Sunday 2nd October 2022 - Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Masses & Liturgies for the Coming Week…
Saturday 1st October
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for the Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 2nd October
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for the Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Tuesday 4th October
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Mass, Saint Francis of Assisi (Memoria)
St. Francis was born in Assisi in 1182. After a profound conversion he embraced poverty and turned to God. Preaching the love of God he gathered brothers around him who became Friars Minor. He bore in his body the wounds of Christ and died in 1226.
Wednesday 5th October
10am Mass, Saint Faustina Kowalska (Memoria)
St. Faustina was born in Poland in 1905. Aged 20 she entered religious life. For many years, while suffering ill health, she received visions of Jesus as the Divine Mercy. She died in Krakow on 5th October 1938.
10:30am St. Mary's Tea & Coffee Morning – Everyone Welcome
Friday 7th October
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Mass, Our Lady of the Rosary (Memoria)
'Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.'
-St. Padre Pio
6:30pm The Holy Rosary
Saturday 8th October
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Votive Mass of Our Lady (Celebrated in Lady Chapel)
'To give worthy praise to the Lord's mercy, we unite ourselves with Your Immaculate Mother, for then our hymn will be more pleasing to You, because She is chosen from among men and angels. Through Her, as through a pure crystal, Your mercy was passed on to us. Through Her, man became pleasing to God; Through Her, streams of grace flowed down upon us.'
- St. Faustina
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for the Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 9th October
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for the Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sanctuary Lamp
This week (1st October- 8th October), the Sanctuary Lamp burning in prayer before the Tabernacle is for The Armstrong Family.
Last Week's Offertory Collection
£559.74 Thank you for your kind generosity.
Welcome
This weekend we welcome Fr. Noel Wynn SM, who will be celebrating the weekend Masses. Fr. Wynn is the Superior of the Marist community in Blackburn and is a familiar face to many parishioners in Oswaldtwistle. Thanks to Fr. Wynn I now have the opportunity to travel to Hexham & Newcastle diocese and visit a priest friend who I've not seen for a long time.
St. Mary's Parish Coffee Morning
On Wednesday, 5th October, after the 10am Mass there will be our monthly tea and coffee morning at the back of church. As always everyone is welcome. It's a great time just to meet up for a brew and chat. If you would like to help out or get more information please contact Ciara Kelly at cjk2988@gmail.com
Parish Grounds
The drop in temperature and the darker nights can only mean one thing – autumn has arrived! This also means that trees begin to shed their leaves and as we all know we have plenty of trees on the parish grounds. Volunteers are always greatly appreciated with this yearly task and all help is gratefully accepted. Maintaining the paths and keeping them free from leaf debris isn't the most glamorous of jobs but it's an important one for health and safety reasons. If there is a day you are free, or a time you can pop down to church, which is convenient for you, please contact Navada Keenan who helps to facilitate all our parish garden volunteers – email: keenannavada@gmail.com
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who do so much to keep our church gardens looking pristine and tidy. It is much appreciated. Thank you.
October: The Month of the Holy Rosary
The month of October is traditionally dedicated to the Rosary because the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary falls on the 7th October. Throughout this month there will be plenty of opportunity to pray the Rosary and spend time in prayer with Our Lady.
The Holy Rosary prayed publicly in church:
Saturday 1st October 6pm
Sunday 2nd October 9:30am
Friday 7th October 6:30pm
Saturday 8th October 6pm
Sunday 9th October 9:30am
Saturday 15th October 6pm
Sunday 16th October 9:30am
Parish Schools Rosary
During much of October I'll be going to all the classes in Sacred Heart school, St. Mary's school and St. Oswald's school to teach the children the Luminous Mysteries. At the end of the month each school will hold a Rosary Rally where classes will present the Mystery they have been particularly focusing on and join, with the rest of the school community, praying the Rosary.
Sacred Heart School Rosary Rally: 11am Wednesday 19th October
St. Oswald's School Rosary Rally: 9:10am Friday 21st October
St. Mary's School Rosary Rally: 1:15pm Friday 21st October
Books to help with praying the Rosary
Praying The Rosary Like Never Before by Edward Sri
Pocket Guide to the Rosary: Reflections from the Bible and the Saints by Matt Fradd
The Holy Rosary through the visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
edited by Fr. Mark Higgins
10 Wonders of the Rosary by Donald H. Calloway
Of Men and Mary. How Six Men Won The Greatest Battle Of Their Lives by Christine Watkins
Pause for thought…
My thanks to one of our parishioners, Sian Owen, who has written these wonderful words which remind us that Our Lady is not some distant character in heaven, but a woman, mother and wife who fully understands our struggles and frustrations in life. By picking up our rosaries we not only come close to Mary but she always leads us to Jesus her Son and Our Lord.
"Recently I have been spending my Sunday afternoons batch cooking (thank you Cost of Living Crisis). Curries, soups and spag bol sauce are prepared and placed straight into the freezer for the weeks ahead. My house smells amazing on Sundays. The best part is baking bread. I love how a rough, sticky mix of five simple ingredients – flour, yeast, salt, butter and water – comes together in your hands to make an elastic, stretchy dough and then morphs into something completely delicious. It's a miracle! And as I knead the dough, my mind wanders…
I think of Our Lady preparing food in her kitchen whilst Jesus plays with his friends outside. Perhaps they are running in and out of the house, a noisy whirlwind rushing through the kitchen into the yard as she kneads the bread. Even though Mary was living at the epicenter of major, universal events, it is comforting to think that she was still content with the ordinariness of domestic life. It makes Our Lady, Queen of Heaven very relatable.
