Saint Mary’s Roman Catholic Church
Catlow Hall Street, Oswaldtwistle
Lancashire
BB5 3EZ
Parish Priest: Rev. Fr. S D O’Brien
Parish Administrator: Ciara Kelly
Tel: 01254-232433
Email: stmarysoswaldtwistle@dioceseofsalford.org.uk
Sunday 16th August 2026
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Friday 14th August
10am Requiem Mass for Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Burton RIP
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
6pm Mass, Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest & Martyr (Memoria)
St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe was born in Poland in 1894. He became a Franciscan in 1910. Arrested by the invading German forces in 1939 and sentenced to heavy labour in the extermination camp at Auschwitz. When a married man was chosen to be executed, Maximilian volunteered to take his place. He was killed by lethal injection on 14th August 1941. He was canonised in 1982 in the presence of the man whose life he saved.
Saturday 15th August
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Votive Mass of Our Lady (In the Lady Chapel)
"Mary, give me your Heart: so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate; your Heart so full of love and humility that I may be able to receive Jesus in the Bread of Life and love Him as you love Him and serve Him in the distressing guise of the poor."- Saint Teresa of Kolkata
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sunday 16th August
SOLEMNITY OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Holy Day of Obligation
'It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles… it was fitting that God's Mother should possess what belongs to her Son and that she should be honoured by every creature as the Mother and the Handmaid of God." - St John Damascene
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Tuesday 18th August
5pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
6pm Weekday Mass
Wednesday 19th August
9:15am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
10am Weekday Mass (Feria)
Friday 21st August
5pm – 5:50pm Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
6pm Mass, Saint Pius X, Pope (Memoria)
St. Pius X was born in Riese (Italy) into a poor family in 1835, he was ordained and worked as parish priest for 17 years before bring made spiritual director at the seminary, then bishop of Mantua, patriarch of Venice and finally Pope in 1903. He sought to renew Christian life, by emphasising charity and the Eucharist; he worked to avoid war in 1914, but died shortly after its outbreak.
Saturday 22nd August
9am – 9:50am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
10am Votive Mass of Our Lady (In the Lady Chapel)
"Mary means Star of the sea, for as mariners are guided to port by the ocean star, so Christians attain to glory through Mary's maternal intercession." - St. Thomas Aquinas
6pm The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
6:30pm Vigil Mass for The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Memoria)
'This is why the Blessed Virgin is called Powerful—nay, sometimes, All-powerful, because she has, more than anyone else, more than all Angels and Saints, this great, prevailing gift of prayer. No one has access to the Almighty as His Mother has; none has merit such as hers. Her Son will deny her nothing that she asks; and herein lies her power. While she defends the Church, neither height nor depth, neither men nor evil spirits, neither great monarchs, nor craft of man, nor popular violence, can avail to harm us; for human life is short, but Mary reigns above, a Queen for ever.' - St. John Henry Newman
Sunday 23rd August
9:30am The Holy Rosary for Peace in the World
10am Mass for Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Last Week's Offertory Collection
£542.48 Thank you for your kind generosity.
The Sanctuary Lamp
This Week (15th August – 21st August), The Sanctuary Lamp is for Gattei & Bevan Family.
Our Lady’s Lamp
This Week (15th August – 21st August), Our Lady’s Lamp is for Michael Salmon.
The Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this great feast, we rejoice in the truth that, at the end of her earthly life, Mary was taken body and soul into the glory of Heaven. The Assumption reminds us that Mary, who faithfully shared in the life, death and resurrection of her Son, now shares fully in His glory. For us as Catholics, this feast is also a sign of hope: what God has accomplished in Mary points towards our own destiny. We too are called to share in the resurrection and eternal life promised to us through Christ. As we honour Our Lady, may she pray for us and lead us ever closer to her Son.
