Dear brothers and sisters,
This weekend we say goodbye to Adam who returns to seminary to continue his studies for the priesthood. Over the last six weeks he has become a familiar face to many of us at church and been good company for me in the presbytery. On March 25th (Solemnity of the Annunciation) at Oscott College he will receive his first official ministry from the Church, the ministry of Lector. We wish him well and assure him of our continued prayers.
This week’s e-newsletter reflection is written by Adam:
‘Divine Mercy’
“If My death has not convinced you of My love, what will?”
Above is a quote from Jesus speaking to St Maria Faustina
Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament on Christmas Day in 1935. This question asked
to St. Faustina in 1935, Jesus asks us anew today. These twelve words of our
Saviour are abounding with love and mercy for us his poor creatures. How are we
to respond to such tenderness? How often do we meditate on the Passion of our Lord?
We might ask ourselves, am I convinced he died for love of me? If so, how do we
show it?
Let us turn to St Faustina for inspiration this Lent. In her diary, Jesus told her that “I please Him best when meditating on His sorrowful Passion”. When we hear the words sorrowful Passion we might think of the sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary and leave it there. What about the kiss of Judas? The denial of Peter? St John Eudes pointed out that Jesus’ greatest anguish was in the garden of Gethsemane when He accepted the Father’s will and bore the sins of the whole world, not just the sins of Adam, and the Patriarchs, not just the sins of Judas and Peter and the people of Israel at the time of his death. He took on the sins of the whole world for ALL TIME! All the sins from the world wars, all the sins of abortion, euthanasia, adultery and idol worship, all of our sins and those we are yet to commit…staggering!
When we think of ‘sorrowful’ we might think of the mysteries of the Rosary, and this is a good and veritable devotion, but St. Faustina was tasked, you might say her vocation was, to spread the message of Divine Mercy to the whole world!
“Jesus I trust in You”
Always trust in Jesus no matter what struggles you are going through. He is a loving God whose mercy is boundless and forgiveness real.
Adam Bamber, Seminarian for the Diocese of Shrewsbury
Papal Visit to Iraq Friday 5th-Monday 8th March
Over the next few days His Holiness, Pope Francis, is undertaking
one of his most symbolic yet perilous Apostolic Journeys, to Iraq. At the
Friday evening Mass here at St. Mary’s (5th March), we prayed for
our Holy Father and his safety. The Bishop has asked, that at both the Vigil
and Sunday Masses, we keep the Pope, his intentions and the success of his
Visit to Iraq, close to our hearts. God Bless the Pope!
O Almighty and
Eternal God,
have mercy on your
servant our Holy Father, the Pope,
and direct him
according to your clemency into the way of everlasting salvation;
that he may desire
by your grace those things that are agreeable to you,
and perform them
with all his strength.
Through Christ Our
Lord. Amen
The Sacrament of Confession & The Holy Rosary
The final day for the celebration of the Sacrament of
Confession during this Lent will take place on:
Saturday 13th
March 2021, 9am -10am.
Thank you to those parishioners who have come forward and
stewarded over the last three Saturday mornings. Their presence has meant I
have been able to offer this most important Sacrament safely and prayerfully. A
thank you to our ‘Rosary Group’ who have prayed the decades of the Holy Rosary
during the times of Confession and asked Our Lady to intercede for our parish.
Stations of the Cross
Though we are unable to publicly gather for the Stations of
the Cross this year in church, it does not mean that we cannot pray them.
Thanks to John Hughes, ‘Our Internet Man’, you will find St. Mary’s Stations of
the Cross on the parish website. Visit www.saintmarysoswaldtwistle.co.uk
Vade Mecum for Holy Week 2021
The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales have now sent
out their guiding principles in regards the celebration of Holy Week this year.
This year, the Celebrations for Holy Week and the Sacred
Triduum will be in the presence
of Christ’s faithful. This differs from the situation
faced last year when acts of public
worship were suspended because of the covid-19 pandemic.
The Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments has issued
a Note (Prot. N. 96/21 – 17 February 2021) to assist the Bishops in their task
of “judging concrete situation and providing for the spiritual welfare of
pastors and faithful in living this great Week of the liturgical year.”
