Landings for Returning Catholics
If there is a member of your family, a neighbour or a friend who has been away from the church for a while please invite them to the next Landings program. We are running the program once again in the Parish Centre, which will start on 30th September and run for 8 weeks. They can contact the Landings Team for further information on landings@lourdesleigh.org.
Sea of Voices Choir
Our choir plans to recommence singing from Thursday 23rd September in the Parish Centre, which will be open from 7.30pm but starting the singing at 8pm, finishing by 9.30pm for the time being.
An email was recently sent out to all members giving an update that the committee would be meeting to discuss a Choir risk assessment. The draft Risk Assessment will be emailed out to all returning members in due course, giving them the opportunity to give feedback on the measures we plan to put in place for everyone’s safety. Attendees will pay £3 per session, as previously, and sheet music will be provided.
The plan is to put on a Christmas concert in December - as always, we are ambitious! - so we will sing some old favourites and some new songs will be added to our repertoire.
We already have some re-joiners and new singers who want to sing with us, so if you would like to join us (no auditions!) please contact Darrell ( email seaofvoiceschoir@outlook.com ) or speak to other choir committee members at church: Carole Symons, Jacqui Henderson or Adam Carstairs.
Thank you. Darrell Binding.
St Bernard's High School - Year 6 Open Mornings
We will be holding Year 6 Open Mornings in October on the following dates,
by appointment only:
Monday 4th, Tuesday 5th, Wednesday 6th, Thursday 7th & Friday 8th October.
There will be 40 minute tours given between 9.15am - 10am & 10am - 10.45am.
Please note that these mornings are for Year 6 students and parents only.
Appointments will be given on a first come, first served basis.
Please call our Reception on 01701 343583 to book a slot.
Missio Red Box Holders
I have received the Autumn 2021 Missio Magazines. If you have not received one from me personally please take one from the back of the Church (in the usual place on the shelf at the entrance). If you have any boxes not opened in the last six months please give them to me personally, or leave them in the Office and I will collect them.
Thank you, Joan Caunce, Secretary 01268 757505.
Tea/Coffee Mornings in the Parish Centre
Please join us for tea, coffee and cake in the Parish Centre after the 9am Mass on Mondays and Thursdays. We look forward to seeing you again!
St Helen's Catholic Primary School
We are looking for Midday Assistants to join our friendly team as soon as possible. Forms and details are on our website www.st-helens.southend.sch.uk
Any questions please contact Mrs Sears 343823.
Magnificat
The link to the free Magnificat digital access is :
https://uk.magnificat.net/offer092021
Vacancies at St Bernard's High School
We have a number of support staff vacancies that we are trying to fill at present. Full details and an application form can be found on our website: www.stbernardswestcliff.org.uk.
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear friends in Christ
In the liturgy of this particular Sunday we are reminded that the most fundamental question of life is about how we view our relationship with God, with Jesus Christ.
Dear friends in Christ
In the liturgy of this particular Sunday we are reminded that the most fundamental question of life is about how we view our relationship with God, with Jesus Christ. Our happiness is not in health, worldly success or material things, nor in our ability to get what we want. Our life will be worth something if and when we fall in love with Jesus Christ. All our problems can be resolved if we are close to Him. There is no satisfactory solution to any of the problems and crosses of life without reference to Him. This is the meaning of the Readings this weekend.
Through the testimony of Saint Peter, the Apostles give a summary of what the two years of being next to Him have meant. In our case also, in order to make a more conscious profession of faith in Jesus Christ, we must, like Peter, listen attentively and carefully. We must follow in the school of the first disciples, who had become His witnesses and our teachers. At the same time we must accept the experience and testimony of no less than twenty centuries of history marked by the Master's question and enriched by the immense chorus of responses of the faithful of all times and places (St Pope John Paul II, 7.I.’87). Can we honestly answer the question Jesus puts to Peter and the Twelve and say that there is no other meaning to life except with Him and in Him? When we acknowledge that we want to follow Jesus exclusively, He will help us to carry our daily cross with dignity and refinement. We ask Him to include us among his closest disciples. Lord, take me as I am, with my defects, with my shortcomings, but make me become as you want me to be, just as you did with Saint Peter! (Pope John Paul I, 13.IX.’78).
We must thank all those who have prepared, contributed and made possible the Flower Festival in our church this Saturday. Following the biblical theme of I AM…we have been able to celebrate the Word of God alive amongst us and also have our spirits raised through the beauty of creation.
This Sunday is designated Education Sunday, which gives us the opportunity to acknowledge and give thanks for all who work in the field of forming our young people. You might like to read the message our Bishop has sent for this weekend, which you will find again this week in the Newsletter.
