Dates for your Diary
Monday 10th November Journey in Faith (RCIA) 8pm Parish Centre
12th & 26th November, 12th December—Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Advent 7pm Parish Centre
Thursday 27th-Saturday 29th November—Forty Hours’ Prayer
Sunday 30th November—Sea of Voices Christmas Charity Concert 3pm
Sunday 7th December—Christmas Bazaar 8am to 1pm
Friday 19th December—Annual Carol Service
Saturday 16th May 10.30am—First Holy Communion Mass
Sunday 7th June—Corpus Christi Procession 4pm
Volunteer needed
Do you have an hour a week to spare,? We are looking for a volunteer to help clean the back of the church, by the Baptismal Font.
If you feel you could help, please email the Parish office with your details—office@lourdesleigh.org. Thank you.
Young Vincentians All Saints Evening
The Leigh on Sea Young Vincentians invite you to an All Saints Evening for families.
Date: Friday, 14th November
Time: 6-8pm
Venue: Parish Centre
Entry: £1 per family
Please bring your own food/nibbles and drink. Children are invited to dress up as Saints and there will be some young entertainment!
If you are unable to attend, but would like to make a donation, please leave this in the Parish Office.
All money raised will go to support those in need and will be given to the St Vincent De Paul Society.
Sea of Voices Choir Annual Christmas Events
The choir’s annual Christmas concert for charity ‘Cake and Carols’ will be held on Sunday 30th November at the Parish Centre, from 3pm. More details to follow in November, including which charity we will be raising funds for and ticket availability. Once again we welcome any kind donations of raffle prizes, homemade cakes and help with refreshments.
The Annual Church Carol Concert, organised between Sea of Voices Choir and YMCA musicians, will be held on Friday 19th December from 7pm. More details nearer the time.
Parish Christmas Bazaar - Sunday 7th December, 8.30am - 1.00pm
We’re getting ready for our Parish Christmas Bazaar, and we need your help to make it a wonderful success! This year the Bazaar will be on Sunday 7th December, running all morning from 8.30am until 1pm. Put the date in your diary and come along for breakfast and a little shopping too! Draw tickets are now available from the church office or the back of church after all masses!
If you are free to offer an hour or two on the day, please call or message Sue on 07816 141492.
Donations Needed for Our Parish Christmas Bazaar
Alll donations are most welcome but we’re especially looking for donations of:
Unwanted bottles of alcohol – perfect for our bottle tombola and raffle prizes.
Unwanted jewellery – costume or fine, to add sparkle to our jewellery stall.
Unwanted toiletries – always popular on our “Smellies” stall!
If you have any of these items tucked away at home, please consider donating them to support the Parish.
Donations can be left in the old Baptistry. If you need us to collect, (locally), just give us a call
Sue 07816 141492 Angela 07940 183452
Every contribution helps – and together, we can make this year’s Bazaar the best yet!
Thank you for your generosity and continued support.
Journey of Faith—RCIA
This continues on Monday, 10th November 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.
Celebrate our Faith Together
12 & 26 November, 10 December - 7pm in the Parish Hall
Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Advent
If sometimes Advent gets lost in all the preparation for Christmas these talks, which focus on the Sunday Mass readings for Advent, will enable us to understand its deeper meaning & so lead us to a fuller, joyful celebration of Christmas.
If you’d like to know more please contact Heather Ward, 07885 737393, heatherward55@gmail.com
Young Vincentians
The next meeting for the Young Vincentians will take place in the Parish Centre this Monday, 10th November from 5.15pm. Young Vincentian Committee.
Certificates of Catholic Practice
These Certificates can be collected from the Parish Office 09.00-13.00 each Thursday and Friday over the coming weeks.
New Balance and Strength Training Class for Seniors
Our new Exercise Class continues on Tuesday mornings, 10-11.00 am in the Parish Centre for a seated/standing exercise class. The class is designed for seniors to improve balance and core strength and to help prevent falls, and is done to music.
