Lenten Lunches
Held in the Parish Centre every Friday from 12.30pm onwards for the duration of Lent. Delicious home made soup, bread, cheese coffee etc. Only £5 donation to charity.
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 begin on Sunday 10th March .
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 March at 8pm in the Parish Centre with Journey of Faith (Beatitudes & Morality). You are welcome to attend some or all of these talks; if you would like more information please speak to Fr Kevin.
Knights of St Columba - St Patrick’s Social Evening
Saturday 16th March at St Peter’s Mazenod Hall, 59 Eastwood Road. Irish stew or jacket potato included in price - Irish Dance troupe. Bring your own drinks. 7pm to 10.45pm. Tickets: Adult £10, 5-16 years £7, under 5 free, from Bruno 01701 528766, Ian 07503 465249, Liam 07952 954833.
Lenten Retreat 2019
The Live Simply group has decided to join the Lent retreat 2019, "Walking together with Jesus" as advertised in the newsletter last week. We meet on Monday mornings from 10.15-11.45 in the Parish Centre. Each week we will be exploring different methods of prayer using scripture and following the retreat material. If anyone wishes to join us they will be very welcome
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear Friends in christ
Most Catholics across the entire world will go to Holy Mass on Wednesday and hear the priest pronounce Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return as ashes are placed upon our heads. These words, taken from the very first pages of the Bible (Genesis 3:19) remind us of our mortality and that we have been given this time on earth for a purpose: that we might know, love and serve God. This is the one and only Truth that we need to know and live; everything else is secondary; only God matters. If we can begin Lent this week with God at the centre of our lives, and keep him there throughout the coming Forty Days, then we shall have done Lent well.
Dear Friends in Christ
Most Catholics across the entire world will go to Holy Mass on Wednesday and hear the priest pronounce Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return as ashes are placed upon our heads. These words, taken from the very first pages of the Bible (Genesis 3:19) remind us of our mortality and that we have been given this time on earth for a purpose: that we might know, love and serve God. This is the one and only Truth that we need to know and live; everything else is secondary; only God matters. If we can begin Lent this week with God at the centre of our lives, and keep him there throughout the coming Forty Days, then we shall have done Lent well. The specific way that God asks us to do this is by prayer, fasting and charity; all deeply biblical virtues which have one aim, one purpose: to bring us into deeper friendship with God by purging any excessive attachment to the things of the earth. Purification is the heart of this holy season that lies ahead of us. The Church - each one of us - is in deep need of purification at the present time. As we see and hear of so many trials and troubles in the world and in the Church, the motivation for this purification is clear.
During this Lent let us resolve to pray more, perhaps by attending a weekday Mass in addition to our Sunday obligation, make the Stations of the Cross, or read the Gospels prayerfully. Fast by abstaining from some food, drink or other luxury in order to unite the offering of our sacrifices with those of Jesus in His Passion. Do some act of charity whereby we become the hands and face of Christ to someone who needs our love. By these time-honoured acts of religion, we will make sure God is the centre of our lives and arriv at Easter - aided by Mary’s prayers - with joyful hearts and minds.
God bless us as we embark on this Lenten pilgrimage.
Msgr Kevin Hale
Priest@LourdesLeigh.org ✚ 01702 478078
Homily available at LourdesLeigh.org
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Sunday 3rd March
Saturday 5.30pm Vigil The People of the Parish
6.30pm–7.30pm Exposition & Confession
8.00am Mass Frank Maguire, RIP (FO’B)
9.30am Mass Pamina Edgeley, RIP (Anniv) (SN)
11.30am Mass William Pearson, RIP (Anniv) (SP)
4.00pm Mass Alan Bush, RIP (LL) - Extraordinary Form
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 4 St Casimir
9.00am Mass Charles & Alice Whitefield, RIP (FM)
Tuesday 5 Shrove Tuesday
9.00am Mass Marion Payne, RIP (KH)
Wednesday 6 ASH WEDNESDAY Day of Fasting & Abstinence
9.30am Mass Jan Harris, RIP (Anniv) (LY) - with OLOL School
12Noon Mass Holy Souls
8.00pm Mass Martha Braun, RIP (SVP)
Thursday 7 Thursday after Ash Wednesday
9.00am Mass David Gurney, RIP (MS)
Friday 8 Friday after Ash Wednesday
6.30am Mass Michael O’Sullivan, RIP (AS)
12Noon Mass Joan Butcher, RIP (K&LW)
8.00pm Way of the Cross & Benediction
Saturday 9 Saturday after Ash Wednesday
10.00am Mass John Bartle, RIP (MB)
10.30am-11.30am Exposition & Confession
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT - Sunday 10th March
Saturday 5.30pm Vigil Joe Purcell, RIP (SF)
6.30pm–7.30pm Exposition & Confession
8.00am Mass Intentions of Fritz Pfleger(AS)
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
Services from the church are live streamed
Lenten Retreat 2019
The Live Simply group has decided to join the Lent retreat 2019, ‘Walking together with Jesus' as advertised in the newsletter this week. We meet on Monday mornings from 10.15-11.45 in the Parish Centre. If anyone wishes to join us they will be very welcome.
