Sunday 25th December 2022 - Christmas Day
!!!HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL & EVERYONE!!!
Masses & Liturgies for the Coming Week…
Saturday 24th December
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Advent Mass (Celebrated in Lady Chapel)
5pm Carols around the Crib
5:30pm Christmas Eve Mass (Solemnity)
Let us all rejoice in the Lord, for our Saviour has been born in the world. Today true peace has come down to us from heaven.
Sunday 25th December - Christmas Day
9:30am Carols around the Crib
10am Christmas Day Mass (Solemnity)
A Child is born for us, and a son is given to us; his sceptre of power rests upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Messenger of great counsel. - Isaiah 9:5
Monday 26th December – Boxing Day
12noon Mass with Blessing of Toys, Saint Stephen, Martyr (Feast)
All children are invited to bring the toys that Santa Claus brought and have them blessed as a prayer of thanks-giving during Mass
St. Stephen was the first martyr to shed his blood for Christ, as witness to the newly revealed love of God. '...The love that Christ brought down from heaven to earth, lifted Stephen from earth to heaven.' - The Office of Readings
Thursday 29th December
10am Mass, Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Bishop & Martyr (Feast)
St. Thomas Becket was born in London in 1118; he became Chancellor of England and in 1162 was chosen as Archbishop of Canterbury. He defended the rights of the Church and King Henry II exiled him to France. On his return the followers of the king murdered him in 1170.
12:20pm Funeral Service for Thomas 'Tom' Rutherford RIP at Accrington Crematorium
Friday 30th December – No Abstinence
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
6pm Mass, The Holy Family (Feast)
The shepherds went in haste, and found Mary and Joseph and the Infant lying in a manger. Lk 2:16
Saturday 31st December – New Years Eve
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Christmas Mass (Celebrated in Lady Chapel)
Hail, Holy Mother, who gave birth to the King who rules heaven and earth for ever.
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the New Year
6:30pm Vigil Mass for Mary, Holy Mother of God (Solemnity)
Sunday 1st January 2023 – New Years Day
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the New Year
10am Mass for Mary, Holy Mother of God (Solemnity)
Thank you
Thank you to everyone who has made Christmas unique and prayerful as always at St. Mary's. My personal thanks for all the cards and gifts that have arrived at the front door and sacristy. They are much appreciated.
Sanctuary Lamp
This week (24th December - 31st December), the Sanctuary Lamp is for the Fussell & Beveridge Families.
Last Week's Offertory Collection
£635.80. Thank you for your kind generosity.
A St. Mary's Warm Welcome!
Some parishioners have put forward the excellent idea of having a 'Warm Welcome' twice a month at church on a Tuesday. What is a 'Warm Welcome'? It's the opportunity for a brew, meet up, catch up and sing a long in a warm St. Mary's. We have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on a Tuesday followed by an evening Mass so with the heating already on in church it makes sense to invite people to come along to a warm place, especially in these cold times and as many of you know expensive energy times! Dylan Owen (Saturday Vigil Mass musician) and Anthony Flanagan (Sunday Mass Choir Master) have generously offered their services to facilitate, as part of the 'Warm Welcome', a sing along. Something to make us smile and bring us together in the New Year. Everyone is welcome to come, bring neighbors, friends, family, people you know would love to get out of the house and do something different, parents and carers on their way to pick up children from school – Everyone is Welcome!!!
As always we need help. If you could volunteer to help join in with the brewing up, the extra voice to sing along, the opening up and closing up then please contact Fr. O'Brien at sean.obrien@dioceseofsalford.org.uk or one of the stewards at the weekend Masses. The more the merrier. If good numbers come to the first session then we'll know it's a project worth pursuing.
First St. Mary's Warm Welcome – Tuesday 10th January 1:30pm – 3pm.
Everyone Welcome – Spread the word!
Hospital Call
For some of the days in Christmas week I've offered to help the Catholic chaplaincy at the Royal Blackburn Hospital by going on the emergency 'on call' rota. As you'll appreciate and emergency is never planned and so it may mean that certain visits or appointments I've made will be either delayed or postponed. Thank you to all our stewards in advance, whose invaluable help means that, even if I can't make it in time for a Mass the church is open for prayer. Let's pray for all the sick and those who care for them. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for them.
