Sunday 25th June 2023
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Masses & Liturgies for the Coming Week…
Saturday 24thJune
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Mass, The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (In the Lady Chapel)
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 25thJune
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Tuesday 27th June
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Mass of Thanksgiving & Opening of the Sacred Heart Exhibition
This day marks the 20th anniversary since the closure of the Sacred Heart Parish in Accrington. The 6pm Mass is to give thanks for all those priests and parishioners who helped to make Sacred Heart a place of prayer and community.
There will be refreshments at the end of Mass and the Exhibition will be open until after Mass on Sunday 2nd July.
Wednesday 28thJune
9:15 am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
10am Mass, Saint Irenaeus, Martyr & Doctor of the Church (Memoria)
St. Irenaeus, a name which means Peace, was born in 130A.D, became Bishop of Lyons and was a great teacher against the errors of his time, dying in 200A.D.
Thursday 29thJune
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul - Holy Day of Obligation
"Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles' blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labours, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith." - St. Augustine of Hippo
10am Mass
6pm Mass
Friday 30thJune
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Mass, The First Martyrs of the Roman Church (Memoria)
The First Martyrs of the Roman Church are Christians who died (with Ss. Peter and Paul) in the first great Roman persecution under the Emperor Nero in the year 67A.D. The pagan writer Tacitus records their deaths.
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
Sanctuary Lamp
This week (24th June - 1st July), the Sanctuary Lamp is for Peace in the World.
Last Week's Offertory Collection
£563.02. Thank you for your kind generosity.
Day for Life Collection
Thank you to all those who donated towards the Day for Life Collection last weekend. £102.84 was raised.
Peter's Pence Collection
The annual collection for Peter's Pence takes place on the Solemnity of St Peter and St Paul each year. The Secretariat for the Economy has sent a reminder to all bishops conferences regarding the importance of this collection in the work of the Holy See. There will be a labeled collection basket at the back of church (under the crucifix) from Thursday 29th June until after the 10am Mass on Sunday 2nd July for any financial donations towards the works of Our Holy Father, the Pope.
Further information regarding the collection, as well as supporting materials, can be found at
https://www.obolodisanpietro.va/en/giornate-dell-obolo.html
Parish Donations
Many people have asked can they donate monies towards the parish via Direct Debit and if so what is the name of the parish account: SRCDTR ST MARY OSWALDTWISTLE.
Thank you for your continued support.
Holy Day of Obligation...
On Thursday 29th June we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter & Paul. This is a holy day of obligation and all faithful Roman Catholics are obliged to come to Mass that day. At St. Mary's there will be Masses at 10am and 6pm.
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/
Congratulations -First Holy Communion
Congratulations to Renea who received Our Lord in Holy Communion for the first time at the Friday evening Mass (23rd June). Over the last few months Renea and other younger members of our parish 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 the end of a weekend Mass.
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
On Tuesday 27th June the 6pm Mass will be a Mass of Thanksgiving to celebrate the former parish of Sacred Heart and the many blessings people received from it. Everyone is welcome. Thanks to Michael Leeming and Bernard Dowling who will continue the good work started by John Hughes to produce an exhibition to tell the story of Sacred Heart parish. This exhibition will be at the back of church during the week of 27th June - 2nd July (Tuesday – Sunday). There will be refreshments available at the end of Mass and everyone is welcome to attend.
Health and Safety Works
On Wednesday (21st June) Walker Fire, who maintain the church and presbytery fire extinguishers, came to do the annual legal checks. The full cost was £254.91.
St. Mary's School P.T.A
I received an email from Tony Alveston, one of the governors at St. Mary's school, asking could we appeal for volunteers for the PTA. If anybody is interested please call Tony on 07837386755.
New Book. The Clergy of the Diocese of Salford (1850 -1902) By Lawrence R. Gregory and Rev. Dr. David Lannon:
We are delighted to announce the publication of the first volume of the History of the clergy of the Diocese of Salford. We have been working on this project for more than two decades, and now over 243 pages and 610 individual biographical profiles (many with photographs), we tell the stories of the missionary Priests who restored the Catholic faith to South and East Lancashire.
