28 March 2021 – Palm Sunday
MASS INTENTIONS THIS WEEK
Parishioners
Alan Silcock RIP
Easter Lists
Private Intention
Holy Souls NDL
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PARISH NEWSLETTER
THIS WEEK’S NOTICES & MASS READINGS / REFLECTIONS
OPENING CHURCH FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP
We are looking forward to being able to welcome parishioners back to Mass – very cautiously – as from Easter.
The same Covid-secure measures still need to be in place for some time yet, in order to protect everyone, so please bear with us. A reminder that these include:
- Booking a place(s) on Fridays, between 10.30am and 3pm – apart from Good Friday. No other time / day.
- Face masks must be worn at all times
- Stewards will be on duty to guide you to socially-distanced seating
- The doors will remain open throughout Mass (ventilation is crucial), so please dress warmly
- Hand sanitiser will be used on entry / exit
- Candles will be pre-lit
- Mass will be shorter than usual
- No singing
- Minimal speaking
EASTER MASSES
Easter Sunday Mass: Sunday 4 April at 11.15am, OR
Easter Monday: Monday 5 April at 11.15am (for those unable to attend on Sunday)
NB There is no Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday 3 April
BOOKING FOR THESE MASSES: FRIDAY 2 APRIL, between 10.00am to 12 noon only. (Please note: the office will be closed from 12 noon on Good Friday).
Demand is likely to be high for these Masses, however there will only be a limited number of places available, so apologies if you are unable to secure a place.
Both Pope Francis and the Bishops of England & Wales suggest that the faithful watch one of the many online services from their local diocesan cathedral, our Mother Church – as a symbol of our unity.
As a result of your reflection, offer some prayers of intercession for the people and situations in our world today that seem to you to be most in need.
GOOD FRIDAY: is a day of fasting and abstinence, so Catholics in England and Wales, who are 14 years and older, are to abstain from eating meat. Fasting is binding on all from age 18 until your 59th birthday. One definition of fasting is eating considerably less food!
EASTER LISTS
Easter Sunday Mass will be offered for the intentions on the Easter List. If you wish to participate in this, please write your intentions for the living and faithful departed and place them in a sealed envelope, marked ‘Easter List’ and pop it through the presbytery door by Good Friday. Thank you..
READINGS FOR 28 MARCH
1st Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7, I did not cover my face against insult – I know I shall not be shamed
Psalm 21: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
2nd Reading: Philippians 2:6-11, He humbled himself, but God raised him high
Gospel: Mark 14:1 – 15:47, The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Gospel acclamation: Praise to you O Christ, King of eternal glory: Christ was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross. But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all names. Praise to you O Christ, King of eternal glory.
Communion antiphon: Father, if this cup may not pass, but I must drink it, then your will be done.
FINAL GOSPEL REFLECTION FROM THE ARCHDIOCESE
This reflection is from Sr Lynne FCJ who is based at the FCJ Centre at St Hugh’s, Wavertree.
Today we have the wonderfully familiar Gospel passage of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey. Year after year we have waved palms in procession and imagined this triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Perhaps this year, with liturgies modified by the pandemic, we can let ourselves be invited into other parts of the Gospel story too.
A couple of things strike me. Jesus and his disciples are near Bethpage and Bethany – the village where Jesus at intervals throughout the Gospels goes to meet his friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. He is known in these places and he has prepared. The instruction to untie the colt is a pre-prepared arrangement. Jesus is making an active choice to enter Jerusalem in a particular way. Jesus is heading to Jerusalem, at the time of the great Jewish feast of Passover. He is greeted with shouts of ‘Hosanna’ and ‘Blessed is the one who comes’, by the people who are greeting him as a pilgrim, as a saviour and most significantly as the Messiah.
