Sunday 2nd July 2023
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Masses & Liturgies for the Coming Week…
Saturday 1stJuly
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Mass, Saint Oliver Plunket, Bishop & Martyr (Memoria) (In the Lady Chapel)
St. Oliver Plunket was born in Co. Meath (Ireland) in 1625, died at Tyburn in 1681. Ordained in Rome he was appointed Archbishop of Armagh in 1669. He held synods and visitations and promoted the reforms of the Council of Trent. Imprisoned in Dublin in 1679, he was tried, condemned and executed in London, final victim of the 'Popish Plot' and the last to be executed for the faith in England.(In the Lady Chapel)
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 2nd July
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Tuesday 4th July
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Weekday Mass
Wednesday 5th July
9:15 am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
10am Votive Mass of Saint Joseph
'We must be convinced that, in consideration of his great merits, God will not refuse St. Joseph any grace he asks for those who honour him.' - St Alphonsus Liguori
10:25am – 10:35am Devotions to Saint Joseph
(At the foot of the parish statue of St. Joseph, see below for more details)
7:30pm Parish BBQ Volunteers Meeting
Meeting for all parishioners who would like to volunteer their time time and help with the Parish BBQ in September (Meeting at church)
Thursday 6thJuly
10am Mass, Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin & Martyr (Memoria)
followed by the veneration of a relic of St. Maria Goretti
St. Maria Goretti was born into a poor family in Ancona, Italy in 1890. She spent her childhood at Nettuno, helping her mother in the domestic chores. She was a religious girl, much given to prayer. In 1902, while defending her chastity against a neighbour trying to rape her, she preferred to die rather than give way, and was fatally stabbed. She forgave her attacker before she died, the following day.
Friday 7thJuly
7pm Deanery Vocations Mass at St. Mary of the Assumption, Burnley
(see below for more details)
Saturday 8thJuly
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Votive Mass of Our Lady (In the Lady Chapel)
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 9th July
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sanctuary Lamp
This week (1st July - 8th July), the Sanctuary Lamp is for the Simpson & Catlow Family.
Last Week's Offertory Collection
£580.95. Thank you for your kind generosity.
Devotions to Saint Joseph
On Wednesday 5th July the 10am Mass will be a Votive Mass of St. Joseph followed by devotions to him at 10:25am (at the foot of his statue at the back of church). The devotions will include praying the Litany of St. Joseph, the Memorare of St. Joseph and the Prayer of the Holy Cloak Novena. In these devotions our prayer is to ask St. Joseph to pray for our parish family and for those who have wandered away from Church, that they may return and find a warm welcome.
Diocesan Mass for Vocations to the Priesthood
The Diocese of Salford's Vocations Team invite you to join them at our next monthly Mass for Vocations to the Priesthood. The Mass will take place at 7pm on Friday 7th July at the church of St Mary of the Assumption, Burnley. All are very welcome to attend as we pray together for the future of the priesthood in our diocese. To find out more about our Vocations Masses, please visit www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/monthly-vocations-masses/
Date for you Diaries…
St. Mary's Parish Feast & Celebration, Friday 8th September – Sunday10th September 2023.
Last year's parish feast was such a huge success thanks to parishioners who volunteered their time, those who came to the various Masses, liturgies and processions and of course the large numbers who attended the Sunday BBQ! We would love to do this again in September to celebrate Our Lady and the anniversary of the church's consecration from Friday 8th – Sunday 10th September. For such an event to take place it involves volunteers offering up their gifts and talents. If you can help from making brews, serving drinks, washing up, finding gazebos and chairs, organising raffle tickets then you would be warmly welcomed and wanted. There will be a meeting at 7:30pm on Wednesday 5th July, at church, for anybody willing to volunteer their time and services.
Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle, pray for us.
Pilgrimage to Walsingham in Prayer for the Sanctity of Life
Catholics around the country will be heading to Walsingham this August to pray and reflect on the sanctity of life. Archbishop Kevin McDonald will lead the pilgrimage on Saturday 5th August and celebrate Mass at 12 noon. For more information please visit www.prolifepilgrimage.org/
St. Mary's, Oswaldtwistle – Lenten Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine & Co. Mayo, Ireland
This week I contacted Patricia from Knock Pilgrimages with the idea of doing a Lenten pilgrimage next year (26th Feb - 1st March 2024), to the shrine of Knock in the west of Ireland. She has kindly put together a timetable for the pilgrimage with all the relevant details (see below). Have a pray about it and if you are interested then let one of the stewards know at Mass and they'll take your name and contact details. If there are enough names by Sunday 2nd July then I'll confirm with Knock Pilgrimages.
