Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
Dear friends in Christ
We have arrived at the start of holy week—the culmination of the Christian calendar—the goal of our Lenten pilgrimage.
Dear friends in Christ
We have arrived at the start of holy week—the culmination of the Christian calendar—the goal of our Lenten pilgrimage. We are going to proceed through these days not simply following some historical narrative, but by actually making present those final days and hours in the life of our Divine Saviour which brought about our salvation. We do this by the power of the Holy Spirit working in the Church, the Body of Christ. Please allow me to highlight some of the important moments in the Week ahead so that we may accompany Our Lord well and benefit from what He is doing for us.
At Mass this Palm Sunday we commemorate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem recalling that only days later the crowds are calling for His Death. We listen to the reading of the Passion according to Saint Matthew and take a blessed palm home which is traditionally placed behind a crucifix to remind us of this Week.
On Wednesday at 11am in Brentwood Cathedral the Bishop will celebrate the Mass of Chrism during which he consecrates the Holy Oils that will be used in the Sacraments throughout the coming year. All of the priests present with him will renew their priestly commitment; please pray for us!
Maundy Thursday, during the Mass in the evening, we commemorate the very first Mass, the Last Supper, during which Jesus consecrated His first priests, the priests of the New Testament. This is symbolised by the Mandatum, the washing of the feet of the Apostles, reminding us that at the heart of Priestley consecration is service. At the end of the Mass the Blessed Sacrament is solemnly transferred to an Altar of Repose, imitating the journey of Jesus after the Last Supper into the Garden of Olives where He begins His Passion. We keep watch and pray with Our Lord until midnight.
Good Friday is a day of deep reflection on the suffering and Death of Our Saviour. It should be a day devoid of any frivolity and characterised by our being recollected, as far as is possible. The Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday is at three o’clock in the afternoon, the hour at which Jesus died. During the Liturgy we listen again to the Passion, this time according to Saint John; we process slowly to the Cross which we venerate with deep devotion and we may receive Holy Communion.
Holy Saturday is also a day marked by sobriety. The Mass and Sacraments are not celebrated on Holy Saturday but the Vigil of Easter begins at 8.00pm, after sunset. This includes the blessing of the new fire and Paschal Candle, the Easter proclamation (Exsultet) the Vigil of Readings, Baptismal liturgy and Reception of new converts and the first Mass of Easter. The joy of the Resurrection overflows into the following fifty days of Eastertide.
May we all gain graces from this Holy Week to support our Christian pilgrimage to eternal life. May the Blessed Mother be with us, as she was with Jesus, at every step of this Week, as we experience her own sorrow and offer her our compassion.
Msgr Kevin Hale
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
Readings of Year A
The Apostles’ Creed
Preface of The Passion of The Lord
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
Saturday 28th March
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent
5:30pm Vigil Frank & Moira Keenan, RIP (Anniv) (FK)
6:30pm Holy Hour: Confession
& Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Sunday 29th March
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
8am Mass The People of the Parish
9.30am Mass Bobby Newman (HA)
11.30am The Blessing & Procession of Palms
& Solemn Mass Alex Murphy, RIP
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Confessions after all Masses
HOLY WEEK
Monday 30th
Monday of Holy Week
9am Mass Patrick Ignatus, RIP (RP)
Confessions after Mass
Tuesday 31st
Tuesday of Holy Week
9am Mass Tom Lydon, RIP (Anniv) (CS)
Confessions after Mass
Wednesday 1st April
Wednesday of Holy Week
9am Mass David Lesley, RIP (MR)
Confessions after Mass
11am Mass of Chrism at Brentwood Cathedral
Thursday 2nd
Maundy Thursday
9am Office of Lauds
7pm Solemn Mass of the Lord’s Supper Veronica Redhouse, RIP (MR)
Watching at the Altar of Repose until Midnight
Confessions after Mass: Compline 11.45pm
Friday 3rd
Good Friday
9am Office of Readings & Lauds
10am Children’s Way of the Cross
3pm Solemn Liturgy of Our Lord’s Passion
7pm Way of the Cross
Confessions after all the Services
Saturday 4th April
Holy Saturday
9am Office of Readings & Lauds
Confessions 11.00am—12Noon
8pm Easter Vigil and First Mass of Easter The People of the Parish
Sunday 5th April
Easter Sunday
8am Mass Intentions of Simone Dann (MC)
9.30am Mass Fred & Doreen Wall, RIP (K&LW)
11.30am Mass Dec'd relatives of Canon Gilbert, RIP (FM)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
We pray for our sick
We pray for the sick of our parish
“Father,
by the power of your Spirit
you have filled the hearts of your faithful people
with gifts of love for one another.