Jesus’ message however is a challenging one. By entering Jerusalem on a colt, he challenges what the people are expecting of the Messiah; one who will overthrow the occupying Romans. Jesus comes instead as a welcomed King who brings peace. This passage introduces us to the courageous act of Jesus. William Barclay writes ‘No incident so shows the sheer courage of Jesus as this does. In the circumstances one might have expected him to enter Jerusalem secretly and to keep hidden from the authorities who were out to destroy him. Instead, he entered in such a way that the attention of every eye was focussed upon him’.
As we follow Jesus in these days, entering into his passion, we might ask ourselves why he chooses to act as he does. He certainly comes as the Messiah, but as one who saves and brings peace. He chooses to confront the rule bound authorities, but not with anger – he confronts with love and truth. Every action of Jesus in these days is an action of choosing to love and of living by the consequences of that love. We are invited to walk with him, to enter Jerusalem with him, to confront fear, prejudice and violence and to live out the consequences of love in our own lives.
Take a few moments to receive and reflect on this poem by G K Chesterton.
When fishes flew and forests walked
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood,
Then surely I was born.
With monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil’s walking parody,
On all four-footed things.
The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me:
I am dumb, I keep my secret still.
Fools! For I also had my hour;
One far fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout about my ears,
And palms before my feet.
As a result of your reflection, offer some prayers of intercession for the people and situations in our world today that seem to you to be most in need.
PRAYER INTENTIONS THIS WEEK
Archbishop Malcolm has asked us to pray the following at this time of crisis:
God Our Father, each person is precious to You.
You are the Giver of life.
Have mercy on us and protect us at this time, as the coronavirus threatens health and life.
You are an ever-present Helper in time of trouble.
Watch over those who are suffering, give strength to those who are aiding the sick and give courage to all in this time of anxiety.
We ask this of you in the name of your Son. Jesus Christ.
Amen.
We join Pope Francis in his prayer intention for March:
That we may experience the sacrament of reconciliation with renewed depth, to taste the infinite mercy of God
Let us pray…
That all Christians may embrace the joy of this Holy Week with a commitment to repent of past sins and strive for holiness;
we pray to the Lord …
That all involved in ministry may proclaim with courage and conviction the Gospel of Christ crucified;
we pray to the Lord …
That the crucifixion of Christ for all people may teach us that there is no such thing as a worthless life, or a person God does not love;
we pray to the Lord …
That as Covid restrictions are lifted and more people receive their vaccinations, may the bonds of our relationships be renewed and strengthened;
we pray to the Lord …
We pray now in the words Jesus gave us:
Our Father, who art in heaven…
FEASTS THIS WEEK
Special Days of prayer this week
1 April – Maundy Thursday (Mass of the Lord’s Supper)
2 April – Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord: Day of Fasting and Abstinence
3 April – Holy Saturday / Easter Vigil
REFLECTIONS FOR EASTER WEEK WITH IRENAEUS
Fr Chris Thomas will lead three days of reflection for Holy Week on 1, 2 and 3 April, entitles, ‘Dying and Rising with Christ’.
Please email Jenny at jenny@irenaeus.co.uk for more details / to register.
LENTEN RETREAT WITH FR DENIS MCBRIDE
Fr Denis will be leading an online retreat this Lent, based on his two books Reflecting with Paintings Vol 1 and Vol 2. There is no charge.
Each video will be uploaded to the site first thing on each given date for you to watch. Once released, you can choose to watch each video at a day/time that suits you. Each video, once released, will stay on the webpage.
- Palm Sunday – Sun 28 Mar
Hat trick – Pilate’s Wife by Sebastien Champion - Good Friday – Wed 31 Mar
Letting go – Pieta by Vincent Van Gogh - Easter – Sun 4 April
When words are not enough – The Reconciliation of Peter by Iain McKillop
CHILDREN’S LITURGY – WITH BROTHER FRANCIS
You Tube animated stories and songs each week.
https://brotherfrancis.com/
WEEKS 29-31 – ARMCHAIR RETREATS DURING LOCKDOWN
Denis Blackledge SJ, Jesuit Parish Priest of Saint Francis Xavier’s Church in Liverpool delivers a series of armchair retreats.
