Dear Friends in christ
This weekend we are celebrating in our Parish the Solemnity of Our Lady of Lourdes. When 11th February falls on a Sunday we have the opportunity to celebrate this feast on a larger scale. This date marks the day of the first of eighteen apparitions of Mary to Bernadette in 1858. We commend to Our Blessed Mother each year on this day, all the members of the Parish Family, especially the sick and suffering and those in any special need. Following 11.30am Mass this Sunday there will be a drinks reception in the Parish Centre; all are welcome!
Wednesday is the start of Lent and in these days we ought to be considering carefully the ways in which we can deepen our spiritual lives by increased love of God and neighbour. The Lenten programme in the Parish will consist of an additional Mass on Fridays at 6.30am and the Way of the Cross and Benediction in the evening at 8pm. Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and abstinence (fasting for those between the ages of eighteen and sixty and abstinence from meat or some other food for those over the age of fourteen). Please pray also for those who are preparing for Reception into the Church at Easter within our Parish and Diocese.
One of the initiatives that we hope to launch this Lent is a process for evangelisation. You will find more details about this further on in this Newsletter but you might like to made a note of Tuesday, 20th February when we shall have an initial meeting to discuss how we can move forward with this exciting plan which is emerging from the Stewards of the Gospel initiative. God bless us all as we prepare to enter this holy season of prayer and purification.
Msgr Kevin Hale
Priest@LourdesLeigh.org ✚ 01702 478078
Homily available at LourdesLeigh.org