Keep the Date Free – Parish Feast of Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle
Tuesday 8th September 2026
I would like to encourage every parishioner to keep Tuesday 8th September free in your diary if at all possible, as we celebrate the Parish Feast of Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle. Many people are unaware that when our church was solemnly dedicated in 1948, it was consecrated on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Our Lady's Birthday). Since that day, our parish has been placed under Our Lady's loving care and protection. It is therefore fitting that, each year, we celebrate this feast together and entrust ourselves once again to Mary, asking her to lead us ever more closely to her Son, Jesus Christ. This year we will mark our Parish Feast with a special Day of Healing and Prayer, offering opportunities throughout the day to receive the Lord's grace through prayer, the sacraments and fellowship.
Programme for the Day
10.00am – The Holy Rosary
Children from our three parish primary schools – Sacred Heart, St Mary's and St Oswald's – will lead us in praying the Rosary as we honour Our Blessed Lady.
12.00 noon – Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Confession
The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for Adoration, and several visiting priests will be available throughout this time to celebrate the Sacrament of Confession.
1.00pm – Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
During Mass there will also be the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Refreshments will be served afterwards.
7.00pm – Evening Healing Service
We will conclude the day with a simple service of prayer for healing, including the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and individual prayer ministry.
Whether you are seeking healing in body, mind or spirit, wishing to return to the Sacrament of Confession, or simply wanting to spend time in prayer with Our Lord and Our Lady, I warmly invite you to join us for all or part of this special day. Please keep this date free and pray that our Parish Feast may be a day of abundant grace, healing and renewal for our whole parish community. Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle, pray for us.
God Bless. Fr O'Brien
Save the Date – Annual Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle Sunday Afternoon Tea
As part of our celebrations for the Feast of Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle, there will be the Annual Parish Afternoon Tea on Sunday, 6th September. At the 10.00am Parish Mass, our beautiful statue of Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle will once again be carried in procession around the church as we honour Our Blessed Lady and entrust our parish to her loving care. In the afternoon, we will gather for our much-loved Parish Afternoon Tea, which starts at 2.00pm—a wonderful opportunity to celebrate together, enjoy good company, and strengthen the friendships that make our parish such a welcoming community. There are 40 tickets available at £15 each. As this event is always very popular and sells out quickly, tickets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Parishioners are asked to pay when booking to secure their ticket. The deadline for booking and payment is 23rd August. If you have any allergies or dietary requirements, please let us know before 23rd August, as we may not be able to accommodate requests received after this date.
New Volunteering Role at Caritas Salford
Our diocesan charity Caritas Salford has a team of almost 200 amazing volunteers, all of whom support their work with people in our parishes who are experiencing poverty, homelessness and discrimination. The team is looking for suitable volunteers who would be interested in giving a little time to work alongside families at their young parent accommodation in Blackburn - supporting and facilitating activities with the babies and their parents. All roles will be subject to an enhanced disclosure and barring check. To find out more about this or other volunteering opportunities with the charity, visit www.caritassalford.org.uk/volunteer or contact Matt Yates: m.yates@caritassalford.org.uk
Fancy a Walk?
Caritas Salford is organising a 6-mile scenic, circular sponsored hike in Lancashire, along the delightful Downham Trail. Taking place on 5 September, the walk is an undulating route with the potential for expansive views from the summit of Beacon Fell.
Visit www.caritassalford.org.uk/LancsWalk for more information or to register for your free place.
Parish Administrator Role
The parish of Our Lady & St Alphonsus Moss Side are looking for a Parish Administrator to provide a broad range of support to the parish including communications, coordinating the liturgical calendar and parish events, parish administrative tasks and liaising with volunteer and community groups. To find out more about the role and how to apply, please visit the diocesan website: https://dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/vacancies/
Open Afternoon at the Lalley Centre
There will be a special open afternoon at the Lalley Community Allotment run by our diocesan charity, Caritas Salford, on Tuesday 18 August from 12:00-3:30PM. For more information please contact the team at lalleycentre@caritassalford.org.uk or simply pop along on the day to Caritas Lalley Community Allotment, St Malachy's RC Primary School, Eggington Street, Collyhurst, Manchester, M40 7RG