This weekend, in a rare departure from the usual Sundays of Ordinary Time, we celebrate the feast of the Dedication of the Pope’s Cathedral in Rome: The Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
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
Once again this Sunday The Lord reminds us of the importance of sincere and constant prayer and also the difference between true and false piety.
Dear friends in Christ
The texts of the Mass this weekend remind us of the power of trusting and persevering prayer.
CAROLYN DE SYLVA who died on Thursday, 25th September. Her Requiem Mass will take place on Wednesday, 12th November at 9.30am followed by committal at Southend Crematorium.
COLIN CHEESEMAN who died on Sunday 26th October. His Requiem Mass will take place on Thursday, 13th November at 10.30am followed by committal at Southend Crematorium.
Requiescant in pace
This week the Sanctuary Lamp burns for the deceased members of the McManus, West and Dooley families.
Prelude: Dessus de Tierce par accords—Gaspard Corrette (c.1700)
Postlude: Grave—Matthias van den Gheyn (1721-1785)
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
The next meeting for the Young Vincentians will take place in the Parish Centre this Monday, 10th November from 5.15pm. Young Vincentian Committee.
These Certificates can be collected from the Parish Office 09.00-13.00 each Thursday and Friday over the coming weeks.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
