Weekend message Jan 21

Dear friends,

 

Week of Special Prayer for Christian Unity

Because of the continuing restrictions and difficulties in meeting together the usual services of prayer for unity among Christians cannot take place this week. The Cosby Methodist Church have asked that we all pray together this prayer which they have circulated.

God, through your prophets you have called us to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you. 

In Christ, you have shown us what that looks like. 

Through your Holy Spirit you continually enable us to hear your words, to follow Christ’s example, and to live as his disciples. 

So, as we gather in our own Churches, we pray that you heal our wounds, reconcile our divisions, and hold us together in your love so that your name may be glorified in our lives, the Churches and this community. 

Amen.   

Suggestions for the parishes of Narborough & Lutterworth to grow and develop over the next few years. Please let me know which items you think should be our priorities.

• Vision: Young people (aged between 5 and 25) regularly attend Church for services and take full part in the liturgical celebrations and in the social aspect of the Church and its outreach. The Churches welcome children and young families.
• Actions to Take: Ask parents of families what we need to do to attract young people to Church.
• Restart the ‘Children’s Liturgy’.
• Encourage more helpers with the children; encourage more parents to undertake the DBS checks so that they can help with the children’s group_.
• Contact young people to determine what hymns they would like, and form a music group. Invite young people to a meeting to receive their ideas and determine ways to act on them.
• Contact the Catholic secondary schools to determine how they may encourage those of our communities of secondary school age to attend them. Encourage the schools to greater liaison with our local parishes.
• Devise some form of continuous instruction for young people, using contemporary communications media.
• Involve young people in our social outreach work, such as inviting them to help pack ‘Mary’s Meals’ items.
• Contact LACY for some assistance.
• Vision: Greater joint activity of members of the two parishes.
• Actions to Take: Joint projects with Lutterworth parish: providing meals for those in need; offer services to those in need (such as gardening and small repair work).
• Develop existing joint social care work of these parishes, such as the Lutterworth Foodbank, Mary’s Meals, Tools With a Mission, etc.
• Develop the work of the SVP and outreach groups, and ensure that both parishes are aware of this work – ask for members to speak at Mass one weekend.
• Vision: A more vibrant parish community.
• Actions to Take: Arrange more social activities, and encourage more of the community to take part.
• Set up a ‘befriending service’.
• Obtain new hymn books, and investigate the possibility of using media to display the words of hymns electronically.
• Vision: The Churches should be welcoming communities.
• Action to Take: Determine ways in which visitors, enquirers, and others not members of our communities are attracted and feel welcome.
• Vision: Greater ecumenical involvement.
• Action to Take: Rearrange the times of Mass on Remembrance Sunday so that the community can take part in Remembrance Day services.
• Vision: Celebrate our diversity.
• Action to Take: Acknowledge and find ways of celebrating – both liturgically and socially – the considerable diversity which exists in our communities (and which is very beneficial).
• Vision: More prayerful celebrations of the Mass.
• Actions to Take: Ensure there is opportunity for silent prayer and reflection before and during Mass.
• Rosary before Mass.
• Gentle hymn music played before Mass.
• Vision: Regular reaching out to those who wish to be part of our worshipping community but feel as yet unable to attend Mass or other services due to the pandemic.
• Actions to Take: Ask for volunteers who would contact such persons by phone; set up a list of these volunteers; provide a list of those who are at present unable to attend Mass, and arrange for the volunteers to divide the list between them and telephone the members on their list at least once a month.
• Set up a rota of people willing to visit housebound persons who would like to be visited. Contact housebound people to discover who would like regular visits or occasional visits.
• Ensure that they are made aware of the possibility of receiving Holy Communion at home, as well as (if they are connected to the internet) the possibility of accessing Mass online.
• Develop the work of the SVP and outreach groups, and ensure that both parishes are aware of this work – ask for members to speak at Mass one weekend.
• Discover why so many people attend Church for Mass at Christmas and Easter, but otherwise attend only such events as weddings, funerals, and possibly baptisms.
• Provide cards or leaflets with our normal routine of times of Mass and give them out to everyone who attends at Christmas.
• Vision: Greater involvement with those who are ‘on the margins’ due to poverty, or lifestyle, aware that the pandemic has made the situation worse for many of them.
• Actions to Take: Ensure that the communities are aware of the needs of those charities with which we do currently engage, such as the Lutterworth foodbank, Mary’s Meals, Tools With a Mission, and the seafarers’ mission in Immingham.
• Make a collection of good clothes, toys, etc to give to families (such as refugees or asylum seekers, and those in the women’s refuge) who are in need. Discover contact persons for donations to refugees and asylum seekers.
• Ensure that there is a prayer each week for those ‘on the margins’.
• Vision: A community more in tune with the needs of young adults, and aware of the reasons why many young adults have become disaffected. .
• Action to Take: Find ways to engage with young adults and discover the reasons why they are disaffected. Ask parents of young adults to find out the reasons and communicate them to the parish community.
• Vision: A community which provides a welcoming environment for all who attend.
• Actions to Take: A rota of welcomers who will speak to all who attend Church as they arrive; inform all who attend of the refreshments after Mass.
• Develop social occasions and ensure that they are advertised and that all members of the community feel invited and welcome to take part.
• Vision: A more active presence of the community on the internet.
• Actions to Take: Ensure that the newsletter is uploaded each week onto the parish website. Revise the Narborough parish website, by asking parishioners with expertise to advise. .
• Restart and develop the parish magazine for the two parishes, including an online provision.