The Note stresses that whilst the use of social media has
greatly enhanced the participation
of the faithful during the pandemic, there should be a
focus on the media coverage of
liturgies presided over by the Diocesan Bishop so that
those who are “unable to attend their
own church [should] follow the diocesan celebrations as a
sign of unity.” Thus the times of
the Cathedral celebrations of the Sacred Triduum should be
promoted in each of the
Dioceses of England and Wales alongside the local
parochial celebrations.
The Note states that the Decree issued by the Congregation
last year (Prot. N. 154/20) is still
valid for this year’s celebrations. The contents of this
have been incorporated into the
Guidance given below.
The theological meaning found through the celebrations of
Holy Week with their richness
of sign and symbol have to be tempered by the provision
that the Church in England and
Wales is part of a broader community in which the
possibilities of virus transmission are
still high. Therefore the general guidance for the safety
of those participating in acts of
worship have to be strictly adhered to. These include:
• The wearing of face coverings in church by the faithful
(unless the person has a valid
exemption from this regulation)
• Social distancing of people within the church building
• Stewarding of the church premises to assist the faithful
whilst in church
• Frequent hand cleansing, either with sanitiser or
washing
• Suitable one-way systems in the building to prevent
excessive interaction between
people from different households or bubbles
• Good ventilation of the church building to refresh the
air quality within
• Cleaning of the church building after each act of public
worship
• The timely dispersing of the faithful after the acts of
worship avoiding congregating
in car parks or on the streets outside the church.
The celebrations of the various liturgies of Holy Week
should include those things that are
necessary for the celebration, but not be prolonged in any
way. In particular, those
responsible for the planning of the liturgy should take
into account:
• The time that people will be within the church
buildings; the tension between a
dignified celebration and the time to execute that
celebration has to be recognised.
• Remembering that congregational singing is not
permitted.
• The movement of people within the church building itself as a potential risk factor.
The Triduum, dependant on availability of parishioners
volunteering as stewards, will be celebrated publicly this year at St. Mary’s
following all relevant health and safety procedures. More updates and
information to follow in the future.
ABC (About Becoming Catholic)
During the last year of lockdowns, social distancing,
furloughs and daily life being interrupted many people have found themselves
with time to think. To think about the direction of their own lives, to think
about the fragility of this world, to think about what happens after death and
even daring to contemplate the person of Jesus Christ! If you or somebody you
know is contemplating
such things then tell them to email me at sean.obrien@dioceseofsalford.org.uk
or call the presbytery 01254 232 433 (leaving a voicemail if I don’t answer
straight away). We are made for the Lord and we will only find real happiness,
true purpose and total completeness in adoring and loving Him.
‘You have made us
for Yourself, O Lord,
and our hearts are
restless until they rest in You.’
(St. Augustine of Hippo)
Lent - Weekly Eco-Thought for Parishes
The Third Sunday of Lent: The First Reading today gives us the Ten Commandments. Concerning ‘Keep the Sabbath day holy’ we hear ‘in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that these hold but on the Sabbath day he rested.’ The whole of creation is the work of our Creator God. What, I wonder, did our Creator God do on the eighth day, according to the spirit of the Genesis account? I think that, after his Sabbath rest, God carried on his enduring work of creation and, in Jesus, re-creation. God’s task of bringing the whole of creation to its fulfilment is not ended. God has the broader vision but we can take necessary steps so that creation is not ended but fulfilled. What step can I take this Lent to live more simply and sustainably?
Lenten Reading
Lent is that time when we push ourselves to come closer to Our Lord through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It can be so easy to excuse ourselves from these practices but if we truly embrace them, then the fruits and blessings they produce will always draw us closer to Jesus in ways we never imagined before. Lent is a time for love. Love that is not just intellectual but real and shows itself in action. The following book titles are just suggestions that you may want to use for spiritual reading during the Lenten period.
The Faith
Jesus of Nazareth. Holy Week: From the entrance into
Jerusalem to the Resurrection by Pope Benedict XVI
Reasons to Believe, How to Understand, Explain and Defend the Catholic Faith by Scott Hahn
Spirituality
Toward God, The Ancient Wisdom of Western Prayer by
Michael Casey
Praying the Rosary like never before by Edward Sri
The Power of Silence, Against the dictatorship of noise
by Cardinal Robert Sarah
The Rule of Saint Benedict in English, edited by Dom.
