Fourth Sunday of Easter
Dear friends in Christ
In 1964, Saint Pope Paul VI, launched Vocations Sunday, which since then we celebrate on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, also called Good Shepherd Sunday.
Dear friends in Christ
In 1964, Saint Pope Paul VI initiated Vocations Sunday, which since then we celebrate on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, also called Good Shepherd Sunday. As Catholics and the People of God, we all know that God is calling us and has a plan for each of us. He called each of us by name through our Baptism to holiness. He continues to call and reach out to us each day to be his disciples, some to the married life, some to the priesthood, some to religious life or to life as faithful single people. Everybody is called to something great and noble. Along with the whole Church, let us pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life today. Let us take time to stir the hearts and minds of the people around us to think about their future vocation. The Church constantly invites us to talk and encourage children, young people, grandchildren, students, family members to respond generously to the calling of the Lord. We need good married couples and robust family life. We also need priests who will minster to us and bring us the grace of God in the Sacraments. What can we practically do as ordinary Catholics? I could suggest that we be more generous in the way we pray and encourage our young people in their path of life. Would you consider offering a Rosary once a week for vocations? Offer your Holy Mass once a month for this intention. Make a Holy Hour specifically imploring the Lord of the Harvest for more dedicated priests and nuns. Encourage a young person you might perceive who has a vocation, to offer themselves generously to His service. Above all, let us live fidelity to the vocation that God has given each one of us, in spite of the crosses, trials and disappointments of life. God needs faithful men and women who will witness to the Gospel and the truths of our Catholic Faith. May Christ the True and Good Shepherd, lead us along the ways of goodness and continue to nourish us at the fountains of eternal life.
God bless you and help us persevere in our individual and unique call to holiness!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Saturday 25th April
St Mark, Ev
5.30pm Vigil Mass Rosemary Bragard, RIP (RM)
6.30pm—7.30 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
Sunday 26th April
Fourth Sunday of Easter
8am Mass The People of the Parish
9.30am Mass Christine Keenan RIP (Anniv) (FK)
11.30am Mass Holy Souls
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 27th
Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
9am Mass Dec'd Brothers & Sisters of Canon Gilbert (FM)
Tuesday 28th
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
9am Mass Peter & Carol Moon RIP (SM)
Wednesday 29th
St Catherine of Siena, V, D
9am Mass Intentions of Gavin Stratton (PL)
Thursday 30th
Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter
9am Mass Intentions of Ann Craig (AC)
Friday 1st May—First Friday
Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter
12Noon Mass Francis Emmerson RIP (AE)
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass until Holy Hour 7—8pm
Saturday 2nd May
St Athanasius, Bp, D
10am Vincent Foy RIP (A-MM)
10.30am—11.30am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
5.30pm Vigil Mass Holy Souls
6.30pm—7.30 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
Sunday 3rd May
Fifth Sunday of Easter
8am Mass The People of the Parish
9.30am Mass Neuza Sousa RIP (Anniv) (DS)
11.30am Mass Cathy Sanders RIP (Anniv) (RS)
4pm Mass Holy Souls
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
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
Mgr George Stokes, Fr Brian O’Higgins, Fr John Kennedy, Mary Butt, Eric Pearson, Vera De souza, Elsie Doris Robinson, Mary Fitzgerald, Arthur Bartley, Margaret Makey, Christopher Dowdall, Evelyn Thompson, Rose Scott-Frame, Christine Keenan, Tom Skellon, Patricia Burles, Pauline Kidney, Margaret Ashley, Rose Faulkner, Jeremiah Lucey, Francis (Frank) Mansfield, Valerie Tisi, Rodney Moore, Winifred Sentinel, Edith Pey, Margaret Randall, Raymond Simkins, Brigid Benn, Margaret Rose McKay, Lucy Dann, Neuza Jose Souza, Jo Hopkins, Jessie Aubury, Joseph Chapp, Michael Livermore, Alfred Pavitt, Johanna Holgate, Lilian Currie, Hannah Lee & Peter Burry.
Please pray for the repose of the souls of
MARIE TISI who died on Thursday, 23rd April. Funeral details to follow.
MARTYN ASSIRATI, formerly of this parish, who died on Saturday, 18th April.
Requiescant in pace
Sanctuary Lamp
The Sanctuary Lamp burns for the intentions of Frances, Martin & Marianne Rogers.
