Mini Vinnies
If, as a young Parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, you are interested in becoming a member of the Mini Vinnie Club, please leave your name and contact details in the Parish office. It is open to children from Years 4 to Year 7.
We will be pro-active in supporting the Parish through a variety of ways and will be linked to the St Vincent de Paul (SVP) in the Parish community.
Margaret Sullivan
Dates for your Diary
Monday, 13th January—Journey in Faith (RCIA) 8pm Parish Centre
Saturday 15th—Friday 21st March 2025—Parish Mission led by the Redemptorists
Saturdays 10th & 17th May 10.30am—First Holy Communion Masses
Sunday 1st June 2025—Visitation & Confirmation
Sunday 22nd June—Corpus Christi Procession 4pm
Saturday 5th July—Flower Festival
Monday 21st—Friday 25th July—Lourdes Pilgrimage
Monday 8th September Centenary of the Opening of our Church
Lourdes Jubilee Year Pilgrimage
The Pilgrimage to Lourdes, flying with BA, will depart Heathrow on Monday 21st July 07.35am—Arrive Toulouse 10.25am, returning on Saturday 26th July 10.45am—arriving at 11.45am.
The 5-night package price is £895 per pilgrim sharing, single supplement is £225, staying at the 4 star Grand Hotel Moderne Soubirous (closest to Sanctuary).
This includes 5 nights full-board and return luxury coach transfer from Lourdes airport to the hotel.
Please leave your name and contact details with the Parish Office soon, as places are limited.
JOURNEY OF FAITH—RCIA
This resumes on Monday, 13th January and is specifically for those who are not Catholics but who are enquiring with a view to finding out more about the Catholic Faith and Reception into the Church. These evenings begin at 8pm, are held in the Newman Room of the Parish Centre (the door is beside the Memorial Garden) and usually last just over an hour. Names may be given in advance to Fr Kevin or the Parish Office.
OLOL Ladies Group
To all Ladies in the Parish, our next Meeting for the New Year is in the Parish Centre on Thursday 16th January. This will be a relaxed social morning with a selection of Board games, or sharing news, books or just catching up with friends old and new following our Christmas break. Amazingly we will be celebrating our 7th year of the Ladies Group (where has the time gone? ) We always welcome new members with subs still only £1 per Meeting.
For any Ladies out there who are interested, please just come along and introduce yourself. We try to keep the Group as informal as possible so there is no form filling, and ladies are free to join us as and when they wish.
On behalf of Cynthia, Jan, Jo and Jane we wish you a very happy , peaceful and healthy New Year !!
Reading at Weekend Masses
"Christ is always present in his word since it is he himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church" [Second Vatican Council]. With the new Lectionary being a fresh chance to hear Christ speaking to us, bringing us together with others, now could be an opportunity to use your talents to read at Mass?
Readers at weekend Masses generally read in pairs every 4 or 5 weeks, and are only rostered to read at the Mass they normally attend. Rotas are flexible so you can always swap if something comes up and you are unable to read on a weekend. The opportunity to read is available to both children and adults. Training / practice are available if you've not read before or are returning to reading.
If you're interested, please contact Jackie Sullens (j.sullens@btinternet.com) who'll be happy to explain what's involved and to arrange some practice so you can consider further whether you'd like to join our group of readers. Thank you.
Sea of Voices Choir returns to sing
Following our recent Christmas Concert followed by the Annual Sarol Service, Sea of Voices returns back to sing on Thursday evenings from 16th January at 8pm. New members are always welcome!
We would also like to thank all who attended our Christmas ‘Carols and cakes’ event that raised £250 for Age Concern Southend based in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff.
For information on our activities please contact Darrell on 07825686249. Thank you.
Repository
We re-open this weekend, January 11th/12th. Please visit us and browse around our stock of Rosaries and other Religious items. We have a few copies remaining of the new Sunday Missal.
