Sunday 8th October 2023
Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Masses & Liturgies for the Coming Week…
Friday 6th October
11am Funeral Service for Avis Speers RIP at Accrington Crematorium Chapel, followed by burial at Dill Hall Cemetery
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Mass, Saint Bruno, Priest (Memoria)
St. Bruno of Cologne, Confessor, ecclesiastical writer, and founder of the Carthusian Order. He was born at Cologne about the year 1030; died 6 October, 1101.
"For the devil may tempt the good, but he cannot find rest in them; for he is shaken violently, and upset, and driven out, now by their prayers, now by their tears of repentance, and now by their almsgiving and similar good works." - St. Bruno
Saturday 7th October
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Mass, Our Lady of the Rosary (celebrated in the Lady Chapel)
'Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.' -St. Padre Pio
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for the Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 8thOctober
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for the Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Tuesday 10th October
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Mass, (Feria)
Wednesday 11thOctober
9:15am Mass(Feria)
Thursday 12thOctober
9:15 am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
10am Mass, Saint Wilfrid, Bishop (Memoria)
St. Wilfrid was born in Northumbria 634 A.D. and died in 709 A.D. As Bishop of York he was the first English bishop to appeal to the Pope. Although reinstated in York, he fell out again with the King and other bishops, and ministered in the East Midlands and finally at Hexham.
Friday 13th October
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Mass, Saint Edward the Confessor (Memoria)
St. Edward the Confessor became King of England in 1042; he was remarkable for his help to the poor. He died on 5th January 1066.
Saturday 14th October
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Mass, Votive Mass of Our Lady (celebrated in the Lady Chapel)
"I feel so happy to be able to help the children who beg me for protection. But so many do not ever come to me." —Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for the Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 15thOctober
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for the Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
12 Noon Coach Departs for Oscott
Sanctuary Lamp
This week (7th October - 14th October), the Sanctuary Lamp is for Winnie Hogan.
Last Week's Offertory Collection
£818.21. Thank you for your kind generosity.
Parish Oscott Trip
Next Sunday, 15th October, the coach for Oscott will leave at 12 noon prompt. Once we arrive at the seminary there will be light refreshments to welcome us. Adam will give us a tour of the college, where Saint John Henry Newman and Blessed Dominic Barberi once walked, and allow us a glimpse of seminary life. Afterwards we will have the opportunity to join the Oscott community for Solemn Vespers in the college chapel before setting off home at 6:30pm. On the way back to Oswaldtwistle the coach will stop at Knutsford Services so that people can buy themselves a meal/snack/refreshments. Hopefully, we will be back at Oswaldtwistle for just after 9pm.
Housekeeping:
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If anybody has any food allergies please see one of the stewards at the back of church and ask them to make a note of it.
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As always, in compliance with health and safety, could you please write down your emergency contact details, just in the event of the unexpected, and pass them to Fr. O'Brien or one of the stewards.
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For any monies that are outstanding towards the trip could we ask that they are paid as soon as possible.
Let's continue to pray for vocations to the priesthood and all those involved in the formation of our future priests.
Lancashire Infirm Secular Clergy Fund
You will have noticed that Mass on Wednesday morning is at the slightly earlier time of 9:15am. The reason for this is that I'm attending the Annual General Meeting of a well-established and ancient charity called the Lancashire Infirm Secular Clergy Fund which I'm a member of. A little about it's background...
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, collections were made among Catholics for the support of those imprisoned as recusants and their impoverished families. Dame Elizabeth Allen, Cardinal William Allen's sister-in-law, was a prime mover. By the time of Charles II, imprisonment and death had become much less frequent and it was now the secular clergy who had most need of charity. Their religious confreres had the support of their communities in sickness and old age. The date of the first list of benefactors in the treasurer's accounts is from 1672 and the date of the earliest known constitution is from 1675. From an initial membership of 24, including St John Plessington, it peaked at 920 members in 1950 and 637 in 1995. Initially open to clergy working in Lancashire and Westmorland the geographical catchment has varied over the years and was last altered when the diocese of Lancaster was formed in 1924. The Rules, originally in Latin, were revised and issued in English in 1808. Further revisions were made in 1860, 1870, 1880, 1893, 1930 and 1957. The Fund continues to offer help to the secular clergy (diocesan priests) of the named dioceses (Liverpool, Salford, Lancaster) who are infirm and in need, as part of a tradition going back over 400 years. Let's pray the prayer of St Therese of the Child Jesus:
O Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests;
for your unfaithful and tepid priests;
for your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields.
for your tempted priests;
for your lonely and desolate priests;
For your young priests;
for your dying priests;
for the souls of your priests in Purgatory.