Dates for your Diary
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
Eastertide Talks
In Eastertide the Risen Jesus opens the Scriptures to his disciples
Let Him do this for you through these inspirational talks from Brant Pitre
Monday mornings 10.30am in the Parish Centre
April 27th The Walk to Emmaus
May 18th The Woman at the Well
June 1st, 15th & 29th, July 13th The Gospel of Matthew
Wednesdays 7.30pm in the Parish Centre
April 29th The Walk to Emmaus
May 27th The Woman at the Well
June 24th, July 8th & 22nd The 4 Gospels
Parish Fundraising—200 Club
The winners of the March draw are:
1st Prize £150 142 Mrs A P U O’Keefe
2nd Prize £100 42 Mrs Susan Miller
3rd Prize £75 56 Mr J Armstrong
4th Prize £25 80 Mr B Hannah
The funds raised from the 200 Club now contributes to the overall costs of the tuition and expenses of trainee priests who, on completion of their formation, will be available for mission appointments strengthening the Church within Nigeria and elsewhere in the world. These missionary priests are known as Spiritans.
Please support this fundraising. There are some places available in the 200 Club, and if you wish to join, there is a monthly regular donation of £5. Forms are available at the back of the church. Alternatively, you can telephone Linda Wall on 01702 558217.
MISSIO Red Boxes
On behalf of Missio I wish to thank you for the money raised by our Parish in 2025. £3,690.92 (£1,532.00 by the Red Boxes and £2,158.92 by Direct Payments.) Please see the Thank you poster at the back of Church. If you have boxes that need emptying please give them to me personally or leave them in the Office and I will collect them. If you have not taken a Spring Missio Magazine from the back of the Church please do so.
Thank you. Joan Caunce, Secretary.
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.
Young Vincentians
Our next meeting is on Monday 27th April from 5.15pm. Young Vincentians Committee.
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
London Marathon
Tanisha Mead, one of our parishioners, is running the London Marathon on 26th April in aid of the Brain & Spine Foundation. If you would like to support Tanisha please follow the link.
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.
Caretaker Vacancy at St Bernard’s High School
Hours: 37 hours per week, full-time, additional hours maybe required at weekends when requiredSalary scale 7-12 (£26,403 - £28,598)
Calling all Caretakers – we are looking to recruit a Caretaker to join our friendly premises team!
The role will be challenging at times so you will need to be a team player, pro-active, organised, reliable, adaptable and have a ‘can do’ attitude to deal with issues that arise. You will support the school to effectively maintain a safe, clean, secure, well-functioning and pleasant learning environment for students, staff and visitors.
Key Responsibilities:
Carry out hands-on maintenance, repairs, and site inspections as required
Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, including risk assessments and reporting
Monitor site security, including opening/closing procedures and emergency response
Liaise with contractors, suppliers, and management to ensure efficient service delivery
Ensuring the site is safe for use during adverse weather conditions
Deliver goods to relevant departments
Set up rooms for events
Requirements:
Proven experience in a caretaking, facilities, or maintenance role ideally working within a school or similar environment
Strong practical skills across general maintenance (e.g. basic plumbing, electrical, carpentry)
Good understanding of health and safety procedures and compliance
Excellent organisational and communication skills
Ability to work independently and take initiative
Flexible approach to working hours when needed
If you would like to apply, please complete the Support Staff Application Form found at the bottom of our Vacancies page on our website (https://www.stbernardswestcliff.org.uk/about-us/vacancies)and email it to recruitment@stbernards.southend.sch.uk.
Third Sunday of Easter
Dear friends in Christ
On this Third Sunday of Easter we hear the Resurrection appearance of Jesus to the disciples on their way to Emmaus.
Dear friends in Christ
On this Third Sunday of Easter we hear the Resurrection appearance of Jesus to two disciples on their way to Emmaus. They are filled with fear and apprehension and their conversation is lacking in hope. These men are returning home from the festival of Passover in Jerusalem and they are speaking of Jesus as belonging to the past. These two did indeed know about Christ’s promise of rising on the third day. They had heard that morning the message of the women who had found the empty tomb and the angels. But instead of being filled with optimism, they are downcast and lacking faith. Jesus—at first not recognised—walks by heir side and interprets for them all that has happened, and their minds are then opened and everything falls into place. When we meet with discouragement and when we lack hope because of our defects or the difficulties of life, we have to allow ourselves to be helped by Jesus and tell Him that we do not want to be parted from Him, whatever life puts on our road. In those times, we can say the words—the prayer—of those two disciples: Stay with us, for it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent. And Jesus, who is never very far away, will walk with us too.
This Sunday I welcome to the Parish Monsignor Ante Vidović who is the Deputy Head of Mission at the Apostolic Nunciature in London; he will concelebrate the 11.30am Mass. The Nunciature is the Embassy of the Vatican in Great Britain and has a twofold function of representing the Pope to the church in our country and also representing the Holy See to the Government. May the visit of Msgr Vidović remind us of our strong bonds with the Holy Father in Rome and also our relationship to the greater Universal Church in our land and beyond. In these days Pope Leo is making his apostolic visit to four African nations. So this is also the opportunity to renew our prayers for the Holy Father especially as he has come under attack this week. Preaching in Cameroon on Thursday he proclaimed: Jesus said: “Blessed are the peacemakers but woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”
May God bless our Pope and God bless all of you!
Msgr Kevin Hale