The book can be purchased from Amazon at this link.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C1J1WQ94?fbclid=IwAR1-5ZVyudHMxwC7xSuzH1V2fMCQS2LarlZXyhIVath2AAAnHMt5BXZ3QLA
Or if you don't use Amazon, by contacting Lawrence Gregory on LRCGregory@outlook.com
The Diocese of Salford was erected in September 1850 by Papal Bull – Universalis Ecclesiae, known as the Restoration of the Hierarchy. Thirteen new dioceses were created, and Nicholas Wiseman was elevated to the Cardinalate, as the first Archbishop of Westminster. William Turner was appointed as first Bishop of Salford in June 1851; the Church of St John the Evangelist, Salford was elevated to Cathedral status in June 1852; and the Diocesan Chapter erected the following month. The project to research into the lives and ministries of the early clergy of the Diocese has been ongoing for many years and is now being bought to fruition in a projected two volume publication. This, the first volume, tells the story of the clergy who were ordained for, or arrived to minister in, the Diocese from its formation in 1850 to the death of the third Bishop of Salford, John Bilsborrow in March 1903, while also including the details of those priests who were ordained prior to the Restoration of the Heirarchy in 1850, but who ministered in the Lancashire District, and before that the Northern District, at churches which would later become part of the Diocese of Salford.
Ukrainian Flood Appeal
The Ukrainian Catholic Church in Great Britain has shared details of a fund to provide humanitarian aid to all those who have lost their homes and livelihoods as a result of the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam in the Kherson region of Ukraine. Any help you are able to give at this time would be greatly appreciated. Find out more at https://www.gofundme.com/f/nova-kakhovka-fundraiser-for-humanitarian-aid
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.
Bury Convent Grammar School "Old Girls" Reunion
Holy Cross College in Bury, formerly Bury Convent Grammar School, is hosting a reunion on Thursday 6th July from 6pm. The school was founded by the Daughters of the Cross in 1878 and continues to thrive as a large mixed 6th form today maintaining its distinctive ethos and celebrating the Catholic life and mission of the Daughters. Tours of the site and light refreshments will be provided. The event is free, but tickets will be required to monitor numbers. Tickets can be found at www.ticketsource.co.uk/holycrosscollege
Society of St Gregory Summer School - Joyful Proclamation of the Gospel
26 - 29 July, Liverpool Hope University, Hope Park Campus, Childwall, L16 1JD
Join the Society of St Gregory this July for a fascinating Summer School that delves a little more into the importance of liturgy. The workshops will explore practical ideas for parish ministry, such as how we plan music in our liturgy, how to be more creative in planning our liturgy, how to help young people in liturgical ministry, and how to find deeper meaning in our celebrations. The course will welcome a number of guest speakers to help explore these topics, including Bishop John Arnold.
Find out more and register at www.ssg.org.uk/summer-school-2023
Job Vacancies
Laudato Si' Centre Environment and Learning Officer
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 £34,608 - £37,073 per annum, depending on skills & experience
About: The Diocese of Salford is seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Environment and Learning Officer to support transformation in keeping with Pope Francis's Laudato Si' encyclical, and to develop and deliver programmes at the Laudato Si' Centre, the flagship environment centre for the diocese. The Laudato Si' Centre is based at Wardley Hall and includes the walled garden and woodland, for schools, parishes and community groups, with a focus on learning, spirituality and wellbeing.
Closing date for applications: 12 noon on Tuesday 27th June 2023.
For all the details please visit: https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/vacancies/
Parish Administrator - St Robert of Newminster
Appointment Type: Part-time, 12-month fixed term contract
Working hours: 6 hours per week, working pattern to be agreed with the Parish Priest
Location: St Mary's Presbytery, Elbow Street, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3PY
Salary £11.26 per hr
About: The parish of St Robert of Newminster is looking for a Parish Administrator to provide administrative support to the parish including office administration, secretarial and basic accounting duties.
Closing date for applications: 12 noon Wednesday 28th June 2023
For all the details please visit: https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/vacancies/
God Bless and keep praying.
Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Fr. O'Brien