Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Friends in Christ
Next weekend we begin our Parish Mission which we have been preparing for these last few months. A Mission is a time of extra-ordinary grace. It’s like the whole Parish going on retreat, except we aren’t going away, it’s going to happen here! And we are welcoming two of the Norbertine Canons from Chelmsford - Fr Hugh Allan & Fr Stephen Morrison - who are going to guide us through the days. However, it is the Holy Spirit who is the real One who will guide us and bring us closer to God.
Dear Friends in Christ
Next weekend we begin our Parish Mission which we have been preparing for these last few months. A Mission is a time of extra-ordinary grace. It’s like the whole Parish going on retreat, except we aren’t going away, it’s going to happen here! And we are welcoming two of the Norbertine Canons from Chelmsford - Fr Hugh Allan & Fr Stephen Morrison - who are going to guide us through the days. However, it is the Holy Spirit who is the real One who will guide us and bring us closer to God.
There are three aims, three goals, three expectations for a Parish Mission: Firstly, as the name implies: it means a reaching-out. We have done this by distributing the flyers giving the details of the Mission Services; some 14,000 of them. We have been given a full-page spread in The Leigh Times. A Parish Mission means living-out our responsibility to bring the Truth of the Gospel to those outside of the Church. Second, seeking out the stray, the lost, the lukewarm and the lapsed and helping them back to their spiritual home. Perhaps there is someone close to me who would benefit from the Mission? Someone to whom I can give new hope faith? Begin by praying for them.Third, it’s for us, Christ’s Faithful, that we will go from being good practising Catholics to becoming more fervent Catholics and ultimately, Saints.
What I’m asking we do is, commit to being in church twice each day, if we can practically do so: once for Mass, either at 6.30am or 9am (there will be a short instruction at the end for those who can remain) and then the evening service or liturgy with it's specific theme relating to the mysteries of our Faith. Above all I’m asking you to re-double your prayers for these intentions now, by praying daily the Mission Prayer and asking our Blessed Mother Mary, our Patroness, to bring us closer to her Son Jesus. God bless you all!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Priest@LourdesLeigh.org ✚ 01702 478078
Homily available at LourdesLeigh.org
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Sunday 1st October
Saturday 5.30pm Vigil Raymond de Chantilly, RIP (RO’C)
6.30pm–7.30pm Exposition & Confession
8.00am Mass Intentions of Bernadette & Derek Timothy
9.30am Mass The People of the Parish
11.30am Mass Elpedio Bonggot, RIP (ER)
4.00pm Mass Private Intention- Extraordinary Form
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 2 The Holy Guardian Angels
9.00am Mass Intentions of Sheila de Chantilly, RIP & Family, (RO’C)
Tuesday 3 Feria
9.00am Mass Eileen Pearson, RIP (SP)
Wednesday 4 St Francis of Assisi, res
9.00am Mass John Kidney, RIP (AO)
Thursday 5 Feria
9.00am Mass Margaret Randall, RIP (CB)
Friday 6 St Bruno, Pr
12Noon Mass Intentions of the CWL
12.30pm Exposition after Mass until
8.00pm Holy Hour and Benediction
Saturday 7 Our Lady of the Rosary
10.00am Mass Maureen Regan, RIP (CR)
10.30am-11.30am Exposition & Confession
The Holy Rosary is prayed after morning Mass during the week
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - Sunday 8th October
Saturday 5.30pm Vigil The People of the Parish
6.30pm–7.30pm Exposition & Confession
8.00am Mass Teresa Yates, RIP (SVP) (PR)
9.30am Mass Intentions of Mike & Marie Rubbert - Thanksgiving for Golden Wedding Anniversary
11.30am Mass Thomas Patrick Costello, RIP (Anniv) (KC)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
The Sacrament of Penance is available on request
Attending Mass
I now live in Rayleigh and I was wondering if anyone that comes from the Rayleigh area could perhaps share a lift with me if I offered to help with cost. Please feel free to contact me via e-mail. michael_torode@mail.com.
Christmas Bazaar, Sunday 3rd December 2017
This year we are holding our Parish Bazaar on a SUNDAY! Everyone is welcome to join us after 8am Mass right through to 1.30pm.
We need your donations of unwanted gifts, bottles, toiletries and good quality raffle prizes. You can leave these in the old Baptistry. We really hope that you can join us for delicious refreshments. Come along and bag a bargain.
If you wish to help on the day please contact Sue Lawford 07816141492 or Angela Clements 07940183452.
