Sunday 12th November 2023
Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Masses & Liturgies for the Coming Week…
Friday 10thNovember
11am 'Remembrance Service' in front of the Pieta (Sacred Heart War Memorial) with children from Sacred Heart, St. Mary's & St. Oswald's
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Requiem Mass for deceased members of St. Mary's Choir
Saturday 11th November
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Mass, Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop (Celebrated in Lady Chapel)
St. Martin of Tours was born in 316A.D, he became a solider, was baptised and founded a monastery in France under the direction of St. Hilary. He became Bishop of Tours; here he worked hard to visit his flock, and preach against paganism. He died in 397A.D and was honoured as a saint – one of the first non-martyrs to be honoured.
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for the Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 12th November
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for the Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Tuesday 14th November
1pm – 3pm St. Mary's Warm Welcome (see below for details)
7pm Deanery Mass for DeceasedClergy, St. Mary's Church, Clayton-le-Moors
Wednesday 15thNovember
9:15 am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
10am Requiem Mass for all Holy Souls with St. Oswald's School
7pm – 8pm Parish Bible Study Group (see below for details)
Thursday 16thNovember
9:15 am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
10am Mass, Saint Margaret of Scotland (Memoria)
St. Margaret of Scotland was a Scottish queen and English princess who lived from 1045 to 1093. She was a devout Christian, and dedicated much of her time and energy to charitable works. She was canonised by Pope Innocent IV in 1250.
Friday 17thNovember
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Mass, Saint Hugh of Lincoln, Bishop (Memoria)
St. Hugh of Lincoln, born in France in 1140 and a Carthusian became bishop of Lincoln in 1185, and devoted to the pastoral care of his flock. He was a supporter of the oppressed, especially the Jewish community, for whom he risked his life.
Saturday 18th November
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Votive Mass of Our Lady (Celebrated in Lady Chapel)
"You must know that when you 'hail' Mary, she immediately greets you! Don't think that she is one of those rude women of whom there are so many-on the contrary, she is utterly courteous and pleasant. If you greet her, she will answer you right away and converse with you!"
- St. Bernardine of Siena
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for the Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 19th November
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for the Thirty ThirdSunday in Ordinary Time
Sanctuary Lamp
This week (11th November - 18th November), the Sanctuary Lamp is for Sadie, Jim and Peter Pickles.
Last Week's Offertory Collection
£644.64. Thank you for your kind generosity.
The 'Big Listen' 38th Diocesan Synod
Do you want to help shape the future of our diocese? Would you like to help us better understand what God is asking of our Church? We want to hear from you as we begin The Big Listen for our diocesan Synod.
The first listening session will take place after the 10am Mass on Sunday 12th November with more planned in the future. Contact details for the Synod Team should you have any further questions:
Sharon Siddle - 07917 002663, Sharon.siddle@yahoo.co.uk
Mike Freeman - 07500 952780, Cowleyfreeman@gmail.com
Joel Garrigan - 07875 132568, joelg_01@hotmail.com
Parish Social: Franco's
Just a reminder that all monies need to be paid this weekend for those wishing to come along to the Parish Social at Franco's. There are still places available. It's £20 for a Starter, Main Course & Dessert and will also include a donation to our Building Fund. After the meal there will be the opportunity for people to take part in stand up Bingo (£2 per person per game). Any dietary/allergies please make a note on the sign up sheet. The deadline for buying tickets will be Sunday 12th November. For more information contact Tony Alveston 07837386755
Message of Thanks
"To St. Mary's congregation,
Thank you to all of you who have provided support and unfailing encouragement to Adam Bamber, my son, through the past few years of his training. Thank you to the people of St. Mary's who took the coach trip to Oscott, it was overwhelming for me to see the support you all had for Adam.
Thank you.
Elaine Davies (Adam's mum)"
Let's continue to pray for Adam as he continues his studies for the priesthood and I know he is looking forward to returning to the parish for his Christmas break this year.
Mass for Vocations to the Priesthood
St Bernadette's, Bury New Road, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 7SX,
Each month, our diocesan vocations team travels to a different deanery to hold a special Mass to pray for the future of the priesthood in our diocese. The next Mass for Vocations to the Priesthood is set to take place at 7.30pm on Tuesday 21st November at St Bernadette's in Whitefield. All are welcome to attend.
Thank You
On behalf of the parish I would like to thank Ursula Heyes for sponsoring a poppy wreath on behalf of St. Mary's and representing the parish at the Sunday Civic Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph.
November: Month of the Holy Souls
The month of November, for us as Roman Catholics, is traditionally a time dedicated to praying for the dead and all the Holy Souls in purgatory who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. Throughout November we will have our usual box containing the names of those who have died placed in front of the Altar and each Mass they will be prayed for. If you would like to have the names of people you have known who have died then please feel free to write their names down on a piece of paper and place them in the Holy Souls Box.
Blessing Graves
The last few years our parish has joined St. Anne & St. Joseph's for the blessing of graves at Accrington cemetery and Dill Hall Cemetery. Fr. Wadsworth, the parish priest at St. Anne's, has organised the following dates for this years blessing of graves:
Accrington Cemetery - Sunday, 12th November at 2:00pm
Dill Hall Cemetery - Sunday, 19th November at 2:00pm
The date for Dill Hall is also the same day as our parish social at Franco's therefore on Saturday 18th November at 1pm I'll be at Dill Hall to bless the graves of those who won't be able to make the Sunday afternoon.
