Saint Mary’s Roman Catholic Church
Catlow Hall Street, Oswaldtwistle
Lancashire
BB5 3EZ
Parish Priest: Rev. Fr. S D O’Brien
Parish Administrator: Ciara Kelly
Tel: 01254-232433
Email: stmarysoswaldtwistle@dioceseofsalford.org.uk
Sunday 30th August 2026
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Friday 28th August
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
6pm Mass, Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Memoria)
St. Augustine was born in 354, and thanks to the prayers of his mother Monica, he became a Christian and was chosen as bishop of Hippo, in North Africa. Here his pastoral care, teaching and writings were exemplary. He died in 430, leaving many works most famous of which was his "Confessions".
Saturday 29th August
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Votive Mass of The Passion of Saint John the Baptist (Memoria)
'The king promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.' (Mark 6:17-29)
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 30th August
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Tuesday 1st September
5pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Weekday Mass (Feria)
Wednesday 2nd September
9:15am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
10am Weekday Mass (Feria)
10:35am Devotions to Saint Joseph
(At the foot of the parish statue of St. Joseph, see below for more details)
Thursday 3rd September
9:30am Mass, Saint Gregory the Great, Pope, Doctor of the Church (Feast)
St Gregory the Great was born in Rome in 540A.D; he became a civil servant and Prefect of the City. He entered the Abbey of St. Andrew, and was ordained deacon in 578A.D. In 590A.D Gregory was elected Pope, showing pastoral care in preaching, writing, care for the poor and working for the welfare of Rome. He is the "Apostle of England" because it was he who sent Augustine to minister there, after encountering English slaves in the Forum.
Friday 4th September
3.00pm Divine Mercy Chaplet and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
5.00pm Sacrament of Confession
6.00pm Holy Mass, Saint Cuthbert, Bishop (Memoria)
St. Cuthbert was born 643A.D, died on Farne 20th March 687 A.D. A shepherd boy, he became a monk at Melrose. After the Synod of Whitby in 664 A.D, he became prior of Lindisfarne and won over the community to Roman customs. In 676 A.D. he left the monastery to live in solitude on the island of Farne. For the last two years of his life he served as bishop of Lindisfarne but returned to his island to die.
6.30pm – 9.00pm Continued Eucharistic Adoration
9pm Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Saturday 5th September
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Weekday Mass
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 6th September
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
with the procession of the statue of Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle around church.
2pm St. Mary's Celebratory Afternoon Tea
Last Week's Offertory Collection
£476.76. Thank you.
Our Lady’s Lamp
This Week (29th August – 4th September), Our Lady’s Lamp is for Bee Adeyaba.
Devotions to Saint Joseph
On Wednesday 2nd September, after the 10am Mass, there will be our first Wednesday devotions to St. Joseph (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 Church, that they may return and find a warm welcome.
Our Parish Feast of Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle - Tuesday 8th September 2026
The day is almost here!
As we approach Tuesday 8th September, I would like to warmly invite every parishioner to make a special effort, if at all possible, to join us for our Parish Feast - Our Lady’s Birthday. As I mentioned last week, our church was solemnly dedicated in 1948 on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Our Lady's Birthday. From that time, our parish has been placed under Our Lady's loving care and protection. It is therefore a beautiful tradition for us to come together each year on this feast, entrusting ourselves and our parish once again to Mary and asking her to lead us ever more closely to her Son, Jesus. This year, we will mark our Parish Feast with a special Day of Healing and Prayer. Throughout the day there will be opportunities to pray together, spend time before the Blessed Sacrament, receive the Sacraments, and enjoy fellowship with one another.
Programme for the Day
10.00am – The Holy Rosary
Children from our three parish primary schools – Sacred Heart, St Mary's and St Oswald's – will lead us in praying the Rosary as we honour Our Blessed Lady.
12.00 noon – Eucharistic Adoration and Confession
The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for Adoration, and several visiting priests will be available throughout this time to celebrate the Sacrament of Confession.
