St Patrick Day Celebrations - Friday 17th March
St Patrick Day Celebrations - Friday 17th March
Live music by Merv and Maria. Jig, dance and sing along to Irish, country and sixties tunes. Bring your own drinks and nibbles. Raffle (donations most welcome). 7.30pm to 10.30pm. Tickets £8.50 each or family £25. All proceeds to our church. Tickets from Phyllis 07969465518, Darrell 07825686249 or Marian after Mass.
BCCS Trustee Vacancy
Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society (based in Rayleigh) is looking for a new Trustee to join the Board. If you have accounting or finance skills and would like to join the talented Board of this wonderful diocesan charity please contact Steven Webb on 01268 784544 or swebb@bccs.org.uk.
Spring Walk
Why not sign up again for HARP’s Prittle Brook Spring Walk? Taking place on Sunday 23rd April 2017 at 2pm, it’s a 3½ mile Sunday afternoon stroll along the Prittle Brook Greenway from Priory Park to Belfairs Park – raising vital funds for HARP. Every step you take will show you’re supporting local homeless people.
What’s more, with each entry you will receive a FREE HARP Spring Walk T-shirt and also enjoy a well-earned cup of tea and slice of cake afterwards at the Woodlands Centre at Belfairs Park. This is a great afternoon out and knowing you are helping Southend’s homeless community rebuild their lives and live independently makes it even better! http://www.harpsouthend.org/spring-walk.
Women's World Day of Prayer Service
St Helen's Church, Milton Road, Westcliff at 10.30am - this years theme is "Am I Being Unfair to You?”, with Guests Sir David Amess M.P., a representative of the Philippine Ambassador and the Mayor of Southend.
On Friday 3rd March over 5,000 services will be held in the British Isles on the theme of ‘Am I Being Unfair to You?’ The Christian women of the Philippines wrote the service and it has been translated into 1,000 different languages and dialects, to be used, throughout the whole world, on Friday 3rd March, starting at sunrise over the island of Samoa and continuing until sunset off the coast of American Samoa. Please come along and join in this worldwide event.
Parish/Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes Monday 24th-Friday 28th July 2017
If you have put your name on the list wishing to go to Lourdes would you please collect a Booking Form from the Parish Office and return this, together with a non-refundable deposit of £150 per person, as soon as possible.
Counters & Folders
Counters: Linda Wall & Brian Mountier
Newsletter Folders: Tom O’Callaghan & Rita O’Callaghan
Lenten Lunches
Lenten Lunches
You are warmly invited to join in the Friday Lenten Lunches. Lunches will be on the Fridays of Lent from 12.30pm in the Parish Centre, starting on 3rd March, the last lunch being 7th April. A contribution of £5 will include homemade soup, rolls, cheese, fruit, tea or coffee. This year all proceeds will be divided between Southend YMCA Children's Project and Southend Women's Refuge.
New Altar Servers Require
Any child who has received First Communion and would like to become an Altar server please contact the Parish Office on 478078 or leave your name and telephone number via the Parish Website. The first meeting will be this Saturday, 4th March at 2.30pm in the church.
ABC - About being Catholic
The series of informal talks designed to give an insight into the teachings and traditions of the Catholic church continues every Monday, starting at 8pm in the Parish Centre. 27th February: Holy Orders & Anointing the Sick. You are welcome to attend some or all of these talks; if you would like more information please speak to Fr Kevin or telephone Pat O’Connell on 712123.
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
Anyone who wishes to begin preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation should send their name to Fr Kevin by the end of February, together with an email address. Applicants should have reached their fourteenth birthday by the end of August 2016.
Confirmation preparation will be held in the Parish Centre from 6.30pm to 8pm starting on Sunday 12th March.
Dates for your Diary
Saturday 6th & 13th May First Holy Communion Masses- 10.30am
Sunday 4th June Confirmation Mass - 11.30am
Sunday 18th June Corpus Christi Procession - 4pm
Saturday 22nd July Walsingham Centenary Pilgrimage
Monday 24th/Friday 28th July Parish Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes
7th October to 15th October Parish Mission
Please Pray for the Dead on their anniversaries
Mgr Canon Jules van Meenen, Fr Clifford Beecroft, Fr David Chapman, Fr John Wall, Mgr Canon Patrick O’Donnell, Fr Brian Galvin, Fr Francis Hastings, Fr Gerard Murphy, Ronald Kitto, Janet Hurley, Michael Irons, John Holland, Violet Smith, Adolphus Miller, Claire Sharpe, Sarah Bent, Emily Norwood, May Cooper, Mabel Smith, Michael Kiernan, Rose Brookes, Christopher Kolwitz, Joe North, Joshua Peace, Cecil Ford, Harvey Martin, Gertrude Ettershank, Stephen Fontana, Alfred Holding, Paul Vermeulen, Patricia Hopper, Ada Chapp, Jim Acaster, Michael Sheaf, Miss A. Till, Amy Wood, Margaret Blissett, Catherine Byrne, Ruby Ravinet, Giovanni Puglisi, Patricia McBreaty, Michael Flynn, Aoife O’Sullivan, Patricia Sellers, Hugh Gallacher, Maria Varden Heuvel, Patricia Church, Margaret Ellis, May Perkins & Esperanza Reyers.
