9 March – 1st Sunday of Lent

 

MASS INTENTIONS THIS WEEK

Saturday   8th      5.00pm  Thomas & Winifred Watkinson
Monday    10th   10.00am   Holy Souls NDL
Thursday  13th  10.00am  Josie Higham & Higham Family
Saturday   15th     5.00p     Parishioners

LATEST  UP-DATE 

 MASS TIMES: SATURDAY VIGIL MASS at 5pm

PARISH OFFICE: Fridays from 10am to 4pm

 PARISH NEWSLETTER

MASSES THIS WEEK
Mondays and Thursdays at 10am; Thurdays, Mass followed by Exposition & Benediction

CHURCH OPEN
Church is open every Friday from 11am to 1pm for private prayer and reflection before the Blessed Sacrament

CONFESSIONS: Next confessions: last Saturday of the month – 22 February, then 29 March, 4.15pm to 4.45pm

READINGS FOR 9 MARCH
1st Reading: Deuteronomy 26:4-10, The confession of faith of the chosen people
Psalm 91: Be with me O Lord, in my distress
2nd Reading: Romans 10:8-13, The confession of faith, in believers of Christ.
Gospel Reading: Luke 4:1-13, Jesus was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, and tempted by the devil.
Gospel acclamation: Glory and praise to you, O Christ.  One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.  Glory and praise to you, O Christ
Communion antiphon: One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

POPE’S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR MARCH
For families in crisis
Let us pray that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, re-discovering each other’s gifts, even their differences.

SAINTS & FEASTS DAYS THIS WEEK

POPE FRANCIS
Let us keep Pope Francis in our thoughts and prayers whilst he remains in hospital.

LAST WEEK
It was lovely to welcome Archbishop Malcolm to our church last week and especially to share in the joy and happiness of John Cobham and his family, as he received the well-deserved recognition for his many years’ service as a school governor.
Special thanks to Ann, Sheila, Tony and Paul for the beautiful flowers and floral arrangements. They were stunning and made a perfect backdrop to this special day.

LENT
The holy season of Lent allows us to focus on the three key aspects of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Prayer: consider saying your favourite prayer more slowly, or thoughtfully; look for opportunities to raise your heart to God whilst active during the day; allocate an extra five minutes to daily prayers, or perhaps try to attend a weekday Mass.
Fasting: physical fasting keeps us focussed and mindful of God’s presence, but we can also fast for our souls by avoiding occasions of sin.
Almsgiving: Jesus sought out the poor and those in need and now is the time for us to think practically about supporting those in need. We are all members of society; we are all God’s children and therefore we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s a privilege and a joy to be able to help others in greater need than ourselves.
The Lenten Alms box will be in the narthex for your kind donations throughout Lent.

CAFOD FAMILY FAST DAY LENTEN APPEAL – FRIDAY 14 MARCH: ENVELOPES COLLECTED NEXT WEEK!
Envelopes are now available for much-needed donations. This year CAFOD is aiming to support women like Lokho, in Kenya.  After 40 months of drought, Lokho’s community lost their livestock and main food source.  CAFOD’s donations last year helped the community to plant kitchen gardens using innovative shade nets to protect the crops from the harsh climate.  These gardens are feeding the community today.  Many more communities desperately need our help. Please remember to gift aid.  It makes a huge difference!

ARCHDIOCESAN DIRECTORIES 2025
We have 1 directory remaining for 2025 for sale in the narthex: only £4 each.  They include information on all our parishes.

APPLICATIONS FOR CONFIRMATION
Parents of children in Yr 8 (ie 12-13yrs) are now able to register their child for enrolment on the Archdiocesan Confirmation programme, if they do not already attend a Catholic high school.  Please follow the links on the website: https://liverpoolcalled.co.uk/confirmation
Please help to spread the word on this and let parents know.  This registration period closes on 17 March.

THE JUBILEE YEAR OF HOPE: December 2024 – January 2026
This Jubilee or Holy Year, decreed by Pope Francis, will be used by the Church to proclaim a special year of forgiveness and reconciliation.  The last jubilee year was in 2000, to mark the start of the new millennium.  This year’s Jubilee has the theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ and is a year of hope and trust for a world suffering the impacts of wars, the on-going impacts of the Covid pandemic and the increased threats to the environment.
For more information, please use www.giubileo-2025.it/en

CHURCH FLOWERS
We’re always grateful to our flower arrangers, Ann & Tony and Shirley & Paul, who makes sure our church is filled with beautiful flower arrangements every week.  Many of the flowers are sourced from their garden and also the grounds of the church, but inevitably many flowers also need to be bought and this incurs costs.  Any donations therefore are particularly welcome and will help to ensure that our altars continue to provide a fitting tribute to Our Lord.

DON’T FORGET! PARISH FOODBANK – DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME
Thank you for donations already received, which have been taken to the foodbank centre at St Mary’s in Leyland.   They are particularly short of tinned pasta, tinned meat / fish and puddings. 
Please check that donations are well before their BB date!
Thank you all for your kind-hearted generosity.  It makes such a big difference.

CATHOLIC PICTORIAL
Keeping you up to date with all the news from around the Archdiocese online: www.catholicpic.co.uk
Postal subscriptions are available: 3 issues = £9.50, 6 issues = £19 and 12 issues = £37.50.
Email enquiries@cpmmmedia.com or ring 0151 709 7567.
Digital copies are also available.  Please use the phone number / email address above.

THE UNIVERSE CATHOLIC WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS
These are available to order directly from the publisher (www.thecatholicuniverse.com  or call Michelle on 0743 661 7650. ). It can be posted to you each week. A 3 months print subscription is £42.00 – 6 months is £75.00 and the year at £140.00.

HOW TO DONATE TO THE CHURCH
Standing Orders – Many find this an easier alternative to trying to remember to bring cash along each week.  Forms are available in the porch / from the Parish Office.  You can determine the amount and when it is deducted each month.  Please post compoleted forms to your bank.
Envelopes – easy, because they can be prepared before coming to church.  They afford some ‘privacy’ for the amount donated. Please contact the Parish Office so we can arrange this.
Cash / cheque donations each week and very gratefully received.
Gift Aid If you are a taxpayer then you can easily help the parish to claim 25% extra on top of every donation you make.  Eg: your donation of £10 per week could become £12.25  going to the church. Filling in a simple form to register your name and address means we can claim an additional 25% of your gift
Please collect a form from the narthex on your way out today, complete and return to the Parish Office.
THANK YOU for your continuing support and generosity in these very challenging times.

       
       
       

MUSICAL TREAT FOR THE WEEK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N29ZnwU4LM/ 
This lovely hymn, 40 days and 40 nights, is of course, for the readings this week.

WITH EVERY BLESSING  FOR A VERY HAPPY AND PEACE-FILLED WEEK