Sunday 3rd December 2023
First Sunday of Advent
Masses & Liturgies for the Coming Week…
Friday 1st December
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Mass (Feria)
Saturday 2nd December
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Votive Mass of Our Lady (Celebrated in Lady Chapel)
'To give worthy praise to the Lord's mercy, we unite ourselves with Your Immaculate Mother, for then our hymn will be more pleasing to You, because She is chosen from among men and angels. Through Her, as through a pure crystal, Your mercy was passed on to us. Through Her, man became pleasing to God; Through Her, streams of grace flowed down upon us.'
- St. Faustina
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for the First Sunday of Advent
Sunday 3rd December
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for the First Sunday of Advent
Tuesday 5th December
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Advent Weekday Mass
Wednesday 6th December
10am Mass, Saint Nicholas, Bishop (Memoria)
St. Nicholas was bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey; he died in the fourth century in Eastern Europe. "Saint Nicholas" distributes presents to children on this day, in remembrance of his charity and care as a bishop.
10:45am – 10:55am Devotions to Saint Joseph
(At the foot of the parish statue of St. Joseph, see below for more details)
Thursday 7th December
10:15amRequiem Mass for Mrs Mary Austin RIP
Friday 8thDecember
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Sacrament of Confession
6pm Mass, THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
"The background for today's solemnity is the biblical icon of the Annunciation, when the angel's mysterious greeting resounded: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28). "Full of grace"! Here is Mary, as God conceived of her and desired her in his inscrutable plan: a creature filled with divine love, all goodness, all beauty, all holiness."
- Pope St. John Paul II
Saturday 9thDecember
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Sacrament of Confession
10am Advent Mass of Our Lady (Celebrated in Lady Chapel)
'To give worthy praise to the Lord's mercy, we unite ourselves with Your Immaculate Mother, for then our hymn will be more pleasing to You, because She is chosen from among men and angels. Through Her, as through a pure crystal, Your mercy was passed on to us. Through Her, man became pleasing to God; Through Her, streams of grace flowed down upon us.' - St. Faustina
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for the Second Sunday of Advent
Sunday 10thDecember
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for the Second Sunday of Advent
Sanctuary Lamp
This week (2nd December - 9th December), the Sanctuary Lamp is for Nikki Duhan
Last Week's Offertory Collection
£649.06. Thank you for your kind generosity.
Advent Fundraising
John Hughes has kindly produced little donation boxes for Advent. Parishioners are freely invited to take and use them over the Advent season to fill with coins and loose monies for the church building.
Advent is Here!!!
This weekend is the beginning of the Advent season. Four weeks of preparation before the celebration of Christmas with its solemnities and feasts. Have you thought how you are going to prepare to come closer to Our Lord during the Advent season and greet Him on Christmas Day? I hope the information below helps with thinking about prayer, reflection and resources to prepare for Our Lord's birth.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during Advent
Take some time each week to be with Our Lord in Adoration. Sacrifice a few minutes each week to pop into church and simply be in His presence before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. No words are required, no actions are asked but to be simply present to Him. To have that silence in church to listen to Him. During each time of Adoration there will be a table of resources at the back of church to help people in prayer. Please feel free to use and read whatever you find useful. For times of Adoration look at the parish newsletter.
"If Jesus stays with us wherever there is a consecrated Host, what need is there to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to visit places he lived two thousand years ago?
If only people visited tabernacles with the same devotion!" - Blessed Carlo Acutis
"Know also that you will probably gain more by praying fifteen minutes before the Blessed Sacrament than by all the other spiritual exercises of the day. True, Our Lord hears our prayers anywhere, for He has made the promise, 'Ask, and you shall receive,'
but He has revealed to His servants that those who visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament will obtain a more abundant measure of grace." - St. Alphonsus Liguori
Confessions
Over the season of Advent there will be extra opportunities for Confession. Many people still become anxious when they hear the term 'Confession', but as we know Our Lord's words of forgiveness from the Cross give us such hope and courage to live and live with joy. Jesus' mercy is boundless and I can tell you as a penitent, to receive his forgiveness is the most freeing and peaceful experience you can ever have. I came across this article written by a priest called Fr. Patrick Briscoe O.P. in 2021. I think he hits the nail on the head and I would like to share it with you.
There's really no reason to *not* start Advent with a good confession!
1 NEW YEAR, NEW START
Advent opens the Church's liturgical calendar. The First Sunday of Advent sets the cycle in motion, beginning a new year. Pope Benedict XVI writes, "The first Sunday of Advent, the Church begins a new Liturgical Year, a new journey of faith that on the one hand commemorates the event of Jesus Christ and, on the other, opens to its ultimate fulfilment."