Each week Fr Denis chooses a couple of scripture passages to break open the living word in a homely way to give fresh encouragement, and deepen the daily living of folk as friends and followers of Jesus.
Please use this link: Armchair Retreats | Liverpoolcatholic (liverpoolcatholicresources.com)
OFFERTORY ENVELOPES: The new set of offertory boxes is ready for collection in the narthex.
MARCH LOTTERY WINNERS
Mr Philip Fletcher (94), Hesketh Bank – £50
Mr Keith Sharrock (87), Bispham – £30
Mr Ted Kelly (109), Rufford – £20
MUSICAL TREATS FOR THE WEEK
As we start another Holy Week in a (sort-of) lockdown, hearing and seeing familiar songs and images can be a real comfort. This week’s offering features any number of lovely Catholic hymns recorded by the Canto Catolica Foundation, so feel free to join in. Salve Regina (tono simple) | 450 voces – coro virtual | Música Católica – YouTube
Here is last week’s lovely hymn, Unless a Grain of Wheat Shall Fall with its meditative and reflective arrangement of very comforting words: Unless a Grain of Wheat By Bernadette Farrell – YouTube
REGULAR WEEKLY NOTICES
MASS ON SUNDAYS
As you may be aware, our Bishops have lifted the obligation to attend Sunday Mass.
To keep Sundays holy, it might be helpful to spend some time reading the Scriptures. Besides your Bible, the Magnificat publication can be a wonderful aid to prayer and of course, you also get the readings for Mass for every day of the week! At a cost of less than £1 a week, you may be interested in subscribing now: tel. 020 7448 3618; email: uk@magnificat.com or visit the website: www.catholic-herald.myshopify.com
Masses will continue to be live-streamed and televised for many months yet, so you can still take part in Sunday worship and the Act of Spiritual Communion will continue to be an important part of people’s worship for the foreseeable future.
If you have any queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
THE ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you.
Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
MASSES ONLINE
Locally, there is St Clare’s, Sharoe Green Lane, Fulwood: www.saintclares.co.uk which streams Mass daily at 9.30am. Please follow the easy links on the website.
https://www.vaticannews.va/enPope Francis
https://www.churchservices.tv/whats-on-now/ Great selection of Masses and other Church serviceshttps://www.lourdes-france.org/en/tv-lourdes/ Mass and daily at 2pm, the Rosary in English
https://www.livemass.org Extraordinary Form (1962 Missal)
Use the website links to EWTN (Sky Channel 588)) or the Archdiocese to access daily Masses
On the radio: Catholic Radio Sky Channel 0147
Also, you may wish to try the Pray as you Go phone app:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.foxcode.prayasyougo&hl=en
PRAYERS from the Archdiocese, for Stations of the Cross etc: https://www.liverpoolcatholicresources.com/
Please email the Parish Office with details of any other online services you know of that may help parishioners at this very difficult time. We will try to include them in next week’s Newsletter.
YEAR OF ST JOSEPH
With his apostolic letter, ‘Patris Corde’ (‘With a Father’s heart’), Pope Francis has proclaimed a ‘Year of St Joseph’ running from 8 December 2020 (Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception) to December 2021.
At the end of the letter, he asks us to pray the following prayer to St Joseph:
Hail Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you, God entrusted his only Son,
In you, Mary placed her trust,
With you, Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us too,
Show yourself a father
And guide us in the path of life.
Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage
And defend us from every evil.
Amen
PRAYER CARDS FOR THE YEAR OF ST JOSEPH: Prayer cards are available – please notify the Parish Office and we will send one out to you so that you can say the prayer to St Joseph during the week. We know we can rely on his guidance and protection in every difficulty and challenge. And his intercessions are certainly much-needed by us all at the moment!
