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 11th October 2026
Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Friday 9th October
5pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
6pm Mass, Saint John Henry Newman, Priest (Feast)
St. John Henry Newman, born in London in 1801, was for over 20 years an Anglican clergyman and Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford. His studies of the early Church led him towards Catholicism, into which in 1845, he was received and ordained in 1847. In 1879 he was created Cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. Praised for humility, care of souls and contributions to the intellectual life of the Church, he died in Birmingham on 11th August 1890.
Saturday 10th October
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Mass, Votive Mass of Our Lady
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 11th October
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday 12th October
Feast of St Carlo Acutis
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
10am St Oswald’s
11am Sacred Heart
1.30pm St Mary’s
6pm Mass, for the Feast of St Carlo Acutis.
Wednesday 14th October
9:15am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
10am Weekday Mass
10:35am – 10:45am Devotions to Saint Joseph
(At the foot of the parish statue of St. Joseph, see below for more details)
Thursday 15th October
9:15am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
10am Mass, Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin & Doctor
St. Teresa was born in 1515, entered the Carmelite Order, making progress in the way of perfection and receiving mystical revelations. She undertook the reform of the Order, against great opposition. She died in 1582.
1pm Funeral service for Joanne McNally RIP (At Accrington Crematorium)
Friday 16th October
1:30pm Funeral Service for Bernadette Frost RIP
5pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
6pm Mass, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (Memoria)
followed by the veneration of her relic
St Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) was born at Verosvres in Burgundy (France) and joined the Order of the Visitation at Paray-le-Monial. She received mystical revelations concerning the Sacred Heart of Jesus and, with the help of her Jesuit confessor, St Claude de la Colombière, spread this devotion throughout the world. She was canonised in 1920.
7pm Stations of the Cross
Saturday 17th October
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for Twenty Nineth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 18th October
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for Twenty Nineth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Last Week's Offertory Collection
£710.14 Thank you for your kind generosity.
Our Lady’s Lamp
This Week (10th October – 16th October), Our Lady’s Lamp is for Bernice Power-Dreslin.
Retired and Sick Clergy Appeal – Thank You
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who so generously contributed to our Retired and Sick Clergy Appeal. We are delighted to have raised £322.89, which will help support our sick and retired priests, providing them with the care, dignity and practical support they deserve after their many years of dedicated service to the people of our Diocese. Thank you also to everyone who remembered our sick and retired priests in their prayers. Your continued generosity is appreciated.
Feast of St Carlo Acutis – Monday 12th October
On Monday 12th October, we celebrate the Feast of St Carlo Acutis, a young man whose deep love for Jesus in the Eucharist continues to inspire people of all ages. During the day, our parish primary schools — Sacred Heart, St Mary’s and St Oswald’s — will come to church at different times to spend time in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament:
10.00am – St Oswald’s
11.00am – Sacred Heart
1.30pm – St Mary’s
This will be an opportunity for the children to encounter Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to experience that sense of being united as one family of faith. As St Carlo reminds us, “The Eucharist is the highway to Heaven.” Everyone is warmly invited to join us for these times of Adoration. St Carlo once compared spending time with Jesus in the Eucharist to getting a “sun tan”: just as we receive the warmth of the sun by spending time in its presence, so we receive grace by spending time in the presence of Jesus. The more time we spend with someone, the more we come to know them, love them and deepen our relationship with them. May this day be an opportunity for all of us to draw closer to Jesus and receive the many graces He desires to give us. We especially pray for the children and families of our parish schools. May their experience of prayer and Adoration be a moment of encounter with the Lord, and may it encourage many families to return to the life of the Church. May we, as a parish family, be ready to welcome them with warmth, joy and love. The day will conclude with Mass for the Feast of St Carlo Acutis at 6.00pm. All are warmly invited to join us.
St Carlo Acutis, lover of the Eucharist, pray for us!
Devotions to Saint Joseph
On Wednesday 14th October, after the 10am Mass, there will be our 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.
Upcoming Funerals – Remembering in Prayer
As a parish community, let us keep in our prayers those who have died and whose funerals will take place in the coming weeks. We pray that they may rest in the peace of Christ and that their families, friends and loved ones, who mourn their loss, may find comfort, strength and consolation in God’s loving presence.
