To all couples who married in St. Helen’s Church, Westcliff on Sea
St. Helen’s will celebrate its 150th anniversary this year and we are asking any couples who married in the church to please contact the Parish Office on 01702 342324 with date of marriage, full names and a wedding photo. These will be displayed and the couples invited to attend a mass for a special blessing. (Please advise if you do not wish for the photos to be added to the Parish Facebook page).
Sacrament of Confirmation
Our Bishop, Alan Williams, will be making his Visitation of the Parish on the 19th May, 2019 and conferring the Sacrament for our young adults and anyone else wishing to be Confirmed. Candidates must have completed their fourteenth year by the end of August 2018. Please email office@lourdesleigh.org if you wish to apply. Preparation sessions will take place on Sunday evening starting in Lent.
Our Lady of Lourdes Ladies Group
Our next meeting is on Thursday, 14th February from 10.30am. We look forward to welcoming our guest speaker from a local walking group. You don't have to be a keen strider, just come along and enjoy some relaxed social time, plus cake and coffee. All women welcome.
BCYS Summer Lourdes Pilgrimage 20th – 27th July 2019
Join the Brentwood Catholic Youth Service in Lourdes this Summer as we travel alongside the diocese, assisting the elderly and infirm on their annual pilgrimage.
Alongside this we also run a retreat, daily Masses and excursions for the young people, as well as experiencing the Lourdes Torchlight Procession and Blessed Sacrament Procession. Places will be allocated to ensure as many parishes and schools as possible from the diocese are represented and applications will remain open until 31st January 2019. Where we receive a large number from one school or parish, places will be allocated on a “first come, first served” basis. Please be aware, this event is always heavily oversubscribed.
The pilgrimage is open to anyone currently in school year 10 and above and the cost will be around £570 (TBC). For all information and the chance to apply, please visit www.bcys.net/events or for any queries, please emailgabriellafusi@dioceseofbrentwood.org.
Serving the Homeless
Thank you to everyone who supported the Sunday lunch at the Park View Suite, which raised £726.50, enabling us to fund further projects. We were asked by HARP to fund CCTV outside one of their hostels in the town, which we have done.
Our next event is a Jazz Evening in the Parish Centre on Saturday 2nd March. Tickets are £10 and available from any Committee member or please ring Nina 472536 or Linda 558217. Refreshments of French bread, cheese, nibbles etc will be provided but please bring your own drinks.
Monday 4th March at 7.45 pm is our Annual General Meeting. This will be held in the church hall at St Margaret's in Lime Avenue, Leigh on Sea. Everyone is very welcome to attend.
Sacred Heart Winter Night Shelter
Thank you for all of the generous donations received so far. The Night shelter has been very busy recently, so if you have any men’s jogging trousers/jeans, NEW ladies crop/sports tops, ladies/mens pants, holdalls/rucksacks and blankets, please leave them in the Night Shelter box in the Sacristy.
Counters & Folders
Counters: Linda Wall & Brian Mountier Folders: Bobby Newman & Sue Hibbert
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 11th February at 8pm in the Parish Centre with Journey of Faith (The Mass - Called out of the World). You are welcome to attend some or all of these talks; if you would like more information please speak to Fr Kevin.
Free Home Library Service
If you are housebound and enjoy reading, or know someone who finds it difficult to get out and about, you are able to have large/small print books, videos, talking books, cd’s delivered to your home fortnightly, completely free of charge.
Please contact the Community Development Team at Home Delivery Service on 01702 534123.
Parish Pilgrimage to Lourdes - Monday 22nd July to Saturday 27th July 2019
Five nights (full board) travelling from Stansted to Lourdes with Ryanair and staying at the Grand Moderne Hotel will cost £665 per pilgrim (this includes one 20g suitcase per passenger, plus one hand-luggage bag). Outbound flight departs at 13.10/arrives 16.10 and return flight departs Lourdes at 11.10am/arrives 12.10pm. Please collect an information sheet/booking form from the Parish office.
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Friends in christ
The Epistle at Mass this Sunday is the great hymn of Charity written by St Paul. He outlines the qualities of Christian charity, without which life lacks its prime and essential ingredient. The most sublime eloquence, and all the good works imaginable would be like the fading reverberation of a gong, lasting for a few moments, and then fading away to oblivion. Without charity, the Apostles says, even the greatest gifts are of little value.
Dear Friends in christ
The Epistle at Mass this Sunday is the great hymn of Charity written by St Paul. He outlines the qualities of Christian charity, without which life lacks its prime and essential ingredient. The most sublime eloquence, and all the good works imaginable would be like the fading reverberation of a gong, lasting for a few moments, and then fading away to oblivion. Without charity, the Apostles says, even the greatest gifts are of little value. Many doctors and scribes knew more about God, much more than the majority of those who accompanied Jesus, about whom it is said that they do not know the law, but all their knowledge was fruitless. They did not understand what was most important - the presence of the Messiah in their midst and His message of understanding, of respect, and of love.