Hear the prayers we offer for our relatives and friends.
Give them health of mind and body
that they may do your will with perfect love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.”
We Pray for the Dead on their Anniversaries
Fr Joseph Tuohey, Fr John McCollough, Bp (Hugh) Christopher Budd, Fr Ronald Roberts, Canon Charles Loughran, Fr George Towler, Canon William Toft, Pope John Paul II, Bessie Higley, Sheila Townsend, Veronica Redhouse Bartholemew Guihen, Alan Read, Geraldine Gwilliam, Herbert Robertson, Mary Leonard, Marjorie Nolan, Tom Lydon, Eugene Read, Winifred Maguire, Albert Thorne, Ronald Black, Daisy Spicer, Vera Stuart, Ltd Cdr James Scott, Marjorie Bowen, Leslie Poole, Stella Finn, Jean Bethell, Vi Coveney, Christine Fisher, Patrick Maloney, Donald McMahon, Catherine Nelson, Baby Ben Blaker, Catherine Dace, Nora White, Charles Thompson, Elizabeth Tyrell, Bernard Foley, Peggy Cockerell, Robert Lee, Kitty Stanley, Patricia Quinn & Patrick Dunbar.
Please pray for the repose of the soul of
DAVID LESLEY who died on Friday, 13th March. His body will be received into the church on Tuesday, 21st April at 4.15pm. His Requiem Mass will take place on Wednesday, 22nd April at 11am followed by committal at Sutton Road Cemetery.
Requiescat in pace
Dates for your Diary
Monday 30 March
Journey in Faith (RCIA) 8pm Parish Centre
Saturday 16 May
10:30am First Holy Communion Mass
Sunday 24 May
11:30am Confirmation Mass
Sunday 7 June
4pm Corpus Christi Procession
11 July
Flower Festival
Sunday 19-Friday 24 July
Lourdes Pilgrimage
Good Friday in the Park United Service
Chalkwell Group of Churches
Good Friday Service in Chalkwell Park, April 03, 2026
11:00 a.m.Come a little early and join in with the Choir!
Picnic afterwards, weather permitting.
For more information, speak to, or email:
Rev. Jane Guest of Avenue Baptist
@ jane.guest@avenuebaptist.com
07842 244 044
Repository News
We will be closed over the Easter weekend. The following weekend 11th/12th April we will have First Holy Communion and Confirmation cards and gifts in stock, plus our usual stock of religious items.
Brentwood Catholic Youth Service, Lourdes Pilgrimage
A few last-minute places are still available for the BCYS Lourdes pilgrimage this July, for anyone in school year 10+.
A powerful experience of faith, service, and community. Funding available. All information can be found atwww.bcys.net/events/sl26
RCIA: Journey of Faith
Our Journey of Faith continues
8pm Monday 30 March
Newman Room, Parish Centre
This is for people who are not Catholics but who are enquiring with a view to finding out more about the Catholic Faith and Reception into the Church.
These evenings begin at 8pm, are held in the Newman Room of the Parish Centre (the door is beside the Memorial Garden) and usually last just over an hour. We appreciate if you notify us in advance if you’re attending (but it’s not needed).
Fr Kevin or the Parish Office.
Flower & Crafts Festival 2026
Saturday 11 July
We ask for your help to make the day a success. The theme this year is The Beatitudes. There are 8 beatitudes and we would like each to be represented in flower displays, art work, crafts... Please consider taking part—especially if you have not before. If you can sew, knit, embroider, paint, draw, craft, arrange flowers—then we need you!
The Festival is a way of opening ourselves up to a wide group of people of various religious persuasions—or none! Each year we host some people who have never been in a church before… This is part of our Christian witness. If you would like to take part or would like to know more, contact me by email, or find Theresa or myself in the Lady Chapel after the Family Mass on Sunday.