Christmas Flowers
We are blessed to have such talented people like Maureen Mullen and the ladies who transform our church with their amazingly beautiful flower displays. However, flowers do cost money and we are always ready to accept any donations towards the cost of these arrangements. If you would ever like to make a donation towards church flowers then it would be more than gratefully accepted. Place your money in an envelope marked 'church flowers' and pass it on to one of the stewards or through the presbytery letterbox. God Bless.
The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord – Holy Day of Obligation
Friday 6th January 2023 is the date for the Epiphany of the Lord. It is a Holy Day of obligation, all Roman Catholics are obliged to to come to the prayer of the Mass on this day.
9:30am The Holy Rosary
10am Mass of the Epiphany
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Mass of the Epiphany
Though the Epiphany falls on a Friday there is no abstinence as it is a solemn celebration of the Lord.
Christmas Tree Recycling Project
Do you have a real Christmas tree to dispose of this year? The JustHelping Christmas tree recycling project is a convenient way to dispose of your tree while making a difference to our planet and raising funds for local charities. To find out more about the project or other collection points across Greater Manchester and Lancashire, head to https://just-helping.org.uk/register-tree
Confirmation Classes
On Wednesday 11th January I'll begin my Confirmation classes for those young people who are baptised Roman Catholic, 12 years old and up and live in the parish. For those young people who have already approached me at church, come and see me again and I can give you more details. I'll also be offering classes in September for those young people who need more time to think and discern if they want to be Confirmed as it is a big decision and a life impacting one – which you will never regret.
Rock Salt & Muscle Power!
Thank you to the generous people who have donated some bags of rock salt to help keep the paths around church safe – as always it is much appreciated. If your passing a garden centre, petrol station or anywhere that's selling rock salt/grit and are able to donate a bag to church then it would be gratefully accepted. Any bags can be left outside, at the rear of the church building, by the bins. We all so need that precious gift of peoples time and energy in helping spread and scatter the grit on icey and frozen days before Masses and liturgies at church so that everyone is kept safe. If you could help or be a contact then please contact Navada Keenan keenannavada@gmail.com or Karen Beard the parish Housekeeper jakey9998@aol.com
Cost-of-Living Crisis Guidance
Parishes in our diocese have been reaching out and seeking ways to support members of their community through the cost-of-living crisis, and Caritas Salford has created a guidance webpage to signpost a number of ways both parishes and individuals can navigate through the crisis and support others. The information can be viewed here: Cost of Living - Caritas Diocese of Salford (caritassalford.org.uk) and you can also contact Matthew Yates at Caritas on m.yates@caritassalford.org.uk for more information.
Ecological Gardening Course
Our Laudato Si' Centre has teamed up with the Northern School of Permaculture and Ecospheres Design to create a fascinating training course on Ecological Gardening. Ecological gardens are self-regulating green havens, designed to re-vegetate the Earth, capture carbon, nurture biodiversity and mitigate climate change. This programme was developed to bridge the knowledge gap between conventional landscaping, gardening and horticulture, and designing resilient eco-gardens and re-wilding projects. Find out more at https://laudatosicentre.org.uk/general/eco-gardening-training/
Job Vacancies
Gardener and Well-being Co-ordinator (Replacement Role)
Appointment Type: Full-time, permanent
Working hours: 35 hours per week, Mon-Fri though some evening and weekend work will be required.
Location: Wardley Hall, Wardley Hall Road, Worsley, Manchester, M28 2ND.
Salary and benefits: £22,660 – £27,855 per annum dependent on skills and experience, 25 holidays, plus statutory bank holidays and 5 Diocesan closure days.
About: The Diocese of Salford seeking to recruit a Gardener and Wellbeing Coordinator to tend to the grounds of the Hall, including the Laudato Si' Centre (in accordance with seasonal needs), and support horticulture, well-being school, and community programmes.
For further information and to apply, please visit www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/vacancies/
Refugee Entrepreneurship Programme Officer
Appointment Type: Full-time, fixed term contract until 31 March 2023
Working hours: 37.5 hours per week
Location: Caritas House, M4 7FA, with some opportunity to work flexibly
Salary and benefits: £31,340
About: The post holder will provide practical support to refugee entrepreneurs who wish to start their own business. If you have experience of working with refugees in a one-to-one setting, giving advice on business start ups, have experience of creating business and training opportunities in the North West of England then we would love to hear from you!
Closing date: 9am Friday 13 January 2023.
For further information and to apply, please visit www.caritassalford.org.uk
God Bless and keep praying.
Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Fr. O'Brien