If you are interested in the new Weekday Missal please note this is due for Publication in early April. As we have received a number of enquiries, and if you are interested in purchasing a copy, would you please leave your name and contact details with one of the volunteers.
Cleaner Required
Would you be able to spare an hour a week between 10am and 1pm, to help clean our church ? Whichever day suits you, and it doesn’t have to be the same day every week!
If you can help, please contact the Parish office on 01702 478078 or email office@lourdesleigh.org.
Vacancy at St Bernard's High School
COVER & MEDICAL OFFICER
Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week (7.00am – 3.00pm), term time only plus one week
Scale 9 – 12 (£26,409 – £27,711, pro-rata actual salary £23,198 – £24,341)
Closing Date: 20 January 2025, 9.00am
Interviews: w/c 20 January 2025
Start date: Ideally 10 February 2025
Calling all early risers! Are you a confident, personable, reliable individual with a strong administrative background? If so, then this role might be for you!
We are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic Cover and Medical Officer who will be responsible for arranging the daily supply cover for teaching staff who are absent, as well as supporting students with their medical needs. Ideally you will be experienced (not essential), and be organised and pro-active, liaising with agencies, staff, students and parents.
If you are interested in this role and would like more details, please look at the job description found on our school website (www.stbernardswestcliff.org.uk/about-us/vacancies).
If you would like to apply, please complete the Support Staff Application Form found on the Vacancies page on our website and email it to recruitment@stbernards.southend.sch.uk.
The Epiphany of the Lord
Dear friends in Christ
May I begin this first message of 2025 wishing you all every health, peace and blessing for the New Year!
Dear friends in Christ
May I begin this first message of 2025 wishing you all every health, peace and blessing for the New Year!
The Epiphany of Jesus that we celebrate this weekend is a call to make Christ better known in our world. The revelation of Jesus to the world was first brought about by the visit of the Magi. Through those ancient figures, we are called to manifest Christ to the nations. Overcoming every obstacle of the journey they made to Bethlehem, the Wise Men show us how to persevere in our seeking Jesus in our lives. In fact, the whole of the Christian vocation can be summarised as: searching for Jesus, finding Jesus and loving Jesus.
During this Jubilee Year which began on Christmas day—inaugurated by Pope Francis in Rome—we are called to be Pilgrims of Hope. This is the theme for the forthcoming year. Our world stands in great need of the hope that Christ brings. In a world so torn apart by wars and conflicts, economic and social strife and moral dysfunction, we are called to be a sign of hope to mankind; called to be sowers of the Truth. We can do this every day by living in such a manner that we let others know that this is a passing world, that there is no definite happiness here, and that we can only have true fulfilment if we put Jesus Christ at the centre of everything.
May the example of the Magi on this Little Christmas fill our lives with hope. May the radiance of Christ’s presence on earth fill our hearts and minds with His glory.
May God bless you!