Eucharistic Congress Liverpool 7-9th September 2018
This will be the first such Congress to take place in our Country since 1908 when, in those days, it was not possible to carry the Blessed Sacrament in a public Procession. If any one would be interested in participating in this weekend Congress (we have been allocated six places) then please give your name to Father Kevin.
Christmas Shoebox Appeal
Leaflets are available at the back of the Church giving instructions how to fill a shoebox with gifts for a child this Christmas, who otherwise would receive nothing. Filled and ready to collect shoeboxes should be taken to the nearest drop off point, Leigh Road Baptist Church (opposite the Church in Marguerite Drive) tel no: 478698, by the closing date, Friday 17th November 2017.
Please do not leave filled shoeboxes at Our Lady of Lourdes Church.
CAFOD Fast Day - Friday 6th October
This year, Cafod is focussing on El Salvador and realising the words from a prayer from Blessed Oscar Romero ‘to plant the seeds that one day will grow’. Farmers had been encouraged to buy foreign seeds for bigger harvests, but these have been few, and the seeds and crops are not resilient enough to survive extreme weather, like heavy rains. Also, seeds collected after the harvest do not grow the next year, creating a reliance on commercial seeds. Cafod is supporting farmers to rediscover more resilient native seeds and to learn new farmer techniques to boost their crops. Please pray for the work of Cafod and collection envelopes are available at the back of the church if you are able to support this work. Thank you.
Parish Mission - 7th-15th October 2017
Theme: The Catholic Faith – Ever Ancient, Ever New
Rediscovering and Renewing our Faith to fit us for the Mission of the New Evangelisation.
Come and learn more about our Faith! Come and deepen your relationship with God! Come and experience the joy and confidence of the Gospel!
Discover - Reflect - Pray - Worship
Sunday 8th
Solemn Mass at 11:30am to open the Mission.
Vespers and Benediction at 5:30pm.
Monday 9th
Faith 6.30-8am Mass and meditation followed by Breakfast in the Parish Centre.
“Credo” - I believe … in what? 9-10.30am Mass followed by Talk.
Faith 8-9pm Talk with devotions.
Tuesday 10th
Prayer & Worship 6.30-8am Mass and meditation followed by Breakfast in the Parish Centre.
It’s the Mass that Matters 9-10.30am Mass followed by Talk.
Prayer and Worship 8-9pm Talk with devotions.
Wednesday 11th
Contrition, Confession, Conversion 6.30-8am Mass and meditation followed by Breakfast in the Parish Centre.
I confess 9-10.30am Mass followed by Talk.
Contrition, Confession, Conversion 8-9pm Talk with devotions.
Thursday 12th
Faith and our eternal deal 6.30-8am Mass and meditation followed by Breakfast in the Parish Centre.
Destination Heaven 9-10.30am Mass followed by Talk.
Faith and our eternal destiny 8-9pm Talk with devotions.
Friday 13th Faith in Marriage and Family Life 6.30-8am Mass and meditation followed by Breakfast in the Parish Centre.
God Housekeeping 9-10.30am Mass followed by Talk.
Faith in Marriage and Family Life 8-9pm Talk with devotions.
All Night vigil in the Church 9pm to 6.30am.
Saturday 14th
Mary the Mother of Jesus Our Mother 10am Mass (with Confessions), 10.30-12Noon Special Talk for children/young people, with activities and devotions ending midday at latest.
Sunday 15th
Solemn Pontifical Mass to close the Mission 11.30-12.30pm.
Solemn Blessing to gain the Plenary Indulgence.
Preached by:
Abbot Hugh Allan and Fr Stephen Morrison, Priests from the Norbertine Canonry of Chelmsford
Counters & Folders
Counters: Linda Wall & Brian Mountier
Folders: Pauline Jordan & Maureen Ward
Plenary Indulgence for the Parish Mission
One of the gifts the Church offers us is the possibility of obtaining a Plenary Indulgence - either for ourselves or for the Faithful Departed - during a Parish Mission. A Plenary Indulgence is granted to those who attend the Mission, hear some of the sermons and are present for the solemn close of the Mission. The three prerequisites apply: Sacramental Confession, Holy Communion and prayers for the Pope.
During the Mission we hope to make the Lourdes Grotto a focus of special devotion to Our Blessed Lady. If you would like to bring flowers to be placed at the Altar then please leave them in the Sacristy so that they can be arranged and placed there.
School Admission Forms for Primary Schools
Parents wishing to apply to Catholic Primary Schools for the next academic year are required to obtain a Letter of Catholic Practise from their Parish Priest. This must be requested from your Parish Priest in person and only one per child will be issued. Please come to the Parish Centre for these on Saturday, 28th October between 2pm and 4pm.