CATHOLIC NEWSPAPERS: These are available to order directly from the publisher (www.thecatholicuniverse.com or 0161 820 5722). It can be posted to you each week. Introductory offers: printed copies for three months – £25; twelve months – £99; or digital copy £55 for twelve months.
CHILDREN’S LITURGY – SEE THIS NEW INITIATIVE! ‘The Mark 10 Mission’
Please click on the link below and identify this Sunday’s video.
https://www.themark10mission.co.uk/theepisodes/seriestwo
The Mark 10 Mission team is passionate to see the Gospel shared with children and to help them grow in their relationship with Christ. The website is updated each Friday morning with a new episode, so happy viewing!
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OFFERTORY DONATIONS DURING THE LOCKDOWN
Many thanks to generous parishioners who continue to support the parish during this extremely challenging year.
Instead of putting money in offertory envelopes each week, those who are able to make an offering are asked to either:
- Write a monthly cheque (payable to ‘Ss Peter & Paul Church’) and post to the presbytery with a covering letter and one offertory envelope for gift aid purposes.
- Contact the office (by phone or email) to request a Standing Order mandate for your bank –
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you would like to discuss this further.
HELP DURING THE PANDEMIC
It is important that we all follow the rules for the Tier 5 National Lockdown in order to protect all age groups, but especially the most vulnerable.
Check out the government website https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home to find out what the restrictions (and exceptions) are, and to keep abreast of changes in the future
The good news, though, is that the Covid-19 vaccination programme started in Lancashire on 15th December. The NHS contacts those eligible for a vaccine to arrange an appointment.
Many residents have now received their first dose of the vaccine, but it is important to note that protection doesn’t kick in for a number of weeks after the vaccine, so it is vital that everyone remains vigilant and ensures that they follow all the rules to keep themselves and everyone else safe.
The number of positive cases in the NW has increased in recent weeks.
COVID TESTING
Residents can book an appointment if they are experiencing symptoms of Covid19 via www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test
COVID VACCINES – IMPORTANT
Many parishioners have already received notification about their vaccine – or have received the first dose.
Please contact your local surgery if you are over 50 and have not yet been given a date for your vaccination.
Please also note that the Catholic Church has given its full support to the vaccine (all three of them) and is keen to assure Catholics that there are no moral issues linked to the science of the vaccines, whatsoever. The vaccines are safe. The Archbishop of Liverpool is anxious to dispel any myths and urges Catholics to have the vaccines. Cardinal Vin Nichols has had his first vaccine. So has the Pope – and hospital chaplains have also received their first doses.
Unfortunately some people are trying to exploit the fears of others, so be on the alert for so-called vaccine scammers, who will try and charge you for a vaccine.
There is NO CHARGE.
The vaccines are free.
GP surgeries are not paid. The government is paying for the whole programme.
Please also note that there are some scammers pretending to be the NHS. There is only one official NHS email address, which is www.nhs.uk
The NHS will never ask for details like family maiden names of bank accounts / credit & debit cards. Nor will they require you to pay anything for the vaccines. If you are contacted by a group claiming to be the NHS and they’ve asked for these details, it is a scam and you must ignore it. Then report it!
QUICK GUIDE
Only essential food shops remain open (and post offices)
Leave home to exercise once a day only
No meeting of groups, even outside
No mixing of households
Travel allowed for key / essential workers only
Follow instructions to self-isolate if alerted by Track and Trace
Take regular Covid tests (whenever possible), especially if you’re not displaying symptoms.
It is essential to continue to observe the ‘basics’: hand hygiene, face masks, social-distancing – and lots of good ventilation – at all times
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES OR NEED ANY HELP, PLEASE CONTACT FR ANDERS AT THE PRESBYTERY IN TARLETON ON 01772 812242, OR EMAIL THE MAWDESLEY OFFICE (ssppm@rcaol.org.uk)
WISHING ALL PARISHIONERS AND THEIR FAMILIES EVERY BLESSING FOR THE COMING WEEK