Search

Friday 19 April 2024

Fourth Sunday of Easter - Sunday 21st April 2024

Sunday 21st April 2024

Fourth Sunday of Easter


Masses & Liturgies for the Coming Week…


Friday 19th April

5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

6pm Easter Weekday Mass


Saturday 20th April

9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions

10am Easter Weekday Mass (In the Lady Chapel)

6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World

6:30pm Vigil Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Easter


Sunday 21st April

9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World

10am Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Easter


Tuesday 23rd April

1pm – 3pm St George's Day Celebration – All Welcome (see below for details)

5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

6pm Mass, Saint George, Martyr & Patron of England (Solemnity)

St. George was martyred at Lydda (Israel) around 303 A.D, in the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian. His cult, which predates the legend of his slaying the dragon, spread quickly through the East and West. King Richard I of England placed his army under his protection and in 1222 his feast was proclaimed a national holiday.


Wednesday 24th April

9:15am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

10am Easter Weekday Mass

7pm – 8pm Parish Bible Study Group (see below for details)


Thursday 25th April

2:20pm Funeral Service for Maxine Ruleman RIP at Accrington Crematorium

7pm Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Mary's Church

'In recognition for the last 60 years of prayer and work at St. Mary's School, since it's current foundation on Mayfield Avenue, Oswaldtwistle, was established in 1964.'


Friday 26th April

1:30pm Liturgy of Thanksgiving & Blessing at St. Mary's School

A time of prayer and thanksgiving celebrating 60 years on Mayfield Avenue – All Welcome.

5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

6pm Easter Weekday Mass


Saturday 27th April

9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions

10am Easter Weekday Mass (In the Lady Chapel)

6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World

6:30pm Vigil Mass for the Fifth Sunday of Easter


Sunday 28th April

9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World

10am Mass for the Fifth Sunday of Easter

12noon Blessing of St. Mary's Chapel of Rest at Jenson's Funeral Director's, Accrington

All Welcome.



Funeral notice confirmation: Mildred Sweeney RIP

Many people in our parish family have been blessed to know Mildred who died last week at the East Lancashire Hospice. Mildred's body will be brought into church at 8:30pm on Wednesday 1st May. A Requiem Mass will be celebrated for the repose of her soul at 10:15am on Thursday 2nd May.



Sanctuary Lamp

This week (20th April – 27th April), the Sanctuary Lamp is for the Fussell & Beveridge Families.



Last Week's Easter Offertory Collection

£766.49. Thank you for your kind generosity.



Good News!

I would like to share some good news! Mr John Corrigan, the Bishop's appointed diocesan Director or Property and Management, has emailed me to confirm that the building works for the church have been approved by the Salford Diocesan Trustees.



Ecclesiastical Education Fund

This weekend (20th/21st April) there will be a collection for the financial support of training priests and deacons for our diocese of Salford. The Ecclesiastical Education Fund is such an important resource in making sure that we are able to train those men that God has called to serve Him in our diocese with the right formation in both sacramental and pastoral ministry. This weekend there will be a basket at the back of church under the large crucifix for any donations. Alternatively people would be more than welcome to place any monies in an envelope marked EEF and post it through the presbytery letterbox.



Good Shepherd Sunday

This weekend, we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday and to mark this year in a special way, we're delighted to share with you a newsletter from our Vocations Team. Entitled, "Called", this newsletter will provide an opportunity for us to keep you informed of some of the latest developments happening across the diocese in terms of vocations to the priesthood and the permanent diaconate. Visit https://dioceseofsalford.org.uk/good-shepherd-sunday-2024/ for further information.



Diocesan Mass for Vocations to the Priesthood

The Diocese of Salford's Vocations team invites you to join our next Mass for Vocations to the Priesthood. The Mass will take place at 7.30pm on Tuesday 23rd April, at St Catherine's Didsbury. All are very welcome to attend as we pray together for the future of the priesthood in our diocese.



Offertory Envelopes, Gift Aid & Direct Debit

Thank you for your continued generosity and financial support towards St. Mary's, especially during these days of rising costs. Thank you also to Berni McGuinness who facilitates this important part of our parish's life. During the next few weeks the new offertory envelopes will be available. Please ask one of the stewards at the back of church for yours. Any envelopes that are not collected by Sunday 21st April will not be re-ordered as the cost of ordering and printing envelopes is expensive. Berni will available at the back of church this weekend to help answer any questions about paying via Direct Debit/Standing Orders or signing up to the Gift Aid scheme which is always a significant financial boost. For more info contact: berni.mcguinness@dioceseofsalford.org.uk



The Society of African Missions (SMA) Parish Appeal

Each year the Bishop allows a specific missionary society or religious congregation to share their work with parish communities in the diocese and appeal for help with their work. This year 2024 the Bishop has allowed The Society of African Missions to witness and appeal in our diocese.