But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me:
the priest who baptized me;
the priests who absolved me from my sins;
the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
the priests who taught and instructed me;
all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way (especially …).
O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.
Amen.
Mass for Vocations to the Priesthood
Friday 20th October, 7pm, St Edward's, Spring Lane, Lees, OL4 5AJ. Each month, our diocesan vocations team travels to a different deanery to hold a special Mass for the future of the priesthood in our diocese. Whether you're discerning a vocation to the priesthood, know someone who is, or would like to pray for vocations to our diocese, we would love to see you there!
October: The Month of the Holy Rosary
The month of October is traditionally dedicated to the Rosary because the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary falls on the 7th October. Throughout this month there will be plenty of opportunity to pray the Rosary and spend time in prayer with Our Lady.
The Holy Rosary prayed publicly in church:
Saturday 7th October 6pm
Sunday 8th October 9:30am
Saturday 14th October 6pm
Sunday 15th October 9:30am
Saturday 21st October 6pm
Sunday 22nd October 9:30am
Saturday 28th October 6pm
Sunday 29th October 9:30am
Prayer to St. Joseph after the Rosary
This prayer to Saint Joseph was composed by Pope Leo XIII in his 1889. He asked that it be added to the end of the Rosary, especially during the month of October, which is dedicated to the Rosary. This prayer may be said after the Hail Holy Queen and concluding prayer, and may also be used to conclude other Marian devotions.
To you, O blessed Joseph,
do we come in our tribulation,
and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse,
we confidently invoke your patronage also.
Through that charity which bound you
to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God
and through the paternal love
with which you embraced the Child Jesus,
we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance
which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood,
and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.
O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family,
defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ;
O most loving father, ward off from us
every contagion of error and corrupting influence;
O our most mighty protector, be kind to us
and from heaven assist us in our struggle
with the power of darkness.
As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril,
so now protect God's Holy Church
from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity;
shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection,
so that, supported by your example and your aid,
we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness,
and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.
Books to help with praying the Rosary
Praying The Rosary Like Never Before by Edward Sri
Pocket Guide to the Rosary: Reflections from the Bible and the Saints by Matt Fradd
The Holy Rosary through the visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
edited by Fr. Mark Higgins
10 Wonders of the Rosary by Donald H. Calloway
Of Men and Mary. How Six Men Won The Greatest Battle Of Their Lives by Christine Watkins
A letter to the parishioners of St. Mary's from St. Oswald's School
Dear Parishioners,
Throughout the month of October the children will be learning to pray the rosary. Our special month of prayer will finish with our 'Rosary Rally' on Friday 20th October.
If you would like us to pray for you, your loved ones, your worries or hopes, please place your petitions in the box at the back of church and at our Rosary Rally on Friday 20th October at 2:15pm, our whole school will pray together for those intentions in the box.
From all at St. Oswald's R.C Primary School
Parish Bible Study – St. John's Gospel
The next session is Wednesday 18th October from 7pm – 8pm. We've got to know Saint John, 'the disciple Jesus loved', a bit better and become more familiar with searching and referencing chapters and verses in the Bible. Our next session will be exploring chapters 1 – 3 of John's Gospel.
St. Mary's Warm Welcome
Our next gathering is on Tuesday 17th October from 1pm – 3pm.
Date for Your Diary
The usual Friday 6pm Mass will be a Requiem Mass on the 10th November for all deceased members of St. Mary's Choir.
St. Oswald's School
On Wednesday I was invited into the lower school to talk about the Joyful Mysteries. All the little ones were fascinated about Mary and St. Joseph having to search for Jesus who had gone missing and then found him teaching the priests and doctors in the Temple!