These are issued only to practising Catholics (i.e. those who attend weekly Mass). Furthermore, this practise of the Faith will be viewed over a period of time and not just the weeks prior to an application. Parish Priests may also look at the date of Baptism, noting those children who have been Baptised soon after birth as compared to those Baptised with proximity to school age. This is a matter of justice to all involved in applying for places in our Schools. Our schools are often oversubscribed and in order to be fair, preference will justly be given to those who live and practise the Faith as well as who contribute to the life of the Church through the various ways in which that support is given. If you are not a practising Catholic this Certificate will not be given; you may still apply to a Catholic School but your application will considered under another category for Admissions.
Dates for your Diary
7th October - 15th October Parish Mission
Sunday 3rd December Parish Christmas Bazaar - 9am to 1.30pm
Please pray for the Repose of the Soul of
Andrea Himbest, RIP who died on Sunday 24th September. His funeral will be held on Friday 20th October at 12Noon followed by committal at Sutton Road Cemetery.
We pray for our Sick
Renata Butler, Mike Rubbert, Teresa O’Brien, Derek Timothy, Maureen Deekes, Carol Halldenby, Noel Fagan, Leanor Fairbanks, Patricia Abram, Christine Noden, Tina Doveaston, Pat Lynch, Rose Craft, Addi Brady, Ben Wilson, Patricia Fleming, Nicky Wigmore, Brita Irons, Eileen Wilson, Patricia Spikin, Sandra Fagan, Edna Wallace, Beryl Dixon, Nan Carrit, Nick Evans, Vicky Jack, Lyn Gopee, Margaret Harrington, Mary Boyce,Kristin Hallenga, Anne O’Neill, Cheryl Shallis, Anthony McEvoy, Justin Stark, Sheila Netherton, David Blyth, Dympna Addecott, Monica Neate, Janet Woods,Laura & Anne Breen, Roy Widdecombe, Lynne Hilkene, Johanna Lynch, Thomas Corrigan, June Moncaster, Breda Lynch, Sheila McBrearty, Anthony King, Norma McCleverty, Belinda Balazsi, Edward Martin, Johnnie Pool, Joanna Luciani, Pauline Wilsher, Simon Marshall, Kriston Barnes, Barbara Sheaf, Maria Clark, Josephine Griggs, Colleen Worley, Antonella McConalogue, Fr Jean Laurent Marie, Noel Kolb, Eddie McConalogue, Georgina Cornwell, Lorraine Hart, Dawn Deleigh, Wyn McCafferty, Linda Dean, Annie Holland, Fr Martin Buckley, Chas Taylor, Martha Braun, John Lavery, Ivor & Joanne Knight, Brian Beresford, Rebecca Peake, David Clark, David Askew, Connor Bourke, Mattia Mollica, Sharon Levill, Bernadette Lane, David Kislingury, Maureen Ward, Jane Jowers, Irena Solecki, Doreen Troughton, Marguerite Harris, Andrew Exley, Rosemary Arscott, Lanto Bellis, Richard Collins, Niqui Denkmayer, Elizabeth McConalogue, Kean Smith and children Thomas Ball, Liam Davis, Albert Chambers, Fergus Grant, Lucy Price, Connie Price, Mary Isherwood, Frazer Gregory, baby Talia Emery and Hattie Seymour.
Please pray for the Dead on their Anniversaries
Fr Michael Hopkins, Fr Henry Healy, Fr David Logue, Canon Edward Heery, Fr Harold Cahill, Canon William O’Neill, John Martin, Percy Sentinella, William Spedding, Ronnie Olliffe, Margaret Price, Rudolph Banocy, Sarah Duffy, Sophie Shapiro, Eileen Pearson, Ursula Turner, John Butler, Kathleen Wetton, Tom Atkinson, Jean-Marie Mahieu, Doris Kelly, Derick Wheeler, James Wood, Sheelagh Sheridan, Adele Petronis, Ethel Shepherd, Alan Adamson, Kathleen Lionet, Walter Wood & Daphne Sounes.