Every confession is a fresh beginning, a new start. As the prophet Isaiah puts it, "Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow."
In confession Christ wipes away our sins, opening the door to new life with him.
2 PREPARATION
Pope John Paul II says, "Preparing ourselves to receive him requires first and foremost an attitude of intense and trusting prayer. Making room for him in our hearts demands a serious commitment to convert to his love."
The sacrament of penance is a powerful prayer, a very great prayer which drives out sin. Casting out the shadows of darkness, we give our hearts over to Christ's light and love.
3 MEDITATING ON THE LAST DAY
Pope Francis writes, "During Advent we do not just live in anticipation of Christmas; we are also called to rekindle the anticipation of the glorious return of Christ, when he will return at the end of time , preparing ourselves, with consistent and courageous choices, for the final encounter with him. We remember Christmas, we await the glorious return of Christ, and also our personal encounter: the day in which the Lord will call."
For Christians thinking of Jesus "coming" has a double meaning, a double perspective. We think of Christ's first coming in Bethlehem. Traditionally, too, we also think of his "coming again in glory" as we say in the Creed.
Confession readies us to meet Christ, who will come again as our judge. Will we be ready to stand before Jesus and make an account of our lives?
4 PENITENTIAL
For many Catholics, confession is a purely penitential exercise. In many places it's difficult to find convenient, available confessors. Confession demands an examination of conscience, an honest look into the dusty corners of the soul. The priest might not offer any helpful advice, or worse yet, he might be distant or dismissive.
And yet we believe that God works through the sacrament anyway. In Advent all of these aspects of confession can be offered up, given over to God as penance. It suits the character of the season!
5 JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM
How do we walk with Jesus and Mary again to the manger? The most important way is by imitating their closeness to God.
In confession, God draws us very near, pouring out his merciful love. In confession we are brought close to God, we might even say, as if we were standing in the midst of the Holy Family in Bethlehem!
6 DON'T WAIT!
Last-minute Advent confessions are as painful as last-minute Christmas shopping. The best reason to begin Advent with a confession is that you won't be scrambling in the mad rush before Christmas!!! You too can avoid long lines by taking the time to confess today!
Advent Spiritual Reading
Below are a list of book titles that you might find to be interesting reading over Advent and Christmas. All are accessible and are available via the Cathedral Centre Books (Mon – Fri 8:30am – 3:30pm Tel: 0161 817 2208 www.cathedralcentrebooks.com) or www.amazon.co.uk
Jesus of Nazareth, The Infancy Narratives by Pope Benedict XVI
God With Us: Encountering Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew by Edward Sri
Forming Intentional Disciples, The Path to knowing and following Jesusby Sherry A. Weddell
Into His Likeness, Be transformed as a Disciple of Christ by Edward Sri
Habits for Holiness, Small Steps for Making Big Spiritual Progress by Fr. Mark Mary Ames CFR
Befriending Silence, Discovering the Gifts of Cistercian Spirituality by Carl McColman
Toward God, The Ancient Wisdom of Western Prayer by Michael Casey
Journeying with Jonah, The struggle to find yourself by Denis McBride CSsR
Devotions to Saint Joseph
On Wednesday 6th December there will be the first Wednesday devotions to St. Joseph after the 10am Mass (at the foot of his statue at the back of church). The devotions will include praying the Litany of St. Joseph, the Memorare of St. Joseph and the Prayer of the Holy Cloak Novena. In these devotions our prayer is to ask St. Joseph to pray for our parish family and for those who have wandered away from the Church, that they may return and find a warm welcome.
Thank You to All Parish Volunteers
After the 6pm Mass of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Friday 8th December there will be an opportunity for all parish volunteers to come together. It gives me chance to formally thank everyone who throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic, and even now, continue to give up their time and share their skills for our parish. Without all these generous volunteers we would have been lost. So again I invite anyone that volunteers their time and energy to the running over our parish to come to the Thank You get together on Friday 8th December after the 6pm Mass. For those volunteers who can't make it – THANK YOU.
St. Mary's Warm Welcome
The next warm welcome is on Tuesday 12th December 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.
Parish Bible Study – St. John's Gospel
The next session is Wednesday 13th December from 7pm – 8pm. All are welcome. All you need is a Bible and an openness to come to know Our Lord better.
Diocesan Synod: The Parish "Big Listen"
Our thanks to all those that took part in last weekends "Big Listen" meetings. We had some great conversations, and all of the feedback will be sent to the central Diocese Synod team. We will be running two more events after the Saturday evening and Sunday morning masses, and we would love to see as many of you as possible. If, however, Saturday evenings and Sunday lunchtimes do not work for you, please contact Sharon, Joel or Mike and let them know how you would like to take part.