Church Car Park
Would parishioners please remember to park only in the designated bays of the Church car park. Thank you.
Sacred Heart Winter Night Shelter
Items now being requested are ladies moisturiser/body cream, ladies long sleeve t-shirts and mens socks (new). Please leave donations in the box in the sacristy. Thank you.
New Club secretary needed for Margueriteville CMC
Due to personal circumstances, and after ten years service, I am standing down as the Margueriteville Country Music Club secretary in April. In order for this monthly fundraising club to continue I am looking for any parishioners who would like to run it. If no-one comes forward the club will close after April.
We still have parishioners who look after the door entry and run the raffle, and club members help with teas and coffees and raffle donations.
We have managed to raise over £9,000 for the Parish Centre since I started the club in July 2009 and still have a full programme left for this year (except for May). If there are any parishioners interested (or want more information), either to run it singly or as a committee, please contact Darrell ASAP on 07825686249 or email margueriteville@hotmail.co.uk Thank you.
Days of Fasting and Abstinence
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are the only days of obligatory fasting throughout the world (Can. 1251). The law of fasting binds those who have attained their majority, until the beginning of their sixtieth year (Can.1252).
According to Canon Law, abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. The law of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year (Can. 1252).
Those under 14 years of age, the sick, the elderly and frail, pregnant women, are not required to observe abstention.
Counters & Folders
Counters: Linda Wall & Jacky Hoggett
Folders: Jane Trower & Clare English
Novena to St Joseph - Sunday 10th to Tuesday 19th March 2019 – OLI Church, Chelmsford
Our Lady Immaculate Parish, Chelmsford, is celebrating a novena to St Joseph to pray for the Church, for vocations to the diocese of Brentwood and for all your intentions. The novena to St Joseph is from 10th until 19th March. Each day of the novena there will be Mass at 7pm (preceded by confessions at 6.30pm) and the Mass will end with the novena prayers to St Joseph. Please join us in our novena prayers.
Unwanted Gift Sale - 3rd March
Thank you to those who have donated to the sale. Unfortunately, we haven't received enough donations to make it feasible to hold the sale this weekend. We will continue to accept donations and as soon as we have enough to offer you, we will hold the sale. If you have any unwanted gifts that you wish to donate, please leave them in the old Baptistery. Hopefully we can hold the sale very soon. Many thanks. Sue and Angela.
Is God calling you to be a priest?
There is a monthly vocations group for those who would like to find out more about a possible vocation to the priesthood. There will be a talk, time of prayer and some food. The sessions take place at St Edmund of Canterbury church, 9 Traps Hill, Loughton, IG10 1SZ. Tuesdays 5th March, 2nd April, 7th May, 4th June & 2nd July. Please contact Fr Mark Swires, Vocations Promoter for more information: vocprom@dioceseofbrentwood.org
Lenten Talks 2019
The schedule for this year’s Lenten Talks, which all take place in Nazareth House on Wednesdays at 7.30pm is as follows:
13th March Fr Angelus Houle ‘Spiritual Warfare’
27th March Mark Lambert ‘The Culture of Life vs The Culture of Death’
3rd April Fr Andrew Forus ‘The healing power of Confession’
10th April Fr Jeff Woolnough ‘Mary at the foot of the Cross’
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 begin on Sunday 10th March.
Lenten Lunches
These begin on Friday 8th March at 12.30pm for the duration of Lent. Delicious home made soup, bread, cheese coffee etc. Only £5 donation to charity.