200 Club
The 200 Club continues to provide funds to support the running of the Parish Centre and, thanks to the support of parishioners, the sum of £5,760 has been transferred to the Parish Centre account since April 2016.
As the number of parishioners supporting the 200 Club has fallen from 223 to 171 over the past two years, those who have a membership number over 200 will be issued with a new number, between 1 and 200, by the end of March.
Subscription is £5 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.
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.
Sacrament of Confirmation
Confirmation preparation will be held in the Parish Centre from 6.30pm to 8pm starting on Sunday 12th March for those aged 14 years old by the end of August 2016 (Year 10).
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, 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.
Lenten Talk - Wednesday 15th March at 7.30pm
Lenten Talk - Wednesday 15th March at 7.30pm
The next talk at Nazareth House will be given by Mark Lambert and will be entitled: "Confirmation Catechesis for our young people”.
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. 13th March: Life Issues - Start and end of Life. 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.
Serving the Homeless
The next event is a Meal at the East Restaurant in Alexandra Street, Southend on Wednesday 15th March at 7.30 pm. Tickets cost £15 each and are available from Jo 474062, Linda 558217 or Nina 472536.
Our Annual General Meeting will take place on Monday 3rd April at 7.30pm in St Margaret's Church Hall, Lime Avenue, Leigh on Sea. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Scripture Group
Fr Con Joyce’s Scripture Group will next meet in the Parish Centre 8pm-9pm on Thursday, 16th March. Fr. Con will be talking about the prophets. All welcome.
The Diocese of Brentwood – 100 Years in Pictures
We are publishing a Souvenir Booklet to mark our Diocesan Centenary, 110 pages with more than 300 colour and black & white photographs. Copies are now available at the Repository for £7.
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 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.
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 Repose of the Soul of:
Henry De Souza who died on 15th February 2017. His Requiem Mass will be held on Friday 17th March at 12 Noon followed by committal at Sutton Road Cemetery at 1.15pm.
Please Pray for the Dead on their Anniversaries
Fr William Luby, Canon Martin Horkan, Fr Donal Donegan, Rev John O’Neill, Benjamin Dawson, Leo King, Edith Smith, Eileen Greaves, George Burnham, Lydia Upton, Maura Hanley, Eric Wilding, Stefan Zyms, Frank Keenan Snr, Philip Hale, Nora Thompson, Eleanor Hayes, David McGowan, George Conway, James Kennedy, Kathleen Horsford, Julia Asselberghs, Catherine Jago, Anthony Slattery, Mary Russell, Henry McIlwee, Nina Clarke, Alfred Marshall, Dolores cutter, John Flynn, Gabrielle Haiser, John Moon & Guy Bragard.
May their Souls & the Souls of all the Faithful Departed rest in peace.
First Sunday of Lent
Dear Friends in Christ
Forty Days now separate us from Easter. The central purpose of Lent is: to prepare us with purified hearts and lives for a renewed celebration of the Resurrection. Having begun Lent with open and generous hearts, we now have to try and sustain our efforts to pray more, deny ourselves, and show charity towards others. Last week I suggested that we see this Lent 2017 - our Diocesan Centenary Year - as a time of preparation for our Parish Mission in October. There are Prayer Cards available this weekend with a prayer asking for the grace to live our Catholic Faith fully and well. This is the same prayer we used for the last Parish Mission in 2005 and is a simple summary of what we are about as Catholics. I also want to suggest that as part of living charity towards our neighbour, we might reach-out to those who have become distant from Christ and His Church. So, in the first instance we could pray for those - family members or neighbours - who have lapsed from their Faith. We might invite them to come home to the Church by a kind and encouraging word. If there is someone in our street or neighbourhood whom we know to be lapsed, we might think of delivering to them the Prayer Card and/or a Newsletter so that they can be kept in touch with the life of our Parish Family. We can often, by simple means, be the way back for someone who is perhaps just waiting to be reminded of how much Christ and His Church is waiting for them. There are some really helpful resources available and there is one website in particular that I could recommend: catholicscomehome.org.
Dear Friends in Christ
Forty Days now separate us from Easter. The central purpose of Lent is: to prepare us with purified hearts and lives for a renewed celebration of the Resurrection. Having begun Lent with open and generous hearts, we now have to try and sustain our efforts to pray more, deny ourselves, and show charity towards others. Last week I suggested that we see this Lent 2017 - our Diocesan Centenary Year - as a time of preparation for our Parish Mission in October. There are Prayer Cards available this weekend with a prayer asking for the grace to live our Catholic Faith fully and well. This is the same prayer we used for the last Parish Mission in 2005 and is a simple summary of what we are about as Catholics. I also want to suggest that as part of living charity towards our neighbour, we might reach-out to those who have become distant from Christ and His Church. So, in the first instance we could pray for those - family members or neighbours - who have lapsed from their Faith. We might invite them to come home to the Church by a kind and encouraging word. If there is someone in our street or neighbourhood whom we know to be lapsed, we might think of delivering to them the Prayer Card and/or a Newsletter so that they can be kept in touch with the life of our Parish Family. We can often, by simple means, be the way back for someone who is perhaps just waiting to be reminded of how much Christ and His Church is waiting for them. There are some really helpful resources available and there is one website in particular that I could recommend: catholicscomehome.org.