I wish you all a happy and holy week ahead!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
5.30pm Vigil Mass Joseph & Stella Gallo, RIP (RG)
6.30-7.30pm: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
8am Mass Intentions of the Maxfield Family (JL)
9.30am Mass Intentions of Genti & Bonn Shpella and Kristian & Dan (TS)
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 13
St John Chrysostom, Bp, D
9am Mass Alan Bush, RIP (Anniversary) (CB)
Tuesday 14
Exaltation (Triumph) of the Holy Cross
9.15am Mass Frank Maguire, RIP (Anniversary) (MM)
Year 6 children from OLOL School attending
Wednesday 15
Our Lady of Sorrows
9am Mass Richard Campbell-Carr, RIP (MI)
Thursday 16
Ss Cornelius, P, and Cyprian, Bp, Mm
9am Mass Charles & Alice Whitefield RIP (FM)
Friday 17
St Robert Bellarmine, Bp, D
12Noon Mass Special Intention of Mya Strzetelska (PM)
Saturday 18
Saturday Memorial of BVM
10am Mass Samuel Patchai, RIP (RP)
10.30-11.30 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
Sunday 19 September
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
5.30pm Vigil Mass Intentions of Mary Daly (ES)
6.30-7.30pm: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confessions
8am Mass Tom & Rita O'Callaghan-Wedding Anniversary (LC)
9.30am Mass Intentions of Lucrecia Conlu (JC)
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
We Pray for the Dead on their Anniversaries
Fr Theophilus Borer, Abp George Andrew Beck, AA, Canon James Hemming, Deacon Arthur Woods, Fr Louis Heston, Fr John Bergin, Fr Anthony Mayston, Elsie Ivett, Anne Brooks, Mary Manton, William Wheaton, Kathleen Matthews, Eliza Moore, Mary Wright, Wilfred Sawyer, Kathleen McGowan, Anne McCarthy, Veronica Maguire, Joyce Wager, Alan Bush, Patricia Lawrence, Kathleen Hornung, Bill Jarrett, Ann Dodd, Marie Norah Browne, Jack Abbott, David Peretti, Philomena Conley, Frank Maguire, Bernard Wiltshire, Eileen McCarthy, Percival De’Ath, Bridget Finnegan, Sylvia Mary Jones, Dot Tooley, Anne Kathleen Gibson, Frances Spriggs, Joseph Hayes, Queenie Kay, Christopher Hickey, Stella Smith, Bernard Ratcliff, Hing San Lan, Mary Collins, Elizabeth Parsons, James Hale, John Watters & Anna Marie Tynan.
We Pray for our Sick
John Murphy, Mary Monaghan, Jennifer Biebuyck, Moira Scott, Jill Yates, Leonora Maguire, Brian Mountier, Renata Butler, Margaret Bartle, Tony Downey, Kristy Monferrari, Fred Ring, Ian Irwin, Russell Short, Marie Karaf, Garry Pearman, Patricia Ann Darroch, Peggy Larman, Patricia Vanner, Amy Louise Fox, Sarah Savage, Bill O’Connell, Janet Weale, Charlotte O’Neil, Ella Williams, David Kislingbury, Mark Shepherd, Eileen Bines, Breege McCaffrey, Mark Hartley, Austin Butler, John Lavery, Paul Keane, Rosemary Bragard, Pat Lynch, Maureen Gooding, Ben Wilson, Christian Ryan, Mike Rubbert, Tina Doveaston, Addi Brady, Patricia Fleming, Nicky Wigmore, Rose Craft, Nan Carrit, Eileen Wilson, Patricia Spikin, Sandra Fagan, Edna Wallace, Beryl Dixon, Nick Evans, Vicky Jack, Mary Boyce, Kristin Hallenga, Anne O’Neill, Cheryl Shallis, Anthony McEvoy, Justin Stark, Sheila Netherton, David Blyth, Janet Woods, Lynne Hilkene, June Moncaster, Laura & Anne Breen, Breda Lynch, Maria Clark, Roy Widdecombe, Johanna Lynch, Anthony King, Chas Taylor, Norma McCleverty, Belinda Balazsi, Johnnie Pool, Edward Martin, Joanna Luciani, Pauline Wilsher, Simon Marshall, Kriston Barnes, Hugh Isaacs, Josephine Griggs, Dawn Deleigh, Lorraine Hart, Linda Dean, Georgina Cornwell, Antonella McConalogue, Sharon Levill, Annie Holland, Ivor & Joanne Knight, Brian Beresford, Rebecca Peake, Connor Bourke, Mattia Mollica, Bernadette Lane, Irena Solecki, Ianto Bellis, Doreen Troughton, Marguerite Harris, Andrew Exley, Elizabeth McConalogue, Kean Smith, Keith Maliff, Bradley & children: Thomas Ball, Liam Davis, Connie Price, Albert Chambers, Fergus Grant, Mary Isherwood, Lucy Price & Frazer Gregory.
We Pray for the Repose of the Souls of
GILBERTE COOK, RIP who died on Tuesday, 7th September.
SADI MARLOW, RIP (aged three) who died recently.
