Please Pray for the Dead on their Anniversaries
Fr William Luby, Canon Martin Horkan, Rev John O’Neill, Margaret Houston, Benjamin Dawson, Leo King, Edith Smith, Eileen Greaves, George Burnham, Lydia Upton, Maura Harley, Eric Wilding, Stefan Zyms, Frank Keenan Snr, Nora Thompson, Philip Hale, Eleanor Hayes, June Hazel White, David McGowan, George Conway, James Kennedy, Kathleen Horsford, Julian Felix Asselberghs, Catherine Isobel Jago, Anthony Slattery, Mary Russell, Henry McIlwee, Nina Clarke,
Alfred Marshall, Dolores Cutter, John Flynn, Gabrielle Haiser & Henry De Souza.
May their Souls & the Souls of all the Faithful Departed rest in peace.
Counters & Folders
Counters: Mary Cook & Jacky Hoggett
Folders: Bobby Newman & Emma Beardsell
Nazareth House Lenten Talks - Revised
Thursday 15th March Fr Dominic Howarth on Formation of our young people -
‘ Abbotswick and beyond’.
Final talk Thursday 22 March Brian Holt -President of the Comitium for the Legion of Mary in our Diocese - ‘Devotion to Mary means Apostleship’.
Both talks begin at 7.30pm and the evenings conclude with devotions with priests available to hear confessions.
The Deanery Sacrament of Reconciliation at St Peter’s is therefore moved to Friday, 23rd March at 8.00 pm (as opposed to Thursday, 22nd March at 7.30 pm as previously advised).
PILGRIMAGE to KNOCK SHRINE, IRELAND - 28th MAY 2018
Last few Seats - Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine, Ireland, 28th May 2018. Led by Bishop Alan Williams. £699 per person sharing. Price includes flights from London Stansted with 15kg checked in bag, all taxes, transfers, 5 nights’ in newly refurbished Knock House Hotel, in the grounds of the shrine, with full Irish Breakfast each morning, light lunch and 4 Course Dinner each evening. All entertainment and guided tours included. Wheelchair accessible rooms in the hotel. Limited single rooms available. Groups and Individual bookings welcome. Contact 01 268 762278 or email knockpilgrimages@gmail.com. Knock Pilgrimages is a member of the Travel Trust Association and is fully protected by ATOL T7613.
Class Teacher Posts
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary currently have positions for class teachers starting in September 2018. For more information please contact the school office via email at office@sacredheart.southend.sch.uk<mailto:office@sacredheart.southend.sch.uk> or call on 01702 534546 for an application pack.
St George’s Country Dance - Saturday 21st April
Organised by Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Social Committee, 7.30pm-10.30pm (doors open 7pm). Tickets £8 or family £25. Raffle. Bring your own nibbles & drinks. Live band ‘The Musicmakers’ with caller.
Tickets from Phyllis 07969 465518, Darrell 07825 686249, Irene 07449 471612
Gift Aid Envelopes
New boxes of envelopes for those in the Gift Aid Scheme will be available for collection on 10th/11th and 17th/18th March. If you wish to gift aid your weekly offering by using envelopes, please complete a Gift Aid Form, available at the back of Church, and either hand it in to the Parish office or place it in the offertory collection. You will then receive a box of envelopes for your weekly collection.
Thank you from ‘Serving the Homeless’
We have our Annual General meeting on 12th March at 7.30 at St. Margaret’s Church Hall, Lime Ave Leigh. We would welcome anyone who would like to find out more about what we do. (But don’t worry you won’t be forced to join!) Our next event is a meal at East on 22nd March at 7.30. Tickets are £15 and are available from Linda, 558217, Theresa, 335122 or from Jo 474062.
Spring Walk
Why not sign up for HARP’s Prittle Brook Spring Walk? Taking place on Sunday 22rd April 2018 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! https://www.harpsouthend.org.uk/spring-walk-2018
Parish/Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes Monday 23rd - Saturday 28th July 2018
Five nights (full board) travelling with British Airways via Toulouse and staying at the Grand Moderne Hotel will cost £665 per pilgrim. Please indicate your interest by putting your name on the list in the Parish Office.
Coast to Coast Rosary
After similar events in Poland and Ireland, we plan to pray the rosary around the coast on Great Britain in April this year.
The event, which is scheduled for Sunday, April 29, will pray specifically for our country, for peace and for the upholding of the dignity of human life. This mass-rosary prayer will help combat the present threats to faith, the dignity of the human person and to peace, and encourage a re-flourishing of our Faith. Our Parish will pray the Rosary on the waters-edge at The Crowstone bottom of Imperial Avenue at 3pm that Sunday. Visit the website for more details: www.rosaryonthecoast.co.uk
Baptism Course
The next Baptism Course will be held on Tuesday 13th March at 8pm in Parish Centre. Please telephone Diane Watts on 01702 478396.
Journey of Faith (RCIA)
A series of informal talks, designed to give an insight into the teachings and traditions of the Catholic church, continues on Monday 12th March at 8pm in the Parish Centre with Morality & Social Justice (Matthew 25). You are welcome to attend some or all of these talks; if you would like more information please speak to Fr Kevin.