St. Mary's School
On Thursday morning Mr Egan's Class joined us for the 10am parish Mass. We remembered St. Faustina who had been blessed by Our Lord to continue to reveal His love mercy to the world. The children were then tasked with producing their own Divine Mercy Image to share with friends and family. Miss Woodcock's Class came in the afternoon for a tour around church and heard the story of St. Patrick and the scary pirates!
Sacred Heart School
On Thursday and Friday, I was invited into school to talk about the Sorrowful Mysteries with different classes. The sorrowful mysteries are sad, especially when we remember how Jesus, who loves us so much was treated. Yet in these mysteries there is hope and healing. I gave the example of medicine to the children. Some medicine tastes horrible yet we know it does us good. Seeing Jesus on the Cross was horrible yet he brought healing and salvation to the world through it.
Votive Candle Free Trial for October
During the summer I was contacted by St. Killians UK, a company who sell votive candles and stands, and asked would we like to test and try their product for a one month FREE trial! Many of you will have seen their votive candle stands in other churches from St. Alban's, Blackburn to St. Mary's, Burnley and as far as the Cathedral at Sacre Coeur, Paris. Some of the benefits of trying out St. Killians candles for the month are:
No more plastic waste or aluminum cups
No more unprotected flames
Environmentally friendly
No more wax spillage on the floors
Revenue generator for the parish
Lifetime Guarantee
Self-extinguishing candles helping with health and safety
There are blue lights in front of Our Lady's Chapel and Red lights in front of the Sacred Heart Chapel. Lighters are provided on each stand. On the trial votive stands there is a sign with the word SUGGESTED donation. This means it is not an order, a directive from on high, the undisputed law but simply a guide, a suggestion. I've noticed many churches who have these candles permanently ask for a donation of at least 30p which seems fair. Over the month do let me know your thoughts about the candles and I'll feed it back to the company. If the majority of parishioners feedback is positive, then I'm happy to continue with St. Killians but if the majority is negative then the old votive candle stands will return for the start of November.
Catholic Youth Ministry Internships
Castlerigg Manor (The Lancaster Diocese Retreat Centre) is looking for young Catholics aged 18-25 to join their Internship Programme. The scheme lasts for one or two years and gives participants wide ranging experience, skills, training, and qualifications as well as the opportunity to work with a fantastic team based in the Lake District. For more information contact director@castleriggmanor.co.uk
A Message from The Friendship Club
The Friendship Club are happy to say that we are now back to normality after the great loss of many members during the pandemic. We actually have only one member from St. Mary's so we would love to hear from anyone who would enjoy an afternoon of chat and entertainment and every fourth months visits and meals out. None of this will cost anything, all is provided by lottery money. We have good people who will bring you and take you home. If you would like more details ring me, Margaret on 01254 233 070. I look forward to hearing from you. If you leave a message on my land line, please speak slowly and clearly. Thank you.
The Diocesan Synod
Over the next few weeks, we will hear more about the Synod and the practical ways in which our experiences as a parish will now be heard and recorded. Our parish Synod Reps are Mike Cowley, Joel Garrigan and Sharon Keenan-Siddle.
The Synod was formally launched by Bishop John at the Chrism Mass on during Holy Week 2023. In his decree he said:
Pope Francis calls us to listen to the Spirit more attentively to discern how we can better be God's Church, given the challenges and opportunities that we face.
Having sought the necessary advice, and consulted with the Presbyteral Council (c.f. Canon 461 §1) I have decided to convoke a Synod of the Diocese (Canons 460-468), to run alongside the remaining aspects of the Universal Synod. A Diocesan Synod is a formal gathering of the People of God, lay women and men, consecrated religious, deacons and priests with me, your Bishop.
As the Church of Salford, in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, we will embark upon a more intense listening to what the Spirit is saying to the Church in our Diocese so as to discern God's plan for our journey in the years to come.
In convoking the Diocesan Synod, I am calling us to be bold and creative in listening to how the Spirit may be speaking to us today in Scripture, Tradition, and in the voices or those within and beyond our Catholic community.