Dates for your Diary
Weekend 2nd/3rd October Mission Appeal—For Comboni Missions
Monday 4th October Journey in Faith begins (RCIA)
Parish Centre, Bernadette Room—8pm
Thursday 7th October Meeting for Parents of First Communicants
Parish Centre—8pm
Thursday 4th November Annual Parish Requiem—8pm
Thursday 25th—Saturday 27th November
Annual Days of Eucharistic Exposition
Friday 17th December Serving the Homeless Carol Service—7pm
Wednesday 25th May Visitation of the Bishop & Confirmation
Saturdays 14th & 21st May First Holy Communion Masses
First Holy Communion 2022
If you wish your child to make their First Holy Communion in May 2022, and they are in Year 3 or above, please ensure the online form is completed and submitted by 30th September 2021.
Please note that if your child was not baptised at Our Lady of Lourdes, you will need to provide a copy of their Baptismal Certificate. Please send this to the communion e-mail, which is communion@lourdesleigh.org
Further details regarding meetings etc. will be published in the weekly newsletter.
Music at 11.30am Mass on Sunday
Prelude: Berceuse (24 pièces en style libre) - Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Postlude: Carillon de Westminster (Pièces de Fantaisie) - Louis Vierne
Statement of Bishop Alan Williams for Education Sunday, 2021
Education Sunday is a day on which can we focus on the wonderful work that is done in Catholic schools up and down the country. The last year has been a challenging time for all, as we have had to face the full impact of the pandemic and find new ways to live and work. Only time will show the full impact of the days that our children have had to stay at home and try to study. There are, I fear, some areas of inequality in the provision of the pupils’ learning, which may impinge on their development for some time. Having said that however, I know that the schools in the diocese have worked tirelessly to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the children. On behalf of the diocese, I offer my deep gratitude to our Catholic schools for all that they have done and achieved during the pandemic.
When the Catholic hierarchy was re-established in the ninetieth century, one of the first actions was to establish schools to support the Catholic community and help them overcome the many obstacles, including illiteracy, in the way of so many people. In our times the call to make Education a priority has not diminished in any way. As your bishop I heed the call of Pope Leo XIII given over a hundred years ago when he called on the bishops of the world to carry on “making the young your chief care; press onward in every way your work; and cultivate with enthusiasm and hopefulness whatever good seeds you find: for God, who is rich in mercy will give the increase.”[1]
In recent times some of our schools have had to face hostile approaches from those who do not share our vision for Catholic education. They would want to influence the direction of travel for their own purposes rather than for the benefit of the children and young people in our Catholic schools. Pope Francis writes that “Education is an enterprise that demands cooperation on the part of all involved – the family, the school and social, cultural and religious institutions.”[2] A positive way of achieving this cooperation which, in turn, furthers the vision and tradition of those pioneers, is for our schools to work more closely together by joining Catholic Multi Academy Trusts (CMATs). Whilst this may be in line with thinking coming out of national Government it is also genuinely my firm belief that this is the best future for our schools. It is an opportunity for schools to work together actively and formally to shape the Catholic education system in their locality. It is this approach that will enable high standards of Catholic education to be maintained and where schools can contribute more widely as beacons of good practice in the local community. Indeed, where CMATs have been established in our diocese benefits have already been identified, including financial savings, greater inter-school support and renewal of the mission they share as Catholic schools.
As the pandemic recedes and a growing sense of normality returns, I know that we will be able to move forward collaboratively with the wonderful work of enabling our young people to reach their full potential. I encourage all associated with our Catholic schools, as Pope Francis has said, to “persevere with courage and tenacity”[3]. Once again, thank you to all who work in and support Catholic education whether as pupils, staff, governors or parents. I will keep you in my prayers and ask that you join me in praying for the flourishing of our Catholic School communities.
Yours in Christ and Mary,
Bishop Alan, sm
Bishop of Brentwood
[1] Spectata Fides p.6 1885
[2] Address of his Holiness Pope Francis to participants at the seminar "Education: the global compact"
[3] Ibid
Journey in Faith (RCIA)
We will begin once again the Journey in Faith sessions on Monday, 4th October. These evenings are for those wishing to discover more about the Catholic Faith with a view to Reception into the Church. If you know anyone who is interested in learning more about our Faith and wishing to become Catholic, please direct them to Fr Kevin or these evenings. They will be in the Parish Centre—Bernadette Room—and begin at 8pm.
The Thresholds of Hope Questions
The Thresholds of Hope Questions are a series of talks for adults who want to grow in understanding and confidence when questioned or speaking about their Catholic Faith. The talks and discussion will take place on Zoom from 4.00 - 5.00 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon. The first talk is on the 19th September and will consider the question: "What is the relationship between faith and reason?" It will be given by Fr Mark Swires, the chaplain at the University of Essex. If you would like to join this discussion please email your name and a contact email address to adultformationvicariate@dioceseofbrentwood.org
For more information about The Thresholds of Hope Questions go to www.thresholdsofhope.co.uk. You will find some leaflets at the back of the Church.