This Sunday is the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C). 

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.

There is still no advance booking for Mass. Welcomers will be at the door of the Church, and your name will be noted on the list, or else you will be asked to provide your name and a means of contact. You will also be asked to sanitize your hands on arrival. It will not be necessary to return to the prior booking arrangement, unless the law or government advice changes again.

Please think very carefully about whether you should attend Church if you are feeling unwell; and please do not attend if you may be infectious or if you have been in contact with anyone who has had a positive Covid test. Please remember also that by law face coverings must be worn while you are in Church.

At St. Pius X, Narborough:

Times of Mass for next weekend:

• 10am Saturday 29^th January;
• 9.30am Sunday 30^th;
• 10am Monday 31^st.

 

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

Mass will also be celebrated on Thursday morning at 10.30am. We are grateful to Father Maloney for agreeing to celebrate this Mass.

Times of Mass next Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday:

• 5.30pm on Saturday 29^th January;
• 11am on Sunday 30^th;
• 10.30am Tuesday 1^st February;
• 10.30am Thursday 3^rd.

 

At Narborough the intentions for Mass this week will be Saturday (22^nd ) Kate Marriott RIP; Sunday (23^rd ) Terry Barber RIP; Monday (24^th) John & Freda Pyle RIP.  Wednesday Intentions of Milan Zankar & June Whitfield; Thursday Jay Mallett RIP; Friday Margaret Green RIP. Next weekend Saturday (29^th )Deceased friends & relations of M&C Newton; Sunday (30^th ) Martin Brett & the deceased members of the Brett family; Monday (31^st ) Anna Pullen RIP

 

At Lutterworth the intentions for Mass will be the Holy Souls on Saturday and on Tuesday, and for the People of the Parishes on Sunday.

 

Prayers for the living and the dead:

 

Please pray for Philip Jacques, Ian Benson, Mario Maneggio, Father Isidore Clarke OP, Brigid Davies, Vincent Roe, and for all who have died recently.

 

Please also pray for Tony Thorlby, Hayley & Kaci Dunnill, John Southern, Monica Teeling, Peggy Merrell, Jane Bolsover, 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.

 

Confirmation: Please will all those who wish to be confirmed collect a book from me to help with preparation.

 

Social Activities: can resume. However, “It is strongly recommended that a risk assessment for both the activity and the space is completed for the gathering.”

Shared Table at Lutterworth: The Lutterworth Parish will be celebrating Father John’s 50 years of being a priest on Sunday 6th February 2022 after the 11.00 am mass with a shared table.   The notice is in the foyer of the church so please add your name.   Any questions please contact Eileen Fox 07988605763.

 

The Universe Catholic Weekly is thrilled to announce that we have launched our new online newspaper with the full support of our first subscriber none other than His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols. If you are interested in subscribing, go to www.universecatholicweekly.co.uk or call us on 0743661 7650 and ask for Michelle. Special offer: Only £20 for 3 months.

Encountering God in your daily work – For four Wednesdays, starting on 12^th January at 7pm, the diocese will be running an online course looking at how we can encounter Jesus in our daily work and how it can help us to grow in holiness too. We spend more hours in a week at work than doing most other activities (including going to church) so let’s make an experience of daily glory rather than a daily grind. For more information visit: www.dioceseofnottingham.uk/onlineevents

The Week of Special Prayer for Christian Unity began on Tuesday 18^th January

 Next weekend is the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time

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

Reminders from previous weeks:

 

Home Visits, including Confession, Holy Communion, Sacrament of Anointing,  for housebound people: These are now permitted, but anyone visiting a housebound person (whether to administer Holy Communion or just a visit) should not visit anyone else during the same morning or afternoon. Visits should be short (in order to minimize the likelihood of passing on an infection) and hand sanitization must be used before and after the visit. If you would like a home visit, or know anyone who would like to be visited, please let Father John know. Please also let Father John know if anyone wishes to make confession or would like to receive the sacrament of anointing for the sick.

Financial matters:

 

Standing Orders: I will provide the parish Bank details to anyone who would like to donate by Standing Order or similar electronic means – many of you already do so (and I am very grateful indeed). I can provide standing order mandates for anyone who wishes – please just ask.

 

Gift Aid: I have copies of the form to complete, so if you are a taxpayer and would like the tax paid on your contributions to be given to the parish, please ask me for a form.

 

Recycling Textiles: At the moment the firm are no longer collecting in the Leicester area and has no plans to restart collections here. I hope to have better news soon.

 

**Important notice concerning car parking**  Please park in the Church car parks whenever possible. If that is not possible, for whatever reason, please ensure that you are not causing an obstruction of the roadway or driveways to properties, and please remember that homeowners may wish to park outside their own homes. Please exercise Christian Charity when parking your car.

 

With my prayers for your wellbeing and salvation, Father John