Holy Mass for Sunday at St. Peter & St. Paul’s, Mawdesley – Saturday at 5.00pm, Sunday at 11.15am

PARISH  OFFERTORY COLLECTION:  £294.92    Thank you 

SPECIAL COLLECTION NEXT WEEKEND: Catholic Education Service                         

OFFERTORY ENVELOPES: Envelopes for the next year are now available for collection, from the table in the porch. If any new ones are required, please contact Michael Cookson (813928).

200 CLUB DRAW / COFFEE MORNING: Sunday (1^st Sept) in the hall after Mass

STARS STAY-&-PLAYGROUP:  Claire Curtis is moving her popular playgroup to Our Lady’s Church Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  For toddlers aged 0 – 4 yrs.  Charges = £2.50 for the first child and £4 max for additional children.  Parents and toddlers are welcome to the first session on Tuesday 3 Sept., from 10am to 11.30am.  Please see the poster on the notice board in the porch and help spread the word!

CATHOLIC PAPERS / PERIODICALS: Copies of the Universe and Catholic Times are available each week for parishioners – only £1.50 each.  This month’s copy of the Catholic Pic  (the Archdiocesan magazine, which includes many interesting articles) is also available – free!

REFLECTION: WHY DO I NEED RELIGION?

Steve Atherton, Justice & Peace Fieldworker

When I meet people who say that they don’t need religion, it makes me wonder why I need religion so much.  What does it do for me?  Why is it such an important part of my identity?

It gives me faith that the world is good.  It puts me in touch with the bigger picture; in touch with previous generations; in touch with European culture; in touch with fellow Christians; it gives me access to a community so that I have a home wherever I go.

Being a Christian challenges me to be like Jesus.  It puts me into a relationship with Jesus, making me a follower of a man who was driven by compassion and who allows me to see myself as a child of God.  To be a child of God is a remarkable claim to make.  It is at the same time both humble and empowering in the light of the vastness of creation.  Our Catholicism is based on knowing Jesus and the more I get to know Jesus, the more I realise that his teaching was about life itself, rather than about religion…. Jesus’ quarrel / running battle with the scribes and Pharisees wasn’t about how many tassels to wear, about liturgy, or even doctrine, but about whether people could have access to the things that make life possible, things that were essential to reduce suffering and to give dignity…

Read the rest of Steve’s thought-provoking article in this month’s Catholic Pic