Flower Festival 16th June 2018
As part of our Evangelisation and Discipleship project, we are organising a festival of flowers to be held on Saturday 16th June. The aim is to involve as many parishioners as possible in decorating all the windowsills in the church. The theme will be, The Saints. Each display to be inspired by the saints portrayed in the stained glass windows. We hope that this event will encourage the people of Leigh to visit our beautiful Church.
We hope that organisations, groups, families or individuals will volunteer to take responsibility for one window display. A list will be available to choose from.
This is not a competition. Please do not feel that you have to be a professional flower arranger to take part! Garden flowers and greenery, together with any symbols or items representing the Saints in the window that you have chosen, would be ideal.
If you are interested in taking part, or would like to know more, please contact:
Theresa 335122 or Jo 474062
EVANGELISATION & DISCIPLESHIP PROJECT
Thank you so much for your support for this initiative which we hope will produce confidence and growth in our Parish community. If you couldn't make the first meeting, DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU! You will still be welcome at our next meeting on Tuesday 13th March at 7:30pm in the Gilbert Room when we will begin studying Sherry Weddell's book Forming Intentional Disciples together. This programme has transformed and deepened the faith of many people. For those who already intend to come to the next meeting, why not start your evangelisation training now by inviting two other people from the parish to join you at the next meeting? Please remember to pray for this ongoing initiative.
Third Sunday of Lent
Dear Friends in christ
We hear of the incident when Jesus cleanses the Temple in the Gospel of this Sunday. It was a prelude to the Passion, and is one of those rare moments when Our Lord is filled with a righteous anger for the abuse of His Father's house. This passage from St John reminds us too, of the special and sacred nature of the places where God dwells amongst His people. Our churches are holy and consecrated, set aside for the specific purpose of worship, so that we may have places on earth wherein we can encounter the living presence of God.
Dear Friends in christ
We hear of the incident when Jesus cleanses the Temple in the Gospel of this Sunday. It was a prelude to the Passion, and is one of those rare moments when Our Lord is filled with a righteous anger for the abuse of His Father's house. This passage from St John reminds us too, of the special and sacred nature of the places where God dwells amongst His people. Our churches are holy and consecrated, set aside for the specific purpose of worship, so that we may have places on earth wherein we can encounter the living presence of God. The presence of Our Lord in the Tabernacle, in the Blessed Sacrament, makes our Catholic churches places of special dignity. We come into church conscious that we come into the presence of The Lord. This belief moves us to make the genuflection towards the Tabernacle and maintain that sacred silence in which we can encounter God. In a world of noise and chaos, the silence of our churches provides a special haven for us in the storms and trials of life. God is encountered in silence; we grow in silence and we can only really enter into deep communion with God through prayer born of sacred silence. May this Lent help us to be ever mindful of the need for encountering God, especially in the Blessed Eucharist in our churches, and in the silence of prayer, seek Him whom our hearts desire.
This Sunday around forty of our young adults will begin preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation which will be at Pentecost. Do pray for them, their Sponsors and families, that they will grow in a knowledge and love of the Mysteries of our Faith during these weeks ahead.
We continue this week our Lenten project of Discipleship for Evangelisation; regrettably the session last Tuesday had to be cancelled due to the inclement weather. Please continue to pray that, despite our poor and often failing human efforts, God may use us as His instruments in the work of bringing others to the knowledge and love of His name. May we all continue to live a blessed and fruitful Lenten-time.
Msgr Kevin Hale
Priest@LourdesLeigh.org ✚ 01702 478078
Homily available at LourdesLeigh.org
Third Sunday of Lent
THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT - Sunday 4th March
Saturday 5.30pm Vigil Adrian Dann, RIP (K&LW)
6.30pm–7.30pm Exposition & Confession
8.00am Mass Sandie Hippard - Special Intention (K&LW)
9.30am Mass The People of the Parish
11.30am Mass Ann O’Connell, RIP (MD)
4.00pm Mass Kathleen Kelly, RIP - Ex Form (M&MD)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 5 Feria
9.00am Mass Alfredo Tisi, RIP (T&VT)
Tuesday 6 Feria
9.00am Mass Jan Harris, RIP (Anniv)(LY)
Wednesday 7 Feria
9.00am Mass Charles & Alice Whitefield, RIP (FM)
5.00pm Body in Church Pamina Edgeley, RIP
Thursday 8 Feria
9.30am Requiem Mass Pamina Edgeley, RIP
Friday 9 Feria
6.30am Mass Barbara Sheaf, RIP (CR)
12Noon Mass Margaret Randall, RIP (C&AB)
Saturday 10 Feria
10.00am Mass Sheila Yorke, RIP (SC)
10.30am-11.30am Exposition & Confession
FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT - Sunday 11th March - Lætare Sunday
Saturday 5.30pm Vigil Frank & Moira Keenan, RIP (FK)
6.30pm–7.30pm Exposition & Confession
8.00am Mass Intentions of Marie Fitzakerley - 90th Birthday (JL)
9.30am Mass The People of the Parish
11.30am Mass Mervyn Calton, RIP (RC)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Events Editor
We would like someone who could turn News items with dates into Events on the website, to keep the calendar up-to-date. About 5 minutes for each item. You need a computer, but it's not very technical. You might need to liaise with the office occasionally.