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
Christmas Window Displays
Maureen Mullen with her team of helpers have offered to produce some Christmas window displays (not flower displays) for the nine windows in church and other areas. If you would like to sponsor a display for your family/friends or in memory of a loved one then please see one of the stewards this weekend before or at the end of one of the Masses. The donation is £20.
Appeal: Parish Christmas Raffle Prizes
At the start of Advent (2nd/3rd December) we are hoping to sell tickets for our annual St. Mary's Christmas Raffle and are asking parishioners for any items they would be happy to donate. Do you work for a company/business who would be happy and open to offering vouchers, treatments, meals, or gift tokens etc. as prizes? Any donations that people can generously give, please leave with the stewards at the back of church.
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.
The Friendship Club
The Friendship Club Christmas meal will be on Wednesday 6th December at Accrington Stanley. The Ukulele Orchestra will be entertaining us by popular request. The bar will be open at 12 o'clock and the meal will be served at 12.45pm. It should be a great afternoon at a smashing venue!
Diocesan Almanac 2024
The new almanacs are now available at the piety stall for £3.50
2025 "Pilgrims of Hope" Jubilee
This Advent, Pope Francis invites people across the world to embark on a Year of Prayer in preparation for the 2025 "Pilgrims of Hope" Jubilee. Over the coming weeks and months, the Diocese of Salford will be sharing a range of resources and ideas to help us journey together through this Year of Prayer. Head to https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/jubilee-2025/ to find out more.
St. Mary's School
On Friday afternoon I was invited to bless the school Advent Wreath. The children through prayer, scripture and reflections reminded us of the importance of the Advent season.
Schools singing programme
Schools across the diocese are set to present a wonderful series of festive carol services as part of the Schools Singing Programme. Services will be taking place over the coming weeks in parishes right across the diocese. Head to https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/school-singing-programme-carol-services/ to find a carol service near you!
Deanery Lourdes Group
Friday 26thJuly to Friday 2nd August 2024
Hotel St Georges £909 (sharing) Single Room £1059 per person
Hotel Padoue £979 (Sharing) Single Room £1204 per person
PRICE INCLUDES: Return flights Manchester to Carcassone and transfers by coach to and from Lourdes. Airport Duty and Passenger Taxes. 1 suitcase per person for the aircraft hold 20kgs.
7 nights full board at either Hotel St Georges or Hotel Padoue (see above for price). Salford Affliation Fee. Northern Star Representative. A deposit of £300 per person is required to make a booking.
NOT INCLUDED: Travel Insurance £60 per person, Travel to and from Manchester Airport.
Further information available from Fr Francis Wadsworth at St Anne's, Accrington Tel 01254 232920 email: francis.wadsworth@dioceseofsalford.org.uk . There will be a meeting for all who are interested in travelling with us on Monday 15th January 2024 at 7:00pm. This will be held in St Joseph's Parish Hall, Belgarrth Road, Accrington BB5 6AH. At this meeting there will be an opportunity to ask questions and to collect booking forms.
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.
Caritas Diocese of Salford Advent Appeal
Our diocesan charity, Caritas Salford, has launched its Advent appeal for 2023, including a very special animation film voiced by local children. You can view the short animation and find out more about how you can make a donation to the appeal, or take action to help people in your parish who are experiencing crisis this Christmas, by visiting the Caritas Salford website: www.caritassalford.org.uk/beethere
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.
Job Vacancies
Parish Administrator - Blessed Dominic Barberi parish, Bolton (replacement role)
Appointment Type: Part-time, permanent
Working hours: 12 hours per week - worked over two days
Location: St Osmund's Presbytery, Long Lane, Breightmet, Bolton, BL2 6EB
Salary: £11.26 per hour
Find out more and apply at https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/vacancies/
Diocese of Salford - Property Administrator (replacement role)
Appointment Type: Full time, permanent contract
Working hours: 35 hours per week, with some flexible working required
Location: Cathedral Centre, 3 Ford Street, Salford, M3 6DP
Salary: £23,793 - £25,488 depending on skills and experience
Find out more and apply at https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/vacancies/
Diocese of Salford - Pilgrimage Office Administrator (replacement role)
Appointment Type: Full time, permanent contract
Working hours: 35 hours per week, Mon- Fri. Flexible working will be required including evenings and weekends.
Location: Cathedral Centre, 3 Ford Street, Salford, M3 6DP - although may sometimes be required to work at the office of the Pilgrimage Director.
Salary: £23,793 - £29,248 depending on skills and experience
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