Jo Ronan
Diocesan Pilgrimage to Walsingham—23rd May 2026
Join Bishop Alan and other parishes around the Diocese of Brentwood in Walsingham. We will celebrate Mass at the Basilica before walking the Holy Mile to the grounds of Walsingham Abbey to celebrate Vespers and Benediction on the site of the Holy House. Sacred Heart are running a coach, and the cost will be £25 per adult, children under 16 go free.
Leaving Sacred Heart Church at 7am, picking up at St John Fisher at 7:10am and Our Lady of Lourdes, Leigh, at 7:25am. We expect to be back in the Southend area by 8pm. Please phone Sandy Rand 07470 820994 to book your seat. Book early to secure your place. Thank you.
Gift Aid Envelopes
The Gift Aid Offertory and Special Charity envelopes for the Financial Year 2026-27 are at the back of Church.
A new set of numbers have been used—your new number may be different to this year’s.
Seniors Exercise & Balance Class
10am Tuesdays
Parish Centre
£6
You are invited to join the Exercise & Balance Class for Seniors which is held every Tuesday morning in the Parish Centre. The class starts at 10am and lasts one hour. Exercises are done to music and each session costs £6.
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School & Nursery
We warmly invite families to visit our wonderful school and see first-hand the engaging and supportive learning environment we provide. Arranging a visit is a great opportunity to see the school in action, meet our staff, and experience our welcoming community.
If you would like to book a tour, please contact the school office who will be happy to arrange a visit.
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Dear friends in Christ
We are entering the final and most solemn part of Lent this weekend.
Dear friends in Christ
We are entering the final and most solemn part of Lent this weekend. The traditional purple drapes on the crosses and images are a reminder of the solemnity of these days that culminate in the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord. The images are veiled because during His Passion, Jesus hid his glory. The solemn unveiling of the cross during the Good Friday Liturgy makes vivid the revelation of Jesus, reigning from the tree, King of the Jews and King of the Universe. The final Gospel reading in the trilogy of these weeks—the raising of Lazarus—is presented as an anticipation of the Resurrection of Christ. Just as Jesus raised His friend from the dead, so by His own power too as God, He will rise from the tomb. The Christian life itself is the spiritual process of dying and rising to life in Christ. We began this at Baptism when symbolically we went into the tomb with Jesus, as Saint Paul says. But through the course of our lives, we go through this dying and rising again. Every time we turn our back on God and commit sin, we die a little; but through the grace given in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, are brought back to life. That is why the early Fathers of the Church speak of these two Sacraments as the two planks of salvation that God extends to us. A really good Lent, and a really good preparation for Easter, will be our reception of the Sacrament of Penance, Confession. There will be ample opportunity throughout Holy Week for this, starting next Sunday, Palm Sunday. Wednesday, 25th March, be will be the Solemnity of the Annunciation of The Lord. By Mary’s acceptance of God’s Will, the Incarnation was possible. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane prays that He can fulfil the Will of His Heavenly Father by drinking the chalice of suffering. May we be similarly docile in living the Will of God for us each day.
God bless you all!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Fifth Sunday Liturgy
Readings of Year A
The Apostles’ Creed
Preface of the Fifth Sunday of Lent
Fifth Week of Lent
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Saturday 21 March
5:30pm Vigil Mass
The People of the Parish
6:30pm Holy Hour: Confession
& Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Sunday 22
8am Dawn Mass
Intentions of Fr Cornelius Joyce
9:30am Family Mass
Intentions of Philomena Griffin
11:30am Solemn Mass
Alex Murphy†
5:30pm Vespers & Benediction
Confessions after all Masses
Monday
9am Mass
Intentions of the Wright Family
Tuesday
9am Mass
Intentions of Richard & Angela Jameson
The Annunciation of the Lord
Wednesday 25
9am Mass
Emmanuel, Claritta & Antonio Vicera† & Safe Travel
Thursday
9am Mass
David Lesley†
Friday
12 noon Mass
Sick People of the Parish & their Families
7pm Way of the Cross & Benediction
Saturday
10am Mass
Frank & Barbara Blaker†
10:30am Holy Hour: Confession &
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Holy Week
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
Saturday 28 March
5:30pm Vigil Mass
Frank & Moira Keenan† Anniversary
6:30pm Holy Hour: Confession &
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Sunday 29
8am Dawn Mass
The People of the Parish
9:30am Family Mass
Bobby Newman†
11:30am The Blessing & Procession of Palms
& Solemn Mass
Alex Murphy†