Weekend Message Aug 13

Our Lady of Victories

St. Pius X,                                               & St. Alphonsus,

Narborough                                        Lutterworth

Dear friends,

The Assumption of Our Lady: We venerate Mary because she is the mother of Our Lord, and as the Mother of God. As a consequence, because the Church is the body of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, it follows that we also venerate Mary as the Mother of the Church. .

Mary exercises her motherhood of the Church in her prayers for each one of us. Her intercession is particularly effective, because she is the Mother of the Saviour and the Mother of the Church. Assumed into heaven, she is perfectly attuned to the will of Our Lord, who came to call everyone to salvation.

In the Preface at Mass on the Feast of the Ascension, we recall that Our Lord has been taken from this world ‘not to abandon us but to be our hope’. The same is true of Our Lady assumed into heaven: her assumption provides us with a further impetus to hope for salvation, assisted always by her prayers.

 

New Parish Priest As I mentioned three weeks ago, Bishop Patrick has appointed Father Joel Nwalozie, currently parish priest of Melbourne and Castle Donnington, as parish priest in my place.

Father Joel will take up the responsibilities of care for you all in early October. I will leave on Monday 3^rd October or Tuesday 4^th October, and Father Joel will arrive on or before Friday 7^th October. Please do pray for Father Joel as he prepares to take on these new responsibilities.

Altar Servers We have been delighted to celebrate First Holy Communion with nine of our young people recently. Now I ask these young people: would you be willing to help the community on a regular basis by becoming altar servers, learning how to assist Father John and Father John Joe, and Deacon Kevin as they celebrate Mass? I hope at least some of you are willing. Just let me know, and you can be kitted out in an alb and start to learn what is involved.

 

Welcomers at Mass and other services Everyone who attends our Church for Mass or any other service, or wishes to do so, must be made welcome. Most opf those who have done such sterling work in acting as stewards and cleaners during the last two years, to enable the Church to stay open most of the time despite the pandemic, have indicated that they would like to continue as welcomers. However, they would prefer not to have a rota, but to ‘meet and greet’ every week when they are available. However, we will need other welcomers to join this happy band.. Are you willing to be a welcomer? Please let me know

 

Confirmation I have met with some of our young people who are preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation, and I am very grateful to them and to their families for the work they are undertaking. If there are any others who wish to receive the sacrament of Confirmation this autumn, please make contact with me as soon as possible.

 

Feast of St. Pius X (Next Sunday 21^st August) Shared table in St. Pius X Church grounds (weather permitting – otherwise in the Parish Hall). More details later.

 

Parish Handbook I am very grateful to those who have helped me to produce the basis for a parish handbook. When Father Joel arrives as parish priest in October, it would be very helpful to him if we could provide contact details for those who are serving our community in these various ways, as well as their names. If anyone would prefer that their contact details not be disclosed to Father Joel, please let me know.

A reminder that our Bishops have decided that the ‘Sunday Obligation’ to attend Mass is in force again from the Feast of Pentecost (5^th June) 

·         All are encouraged to be fully vaccinated (double vaccination and booster).

·         Hand sanitizers are available to be used on entry into the Church or hall.

·         The windows must be open for ventilation whenever the Church or hall is being used by a number of people.

·         Anyone who feels unwell or tests positive for covid-19 should not attend Church or any social activity in the parish.

Some may well wish to avoid the greater crowd of people who attend on Sunday, and the longer time that Sunday Mass lasts. So I still celebrate Mass in Narborough on Saturday morning (10am) and at Lutterworth on Saturday evening (5.30pm) – those celebrations being less well attended, so greater ‘social distance’ can still be kept; and Mass on Saturday rarely last longer than 45 minutes. There are also (usually) weekday celebrations – 10am on Monday at Narborough, and 10.30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Lutterworth, for those who wish to have more space and a shorter time still, usually no more than 30 minutes.

I hope that everyone will feel able to celebrate Mass again in our Churches.

This Sunday is the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady    

Confessions: I will hear confessions from 9 until 9.30am on Saturdays at St. Pius X, Narborough; and from 4.30pm to 5.00pm on the first Saturday of the month at Our Lady of Victories & St. Alphonsus, Lutterworth.

At St. Pius X, Narborough:

Times of Mass this week & next weekend:

At St. Pius X, Narborough:

• 10am Saturday 13^th;
• 9.30am Sunday 14^th;
• 10am Monday 15^th.
• 10am Saturday 20^th;
• 9.30am Sunday 21^st;
• 10am Monday 22^nd.

