MASS INTENTIONS THIS WEEK – Both parishes

Parishioners

LISCF

Holy Souls NDL

Kathleen & Bert Edwardson RIP

Dec. members of the Dilworth family

Ann Worswick RIP

UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
OUR LADY’S and Ss PETER & PAUL’S – No Masses or services as yet, but preparations are being made.  Both churches will be opening for private prayer shortly.  Parishioners will be advised by email/post.  Fr Anders will continue to say Mass for the intentions listed above.

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This Week
Ministry	E. Minister	Reader
Saturday
Sunday

Next Week
Ministry	E. Minister	Reader
Saturday
Sunday

 

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JOINT NEWSLETTER

MESSAGE FROM FR ANDERS ON THE CAUTIOUS RE-OPENING OF OUR CHURCHES
The recent announcement by the government that churches could re-open for services as from 4 July, means that we are now examining the very careful and detailed guidance from the Archdiocese. Our Archbishop has said, “There will be a gradual process of returning to the public celebration of the sacrament as safety requires remembering the importance of the continuing requirement for sanitising and observation of the social distancing guidelines”.
Parishioners will all be notified by post or email, as well as in this Newsletter, when our churches will be opening. You will also receive a set of Guidelines so that you know what to expect when you do return to church.
In the meantime, the Sunday obligation remains lifted for the foreseeable future. I am aware that many parishioners may still be nervous and wary about going to church. 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 some time yet.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
A number of volunteers will be needed, to clean and sanitise the church, as well as to act as stewards during the services / sessions of private worship. Stewards will be required to be under 70 years, in good health and have a current DBS certificate.
Training will be provided. Please contact the Parish Office by phone or email as soon as possible. Many thanks. 

In the meantime, St Mary’s in Leyland is the first church in our deanery opening for Mass. Please ring or email – and check the website – to book:  Broadfield Drive, Leyland PR25 1PD Tel. 01772 455955 www.leylandstmarys.org.uk
If you have any queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
God bless you and your families this coming week.    Fr Gerald Anders

ARCHDIOCESAN RISK ASSESSMENT / GUIDELINES
Please use the link to see the sort of measures that the Archdiocese is asking all churches to put in place. This will become our ‘normal’ modus operandi from now on.
https://liverpoolcatholic.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd5141bd5911a5777f769fc94&id=2b2d559276&e=ccbc76f67e

CHURCHES OPEN FOR PRIVATE WORSHIP – Please see last week’s Newsletter
NEIGHBOURING CHURCHES – Please see last week’s Newsletter
Should the infection rate (R rate) show signs of increasing then the churches will have to be closed again.

MESSAGE FROM THE ARCHDIOCESE
From now on, Mass will be different to the way we are used to celebrating, but it is designed to ensure everyone’s safety.
Please see the video message from Archbishop Malcolm McMahn which will show you the sort of things to expect if you attend Mass at your local church.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nArwoMZvlI&feature=youtu.be

PRAYER FOR GOD’S MERCY DURING THE PANDEMIC
Archbishop Malcolm invites us to pray together with him through these times
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

THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL REFLECTION
Recent events have left many of us in two minds about life; life that is, as we have experienced it before, during and even after Covid-19. What was life like before? What has it been like during these months? And most importantly of all what will it be like afterwards? With the restrictions of lockdown, a surprising thing happened for many of us. We began to notice and even talk to our neighbours more; we were touched by the numerous acts of loving kindness expressed for the vulnerable; the whole nation applauded the NHS every week; we saw clear skies and heard the birds sing!
This change in attitude has led to questions about how we had been living before it all happened. Had we become too self-absorbed, too unaware of people and indeed of the world around us? Could this experience give us all a desire to change? Could things really be different? What would that mean? As we meet Jesus in today’s Gospel we find him dealing with similar questions in Capernaum where the people were stubbornly refusing to listen to him. They would not change their ways. He turns to his Father in gratitude for the utter simplicity of his message while lamenting the obstinacy of many of his listeners. His message is simply one of love, easily understood in its clarity by infants, yet totally rejected by many powerful people. “Love God and your neighbour as yourself.” It is a consistent message and Jesus assures us it is where rest, kindness and happiness are to be found. “Come to me” is more than an invitation to lay down burdens; it calls us into an ever closer friendship with the loving Lord. There we will find rest, there we will find happiness, there we will be far from the trappings of sophistication and power.
“Love God and your neighbour as yourself.” It is a consistent message and Jesus assures us it is where rest, kindness and happiness are to be found. “Come to me” is more than an invitation to lay down burdens; it calls us into an ever closer friendship with the loving Lord. There we will find rest, there we will find happiness, there we will be far from the trappings of sophistication and power.
So as we reflect on this Gospel and remember the pandemic which has beset the world and watch what has been happening in the streets of our cities, do we go back to how things were, or would we like to live in a world where there is more kindness, more justice, more awareness of one another and of our world – in our words, more love?
If so, there is only one place to find it. Jesus makes it plain: “Come to me … learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart”. Desire for revolution and change is proclaimed all around us. Could the revolution so often articulated by Pope Francis, “the revolution of tenderness and love”, be the genuine one of which we are graced to be part and for which we all long. It is simply a revolution of the heart: “Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, make our hearts like yours.”
Sr Kathleen McGhee SND