Thursday 15th October, 1.00pm – Funeral Service for Joanne McNally at Accrington Crematorium.
Friday 16th October, 1.30pm – Funeral Service for Bernadette Frost at St Mary’s Church.
Wednesday 28th October, 10.00am – Requiem Mass for David Sugden at St Mary’s Church.
Thursday 29th October, 10.00am – Requiem Mass for Eileen Ward (née Flanagan).
May the Lord welcome Joanne, Bernadette, David and Eileen into His eternal kingdom, and may He surround all who grieve with His peace and love.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
AI and Social Media – Blessing or Curse?
Last Tuesday I travelled to Manchester for a Salford Diocesan Clergy Formation Day, where journalist Jo-Anne Rowney gave a presentation entitled AI and Social Media – Blessing or Curse? It was a very informative and thought-provoking session, exploring both the blessings and challenges that AI brings to our lives and ministry. I came away reminded that, as human beings made in the image and likeness of God, we are each unique and original. However powerful AI becomes, it cannot replace our humanity, creativity and relationships. Most importantly, I was reminded that AI should be our tool, not our master. Used wisely, it can be helpful, but we must ensure that technology serves us rather than controls us.
October – The Month of the Holy Rosary
October is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Rosary, a beautiful prayer through which we reflect on the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus with Mary, His Mother. The Rosary invites us to slow down, place ourselves in God’s presence and allow Mary to lead us ever closer to her Son. As we continue through October, we warmly encourage everyone to make time for this simple yet powerful prayer. The Rosary is prayed publicly in church before the Saturday Vigil Mass at 6.00pm and before Sunday Mass at 9.30am, and all are very welcome to join us. If you would like to begin praying the Rosary, or would appreciate some help, rosaries and prayer cards are available from the Piety Stall at the back of the church. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
Stations of the Cross- Friday 16th October - 7.00pm
Many parishioners have signed up for our parish day pilgrimage on Saturday 17th October, when we will join pilgrims from across the Diocese of Salford at the former Franciscan Monastery of Pantasaph in North Wales. An important part of the pilgrimage is the walk up Calvary Hill, praying the Stations of the Cross. For those who are unable to join us on the pilgrimage, Fr O’Brien will offer the opportunity to pray the Stations here at St Mary’s on Friday 16th October at 7.00pm. As we heard in last week’s homily, our first parish priest, Fr John Brereton, a former Franciscan, had the Stations of the Cross installed in our church in May 1899. They were placed here to help people recognise God’s personal love for each of us, revealed so completely in the Passion and Death of His Son, Jesus Christ. The Cross is the greatest expression of God’s love — a love that brings us hope, peace and redemption. From 7.00pm–8.00pm, Fr O’Brien will lead us in praying the Stations, offering short personal reflections at each Station, similar to those given on Good Friday morning earlier this year. Everyone is warmly welcome. Whether or not you are able to join the pilgrimage to Pantasaph, come and spend this hour with Our Lord, walking with Him on the Way of the Cross and reflecting upon the great love He has for each one of us.
Homelessness - Write to your MP
As part of their latest campaign to support people in our diocese who are homeless, Caritas Salford - our diocesan charity - has put together information on how you can write to your MP to call for change. They are asking for help from people in our parishes, and would like as many as possible to call for Local Housing Allowance rates to be unfrozen and uplifted in line with local rents. The current rates are a significant driver of homelessness, and a letter to your MP could help bring about change to support local families and adults at risk. Find out more and access the free template letter and more on the Caritas website at: www.caritassalford.org.uk/EndHomelessness
A message from SPUC: Promoting a Culture of Life
Following the welcome rejection of assisted suicide in Parliament recently there is still much to do to preserve the sanctity of life within our country. In April this year the same Parliament decriminalised abortion at any stage, for any reason, for a woman aborting her own baby. Self-induced abortion up to birth is now permitted in England and Wales.
If you are shocked by this, you are not alone. A measure of this extreme must not go unopposed. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children is holding a meeting in Oswaldtwistle on Tuesday 20th October at 7.00pm to let you know how you too can be a voice for the voiceless. All are welcome, please do come along to:
Holy Trinity Free Church, 380 Union Road, Oswaldtwistle, Accrington, BB5 3NW.
For more information contact chrisleather@spuc.org.uk or call 07557565485.