May their Souls & the Souls of all the Faithful Departed rest in peace
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Friends in Christ
We are hearing a succession of Parables or the teaching stories of Jesus, over these current Sundays of the Year. This week - the Parable of the workers in the vineyard - gives us a lesson in God’s sense of justice. His justice often turns our notions of justice on their head! Some peoples idea of justice is focused intensively on the self and so will always ask: Why did that person get more than I did? Why have I not been sufficiently rewarded? And in our relationship with God an awful lot of religious energy goes into perceived injustice. This theme is everywhere in the Bible and the literature of the world: Why do wicked people seem to prosper? And why do good people suffer? Why aren’t sinners properly punished for their crimes? Lots of bad sinners seem to live a rather successful life. Why are the Saints so often ignored and reviled. Why don’t hardworking people get what they deserve? Or if you press it further: why are some people more beautiful, more intelligent, more popular than others? These questions run through everyones mind at some point. Things seem to be unfair, which makes us seem like little children vis-a-vis God: crying out to him when we have this sense of offended justice. And that is the attitude of the workers in the Parable that Jesus tells. Before God, we can never presume we are owed anything. Rather we are in a stance of complete dependency upon God. Every moment of every day we receive, being, life, breath, movement, everything is from God; all of us are beggars before Him. That’s why we have to shift our focus from ourselves to the Great Giver who presides over the whole of the cosmos, who knows everything we do and everything we need. He therefore knows how to properly apportion His gifts in a way that perhaps will never make complete sense to us.
Dear Friends in Christ
We are hearing a succession of Parables or the teaching stories of Jesus, over these current Sundays of the Year. This week - the Parable of the workers in the vineyard - gives us a lesson in God’s sense of justice. His justice often turns our notions of justice on their head! Some peoples idea of justice is focused intensively on the self and so will always ask: Why did that person get more than I did? Why have I not been sufficiently rewarded? And in our relationship with God an awful lot of religious energy goes into perceived injustice. This theme is everywhere in the Bible and the literature of the world: Why do wicked people seem to prosper? And why do good people suffer? Why aren’t sinners properly punished for their crimes? Lots of bad sinners seem to live a rather successful life. Why are the Saints so often ignored and reviled. Why don’t hardworking people get what they deserve? Or if you press it further: why are some people more beautiful, more intelligent, more popular than others? These questions run through everyones mind at some point. Things seem to be unfair, which makes us seem like little children vis-a-vis God: crying out to him when we have this sense of offended justice. And that is the attitude of the workers in the Parable that Jesus tells. Before God, we can never presume we are owed anything. Rather we are in a stance of complete dependency upon God. Every moment of every day we receive, being, life, breath, movement, everything is from God; all of us are beggars before Him. That’s why we have to shift our focus from ourselves to the Great Giver who presides over the whole of the cosmos, who knows everything we do and everything we need. He therefore knows how to properly apportion His gifts in a way that perhaps will never make complete sense to us.
Thank you to everyone who helped with the distribution of the Mission flyers over the last two weeks; we have managed to disperse to all of the roads in the Parish! I am sure that you have all been diligent in delivering them; if you ran out and need more, then there are spares in the Sacristy. If you are still sitting on them at home(!) then please do try to deliver them this week or return them so that someone else can. Above all, please remember to pray the Mission Prayer daily for the intentions of the Mission. With every blessing!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Priest@LourdesLeigh.org ✚ 01702 478078
Homily available at LourdesLeigh.org
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Sunday 24th September
Saturday 5.30pm Vigil Deceased members of the Young & Hall Families, (LY)
6.30pm–7.30pm Exposition & Confession
8.00am Mass Joan Gooding, RIP (TO’B)
9.30am Mass The People of the Parish
11.30am Mass Bernadette Dellar, RIP (M&RJ)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 25 Feria
9.00am Mass Intentions of Sister Mary Jude, (M&II)
Tuesday 26 Ss Cosmas & Damian, M
9.00am Mass Rebecca Clarke, RIP (Anniv) (BH)
5.00pm Body in Church: Marian Payne, RIP
Wednesday 27 St Vincent de Paul, Pr
10.00am Requiem Mass Marian Helena Payne, RIP
Thursday 28 St Wenceslaus, M
9.00am Mass Jim Monaghan, RIP (JA)
Friday 29 SS MICHAEL, GABRIEL & RAFAEL Archangels
12Noon Mass Forgotten Souls in Purgatory (JA)
Saturday 30 St Jerome, Pr, D
9.00am Mass Patricia & John Moon & Valerie Griggs, RIP (SM)
NO CONFESSIONS THIS MORNING
The Holy Rosary is prayed after morning Mass during the week
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Sunday 1st October
Saturday 5.30pm Vigil Raymond de Chantilly, RIP (RO’C)
6.30pm–7.30pm Exposition & Confession
8.00am Mass Intentions of Bernadette & Derek Timothy
9.30am Mass The People of the Parish
11.30am Mass Elpedio Bonggot, RIP (ER)
4.00pm Mass Latin EF - Private Intention
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
The Sacrament of Penance is available on request
Dates for your Diary
25th September Introductory Talk on the Faith: Mary & the Saints
7th October - 15th October Parish Mission