Sunday 9th January 2022
Baptism of the Lord
Masses & Liturgies for the Coming Week…
Tuesday 11th January
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Mass (Feria)
Wednesday 12th January
10am Mass, Saint Aelred of Rievaulx (Memoria)
St. Aelred was born in 1110 A.D, died on this day in Rievaulx (Yorkshire) in 1167A.D. He was educated at Durham and in the King's household in Scotland. He entered the Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in 1134 A.D. and was eventually elected Abbot. He is remembered for his spiritual writing, above all on the gift of friendship.
Thursday 13th January
10am Mass (Feria)
Friday 14th January
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
'The devotion to the Eucharist is the most noble because it has God as its object; it is the most profitable for salvation, because it gives us the Author of Grace; it is the sweetest, because the Lord is Sweetness Itself'- St. Pius X
6pm Mass (Feria)
Saturday 15th January
9-9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
10am Mass (Celebrated in the Lady Chapel)
'Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.' -- St. Francis de Sales
6:30pm Vigil Mass for The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 9th January
10am Mass for The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Under new government directives face masks must now be worn in church.
Thank you for continuing to make St. Mary's a safe and prayerful place for the Glory of God.
Sanctuary Lamp
This week (8th Jan - 15th Jan) the Sanctuary Lamp is burning in prayer for Doug Beveridge & Derek Smythe.
Sanctuary Lamp
Prayer is so important and it works! One of the traditions at St. Mary's is to sponsor the sanctuary lamp, that burns for seven days continuously, before the Real Presence of the Lord in the Tabernacle. The prayers behind each lamp are varied and different. Sometimes it burns in memory of a loved one, other times its for somebody who is sick or waiting for results and at other times its a prayer of thanksgiving or help for a particular situation or person. If you would like to sponsor a lamp to burn in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament then please see one of the stewards next week before Mass. They will have a list of dates from the beginning of February until the end of April where you can choose to sponsor a £5 lamp for the week. I will bless each lamp and light it before the Vigil Mass on a Saturday and it will burn for the whole week. Please give your £5 to the stewards on duty when you choose your week.
The new list will be available next weekend (15th/16th January).
Holy Water
At the start of the 2022 we blessed Holy Water as each of the weekend Masses (1st & 2nd Jan). Please feel free to take this Holy Water from the ceramic container at the back of church to bless your homes and families with. If you bring an empty bottle to one of the stewards they will fill it up for you from the Holy Water container or you can do it yourself.
'From long experience I have learned that there is nothing like holy water to put devils to flight and prevent them from coming back again. They also flee from the Cross, but return; so holy water must have great virtue. For my own part, whenever I use it, my soul feels a particular and most notable consolation.' - St. Teresa of Avila
First Holy Communion
Congratulations to Anton, Liberty, Severyn and Victoria who will be receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion for the first time in their lives this weekend. Over the last few months these young parishioners have been meeting with me for weekly catechism lessons. As always its been a joy, as their parish priest, to accompany them and their families on this part of their faith journey. Let's pray for all our young people that they will always appreciate the Sacraments of Confession and the Holy Eucharist which lead them uniquely and personally to Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
For more information regarding catechism and preparation for the sacraments please contact Father O'Brien at sean.obrien@dioceseofsalford.org.uk
Sacred Heart School: Mrs Welch RIP
On Friday I was invited to Sacred Heart School to celebrate a prayer service in memory of the late Mrs Sarah Welch. As many parishioners will remember, Sarah was the new Headteacher at the school who made such an impact in a short space of time. I'd like to share the words I wrote last year on hearing the sad news of her death.
Dear governors, staff, pupils and parishioners,
'Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.'
(Mt. 11:28-30)
These are the words of Jesus proclaimed each year at the Mass of the Sacred
Heart. They are words not just recorded with ink and paper but the living words of
Jesus Christ that reach out to us from the Gospel. Words that burst out from the
page filled with God's tenderness and mercy to console our hurting and broken
hearts.
'Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.'