It is run by Val Herron who has already run a couple of classes for the Lourdes Ladies Group, so will be known to some of you. She will charge £6 per session and provides any equipment that is needed.
Our next class will be on Tuesday 11th November.
Please contact Jo 01702 474062, or email mcronan@btinternet.com if you are interested.
Samaritans Purse Shoebox Appeal 2025
Operation Christmas Child—make your donations through CWL Westcliff! Donate by 10th November!
As last year, we are not collecting shoeboxes etc at church—CWL Westcliff are willing to fill the shoeboxes online from your donations. The cost per box is £25, so if that is too much in these difficult times you can make a donation of any amount and we will fill the shoeboxes for you up to the amount raised. You can donate, however small or big the amount, and make the payment direct to our section account. If you would like to make a donation please pay to:
Catholic Women's League CIO Westcliff section; Sort code 30-98-90; account number 18096960; Reference Shoebox.
Thank you for your support and remember what a difference this makes to the children receiving these boxes all over the world.
Here is the link if you would like to donate directly https://www.samaritans-purse.org.uk/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/shoebox-online
Repository
We have some new stock including beautiful Rosaries, a selection of Children’s Rosary bracelets and a large selection of cards. We also have new statues, Christmas cards and calendars.
Of particular interest we have a Statue of Saint Anne with the child Mary plus a large Statue of Saint Padre Pio. The latter might be of interest to Schools as Saint Pio is said to be very popular with young people.
The Repository is open after all Masses at weekends only.
SVP Food Donation Box
We are collecting for much needed food donations, cans, pasta, cereal, UHT milk, packets of hot chocolate, coffee, pasta sauce, chocolate spread/jam, tins of custard, gravy granules etc. Please leave all donations in the SVP box at the back of church (in the old Baptistry). Thank you.
Headteacher Vacancy
Headteacher vacancy at Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Benfleet, Essex, required for April 2026 – Due to the current headteacher taking the decision to retire from the post, an exciting opportunity has arisen for an inspirational, ambitious and innovative Headteacher to join the team at Holy Family Catholic Primary School. Further information and application documents can be found on the following websites – HFCPS Website - Job Vacancies and Vacancies – Assisi Catholic Trust.
Midday Play Assistant Vacancy
The Local Governing Committee of Our Lady of Ransom Catholic Primary School is looking to appoint a Midday Play Assistant to oversee the children eating lunch and to encourage play activities with them so that their lunchtime is an enjoyable, sociable, learning experience. You will be required to work for 8.75 hours per week (11.30am-1.15pm each lunchtime) to be paid on Point 2 (approx £12.26 per hour) during term time.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This appointment is subject to satisfactory references, medical and enhanced DBS checks.
St Bernard's Sixth Form Open Evening
THURSDAY 4TH DECEMBER 2025—FROM 6.30PM TO 8.30PM—Headteacher's Talk at 6:45PM
View our facilities and speak with teachers and staff about our courses and the opportunities we offer. We offer a large range of subjects achieving excellent results including GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY, MATHS, MEDIA
STUDIES, PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, BIOLOGY, HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE, CHEMISTRY, AND PHYSICS.
ALL SAINTS
Dear friends in Christ
Let us all rejoice in the Lord, as we celebrate the feast day in honour of all the Saints, at whose festival the angels rejoice and praise the Son of God.
Dear friends in Christ
Let us all rejoice in the Lord, as we celebrate the feast day in honour of all the Saints, at whose festival the angels rejoice and praise the Son of God.