Timothy Fry OSB
Befriending Silence, Discovering the Gifts of Cistercian
Spirituality by Carl McColman
Into His Likeness. Be Transformed as a Disciple of Christ
by Edward Sri
An Exorcist tells his Story by Fr. Gabriele Amorth
The Blessed Sacrament
Eucharistic Miracles by Joan Carroll Cruz
7 Secrets of the Eucharist by Vinny Flynn
Our Lady and the Saints
Hail Holy Queen, The Mother of God in the Word of God
by Scott Hahn
Lives of the Saints by Alban Butler
The Life and Prayers of Saint Michael the Archangel by
Wyatt North
Saint Mary Magdalene, Prophetess and Eucharistic Love
by Fr. Seán Davidson
The Confession of Saint Patrick, translated by John
Skinner
The Life and Miracles of Saint Benedict by Pope
Gregory the Great
Saint John Bosco by F.A Forbes
The Story of a Soul, The autobiography of the Little
Flower by St. Therese of Lisieux
Saint Maria Goretti, In Garments All Red by Fr.
Godfrey Poage
Hope in the Future
Representatives Zoom Gathering - Tuesday 23rd March 2021,
7:00pm
Parish and Deanery Hope in the Future Representatives are
invited to attend a Zoom Gathering on Tuesday 23rd March at 7:00pm. There will
be chance to share the challenges and opportunities of this time in your
locality as well as to hear about plans for Stage 4. Register by emailing
hope@dioceseofsalford.org.uk and you will receive the link the day before.
Online Parish Events
Parishioners from different parishes have been organising online rosaries, online sing-a-longs and virtual coffee mornings for their churches. I think this is a wonderful idea as many children and grandchildren have been stepping up to help older family members link up and use computers, mobile phones, i-pads etc. Any parishioner here at St. Mary’s who would like to facilitate this has my complete support and I am happy to put them in touch with diocesan safeguarding department so that all correct procedures and online safety protocol can be followed.
Seven Sundays Devotions for the Year of St. Joseph
15 minutes before each Sunday Mass (Vigil 6:30pm/Sun 10am) we are continuing our prayer and meditation on the seven sorrows and seven joys of St. Joseph asking for his intercession. For those who want to participate in this devotion but are not presently able to attend the Holy Mass you will find prayers to St. Joseph on the parish website at www.saintmarysoswaldtwistle.co.uk
Sunday Prayer Resource – “The Lord's Day at Home”
For those still at home and not
attending Mass the Liturgy Office has prepared a service called "The
Lord's Day at Home", based on the Sunday Scriptures, that you can pray on
your own or with your family. It is particularly aimed at those not able to
follow a Mass on the internet. This week's Lord's Day at Home resource can be
found: www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/covid19/lordsdayathome,
or our parish web site : http://www.saintmarysoswaldtwistle.co.uk/the-lord-s-day-at-home.html
Covid-19 Health and Safety Reminder
The government has allowed places of worship to remain open
during this third national lockdown but we must not become complacent. The
diocese have asked us to remind people of the following procedures:
•
Please make sure you are wearing a face mask
before you enter the church building. Nobody should be putting a mask on once
they are sat down at a pew or in the entrance/foyer near the stewards.
•
Please do not remove you mask to speak to a
steward or another parishioner in church. This shows a lack of safe respect for
others. We all need to care and look out for each other.
•
Please wear your mask when you are coming
forward to receive Holy Communion. Once, and only once, you are stood before
the priest then you can remove your mask. Communion is not a race so please take
your time and do not rush. Once you have received the Blessed Sacrament then
replace your mask and leave the church building.
•
Please do sanitise your hands at the stations
provided at both entrances and exits of church.
•
Please keep the Two Meter Rule. This new strain
of Covid-19 is more easily transmitted therefore it’s important that we all
keep to this practice.
•
Please do not congregate to socialise on church
property before or after Mass/Liturgy.
•
Please do not come to church if you have
Covid-19 symptoms, have tested positive for Covid-19 or are in isolation.
Mass Bookings
To book a place at Mass via our telephone service then please
ring (01254) 232 433 on Wednesdays between 5pm – 6pm. To book a place at Mass
online please visit the parish website www.saintmarysoswaldtwistle.co.uk
Sadly, some volunteers have had to return to work and therefore you will only
be able to book online during the week (Monday to Friday).
God Bless and keep praying.
Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Fr. O’Brien