Weekend message Jul 1

Our Lady of Victories

St. Pius X,                                               & St. Alphonsus,

Narborough                                        Lutterworth

 

Dear friends,

 

Altar Servers We have been delighted to celebrate First Holy Communion with nine of our young people in the past two weekends. Now I ask these young people: would you be willing to help the community on a regular basis by becoming altar servers, learning how to assist Father John and Father John Jo, and Deacon Kevin as they celebrate Mass? I hope at least some of you are willing. Just let me know, and you can be kitted out in an alb and start to learn what is involved.

 

Lost Property After the First Holy Communion celebration in Narborough last week some keys were handed to me in the Parish Hall. Any claimants?

 

Coronavirus Restrictions Having taken advice and having listened to the views of those of you who have responded, I think that the time has come for us to remove the need for masks and face coverings in Church, and the need for sanitizing benches and so on after every service. I will still use a face covering while distributing Holy Communion. Kneeling should now be permitted, but please be aware that those in front of you may not wish to have you breathing down their necks! So if you wish to kneel, do try to do so away from other people. We will still open windows at all services. In Christian charity, please do not attend Church if you are feeling unwell or are likely to spread infectious diseases such as coronavirus or flu.

 

Welcomers at Mass and other services I think that it is still very important that there should be parishioners available at or near the Church entrance to greet people who are arriving for Mass or for other celebrations. We may need to institute a rota; but for this to be possible we will need to know who is willing to be on the rota, and be committed to standing at the entrance regularly. Are you willing to be a welcomer? Please let me know

 

Confirmation I would like to meet with our young people who have been preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation. I will be available after Mass on Saturday morning 2nd July in Narborough (about 11 o’clock) in the parish hall; and after Mass on Sunday morning 3rd July in Lutterworth (about 12 o’clock) in the parish hall; and about 6pm in Narborough on Thursday and Friday (7th and 8th July). If any of you can’t make any of those times please let me know.

 

Parishes’ Trip to Marlow: Important news for those who have booked a place on the coach. It will leave at 8am on Saturday 6th August, from Our Lady of Victories’ car park (there is plenty of parking space), and return at 7pm. If anyone who has booked to go on the trip needs a lift to and from Lutterworth to catch the coach, please let me know. The coach is now full.

 

Father John Udris looks forward to welcoming us at St. Peter’s Church in Marlow at 11am (or shortly afterwards). He will give us a tour of the Church, after which he has invited me to celebrate Mass there. After Mass, there will be free time until 4pm, when he will talk to us (in the hall) about GK Chesterton becoming a Catholic – it will be just 100 years since his conversion. The coach will leave at 5pm and we expect to return to the car park at Our Lady of Victories, Lutterworth, at about 7pm.

 

Please bring a packed lunch, or, if you wish to eat in a cafe or restaurant, it is advisable to book – August in Marlow is likely to be busy. We hope that the weather will be good, and there are walks along the river Thames for us to enjoy. Father Udris has booked the Parish Hall for our use, so if the weather is against us we can eat our packed lunches under cover. If eating outside, please be aware that the birds are known for swooping down and taking your food!

 

Coffee Morning and Book Sale 10.30am until 1pm on Saturday 16th July at St. Pius X Parish Hall. All welcome – there is a good selection of books, and we hope to have other items available for sale as well.

 

Feast of St. Pius X (Sunday 21st August) Shared table in St. Pius X Church grounds (weather permitting – otherwise in the Parish Hall). More details later.

 

Parish Handbook I will be trying to prepare a parish handbook for both parishes over the next few weeks. To do this I will need to include:

  • Names of members and officers of the parish committees
  • Names of members and officers of the parish finance committees
  • Names of those who prepare young people or adults for sacraments or help with explaining the gospel or the faith to them
  • Names of those who visit people who are ill or housebound, and those who care for the poor
  • Names of those who administer – compile the newsletter, keep accounts, count money, bank money, pay bills, administer the websites,…
  • Names of those who arrange the rotas for readers, singers, Church and/or hall cleaners, flower arrangers, provide refreshments after Mass and at other times, compile bidding prayers, Eucharistic ministers, welcomers, and many other ministries

I’m sure there are many others who should also be included in the handbook. Please let me know who should be included from each of the parishes.

 

A reminder that our Bishops have decided that the ‘Sunday Obligation’ to attend Mass is in force again from the Feast of Pentecost (5th June)

 

  • All are encouraged to be fully vaccinated (double vaccination and booster).
  • Hand sanitizers are available to be used on entry into the Church or hall.
  • The windows must be open for ventilation whenever the Church or hall is being used by a number of people.
  • Anyone who feels unwell or tests positive for covid-19 should not attend Church or any social activity in the parish.

Some may well wish to avoid the greater crowd of people who attend on Sunday, and the longer time that Sunday Mass lasts. So I still celebrate Mass in Narborough on Saturday morning (10am) and at Lutterworth on Saturday evening (5.30pm) – those celebrations being less well attended, so greater ‘social distance’ can still be kept; and Mass on Saturday rarely last longer than 45 minutes. There are also (usually) weekday celebrations – 10am on Monday at Narborough, and 10.30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Lutterworth, for those who wish to have more space and a shorter time still, usually no more than 30 minutes.

I hope that everyone will feel able to celebrate Mass again in our Churches.

