to tell those around us of his resurrection and the fullness of life that he gives.
Like many parishes in the Diocese of Westminster there is a great mix of people coming from many backgrounds and parts of the world. Its of the nature of the Catholic Church to reflect diversity in unity. This parish is greatly blessed by that.
Some come from nations who received the faith centuries ago, some from places where the Risen Christ has been proclaimed recently. The Sunday Mass, when we gather to encounter the Risen Lord, is a constant repetition of that first Easter Sunday. We gather to worship that same person whom Mary of Magdala met in the garden, and continue her task to proclaim Him to the world.