As we begin the Diocesan Synod we entrust our journey to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Patron, with St. Joseph, of our Diocese. She is the mother and first disciple of Jesus and reminds us to be attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
In accord with Canon Law and the Instruction on Diocesan Synods, I hereby decree the Convocation of the Synod for the Diocese of Salford which is now in existence, and which will continue until the Final Synod Gathering in 2025.
Never has it been more necessary, sisters and brothers, for us to call upon the Lord with that simple and most necessary prayer "Stay with us, Lord, on our Journey."
LOURDES 2024 - OUR CENTENARY PILGRIMAGE
This coming year 2024 marks the Centenary of our first Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. We are hoping to organise a Deanery Group to join with the Diocesan Pilgrimage -26th July to 1st August. We also have some fundraising ideas to help defray the costs for any of our young people who want to join us. If you are interested in coming to Lourdes with us, then please register your interest by contacting Fr Francis Wadsworth at St Anne's in Accrington by email: francis.wadsworth@dioceseofsalford.org.uk or Tel 01254 232920. Once we have an idea of how many are interested, we will be back in touch with prices and further details.
Diocesan Day Retreat - The Feeding of the 5,000
Wednesday 18th October, 11.30am – 3pm. Our Lady of Lourdes and St Gerard Majella's, Lostock Hall. The Diocese of Salford's Department for Formation is delighted to announce the return of its regular day retreat programme. Join experienced retreat leader Donna Worthington as she explores the Gospel story of The Feeding of the 5,000 in our first session. Retreats cost £20 per person and booking ahead is advised. Please contact the parish office on 01772 335387 or email office@saintgerards.org.uk to book your place.
National SVP Young Adults Retreat
24th-26th November, Hebron Hall Christian Centre, Dinas Powys, CF64 4YB
Join the SVP for a weekend of meeting others who are passionate about making a difference in their local communities. It will be a weekend of prayer and reflection with times of volunteering and action, including a visit to St Vincent's, Ely Bridge. Cost: £50
To find out more and to book, email: youngvincentians@svp.org.uk
Caritas Diocese of Salford's Big Sleep Out
The annual Caritas Big Sleep Out is back! This autumn, people across the diocese are being challenged to sleep out under the stars for one night only to raise funds and awareness of people experiencing homelessness in our diocese. Taking place on Friday 13th October, this is one of the most important events in the Caritas annual calendar, helping our diocesan charity make a very real impact on the lives of local people. Find out more and register at www.caritassalford.org.uk/big-sleep-out-2023/
Job Vacancies
Diocese of Salford - Communications Assistant (replacement role)
Appointment Type: Full time, 12-month fixed-term contract
Working hours: 35 hours per week - normally worked weekdays though will include one Sunday per month
Location: Cathedral Centre, 3 Ford Street, Salford, M3 6DP
Salary: £19,838 - £23,936, depending on skills and experience
Find out more and apply at https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/vacancies/
Diocese of Salford - Financial Accountant (replacement role)
Appointment Type: Full time, permanent
Working hours: 35 hours per week - to be worked Mon-Fri, though some flexibility is required.
Location: Cathedral Centre, 3 Ford Street, Salford, M3 6DP
Salary: £43,260 - £53,178 depending on skills and experience
Find out more and apply at https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/vacancies/
Diocese of Salford - Accounts Payable Officer (replacement role)
Appointment Type: Full time, permanent
Working hours: 35 hours per week - to be worked Mon-Fri
Location: Cathedral Centre, 3 Ford Street, Salford, M3 6DP
Salary: £23,793 - £29,248 per annum depending on skills & experience
Find out more and apply at https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/vacancies/
Parish of St Augustine's, Manchester - Cleaner
Appointment Type: Part-time, permanent
Working hours: 15 hours per week to be worked on a flexible basis as agreed by the Parish Priest.
Location: St Augustine's Presbytery, Grosvenor Square, All Saints, Manchester, M15 6BW
Salary: £10.90 per hour
Find out more and apply at https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/vacancies/
God Bless and keep praying.
Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Fr. O'Brien