May their Souls & the Souls of all the Faithful Departed rest in peace
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Friends in Christ
The words of Jesus in the Gospel this Sunday are an invitation to live charity beyond the limits that people generally place on it. There is nothing in our human nature which makes us more like Christ than practising meekness and patience after His own Heart. St John Chrysostom suggests: let us seek mainly those things that benefit our neighbour in the things of this world no one lives
for himself; the craftsman, the soldier, the farmer, the merchant; all without exception contribute to the common good and to the good of their neighbour. This happens even more fully in the spiritual life, which is the true life. He who lives only for himself and despises his neighbour is useless, is not a man, does not belong to our lineage.
Dear Friends in Christ
The words of Jesus in the Gospel this Sunday are an invitation to live charity beyond the limits that people generally place on it. There is nothing in our human nature which makes us more like Christ than practising meekness and patience after His own Heart. St John Chrysostom suggests: let us seek mainly those things that benefit our neighbour in the things of this world no one lives for himself; the craftsman, the soldier, the farmer, the merchant; all without exception contribute to the common good and to the good of their neighbour. This happens even more fully in the spiritual life, which is the true life. He who lives only for himself and despises his neighbour is useless, is not a man, does not belong to our lineage.
Charity makes us understanding, ready to forgive, fit to live alongside everyone so that those who think and act differently from us in social, political and even in religious matters, will also have a claim on our respect and charity.
As Christians we are called upon to have hearts like the Heart of Christ; that means going beyond what is merely kind and polite and loving with magnanimity and indulgence; not being naive, but whilst exercising prudence and justice, being the loving face of Christ in the world.
May God bless you!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Priest@LourdesLeigh.org ✚ 01702 478078
Homily available at LourdesLeigh.org
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 19th February - Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saturday 5.30pm Vigil Guy Bragard, RIP (RB)
6.30pm–7.30pm Exposition & Confession
8.00am Mass Joe Scott, RIP, (C)
9.30am Mass The People of the Parish
11.30am Mass Anthony Trigg, RIP (AT)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 20 Feria
9.00am Mass James Kennedy, RIP (MK)
Tuesday 21 St Peter Damian Bp D
9.00am Mass Noel Armstrong, RIP (JA)
Wednesday 22 THE CHAIR OF ST PETER
9.00am Mass John Mansfield, RIP (CWL)
Thursday 23 St Polycarp, Bp M
9.00am Mass Margaret Ivory, RIP (MH)
Friday 24 Feria
12Noon Mass Marcia Clarke, RIP (MW)
Saturday 25 Our Lady on Saturday
10am Mass John Mansfield, RIP (ML)
10.30am-11.30am Exposition & Confession
The Holy Rosary is prayed after morning Mass during the week
Sunday 26th February - Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saturday 5.30pm Vigil Kevin Martin, RIP (SW)
6.30pm–7.30pm Exposition & Confession
8.00am Mass John Bernard Holland, RIP, (Anniv)(MH)
9.30am Mass Michael Irons, RIP (JV)
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
The Sacrament of Penance is available on request
Our Lady of Lourdes School Fundraiser Gig
Please come and support our Fundraiser Gig on Friday 3rd March from 7.30pm to 11.30pm, at Our Lady of Lourdes School, in the hall. £8 per ticket. Live music from Husband and Retreat Music.
APF Boxholders
The National Novena to St Joseph will take place from 10th to 18th March 2017 with a special Novena of Masses and prayers for God’s blessing on the Society, as well as for the intentions of all who support their work. You are invited to send in your petitions and/or to request a Novena booklet to enable you to join in from home by praying the daily Novena prayer. Please write to Fr Liam Cummins MHM, St Joseph’s Missionary Society, 58 Bookham Road, Maidenhead, SL6 7HT. Thank you. Joan Caunce, Secretary, 01268 757505.
Parish Fundraising
Thank you to everyone who supports the 200 Club. The results of the January draw are as follows:
1st prize £150 82 Mrs J Lewis
2nd Prize £100 6 Mrs V Clancy
3rd Prize £75 144 Mrs N Bridgeman
4th Prize £50 93 Miss S Hippard
5th Prize £25 170 Mrs J Caunce
Subscription is £5.00 per month, either by cash, cheque or direct debit. If you would like to join, please fill in a form which can be found at the back of the church or ring Linda Wall on 01702 558217
First Holy Communion Dresses
Bespoke and Unique First Holy Communion dresses, beautifully made to meet your specific requirements. Please contact Helen Morgan (Parent at Our Lady Of Lourdes School) on 07715418074 for a no obligation chat.