With these words of the Introit of the Mass, we begin the celebration of All Saints this weekend. We recognise the great diversity of Saints from every age and condition. Our Mother the Church invites us to bring to mind, in a special way, those who have experienced the same trials of life we experience, and yet triumphed over them and so achieved the crown of imperishable life in Heaven. We might think of all those we have known, and those we will never know on earth, who have lived the Christian life heroically. We have all met such heroic characters along the road of our Christian vocation. Perhaps our parents or grandparents or other family members and friends, have shown us how to live the virtues of the Christian life perfectly. We venerate them all on this day, together with those that the Church has officially canonised. It is perhaps consoling to realise that people whom we have known and influenced our lives are now contemplating the face of God. We continue to be united with them through the Communion of Saints, which is the family life of the Church. They assist us from Heaven, and we remember them with joy and ask their intercession. St Teresa of Avila would pray to the Saints in Heaven: O holy ones who knew how to prepare so delightful an inheritance, help us now that you are so near the fount of holiness. Draw water for those of us who are perishing from thirst.
Monday is the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed—All Souls Day. We traditionally place the names of our departed loved-ones under the Altar throughout this month, so that they may be close to the Sacrifice of the Mass and present in our personal prayer. Any offerings made are used for Holy Souls Masses through the year. We could visit the graves of our family members and friends or simply pause at our Memorial Garden where ninety members of the Parish are buried and there offer an Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord…for their souls. Remember that a Plenary Indulgence can be gained at this time under the usual conditions (see elsewhere in this Newsletter)
God bless you all as we make our way as pilgrims of hope towards eternal life!
Msgr Kevin Hale
ALL SAINTS
Liturgy:
Readings and Preface of All Saints
The Nicene Creed
Saturday 1 November
Saturday Memorial of the BVM
5.30pm Mass Maria Keen, RIP (DL)
6.30-7.30pm Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confession
ALL SAINTS
2 November
8am Mass Intentions of All Saints Catholic School , Dagenham (AMcC)
9.30am Mass Seamus Connolly, RIP (MI)
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
4pm Mass John Smith, RIP & Carol Smith, Ints (CS)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 3
ALL SOULS DAY
9am Mass Holy Souls
12Noon Mass Marie Hale, RIP (Anniv) (KH)
Tuesday 4
St Charles Borromeo, Bp
9am Mass Jan Andre Netherton, RIP (IS)
Wednesday 5
Feria
9am Mass Mae Pinsent, RIP & Ints of Anne-Marie Rothwell (JH)
Thursday 6
Feria
No 9am Mass
10am Requiem Mass Anthony Abbott, RIP
7pm Mass The Deceased of the Parish
Friday 7
St Willibrord, Bp—First Friday
12Noon Mass Gerry Kelly, RIP (Anniv) (JA)
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament after Mass until Holy Hour 7—8pm
Saturday 8 November
Saturday Memorial of the BVM
10am Mass Intentions of Abel Kokkattu (DS)
10.30—11.30am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confession
5.30pm Mass The People of the Parish
6.30-7.30pm Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confession
The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
9 November
8am Mass Nicholas Flach, RIP (Anniv) (MF)
9.30am Mass George Wislocki, RIP (Anniv) (PW)
11.30am Mass The Dead of the Wars
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Mass for Deceased Clergy
The Annual Mass for Deceased Clergy will be celebrated on Wednesday 5th November at 10:00am at Our Lady Help of Christians and Saint Helen, 27 Milton Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, SS0 7JP. All are warmly invited to join us as we pray for the repose of the souls of priests and deacons who have served our diocese and parishes with faith and dedication.
We Pray for the Dead on their Anniversaries
Canon John Carmel Heenan, Fr William Philpot, Deacon Norman Wiseman, Mick Burke, Andrew Mitchelmore, Marie Hale, Mary Shanahan, Lilian Rombaut, Paul Evans, Maria lynch, Sheila McBrearty, Peter Moore, Winifred Allen, Elizabeth Spivey, Dorothy Bailey, Bob O’Toole, Dorothy Bartby, Lily Kenny, Irene Fanning, May Pinsent, Arthur (Rob) Hood, Margaret Scales, Marie Elliott, Olive Potter, Alice West, James McHugh, Alan Gloyne, Eileen Waskett, Bernard Fulham, Bridget Curtis, Tom Doran, Suzanne Reynolds, Robert Drew, Clare Murphy, Emma Harley & Reginald Johnson.