Next Sunday we welcome the Bishop to the Parish who will celebrate the Diocesan Lourdes Mass here at 3pm. This will be the Vigil of the Solemnity of Our Lady of Lourdes and we are privileged that the Bishop wishes to celebrate our Diocesan and Parish Feast with us. There will be a number of others from around the Diocese joining us and it will be our joy to welcome them. On the Monday morning (11th) I shall celebrate the Feast with a Mass in the church at which our Primary School will be present. May we feel the presence of the Mother of God close to us as we prepare for this annual celebration!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Priest@LourdesLeigh.org ✚ 01702 478078
Homily available at LourdesLeigh.org
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Sunday 3rd February
Saturday 5.30pm Vigil Charles & Rose de Souza (Wedding Anniversary) (MF)
6.30pm–7.30pm Exposition & Confession
8.00am Mass Mary Swanton, RIP (AS)
9.30am Mass Adriana Gottschalk, RIP (KP) (Presentation of FHC photos)
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
4.00pm Mass Peter Griffin, RIP - Extraordinary Form (FM)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 4 Feria
9.00am Mass Frank & Elsie O’Connor, RIP (Anniv) (T&VT)
Tuesday 5 St Agatha, V, M
9.00am Mass Barrington Gray, RIP (JH)
Wednesday 6 St Paul Miki and Comps, Mm
9.00am Mass Edward & Esther Martin, RIP (Anniv) (A&JM)
Thursday 7 Feria
9.00am Mass Alan Bush, RIP (AB)
2.30pm Requiem Mass June Dillon, RIP
Friday 8 St Jerome Emiliani, Rel
12Noon Mass Luigia Tisi, RIP (Anniv)(T&VT)
Saturday 9 Saturday Memorial of BVM
10.00am Charles & Alice Whitefield, RIP (FM)
10.30am-11.30am Exposition & Confession
FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Sunday 10th February
Saturday 5.30pm Vigil Bernard Ward, RIP (Anniv) (MW)
6.30pm–7.30pm Exposition & Confession
8.00am Mass The People of the Parish
9.30am Mass Grace Millane, RIP (C&ME)
11.30am Mass Henry & Joan Herbert, RIP - Wedding Anniversary
3.00pm Mass Our Lady of Lourdes Diocesan Mass - with Bishop Alan Williams
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
The Sacrament of Penance is available on request
Services from the church are live streamed
Parish Evangelisation Team - PET
The next meeting of the Parish Evangelisation Team will be this Thursday, 7th February at 8pm in the Parish Centre. Everyone welcome.
Gaudeamus Concert - Saturday, 23rd March 2019 at 7.30pm
Gaudeamus choir are once again performing at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. We are a chamber choir of 26 voices based in Leigh-on-Sea. We sing a wide range of music from the middle ages to the present day, unaccompanied and accompanied by piano, organ or orchestra, but are particularly noted for our unaccompanied a capella singing. The main work to be performed is Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli, along with Gorecki's Totus Tuus and Motets by Bruckner, Poulenc, and Messaien. All are welcome and tickets will be available at the door (£10). For more information please contact Nigel Warwick-Brown (07402324626).
To all couples who married in St. Helen’s Church, Westcliff on Sea
St. Helen’s will celebrate its 150th anniversary this year and we are asking any couples who married in the church to please contact the Parish Office on 01702 342324 with date of marriage, full names and a wedding photo. These will be displayed and the couples invited to attend a mass for a special blessing. (Please advise if you do not wish for the photos to be added to the Parish Facebook page).
Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society (BCCS)
BCCS are seeking to appoint an experienced and dynamic team manager who has the drive, enthusiasm and commitment to lead our School Service provision. The Head of School Services will provide professional support, supervision, training and leadership to social workers and counsellors who work in the school setting. Please visit our website at www.bccs.org.uk to download post details, or email bfisher@bccs.org.uk for further information or to arrange an informal chat.
Sacrament of Confirmation
Our Bishop, Alan Williams, will be making his Visitation of the Parish on the 19th May, 2019 and conferring the Sacrament for our young adults and anyone else wishing to be Confirmed. Candidates must have completed their fourteenth year by the end of August 2018. Please email office@lourdesleigh.org if you wish to apply. Preparation sessions will take place on Sunday evening starting in Lent.
BCYS Summer Lourdes Pilgrimage 20th – 27th July 2019
Join the Brentwood Catholic Youth Service in Lourdes this Summer as we travel alongside the diocese, assisting the elderly and infirm on their annual pilgrimage. Alongside this we also run a retreat, daily Masses and excursions for the young people, as well as experiencing the Lourdes Torchlight Procession and Blessed Sacrament Procession.
Places will be allocated to ensure as many parishes and schools as possible from the diocese are represented and applications will remain open until 31st January 2019. Where we receive a large number from one school or parish, places will be allocated on a “first come, first served” basis. Please be aware, this event is always heavily oversubscribed.
The pilgrimage is open to anyone currently in school year 10 and above and the cost will be around £570 (TBC). For all information and the chance to apply, please visit www.bcys.net/events or for any queries, please emailgabriellafusi@dioceseofbrentwood.org