Jesus invites us to come to him with our overburdened hearts full of sadness at
this time for Mrs Sarah Welch, our parish Headteacher at Sacred Heart School,
whose unexpected death has shocked us all. Feelings of bewilderment, sorrow,
disbelief and numbness have all been experienced, I'm sure, in one way or
another since the tragic news broke. We are all beginning the journey of grief and
mourning that can be dark and lonely, however, I think Mrs Welch still has a
lesson to help us on this journey.
Sarah's faith in Jesus was unashamedly public and shaped her vision for Sacred
Heart and the school community. The greatest lesson she taught was trying to live
the life of a disciple whose words, thoughts and actions echoed the beating heart
of Christ. Through her kindness, positivity, warmth, hope and genuine welcome to
all who crossed the door of school she truly lived the image of the Sacred Heart.
Let us follow Mrs Welch's example and actively live as disciples heeding Jesus'
invitation to come to him and lay our sadness and sorrow before him. As he
promised in the Gospel to give rest to those hearts that came to him in faith so we
take comfort that he gives Sarah rest on her new journey with him.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us all.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, Give rest to Sarah.
Please continue to pray for Mrs Welch as I'm sure she is continuing to pray for us.
God Bless
Fr. O'Brien
Let's pray for Sarah's family and friends this weekend, as well as all the parish school community at Sacred Heart.
Sharing the Faith!
A Catechist is someone who feels called to serve God and the parish community by passing on something more precious than silver or gold – The Faith! One of the great joys I have as a priest is passing on the Good News of Jesus Christ and accompanying a person on their spiritual journey. As we continue to live with Covid and the wide range of people approaching me to learn more about the Faith is increasing, I am no longer able to do this on my own, and so I appeal to you my brothers and sisters for help. The Lord does not want people with degrees from the Vatican University or professional theological qualifications in this or that. No. He wants people who believe and practice. If this describes you - believing and practicing - and you would like to know more about being a catechist then please do contact me – the harvest is rich but the labourers are few!
Fr. O'Brien (01254) 232 433 or sean.obrien@dioceseofsalfrod.org.uk
Stewards
One of the blessings to have emerged from these difficult and challenging times has been the role of stewards. Nationally these volunteer parishioners have helped to keep church doors open and provided a non-intrusive warm welcome. The amount of visitors who have joined us at St. Mary's for funerals, weddings, baptisms and first communions have all commented on the hospitality, friendliness and reassurance that our stewards have provided. This is faith in action! Right across the board the role of stewards had become a positive and permanent ministry within all church communities, especially in our diocese of Salford. If you would like to be part of the steward team and volunteer some of your time please contact Jennifer at jennifer.pickles@virginmedia.com
Synod
Pope Francis has called a Universal Synod which is taking place in every Catholic diocese across the world. The Synod is themed:"For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission".We want to hear from as many people as possible, those involved in the church and those who are not. You can take part by completing an online submission using the QR code or following this link:www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/3D3FXJ2.
Please share this link with family and friends. We have until 1st March 2022 to make our submissions then, after national and continental gatherings, the Synod of Bishops will gather in Rome in 2023 to reflect on what has been heard. Please remember the Synod in your prayers. Your contribution is invaluable and will make a considerable difference to the future of the Church in our diocese and across the world.
Formation Series: Synodality in the Universal Church with Sr Nathalie Becquart
Wednesday 19th January 2022, 7:30pm, Online Event Via Zoom
Sr Nathalie is the Undersecretary of the Vatican Synod Office coordinating the Universal Synod 2021-2023. As part of our Formation Series on Synodality, we will be hearing from Sr Nathalie sharing her experience of Synodality across the universal Church. This event will take place on Zoom only. There will be chance to ask Sr Nathalie questions at the end.
7:30pm – Input
8:30pm – Q&A
9:00pm – Finish
For more information and to register visit www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/synodality-in-the-universal-church/. The Zoom link will be emailed once you register.
Formation Series: Local reality of the Church in Salford with Bishop John Arnold
Wednesday 9th February 2022, 7:30pm – 9:00pm. Cathedral Centre and Via Zoom
Register here - www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/the-local-reality-of-the-church-in-the-diocese-of-salford/
God Bless and keep praying.
Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Fr. O'Brien