One of the main intentions of this Centenary Year is that we would renew with fresh vigour, the outreach to bring others into the fold of the Catholic Church. This is the intention of the Stewards of the Gospel programme that has been launched in the Diocese and it is also the task of each one us that, we become missionary disciples of Jesus Christ. If we can live Lent with this desire, then we will be doing a great work for God and for the Church.
Lastly, pray for all those who are preparing for Reception into the Church this Easter; this Sunday afternoon several hundreds - including those from our own Parish - will be presented to the Bishop during the Rite of Election as they enter the final phase of their preparation for the Easter Sacraments. May God bless each of us as we engage in the spiritual warfare of Lent, so that we can celebrate a joyful Eastertide!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Priest@LourdesLeigh.org ✚ 01702 478078
Homily available at LourdesLeigh.org
First Sunday of Lent
First Sunday of Lent - Sunday 5th March
Saturday 5.30pm Vigil The People of the Parish
6.30pm–7.30pm Exposition & Confession
8.00am Mass Albert Cook, RIP (SD)
9.30am Mass Maureen Regan, RIP (CR)
11.30am Mass Bill Pearson, RIP (Anniv) (SP)
4.00pm Mass Johanna & Samuel Beech, RIP (JC)- Extraordinary Form
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 6 Feria
9.00am Mass Marcia Clarke, RIP (RD)
Tuesday 7 Feria
9.00am Mass Jan Harris, RIP (Anniv) (LY)
Wednesday 8 Feria
9.00am Mass Alex McFarlane Jnr, RIP (MW)
Thursday 9 Feria
9.00am Mass Charles & Alice Whitefield, RIP (FM)
Friday 10 Feria
6.30am Mass Hannah Harris, RIP (Anniv) (CH)
12Noon Mass John Mansfield, RIP (KH)
8.00pm Stations of the Cross & Benediction
Saturday 11 Feria
10am Mass Darragh Nolan, RIP (NN)
10.30am-11.30am Exposition & Confession
The Holy Rosary is prayed after morning Mass during the week
Second Sunday of Lent - Sunday 12th March
Saturday 5.30pm Vigil Bertha & Tony Nesnas, RIP (SC)
6.30pm–7.30pm Exposition & Confession
8.00am Mass Mike Sheaf, RIP (Anniv) (BS)
9.30am Mass The People of the Parish
11.30am Mass Mervyn Calton, RIP (Anniv) (RC)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
The Sacrament of Penance is available on request
An Invitation to join the Gift Aid Scheme
What is Gift Aid?
Gift Aid is one of the simplest and most effective ways of giving to charity. It does not cost the donor anything over and above the amount of their donation. It is a scheme introduced by HM Revenue which allows charities to reclaim the basic rate tax you pay as a UK taxpayer.
It means that for every £1 you donate the parish can claim an extra 25p of tax at no extra cost to you. Therefore if you donate £10 to the parish, you will actually be giving £12.50.
Do I qualify for Gift Aid?
To qualify for Gift Aid, you need to be a UK taxpayer and to have paid sufficient Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax to cover your donation. Gift Aid can apply to donations of any amount large or small - it all adds up!
How do I join the Gift Aid Scheme?
All that is required is to complete a Gift Aid declaration form filling in your full name, address and postcode and tick the box (indicating that you wish to join the scheme) confirming that you are a UK tax payer and we will do the rest.
Does joining the Gift Aid Scheme entail disclosure of ‘personal’ matters?
No-one is required to disclose their earnings, their employer, the amount of tax they pay or anything else that is personal to them or their family.
What if the donor already makes Gift Aid donations to another Charity?
A donor may complete Gift Aid Declarations to as many charities as they wish provided they pay sufficient Income Tax to at least equal the amount of their donations.
Must membership of the Gift Aid Scheme run for any particular term?
No. There is no term commitment whatsoever. The declaration has no expiry date, does not have to be renewed or superseded and can be cancelled at any time by the donor.
Donations can be made during the collection at weekend masses using the envelopes provided or by monthly standing order. Donations do not have to be the same each week.
For more information or to pick up a form please call 01702 478078.
Alternatively, please leave your details in the Parish office and we will contact you.
CAFOD Fast Day – Friday 10 March
This Friday is Lent Fast Day when we come together to make a small change to our day – such as eating only a simple lunch or supper – so that our poorest sisters and brothers can live lives free of poverty. Without your generosity and prayers, the work that CAFOD does to change the lives of thousands of people worldwide would not be possible. Please support CAFOD Fast Day this Friday 10th. Donation envelopes are available at the back of the church. Thank you.