So, as we enter October, the month of the Holy Rosary, we should meditate on Mother Mary and through the Rosary ask her to pray for us. Remember, Our Lady is not a remote, lofty figure in the sky. We believe she, like Jesus, has lived experience common to us all, and as such she has boundless empathy for our situations. Likewise, the Mysteries of the Rosary help us to relate to Jesus' and Mary's lives.
We try to juggle spiraling heating bills, food budgets, childcare, petrol costs, debt, mortgages and the rest. The cost of living crisis revs up with no end in sight. Our Lady knew poverty, she did not live a life of luxury, and there may have been times when she worried about how to make ends meet… Our Lady, Mother of Good Counsel, Pray for Us.
The war in Ukraine shows no sign of abating; Putin threatens nuclear war; China eyes Taiwan; meanwhile the Far Right is gaining power across Europe sowing discord and division. Our Lady lived through years of Roman occupation and political turmoil, she experienced the same uncertainties we feel… Our Lady, Queen of Peace, Pray for us.
Across the world politics are polarizing. Social media fuels hatred, which spills into real life. Vicious anti-immigrant sentiments drive ever more cruel government policies. The world is becoming an angry place, with little empathy for outsiders. Our Lady, St Joseph and Jesus had to flee their home and live as refugees in Egypt for years. They knew persecution… Our Lady, Comforter of the Afflicted, Pray for us.
The World faces challenge upon challenge, and it is frightening. But no matter what you are going through, Mother Mary gets it. Whatever worries you, bring it to Our Lady. She loves us and wants to help bring us closer to Jesus. Every single one of us. All we need to do is ask.
October is the Month of the Holy Rosary. Please come and join us on Saturday evenings or Sunday mornings, before Mass at 6pm or 9:30am to say the Rosary and connect with Our Lady. Wonderful things will happen when you do!"
Sian Owen
St. Oswald's School
On behalf of the parish I would like to welcome Eva, who many of you will have see grow over these last 4 years at the Saturday Vigil, to full communion into the Church. I received Eva formally on Friday morning where the school community helped to create a beautiful and prayerful Liturgy. One of the readings was from Genesis and reminded us how Abraham and Sarah left everything to follow God. Once they had heard God's voice they thought nothing of leaving behind their home and community to go out into the wilderness. They saw it not so much as loosing anything, but gaining everything, because they were following the God of Life and Blessing.
A letter to the parishioners of St. Mary's from St. Oswald's School
Dear Parishioners,
Throughout the month of October the children will be learning to pray the rosary. Our special month of prayer will finish with our 'Rosary Rally' on 21st October.
If you would like us to pray for you, your loved ones, your worries or hopes, please place your petitions in the box at the back of church and at our Rosary Rally on Friday 21st October at 9:10am, our whole school will pray together for those intentions in the box.
From all at St. Oswald's R.C Primary School
St. John Vianney Deanery Strung, Sung, Supper
Friday 21st October at 7:00pm, St Joseph's Hall, Accrington. Tickets: £5, which includes a live band and a pie and pea supper on sale from Siobhan Wood: 01254 232920 between the following hours: Monday 8:30-12:30 and Tuesday & Thursday 8:30-1:30 Or Siobhan.wood@dioceseofsalford.org.uk. Proceeds to Lourdes Pilgrimage fund
Bible Recommendation
When people ask me what Bible they should buy I always recommend the CTS Catholic Bible. I would like to add a further recommendation – The Word on Fire Bible, The Gospels. I've recently bought a copy and have found the notes and commentary in it really helpful to understanding the scriptures better. Though it's only the four gospels and not all the books of the Bible I've found it a helpful tool to bring to Holy Hours and use for private prayer and personal reading. You can buy a copy at www.amazon.co.uk
Diocesan Walk for Creation
On Sunday 2 October, Salford diocese will be holding a special walk to reflect on the beauty of the earth and our call to be guardians of creation. The 5.3 mile circular walk will begin at the Laudato Si' Centre at Wardley Hall at 12.30pm and will stop at Roe Green, Worsley (approx 1.30pm) and St Charles RC Church, Swinton (approx 2.30pm) before returning to the Laudato Si' Centre. All are welcome to attend and join us at any of our reflection points.
Find out more at https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/diocesan-walk-for-creation/
The Catholic Fellowship Annual Mass
Cathedral Church of St John the Evangelist, Saturday 8th October 2022, 2pm
The Catholic Fellowship (for people with learning, physical and sensory disabilities, their families, carers and friends) will be holding a special Mass next month to celebrate the dignity of human life.
The Mass will welcome a number of representatives from organisations such as HCPT, L'Arche, SJMDP, MENCAP, Stroke Association, Dementia Association, Age UK, Scope, and more.
It will take place at 2pm on Saturday 8th October at Salford Cathedral and will be celebrated by Bishop John Arnold. Please contact Jane to book display space and for catering purposes on 07708151331 by 25 September 2022.
God Bless and keep praying.
Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Fr. O'Brien