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 23rd August
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Friday 21st August
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
6pm Mass, Saint Pius X, Pope (Memoria)
St. Pius X was born in Riese (Italy) into a poor family in 1835, he was ordained and worked as parish priest for 17 years before bring made spiritual director at the seminary, then bishop of Mantua, patriarch of Venice and finally Pope in 1903. He sought to renew Christian life, by emphasising charity and the Eucharist; he worked to avoid war in 1914, but died shortly after its outbreak.
Saturday 22nd August
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Votive Mass of Our Lady (In the Lady Chapel)
"Mary means Star of the sea, for as mariners are guided to port by the ocean star, so Christians attain to glory through Mary's maternal intercession." - St. Thomas Aquinas
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Memoria)
'This is why the Blessed Virgin is called Powerful—nay, sometimes, All-powerful, because she has, more than anyone else, more than all Angels and Saints, this great, prevailing gift of prayer. No one has access to the Almighty as His Mother has; none has merit such as hers. Her Son will deny her nothing that she asks; and herein lies her power. While she defends the Church, neither height nor depth, neither men nor evil spirits, neither great monarchs, nor craft of man, nor popular violence, can avail to harm us; for human life is short, but Mary reigns above, a Queen for ever.' - St. John Henry Newman
Sunday 23rd August
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Tuesday 25th August
5pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Weekday Mass
Wednesday 26th August
9:15am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
10am Mass, Blessed Dominic of the Mother of God (Memoria)
followed by the veneration of his relic (see below for more details)
Blessed Dominic Barberi was born in Viterbo in 1792; he became a Passionist and travelled to England in 1841; here he worked tirelessly, establishing four Passionist houses and bringing many people into the Church by his preaching and writing; he received St. John Henry Newman into the Church. He died at Reading in 1849.
Thursday 27th August
9:15am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
10am Mass, Saint Monica (Memoria)
followed by the veneration of her relic (see below for more details)
St. Monica, born in North Africa in 133 A.D, was mother of St. Augustine Thanks to her prayer, her husband was baptized; she also prayed for Augustine, living a wild life; he was eventually baptized in Milan in 387A.D, but she fell ill and died at Ostia while going home to Africa.
Friday 27th 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 28th 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 29th August
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Last Week's Offertory Collection
£642.32. Thank you for your kind generosity.
The Sanctuary Lamp
This Week (22nd August – 28th August), The Sanctuary Lamp is for Richard & Gertrude Henry.
Our Lady’s Lamp
This Week (22nd August – 28th August), Our Lady’s Lamp is for Hilda & Derek Cruise.
Emergency Calls: Supporting the Hospital Chaplain
Like many of the priests in our area, I regularly offer my help to Fr Christogonus Manu, the Hospital Chaplain at the Royal Blackburn Hospital. I will be on emergency call from Thursday 27th August until Saturday 29th August. Of course, an emergency is never a planned event, so I apologise in advance if I am called away unexpectedly and an appointment or parish commitment needs to be postponed or changed. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I would also like to thank all those parishioners who generously volunteer as church stewards, opening and locking the church. Even if I am called away and unable to get to a Mass or liturgy on time, their generosity means that our church can remain open for people to come and spend time in prayer.
If you, or a Catholic family member, are in hospital and would like a visit from the Catholic Chaplain, it is important to let the nursing staff on the ward know and ask them to contact Fr Christogonus. Because of data protection, the Catholic Chaplain does not have direct access to the hospital's patient lists. This means that he may not know that a Catholic patient is in hospital unless the ward staff are informed. This is especially important if someone would like to receive the Sacraments of Confession, Anointing of the Sick or Holy Communion. Please do not assume that the chaplain will automatically know that a Catholic patient would like to see him. Finally, please continue to pray for all those who are sick at this time, for their families and loved ones, and for all those who care for them. God bless, Fr O'Brien
Two Wonderful Days with the Saints
The coming week gives us two wonderful opportunities to celebrate the lives of Blessed Dominic Barberi on Wednesday 26th August and St Monica on Thursday 27th August.
Blessed Dominic Barberi was an Italian Passionist priest who came to England as a missionary in 1841. Filled with a great love for Christ, he worked tirelessly to share the Catholic faith and is especially remembered for receiving John Henry Newman into full communion with the Catholic Church in 1845. His life reminds us of the importance of courage, perseverance and missionary zeal in sharing the Gospel.
St Monica is perhaps best known as the mother of St Augustine. For many years she prayed faithfully and patiently for the conversion of her son and husband. Her perseverance was eventually rewarded, and Augustine became one of the Church's greatest saints. St Monica is a wonderful example of trusting in God and never giving up praying for those we love.
After each Mass, there will be an opportunity to venerate a relic of the saint whose feast we celebrate that day. This is a wonderful opportunity to ask for their intercession and to be inspired by their example as we seek to live more faithfully as disciples of Jesus.
Catholics do not worship relics—worship belongs to God alone. Rather, we venerate them as a way of honouring the saints and remembering that God worked through their lives. Their relics remind us of their faithfulness and encourage us to follow their example and ask for their prayers. Let us take these opportunities to bring our own needs, our families and those we love before the Lord, asking Blessed Dominic Barberi and St Monica to pray for us.
Save the Date – Annual Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle Sunday Afternoon Tea
Final week to secure your place! Our Annual Parish Afternoon Tea takes place on Sunday, 6th September at 2.00pm as part of our Feast of Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle celebrations.
There are 40 tickets available at £15 each, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Payment must be made when booking to secure your place.
Final bookings and payment must be made by Sunday, 23rd August. If you have any allergies or dietary requirements, please let us know by this date.
Keep the Date Free – Parish Feast of Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle
Tuesday 8th September 2026
I would like to encourage every parishioner to keep Tuesday 8th September free in your diary if at all possible, as we celebrate the Parish Feast of Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle. Many people are unaware that when our church was solemnly dedicated in 1948, it was consecrated on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Our Lady's Birthday). Since that day, our parish has been placed under Our Lady's loving care and protection. It is therefore fitting that, each year, we celebrate this feast together and entrust ourselves once again to Mary, asking her to lead us ever more closely to her Son, Jesus Christ. This year we will mark our Parish Feast with a special Day of Healing and Prayer, offering opportunities throughout the day to receive the Lord's grace through prayer, the sacraments and fellowship.
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 the Sacrament of 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
During Mass there will also be the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Refreshments will be served afterwards.
7.00pm – Evening Healing Service
We will conclude the day with a simple service of prayer for healing, including the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and individual prayer ministry.
Whether you are seeking healing in body, mind or spirit, wishing to return to the Sacrament of Confession, or simply wanting to spend time in prayer with Our Lord and Our Lady, I warmly invite you to join us for all or part of this special day. Please keep this date free and pray that our Parish Feast may be a day of abundant grace, healing and renewal for our whole parish community. Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle, pray for us.
God Bless. Fr O'Brien
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/
Open Afternoon at the Lalley Centre
There will be a special open afternoon at the Lalley Community Allotment run by our diocesan charity, Caritas Salford, on Tuesday 18 August from 12:00-3:30PM. For more information please contact the team at lalleycentre@caritassalford.org.uk or simply pop along on the day to Caritas Lalley Community Allotment, St Malachy's RC Primary School, Eggington Street, Collyhurst, Manchester, M40 7RG