Monday 26th February 2024
Depart Manchester 08:10 – Arrive Knock 09:20
Friday 01st March 2024
Depart Knock 10:00 – Arrive Manchester 11:10
Monday 26th February 2024
Depart Manchester. 20 Minutes transfer to Knock Shrine.
Hotel Check In and Breakfast. Afternoon Mass.
Dinner and welcome meeting
Tuesday 27th February 2024
A Day in Knock. Tour of Museum and Grounds.
Mass. Confessions. Optional Prayer Guidance.
Private Time. Dinner followed by entertainment.
Wednesday 28th February 2024
Mass in Fr. Peyton Centre with tour. Lunch.
Onwards to Museum of Country Life.
Return to Hotel for Dinner. Free evening.
Thursday 29th February 2024
Guided tour of Ballintubber Abbey with Mass.
Lunch. Visit the holy mountain Croagh Patrick and Famine
Memorial. Enjoy some shopping time in Westport.
Return to hotel for Dinner and farewell entertainment.
Friday 01st March 2024
Morning Mass. Private Time before return flight.
Price of £649.00 per person
Package includes:
Flight with 10kg Luggage and priority boarding.
4 night's accommodation on Full Board basis
in 3* Knock House Hotel. All entertainment,
excursions and guided tours. Lunch on days out.
Assistance from Knock Pilgrimages representative.
Single room supplement of £100.00
Sacred Heart Memorial Mass
A Big Thank You to all those who helped on Tuesday evening make the Mass of Thanksgiving for the former Sacred Heart parish such a prayerful and joyful occasion. So many people contributed to making the event thought provoking and I know many memories were shared. Thank you to John Hughes, Bernard Dowling and Michael Leeming for their research and time in creating the exhibition.
Parish Synods Representatives
After the appeal last month for parishioners to come forward and help give our parish a voice at the diocesan synod Sharon Siddle, Mike Cowley-Freeman, Sian Owen and Joel Garrigan kindly volunteered. On Wednesday we had the first informal meeting to share and clarify what the purpose of the synod is and what it is not. Our four reps have already engaged with a diocesan meeting and presentation about the nature and direction of the synod. In September the diocese will provide them with practical training in regards collecting peoples experiences and thoughts.
Deanery Synod Holy Hours
Bishop John will lead a Holy Hour for our Diocesan Synod in each Deanery. All are invited to attend any of these times of prayer as we embark on our Diocesan Synod asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten us on this next stage of our journey. The time of prayer will include hymns, silence, scripture, and a reflection from Bishop John on the vision for our Synod.
St John Vianney Deanery (Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Rossendale Valley ) -
Tuesday 25th July 2023, 7pm - 8pm – St Mary's RC Church, Todmorden Rd, Burnley BB10 4AU
The Bishop's Ruby Jubilee Celebration
To mark the fortieth anniversary of his ordination to priesthood, Bishop John Arnold will be celebrating a special Mass at 3pm on Sunday 16 July in Salford Cathedral. This Mass is open to all members of the diocese, without the need for tickets, and so you are welcome to come along if you wish to do so. There will be some light refreshments (tea/coffee and biscuits) after the Mass, respecting the bishop's wish to keep things simple on this occasion. Let us all keep Bishop John in our prayers as he celebrates this significant anniversary.
Sacred Heart School
On Wednesday Mrs Harling invited me to visit year 4 who were looking at the Rite of Ordination. I talked about the promises that are made, Celibacy, Obedience, Prayer, Sacramental & Pastoral care; the elements of the rite and their significance like the laying on of hands by the Bishop; the anointing with the Sacred Chrism; the Litany of the Saints and physical prostration on the floor of the sanctuary by the candidate. The we dressed on of the pupils in the Mass vestments of a priest to help them understand the symbolism behind each garment. What I love about being invited into school is that you may start talking to the children about one topic but by the end of the session they have you answering questions on something completely different. We went from priesthood to The Mystery of the Trinity!
St. Oswald's School
On Friday Miss Collinge invited me to talk to Year 6 about the Sacrament of the Sick. There can often be some misunderstanding about this Sacrament, instituted by Our Lord, that makes people either confused or fearful. The pupils questions I found very helpful because they reminded me that fundamentally this Sacrament is about Jesus' real healing presence among us that gives peace and hope.
Young Adults Mass
Sunday 9th July, 5.30pm, St Augustine's RC Church, Grosvenor Square, Manchester, M15 6BW.
The Diocese of Salford's Youth Ministry Team is delighted to welcome pilgrims attending World Youth Day to its next Young Adults Mass. Fr Joe Gee will preside and preach at the Mass which will also act as a pre-departure Mass for our World Youth Day pilgrims. All are welcome to attend as we pray for all those joining this year's pilgrimage and gather together for pizza and social time after Mass.
God Bless and keep praying.
Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Fr. O'Brien