1.00pm – Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
We will celebrate the Feast of Our Lady together with a Solemn Mass. There will also be an opportunity during the Mass to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Refreshments will be served afterwards.
7.00pm – Evening Healing Service
We will conclude our day with a simple and prayerful service of healing, including the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and to receive individual prayer ministry.
Whether you are carrying a particular burden, seeking healing in body, mind or spirit, longing to return to the Sacrament of Confession, or simply wishing to spend some quiet time with Our Lord and Our Lady, there is a place for you on this special day.
You do not need to come for the whole day. Please come for whatever part of the programme you can manage. What matters is that, as a parish family, we take this opportunity to come together in prayer and place our lives, our families and our parish into the loving hands of Our Blessed Mother.
Please continue to pray for our Parish Feast, that Tuesday 8th September may be a day of abundant grace, healing and renewal for our whole parish community. I very much look forward to celebrating this special feast with you.
Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle, pray for us. God bless, Fr O'Brien
First Friday Eucharistic Adoration- “Could You Not Watch One Hour With Me?”
Friday 4th September – 3.00pm–9.00pm
This Friday our church will be open from 3.00pm until 9.00pm for our monthly First Friday Eucharistic Adoration. The First Friday devotion has a long tradition in the Church and is especially associated with devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At its heart is a simple invitation: make time for Jesus. In the midst of our busy lives, we are invited to come before the Blessed Sacrament, to pray, to be still, and simply to spend time with Our Lord. When the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, Jesus is truly present. What a wonderful opportunity to come into His presence, bring Him our prayers and concerns, and allow Him to speak to our hearts.
Friday's Programme
3.00pm — Divine Mercy Chaplet and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
5.00pm — Opportunity for Confession
6.00pm — Holy Mass
6.30pm - 9pm — Eucharistic Adoration
9pm Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament
You don't need to come for the whole evening. Come for an hour, half an hour, or simply call into church when you can. The important thing is to take the opportunity to spend some time with Jesus.
Could You Give One Hour to the Lord?
To ensure that the Blessed Sacrament is never left unattended, we need two parishioners for each hour to act as our First Friday “watchers”. If you can commit to one hour, please add your name to the sign-up sheet on the noticeboard at the back of church. Everyone is welcome to come and pray, whether or not you are signed up as a watcher. Jesus is waiting. Come and spend some time with Him. God bless, Fr O'Brien
Urgent: Stop assisted suicide - postcards available
The vote on assisted suicide is on 11 September.
Not Dead Yet UK have provided postcards you can send to your MP to ask them to vote NO to assisted suicide in the vote in the House of Commons on 11 September.
Please take action now - collect a red and white postcard, fill out your details, add a stamp and post it to your MP today!
New Volunteering Role at Caritas Salford
Our diocesan charity Caritas Salford has a team of almost 200 amazing volunteers, all of whom support their work with people in our parishes who are experiencing poverty, homelessness and discrimination. The team is looking for suitable volunteers who would be interested in giving a little time to work alongside families at their young parent accommodation in Blackburn - supporting and facilitating activities with the babies and their parents. All roles will be subject to an enhanced disclosure and barring check. To find out more about this or other volunteering opportunities with the charity, visit www.caritassalford.org.uk/volunteer or contact Matt Yates: m.yates@caritassalford.org.uk
Fancy a Walk?
Caritas Salford is organising a 6-mile scenic, circular sponsored hike in Lancashire, along the delightful Downham Trail. Taking place on 5 September, the walk is an undulating route with the potential for expansive views from the summit of Beacon Fell.
Visit www.caritassalford.org.uk/LancsWalk for more information or to register for your free place.
Parish Administrator Role
The parish of Our Lady & St Alphonsus Moss Side are looking for a Parish Administrator to provide a broad range of support to the parish including communications, coordinating the liturgical calendar and parish events, parish administrative tasks and liaising with volunteer and community groups. To find out more about the role and how to apply, please visit the diocesan website: https://dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/vacancies/