"The Society of African Missions (SMA) is committed to preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ chiefly in Africa and to people of African origin. We regard solidarity with the poor and the powerless, commitment to reading the signs of the times, activities for Justice and Peace, dedication to building a better world, including care for the environment, as constitutive dimensions of witnessing to the Good News. We do this through education, health care, development projects and conscientisation for justice. We also help in caring for African immigrants in Europe and the USA and draw attention to those structures that oppress them and other people of the Third World." - https://www.sma-gb.org/

Fr. Rosairo Arputham SMA will be visiting us, here at St. Mary's, on the weekend of the 4th/5th May and making his appeal.



May: Crowning Our Lady

With the SMA Parish Appeal taking place on the first weekend of May we will Crown the statue of our Lady of Oswaldtwistle on the following weekend (11th/12th May). Parishioners and their families are warmly welcome to bring flowers to the 6:30pm Vigil Mass or the 10am Mass and place them before Our Blessed Mother in devotion and thanks for her prayers.



Saint George's Day

On Tuesday the 23rd April - Saint George's Day – there will be an extra Warm Welcome afternoon in honour of our country's patron saint. As well as the usual tea & cakes there will be live music with a very 'English' feel thanks to our resident St. Mary's Warm Welcome musicians. In The evening there will be a Mass for th4e Solemnity of Saint George at 6pm.



Parish Bible Study – St. John's Gospel

The next session is Wednesday 24th April from 7pm – 8pm. All are welcome. All you need is a Bible and an openness to come to know Our Lord better.



Mark Chatwood: Book Binding Service

I'm a Catholic bookbinder in Manchester, and I've done a lot of Bible, hand missal, and other book repair work as a result of my details appearing in parish newsletters, including my parish of Holy Family, Boothstown, and repaired a Lectionary for Fr. Bryan Cunningham at St. John Fisher, Kearsley. This made me wonder whether there are people in your parish who would like their irreplaceable books repaired or have custom cases made for them. If you want a beloved book restored to life, bookbinder Mark Chatwood at My Catholic Library can help. Contact him at mark@mycatholiclibrary.co.uk or 07493292039 (I'm on WhatsApp and Signal) and see more of his work at his website www.mycatholiclibrary.co.uk



St. Mary's School

This year marks 60 years since St. Mary's School moved to it's present site from Moscow Mill Street. To celebrate this event there will be a Mass of Thanksgiving on Thursday 25th April at St. Mary's Church followed refreshments. The school will also be producing an exhibition with old photos to bring back many faces and memories for all those who have had connections with the school through the years. Everyone is welcome to come. On Friday 26th April at 1:30pm there will be a Liturgy of Thanksgiving & Blessing with all the children in school and again all are welcome to come and join this celebration.



Cleaners

We are blessed at St. Mary's to have a dedicated number of people, who give up their time on a Tuesday morning to be on a rota and help keep our church clean and tidy. Volunteers are always needed as the more helpers the less pressure and frequency for people to be on the rota. If you could help in anyway please contact the parish housekeeper, Karen Beard via email: jakey9998@aol.com



Northern Dioceses' Environment Group

The Northern Dioceses' Environment Group (NDEG) invites parishes and individuals to a workshop to find out more about how our food supply system links to our faith. The event, titled "Faith in Food - Thinking and acting both locally and globally about our food system" takes place on Saturday 18th May between 11am and 3:30pm at St Wilfrid's Church, Preston, PR1 8BU. To register, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/faith-in-food-tickets-879396337117



Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes in our Centenary Year

Bookings are now being taken for this year's diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes, marking our centenary year. The pilgrimage, led by Bishop John Arnold, will take place between 26th July and 1st August. Find out more and book online at https://www.salfordlourdes.co.uk/travel-accommodation



Caritas Salford Appeal for Volunteers

Caritas Salford, our diocesan charity, is appealing for volunteers to support its work across Greater Manchester and Lancashire. Even a few hours can have a huge impact on the lives of others locally. To find out more about the huge range of opportunities available - from gardening to van driving, supporting their services to becoming a Caritas parish rep or accessibility advocate - visit their website now: www.caritassalford.org.uk/volunteer



Job Vacancies


Chef - Cathedral House (replacement role)

Appointment Type: Part time, permanent

Working Hours: Weekend Hours

Location: Cathedral House, 250 Chapel Street, Salford, M3 5LE

Salary: £21,840 - £24,343 per annum (subject to pro-rata)

Find out more and apply at https://dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/vacancies/


Parish Hall Supervisor - Holy Family and Our Lady of Perpetual Succour (replacement role)

Appointment Type: Part time, 12 months fixed term

Working Hours: 15 hours per week

Location: St. Joseph's Parish Centre, Audley Range, Blackburn and Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Parish Hall, Highercroft, Blackburn

Salary: £12 per hour

Find out more and apply at https://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