Msgr kevin Hale
The Epiphany of the Lord
Liturgy:
Readings of Year C
The Nicene Creed
Preface of The Epiphany of the Lord
Saturday 4
Feria of Christmas Time
5.30pm Vigil Marie O'Connor, RIP (MT)
6.30-7.30pm: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confession
Sunday 5 January
The Epiphany of The Lord
8am Mass Inentions of Mrs Angela Slough (OLOR)
9.30am Mass John Harley(RIP), Nina Clarke(RIP) & Emma Harley(RIP) (PL)
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
4pm Mass Essie Glauda, RIP (Anniv) (KC)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 6
Weekday of Christmas Time
9am Mass James & Marcus Aquilina, RIP (MA)
Tuesday 7
Weekday of Christmas Time
9am Mass Terence & Maisie Renehan, RIP (Anniv) (MH)
Wednesday 8
Weekday of Christmas Time
9am Mass Intentions of Mike Walulya (very sick) (FS)
Thursday 9
Weekday of Christmas Time
9am Mass Father Thomas Kenny (Northampton) (PM)
Friday 10
Weekday of Christmas Time
12Noon Mass Roland & Madeleine Selvini, RIP (K&LW)
Saturday 11
Weekday of Christmas Time
10am Mass Intentions of Kathleen Burke (RO’C)
10.30-11.30am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confession
5.30pm Vigil Steve & Agnes McManus, RIP (Anniv) (SW)
6.30-7.30pm: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confession
Sunday 12 January
The Baptism of The Lord
8am Mass Intentions of Maria Cook (SD)
9.30am Mass Bernardette Lane, RIP (Anniv) (MM)
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
5.30pm Blessing of recently Baptised babies & Benediction
We Pray for the Dead on their Anniversaries
Fr Francis Heenan, Fr Michael Butler, Canon J Bloomfield, Lena Austin, Lucien Staw, Eric Tarrant, Niall Cooney, Essie Glauda, Mary Josephine Herbert, Arthur Jackson, Ivy Whiting, Phyllis Sullivan, Patricia Dear, Sibyl Hardy, Gerald Vickers, Claire Mellish, Duncan Boyle, John Harley, John Blomfield, Minnie Fogarty, Brian McInnerney, Blodweh Owen, Louise Alexandra Marsden, Hester Masi, Walter McGune, Melissa Overton, John Cleary, Elizabeth Hancock, Marie Thompson, Doreen Clements, Firmina Rose Bailey, Frances Sims, Bill Shanahan, Terence Foley, Gertrude Culley, Doreen Newcombe, Winifred Hughes, Madelaine Moroney, Clive Vincent Allen, Stephana Gallacher, Evelyn Roots, June Dillon, Cyril Jarman, Agness O’Donoghue & Agnes McManus.
We pray for our sick
The Sick List is available on the website main menu, under Worship.
We pray for the sick of our parish
“Father,
by the power of your Spirit
you have filled the hearts of your faithful people
with gifts of love for one another.
Hear the prayers we offer for our relatives and friends.
Give them health of mind and body
that they may do your will with perfect love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.”
Sanctuary Lamp
This week the Sanctuary Lamp burns for the intentions of Roland Clark, RIP.
Please pray for the repose of the souls of
LEONORA MAGUIRE, RIP who died recently. Funeral details to follow.
SUSAN JANE O’NEILL, RIP who died on 18th December. Her funeral will take place on Tuesday, 21st January at Southend Crematorium, West Chapel at 2pm.
Requiescant in pace
Music at 11.30am Mass
Prelude: In dulci jubilo BuxWV 197—Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Postlude: Allein Gott in der Höh sei Erh—Georg Böhm (1661-1733)
Reading at Weekend Masses
"Christ is always present in his word since it is he himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church" [Second Vatican Council]. With the new Lectionary being a fresh chance to hear Christ speaking to us, bringing us together with others, now could be an opportunity to use your talents to read at Mass?
Readers at weekend Masses generally read in pairs every 4 or 5 weeks, and are only rostered to read at the Mass they normally attend. Rotas are flexible so you can always swap if something comes up and you are unable to read on a weekend. The opportunity to read is available to both children and adults. Training / practice are available if you've not read before or are returning to reading.
If you're interested, please contact Jackie Sullens (j.sullens@btinternet.com) who'll be happy to explain what's involved and to arrange some practice so you can consider further whether you'd like to join our group of readers. Thank you.
Lourdes Jubilee Year Pilgrimage
The Pilgrimage to Lourdes, flying with BA, will depart Heathrow on Monday 21st July 07.35am—Arrive Toulouse 10.25am, returning on Saturday 26th July 10.45am—arriving at 11.45am.
The 5-night package price is £895 per pilgrim sharing, single supplement is £225, staying at the 4 star Grand Hotel Moderne Soubirous (closest to Sanctuary).
This includes 5 nights full-board and return luxury coach transfer from Lourdes airport to the hotel.
Please leave your name and contact details with the Parish Office soon, as places are limited.