This Sunday is the Fourteenth Sunday of the Year  

Confessions: I will hear confessions from 9 until 9.30am on Saturdays at St. Pius X, Narborough; and from 4.30pm to 5.00pm on the first Saturday of the month at Our Lady of Victories & St. Alphonsus, Lutterworth.

At St. Pius X, Narborough:

Times of Mass this week & next weekend:

At St. Pius X, Narborough:

  • 10am Saturday 2nd July
  • 9.30am Sunday 3rd;
  • 10am Monday 4th.
  • 10am Saturday 9th;
  • 9.30am Sunday 10th
  • 10am Monday 11th.

 

At Our Lady of Victories & St. Alphonsus, Lutterworth:

Times of Mass this week & next weekend:

  • 5.30pm on Saturday 2nd July;
  • 11am on Sunday 3rd.
  • 10.30am Tuesday 5th;
  • 10.30am Thursday 7th;
  • 5.30pm on Saturday 9th;
  • 11am on Sunday 10th.

 

Mass Intentions: At Narborough the intentions for Mass this week will be Saturday (2nd July) Owen Hirrell RIP; Sunday (3rd) Doug & Patricia Partridge RIP; Monday (4th) John Scattergood RIP. Wednesday People of the Parishes, Thursday Private Intention; Friday Mary Coyle & Canon Peter Coyle RIP. Next weekend Saturday (9th) Kitty Corr RIP; Sunday (10th) Deceased members of the Mears family; Monday (11th) Deceased parishioners & benefactors.

 

At Lutterworth the intentions for Mass will be Saturday (2nd July) Holy Souls; Sunday (3rd) People of the Parishes. Tuesday (5th) Holy Souls  Thursday (7th)) Private Intention. Next Saturday (9th) Holy Souls; Sunday (10th) People of the Parishes. Tuesday (12th) Holy Souls.

 

Prayers for the living and the dead:

 

Please pray for Gerald Bolsover, Malcolm Lowe, Martyn Leader, Willow Coates, Suzanne Cole, Adam & Jennie Reed, Bernadette Stean, David Janssens, and for all who have died recently.

 

Please also pray for Stephen Janssens, Chris Joy, Michael Tingle, Angelina Kilbane, Agnes Spragg, Maria Matkovits, Tara Viljoen, John Mather, Cathy Mansell, Vivian Kettle, Ann Spurrier, Beulah Blomfield, Diana Coughlin, Tony Thorlby, Hayley & Kaci Dunnill, John Southern, Monica Teeling, Peggy Merrell, Suzanne Foxon, Jim Oxley, John Burns-Sweeney, Tom McDermott, Dave Knapper, Teresa Maugham, Mary Dunne, and Juanita Zaman and for all who are ill.

 

Please let me know of any others who have died, or anyone who is ill and asks for prayers.

 

Next Weekend  Second Collection for the Apostleship of the Sea.

 

A prayer for Ukraine

 

Loving God, we pray for the people of Ukraine,

for all those suffering or afraid,

that you will be close to them and protect them.

We pray for world leaders,

for compassion, strength and wisdom to guide their choices.

We pray for the world that in this moment of crisis,

we may reach out in solidarity to our brothers and sisters in need.

May we walk in your ways so that peace and justice

become a reality for the people of Ukraine and for all the world. Amen.

 

The following link is for the Leicester Ukrainian Community website set up to advise how to help:

 

https://linktr.ee/KalynaHome?fbclid=IwAR1276GMobH47ddWizyn5Mj6vlP89le1XB5JNuhoHjS1p5r0J0Or_Lji0jQ

 

Poverty Challenge Following the pandemic, many households now face new hardships as prices rise. Caritas Social Action Network, the Catholic agency addressing poverty and injustice in England and Wales, has released a new booklet to increase awareness of Catholic Social Teaching on poverty, and to inform local responses. This can be downloaded from www.csan.org.uk

 

Refugees from Ukraine CSAN is in close contact with the UK government on responding to the war in Ukraine. Guidance on how Catholic households and groups can support refugees from Ukraine is available on the CSAN website and updated as new information becomes available. www.csan.org.uk/ukraine

 

Tools With A Mission is a charity which has succeeded in transforming the lives of many people in Africa, offering them the means to support themselves and their families. But the charity needs lots more volunteer tool collectors. To find out more please visit their website www.timefortwam.uk or contact the volunteer co-ordinator Paul Daley by email pauld@twam.uk

 

Scrabble Group:  Mondays 2pm – 4 pm for relaxed scrabble. At Lutterworth Catholic Church Hall. No winners, beginners welcome, just fun playing scrabble; cake and hot drink. Please contact Jo 01455 554298.

Evergreens: Bingo on Tuesdays from 1.30 pm until 4pm approx., in St. Pius X  Narborough Parish Hall. Entry £2. All welcome.

Next Sunday is the Fifteenth Sunday of the Year   

Parish Priest’s contact details address 52 Leicester Road, Narborough. Leicester. LE19 2DF; telephone (0116) 2863676; email johnhadley1971@gmail.com

Impending Retirement Having reached the age of 75, I have offered my resignation to Bishop Patrick. Having regard for my health and welfare, the Bishop has accepted my resignation, and I will be leaving Narborough and Lutterworth parishes, probably this autumn. Bishop Patrick has informed me that I will be replaced as Parish Priest, and I will give more details when they become available.

 

With my prayers for every blessing, Father John

 

CALENDAR

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