At Our Lady of Victories & St. Alphonsus, Lutterworth:

Times of Mass this week & next weekend:

• 5.30pm on Saturday 13^th;
• 11am on Sunday 14^th.
• 10.30am Tuesday 16^th;
• 10.30am Thursday 18^th;
• 5.30pm on Saturday 20^th;
• 11am on Sunday 21^st.

Mass Intentions: At Narborough the intentions for Mass this week will be Saturday (13^th) Welfare of Patricia Mullen; Sunday (14^th) Gerald Bolsover RIP; Monday (15^th) Eric Barr RIP.  Wednesday Thomas Hodge RIP, Thursday People of the Parishes; Friday Deceased priests of the Diocese. Next weekend Saturday (20^th) Deceased relations of S Tambipillai; Sunday (21^st) John & Freda Pyle RIP; Monday (22^nd) Deceased parishioners & benefactors. .

At Lutterworth the intentions for Mass will be Saturday (13^th) People of the Parishes; Sunday (14^th) Holy Souls Tuesday (16^th) Holy Souls. Thursday (18^th) Private Intention. Next Saturday (20^th) People of the Parishes; Sunday (21^st) Seamus Mullen RIP; Tuesday (23^rd) Holy Souls.

 

Wedding: Please pray for Hannah Williamson and Thomas Henshaw who are to marry at St. Pius X, Narborough this weekend, on Saturday, 13^th August. We pray for God’s blessings for them both.

 

Prayers for the living and the dead:

 

Please pray for Paul Toogood, Daniel Murphy, Father Robert Rutledge, Gerald Bolsover, Malcolm Lowe, Eileen Copp, and for all who have died recently.

Please also pray for Deon Viljoen, Stephen Janssens, Chris Joy, Michael Tingle, Angelina Kilbane, Maria Matkovits, Tara Viljoen, John Mather, Cathy Mansell, Vivian Kettle, Ann Spurrier, Beulah Blomfield, Diana Coughlin, Tony Thorlby, Hayley & Kaci Dunnill, John Southern, Monica Teeling, Peggy Merrell, Suzanne Foxon, Jim Oxley, John Burns-Sweeney, Tom McDermott, Dave Knapper, Teresa Maugham, Mary Dunne, and Juanita Zaman and for all who are ill.

Please let me know of any others who have died, or anyone who is ill and asks for prayers.

A prayer for Ukraine

Loving God, we pray for the people of Ukraine,

for all those suffering or afraid,

that you will be close to them and protect them.

We pray for world leaders,

for compassion, strength and wisdom to guide their choices.

We pray for the world that in this moment of crisis,

we may reach out in solidarity to our brothers and sisters in need.

May we walk in your ways so that peace and justice

become a reality for the people of Ukraine and for all the world. Amen.

The following link is for the Leicester Ukrainian Community website set up to advise how to help:

https://linktr.ee/KalynaHome?fbclid=IwAR1276GMobH47ddWizyn5Mj6vlP89le1XB5JNuhoHjS1p5r0J0Or_Lji0jQ

Poverty Challenge Following the pandemic, many households now face new hardships as prices rise. Caritas Social Action Network, the Catholic agency addressing poverty and injustice in England and Wales, has released a new booklet to increase awareness of Catholic Social Teaching on poverty, and to inform local responses. This can be downloaded from www.csan.org.uk

Refugees from Ukraine CSAN is in close contact with the UK government on responding to the war in Ukraine. Guidance on how Catholic households and groups can support refugees from Ukraine is available on the CSAN website and updated as new information becomes available. www.csan.org.uk/ukraine

 

Tools With A Mission is a charity which has succeeded in transforming the lives of many people in Africa, offering them the means to support themselves and their families. But the charity needs lots more volunteer tool collectors. To find out more please visit their website www.timefortwam.uk or contact the volunteer co-ordinator Paul Daley by email pauld@twam.uk

Our Lady Queen of Peace Pilgrimage to Walsingham Monday 29^th August, led by Father Anthony Meredith IC. A coach will leave St. Patrick’s, Beaumont Leys Lane, at 8am. Cost £15. Contact Paul Spencer 077 1056 7183 for more information and to book a place.

 

Scrabble Group:  Mondays 2pm – 4 pm for relaxed scrabble. At Lutterworth Catholic Church Hall. No winners, beginners welcome, just fun playing scrabble; cake and hot drink.

Evergreens: Bingo on Tuesdays from 1.30 pm until 4pm approx., in St. Pius X  Narborough Parish Hall. Entry £2. All welcome.

Next Sunday is the Feast of St. Pius X, & the Twenty-First Sunday of the Year    

Parish Priest’s contact details address 52 Leicester Road, Narborough. Leicester. LE19 2DF; telephone (0116) 2863676; email johnhadley1971@gmail.com

With my prayers for every blessing, Father John