5 April 2020
| Mass Intentions: Our Lady’s | Mass Intentions: Ss Peter & Paul |
|---|---|
| Parishioners | Rory & Brenda O’Connor RIP |
| Margaret Owens RIP | Garth Owens RIP |
| Private Intention | Jim Dawson RIP |
| UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE |
|---|
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OUR LADY’S and Ss PETER & PAUL’S – No Masses or services. Church can no longer open for private prayer. Fr Anders will continue to say Mass for the intentions listed above. When Holy Mass is offered each Sunday (or Saturday evening) and Holydays of Obligation for the Parishioners’ intentions, it is offered for the parishioners of both parishes, not just the parish where it is being offered. |
| This Week | ||
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| Ministry |
E. Minister | Reader |
| Saturday | ||
| Sunday |
| Next Week | ||
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| Ministry | E. Minister | Reader |
| Saturday | ||
| Sunday |
JOINT PARISH NEWSLETTER
LATELY DEAD: Please pray for the repose of the soul of Patricia Finn (widow of the late Joe Finn RIP) of Tarleton, who passed away on 2 April in Preston and also the soul of Monica Marshall, who also died recently.
THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL REFLECTION: The Passion of Christ – Matthew 26:14-27,66
For some time, Jesus had been trying to tell his followers that he was going to suffer and die, but they didn’t get it, or maybe they didn’t want to get it. How could it be that the Son of God could be treated so unjustly? Innocent suffering is incomprehensible and completely unjustifiable to our normal way of thinking, and yet the Father sent the Son to be an innocent victim, a lamb led to the slaughter. When Jesus cries out ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’ he reaches the most extreme moment of his suffering. He feels completely abandoned even by the Father, to whom he has always been obedient. But it was also in that moment that he fulfilled his mission on earth: to re-unite God and humankind. In our lives too, we experience sufferings of all sorts and we try to make sense of them. Often we’re tempted to say, ‘Why me?’ That ‘why me?’ is a small echo of Jesus’ cry from the cross. It is also a moment when we can enter in to an even deeper relationship with the Father. After all, ‘why not me?’….
From ‘Faith on Sunday’
GOOD FRIDAY – FASTING & ABSTINENCE: As long as we are in good health, we should try to abstain and fast, as usual.
THE EASTER READINGS
Maundy Thursday: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; Psalm 115: Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Gospel of St John 13:1-15
Good Friday: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 30 O Lord my God, I cried out to you, and you healed me; Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9; Gospel of St John 18:1-19:42
Easter Vigil: Of the seven Old Testament readings at least three will be used, including the obligatory reading from Exodus, as follows: Genesis 1:1-2:2; Genesis 22:1-18; EXODUS 14:15-15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15, 32-34:4; Ezekiel 36:16-28; St Paul’s Letter to the Romans 6:3-11; Gospel St Matthew 28:1-10
CELEBRATING EASTER WITH EWTN:
The easiest way to receive EWTN is if you have Sky television. It’s on channel 588. However, there are other ways of getting EWTN and you can find help with this on EWTN UK.
Many, if not all, the liturgies during Holy Week and at Easter itself, with Pope Francis, will be transmitted from the Vatican. The ‘Urbi et Orbi’ blessing (to the city and the world) is normally at 10am on Easter Sunday morning (our time).
Pope Francis will celebrate Mass for Palm Sunday at 10am, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday at 5pm, the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday at 5pm and the Way of the Cross at 8pm, then the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night at 8pm.
Apart from Good Friday, when Fr Anders will celebrate the Lord’s Passion at 3pm, he will celebrate these Masses at the same time as the Holy Father – we can all unite in spirit and in prayer.
HOW DO I MAKE A SPIRITUAL COMMUNION?
Alone or together with others in your household
Make the sign of the cross
You could read the Gospel of the day
Then share prayer intentions quietly or aloud
Say the Lord’s Prayer
Then make an 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.
(St. Alphonsus Liguori)
Close with the sign of the cross
MASSES ONLINE
There are a huge number of churches that are live streaming Masses and other services.
Locally, there is St Clare’s, Sharoe Green Lane, Fulwood: www.stclares.co.uk which streams Mass daily at 10am. Please follow the easy links on the website. All the Easter services will be streamed.
https://www.vaticannews.va/en Pope Francis
https://www.churchservices.tv/whats-on-now/ Great selection of Masses and other Church services https://www.lourdes-france.org/en/tv-lourdes/ Mass and daily at 2pm, the Rosary in English
https://www.livemass.org Extraordinary Form (1962 Missal)
Sky Channel 588 – for daily Mass at 1pm
Use the website links to EWTN, or the Archdiocese to access daily Masses
On the radio: Catholic Radio 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
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.
DURING THIS HEALTH CRISIS WE CAN…
1. Follow Mass online.
2. Make a Spiritual Communion (see below)
3. Stay in touch using the telephone or email
4. If you need food delivering please contact Diane on 01772 815508 or telephone / email the parish office.
FOOD BANKS
Many thanks to all the generous parishioners of both our parishes who have contributed over the last few weeks to each church’s food bank collection point. The helpers at St Mary’s Leyland and the Lakeside Centre in Southport are enormously grateful. Not surprisingly, food banks are desperate for supplies, especially fresh milk, bread, toilet rolls, soap, tinned fruit and tinned potatoes. Whilst we cannot collect from church any more, local supermarkets are keen to continue this work, especially Booths in Hesketh Bank, Booths in Burscough and Tesco in Burscough. All contributions will be very gratefully received.
The recent lockdown has seen a huge increase in applications for Universal Credit. Processing these applications means that many families won’t be receiving any benefits until the end of May – in the meantime, they are desperate for food.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
The Archdiocese is keen to encourage people who feel able to volunteer to contact West Lancs Council (Steve Kent) on Stephen.Kent@westlancs.gov.uk and Lancs County Council (Dan Holden) on https://ourlancashire.org.uk. Help is needed with deliveries, food banks, phone calls. It’s the NHS and volunteer workers who will help us to survive this crisis. Please encourage non-parishioner friends and family to get involved and spread the word. Everyone has the power to make a difference!
NEWS ITEMS FEATURED IN THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSE & CATHOLIC TIMES THIS WEEK
• Cardinal Vin Nicholls is to broadcast Easter Sunday Mass at 8am on 39 local BBC radio stations
• The Walsingham website crashed last Sunday (29 March) when over half a million tried to access the service of the Re-Dedication of England as Mary’s Dowry. Mgr John Armitage, the rector of the Shrine said that England was ‘humbled by the dedication of thousands of men and women who, in the face of danger, serve the sick and those in need’.
• The call for prisoners in England and Wales to be sent home to their families is growing. A Prison Service spokesman said, ‘People are sent to prison to lose their liberty, not their lives’.
• CAFOD launches ‘Children’s Liturgy Live!’. This is an online children’s liturgy for families that is broadcast every Sunday. Find it at https://cafod.org.uk/Education/Children-s-liturgy
• The Pope calls for a global ceasefire, in the wake of the pandemic, along with the UN.
• Caritas pledges support for the poor and vulnerable during the crisis – especially for the homeless who are at particular risk. They urgently need more volunteers to help.
• Many people have been accessing sites like Joe Wicks (the country’s new PE teacher). His 20-minute daily workout at 9am Mondays – Fridays is available on You Tube. He encourages everyone: ‘Use this time to put healthy food on the table, exercise more and let’s see this as a positive’. Over 55s might be interested in finding the ‘Silver Swans’ on You Tube: ballet lessons from the Royal Academy of Dance.