ECUMENICAL LINK PARISH
San Paolo Apostolo - Fano, Italy
On Sunday 16 February 2026 the Parish of St Saviour's signed a twinning agreement with the Roman Catholic Parish of St Paul the Apostle in Fano, Italy.​
We first visited Fano in 2024 through the established links between our city and Diocese, and Fr Richard's friendship with Don Francesco Pierpaoli, initially through the ecumenical youth camp at the Giovanni Paolo II Centre in Loreto and a 9 day pilgrimage from Loreto to Assisi in 2011 and then at San Paolo since 2016.
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Between 12-16 February 2026 a delegation of 14 people from St Saviour's made their pilgrimage to the Holy House of Loreto and then travelled on to Fano to share in the Sunday Mass. The Mayor of Fano Luca Serfilippi and other representatives of the civic administration joined the regular congregation at San Paolo to witness the signing of the agreement.​​
You can see the full text of the agreement here, but in summary our two congregations pledged to:
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pray regularly for our communities, for those who lead them and for our people;
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offer mutual hospitality and thus allow bonds and friendships to develop and grow in humility, gratitude and grace;
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learn more about our history and traditions and the challenges of this time, to share more strongly our common mission as witnesses of Christ.
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Our parishes are committed to living all this with particular attention to the younger generations, to Europe and to the civil administrations of our cities of Fano and St Albans, which have enjoyed a twinning relationship for years.
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You can read Fr Richard's homily at the service here, and a gallery of photos from the Pilgrimage to Loreto and Fano can be viewed here.
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