Mass for the Deceased Clergy
On Tuesday 14th November at 7pm, there will be a Mass for all those priests who have ministered to our Catholic community in East Lancashire and died. This special deanery Mass will be at St. Mary's, Clayton-le-Moors. What a wonderful opportunity to come together as a deanery and pray for all those priests who have served our families over the years. Everyone is welcome.
St. Oswald's School
On Wednesday 15th November pupils from St. Oswald's will join us for the 10am parish Mass and bring forward a book of remembrance with the names of people who have died that they would like to be prayed for.
Take a moment and recite this prayer given to us by Jesus through St. Gertrude the Great:
"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."
Why God Became Man: Pre-Advent Retreat 24th - 26th November
Join the Christian Heritage Centre's pre-Advent retreat reflecting on the mystery of the Incarnation and exploring the beauty and the implications of Christmas. Preached by Fr de Malleray FSSP, Mass will be offered in the Extraordinary Form, with daily Holy Hour, and plenty of time for prayer and reflection. Find out more at https://christianheritagecentre.com/events/why-god-became-man-weekend-retreat/
Your travel to church
As the Diocese of Salford works to reach its goal of being net zero by 2038, we're looking to find out more about the travel patterns of people across the diocese. Our diocesan environment team has put together a short survey to find out more about how people travel to and from church and would be very grateful for your response. The survey can be found at https://forms.gle/skCHYCknBzhDrvbn9.
Sacred Heart School
On Friday morning a number of pupils came from school to pray for all those who have died in wars and conflicts throughout the world. It was also a time for the children to see those names of past pupils who are recorded by the Pieta statue (the outside war memorial from Sacred Heart Church) who died in both world wars.
St. Mary's School
On Thursday Miss Quinn's class joined us for the parish morning Mass. We celebrated the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. We were reminded that this feast is not celebrating bricks and mortar but the significance of what the Basilica represents – our communion and unity with the Holy See, the Pope. The Pope is the Bishop of Rome and his Cathedra is not in the Vatican but in the Lateran Basilica. Let's continue to pray for our Holy Father Pope Francis, the successor of St. Peter.
St. Oswald's School
On Friday morning pupils from school joined us for the 11am Remembrance Service by the Pieta Statue on the church grounds. We prayed for all those who have died in wars and conflicts throughout the world.
Pastoral Visit of the Apostolic Nuncio
His Excellency Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, will make a pastoral visit to Salford Diocese on 29th 30th November. As part of his visit he will celebrate Mass at St Patrick's, Collyhurst on Thursday 30th November at 6:30pm where he will impart an Apostolic Blessing on all those present. All are welcome to attend the Mass and there is no need to register.
Parish Bible Study – St. John's Gospel
The next session is Wednesday 15th November from 7pm – 8pm. All are welcome. All you need is a Bible and an openness to come to know Our Lord better.
St. Mary's Warm Welcome
The next warm welcome is on Tuesday 14th November from 1pm – 3pm. Everyone and anyone is welcome! We have some talented parishioners who dispel the autumn blues with live upbeat music that everyone can sing along to. Plus there's unlimited brews and fantastic homemade cake in a warm space. Why not come along and experience something different.
Lancashire Day Event
On Monday 27th November there will be a celebration of all things Lancashire at Oswaldtwistle Library starting at 1:30pm. There will be folk songs with our very own Dylan Owen, the Bard of Oswaldtwistle, and tea & parkin. Everyone is welcome.
109 Loyola Scout Group Christmas Fayre
Saturday, 2nd December 2023, 10am – 2pm at St. Mary's R.C Primary School, Oswaldtwistle
£1 entry includes, free raffle ticket (Accompanied children free). There will be a raffle, tombola, games, craft stall, cafe and more! All monies raised goes to the running of the 109 Loyola Scout Group. Come and visit Father Christmas and have lunch at our pop up café.
Mount Carmel School
The school would like to invite members of our parish to their community Christmas party at Mount Carmel on Monday 11 December 2023. There is a sign up sheet by the stewards desk for all who are interested. They would like to know numbers by Monday 4th December. For more information contact the school on (01254) 233458.
Homes for Ukraine Matching Service
Caritas Social Action Network, in partnership with St John of God Hospitaller Services, an international Catholic charity with many services for the vulnerable in the UK and Ireland, are matching Ukrainian people displaced by the brutal war with people in the Catholic community willing to host them in their homes for six months. If you have room in your home and in your heart to consider welcoming a stranger displaced by war, then we'd love to hear from you. Please visit https://sjog-homesforukraine.uk/ for more information.
Diocesan Young Adults Mass - The Big Listen
Sunday 12th November, 5.30pm, St Augustine's Church, Grosvenor Square, Manchester, M15 6BW. Young adults from across the diocese are invited to join us this November as we turn our attention to our diocesan synod at our next monthly Mass. Fr David Yates, director of Salford Youth and Young Adults Ministry, will lead our celebration of Mass before handing over to our young adult synod representatives, who will conduct The Big Listen exercise for our diocesan synod. Find out more at https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/young-adults-nov-23/
Queen of Peace Prayer Group
Saturday 18th November, 10am, Sacred Heart Church, Rochdale, OL16 5BX
A new monthly prayer group is set to begin in Rochdale with a special focus on praying for peace. The Queen of Peace Prayer Group will meet once a month at Sacred Heart Church in Rochdale. The first meeting takes place on Saturday 18th November and will begin at 10am with a welcome session and a talk on Our Lady's messages and the Five Stones of Medjugorje. This will be followed by adoration, praying the Rosary for peace, and the opportunity for confession. The morning will come to a close with midday Mass. All are welcome to join.
God Bless and keep praying.
Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Fr. O'Brien