READINGS FOR 5 JULY
1st Reading: Zechariah 9:9-10 See now, your king comes humbly to you
Psalm 144 – I will bless your name forever, O God, my King
2nd Reading: Romans 8:9-13 – If by the Spirit, you can put an end to the misdeeds of the body, you will live
Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30 – I am gentle and humble of heart
Gospel acclamation: Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you father, Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children. Alleluia!
Communion antiphon: Come to me all who labour and are burdened, and I will refresh you, says the Lord.

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.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OFFERTORY DONATIONS DURING THE LOCKDOWN
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 either ‘Our Lady Help of Christians Church’ or ‘Ss Peter & Paul Church Mawdesley’) and post to the presbytery with a covering letter and one offertory envelope for gift aid purposes, if applicable.
• Contact the office (by phone or email) to request a Standing Order mandate for your bank
• Make your offertory donation online or by text – please see the May newsletters for information on this.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you would like to discuss this further.

MASSES ONLINE
Locally, there is St Clare’s, Sharoe Green Lane, Fulwood: www.saintclares.co.uk which streams Mass daily at 10am. Please follow the easy links on the website.
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)
Use the website links to EWTN, those who have Sky can tune in on Channel 588, 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

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.

FEAST DAYS THIS COMING WEEK 

6 July – St Maria Goretti (1890-1902) Christian martyr
9 July – Ss Augustine Zhao Rong & Companions, martyred in China in 1815
11 July – St Benedict (c480-550), founder of the Benedictine monastic order at Monte Cassino and established the Rule. Patron of Europe

SYNOD 2020
The Archdiocese has recently published a new timetable, which will allow for much greater consultation on the themed proposals by parishioners.
The Synod itself will now meet in June 2021.
More details on this will be announced in next week’s newsletter.

USEFUL CONTACTS: GETTING HELP – WEST LANCS PARTNERSHIP Please see the May newsletters

THE ARCHDIOCESE ALSO RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING HELP LINES Please see the May newsletters

NEWS ITEMS FEATURED IN THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSE & TIMES THIS WEEK
• The Marian shrine at Lourdes announces the opening of its first pilgrimage: 25 to 27 August
• Archbishops of England & Wales warn parishioners that the opening of churches does not mean that everything is ‘back to normal’.
• See a remarkable documentary on Amazon called ‘Outside the City’, a portrait of Mount St Bernard, a Cistercian monastery in Leicestershire’s Charnwood Forest.
• More than 250 faith leaders have written to the Prime Minister urging him to give child refugees a home in the UK
• How do we listen to God?
• Wars of religion in 17th century Ireland – and the controversial role of Oliver Cromwell
• Profile: Tom Bradley, the ITV ‘News at Ten’ presenter
• Home hygiene – how to keep virus-free
• Sun, sea and sanitisation: the ‘new normal’

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 IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES OR NEED ANY HELP, PLEASE CONTACT FR ANDERS AT THE PRESBYTERY IN TARLETON ON 01772 812242, OR EMAIL EITHER OFFICE.

WITH EVERY BLESSING FOR THE COMING WEEK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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