Weekend message May 13

Our Lady of Victories

St. Pius X,                                               & St. Alphonsus,

Narborough                                        Lutterworth

 

Dear friends,

 

Mary Mother of Jesus, Mother of God, Mother of the Church: Why do we pay so much attention to Our Lady, particularly at this time of year – the traditional time for May processions, crowning statues of Mary, and singing Marian songs?

 

We start, of course, with Mary the mother of Jesus, which takes us back to Bethlehem, and in particular the ‘nativity story’ as told in St. Luke’s gospel. But Mary’s motherhood goes much further than that. St. Luke’s gospel also adds the event when Jesus was 12 years old, and he stayed behind in the temple while Mary and Joseph were going home. There is the ‘marriage feast of Cana’ where the wine ran out, and Mary’s laconic comment to Jesus – ‘they have no wine’. There is the occasion when Mary and other family members were trying to save Jesus from his ministry ‘convinced that he was out of his mind’. Finally there is Mary at the foot of the cross, and then among the disciples when Jesus appeared to them and when he ascended into heaven.

 

In all of this we see Mary acting as a good mother of her son in so many ways that we could all appreciate: not only giving birth and bringing him up as an infant, but being worried when he was lost for a time; looking to him for help in a difficult situation for some friends; looking after him when matters seemed to be getting out of hand; being with him at his death and burial.

 

But Mary was more than the mother of the man Jesus; she was the mother of Jesus true God and true man. God decided, for our salvation, to come into our world and to be subject to us, and Mary was the means for this to happen. She is the one who brought God into the world; and through Mary, we have God’s promise that he will never leave us.

Mary accepted the role that God had given her – she was free to accept or decline, but she accepted: be it done to me according to thy word. In this acceptance of God’s will, she is the mother of every believer, or every one of us who attempts to do God’s will, however imperfectly we may carry out that will. Mary listened to the angel speaking the word of God, and she believed, and became the mother of the Word of God. As we listen to the Word of God, we pray that we also will share in Mary’s faith.

 

All the faithful people are gathered together in the Church, the body of Christ. As mother of every believer, and as mother of Christ, she becomes the mother of the Church. Mary was assumed into heaven: we pray that we also will be gathered together into the heavenly Church.

 

Parishes’ Trip to Marlow We have four possible dates for this trip. There will be a sheet of paper in the entrance to Church for you to sign if you would like to go on this trip, and please also indicate which of the four dates you would be able and willing to travel – you can of course sign up for all of them! The possible dates are Saturday 18^th June; 30^th July; 6^th August; and 3^rd September.

 

Volunteers urgently needed – could you help the community?

 

Lutterworth Newsletter Cathy has prepared and produced the newsletter for many years and now wishes to give up this role. Are you ready and willing to take it on?

 

Parish Safeguarding Representative Rosemary Baxter has been fulfilling this role for almost 15 years, and now wishes to hand on this particular baton to another. The diocesan safeguarding officer has provided the following information regarding this essential post.

Diocese of Nottingham:

Job title: Parish Safeguarding Representative

Responsible to: Diocesan Safeguarding Co-ordinator

Purpose of Role: The Parish Representative should be identified appropriate to local needs.  This may mean that a Parish may identify more than one individual to undertake this role or share aspects of it.

The Parish Representative will be appointed by the Diocesan Safeguarding Co-ordinator, after discussion with the Parish Priest concerned, to undertake the following:

1)    To be the link between the Parish and the Safeguarding Coordinator

1)    To take responsibility for promoting good and safe practice in all activities involving children, young people and adults.

2)    To provide advice on child and adult safeguarding matters within the parish

3)    To have a sound knowledge of national policies and procedures relating to matters of safeguarding and to ensure they are appropriately followed in everyday practice within the parish.

4)    To know who to contact if a concern or allegation is raised.

5)    To have a key role in the administration of the safe recruitment process including facilitating the DBS disclosure process at a local level. This will involve meeting with all prospective voluntary workers within the parish who come into contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults within the context of their ministry. The parish representative ensures that each  prospective volunteer is issued with the relevant paperwork, takes up references and submits to the safeguarding office in a timely way in accordance with National Safeguarding Procedures.

6)    Keep accurate records of all volunteers with a DBS check and to be responsible for communicating with them when a three yearly check is due.

7)    To liaise with the Safeguarding Coordinator and promote safeguarding training, providing support when training takes place in the parish.

8)    Attend training and meetings organised by the Diocesan Safeguarding Coordinator.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA FOR THIS ROLE:

1. a) To be reliable, trustworthy and of integrity.
2. b) To have good communication skills and the ability to demonstrate tact and diplomacy.
3. c) To be able to demonstrate and act upon a clear understanding of the role within the Parish community.
4. d) To be able to effectively manage the boundaries of this role, in liaison with the Parish Priest.
5. e) Have good knowledge of Catholic Safeguarding Policies and Procedures.
6. f) To accept supervision and support as necessary from the Parish Priest, and the Diocesan Safeguarding Co-ordinator.

Please would you consider whether you could take this role – or if not, whether you could suggest someone else for the role? It is essential that such an appointment be made.

This Sunday is the Fifth Sunday of Eastertide

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:

• 10am Saturday 14^th;
• 9.30am Sunday 15^th;
• 10am Monday 16^th.
• 10am Saturday 21^st;
• 9.30am Sunday 22^nd;
• 10am Monday 23^rd.

 

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

Times of Mass this week & next weekend:

• 5.30pm on Saturday 14^th;
• 11am on Sunday 15^th.
• 10.30am Tuesday 10^th;
• 10.30am Thursday 12^th;
• 5.30pm on Saturday 21^st;
• 11am on Sunday 22^nd.

 

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

 

Caritas Social Action Network: 1. 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

 

2. 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

 

Mass Intentions: At Narborough the intentions for Mass this week will be Saturday (14^th) Winifred Foot RIP; Sunday (15^th) Doreen Sullivan RIP; Monday (16^th) Deceased members of the Simpkin family. Wednesday Deceased members of the Dinsdale family, Thursday People of the Parishes. Next weekend Saturday (21^st)  In Thanksgiving: Urszula & Bill Turowicz; Sunday (22^nd) Deceased members of the d’Araujo & Carter families; Monday (23^rd) Deceased members of the Hadley family.

 

At Lutterworth the intentions for Mass will be: Saturday (14^th) Intentions of John Joseph Maugham; Sunday (15^th) Denis Cremins RIP. Tuesday (17^th) People of the Parishes. Thursday (19^th)   Holy Souls. Next Saturday (21^st) Intentions of Isabella Maugham; Sunday (22^nd) Mary O’Carroll RIP. Tuesday (24^th) People of the Parishes.

 

Prayers for the living and the dead:

 

Please pray for Adam & Jennie Reed, Bernadette Stean, David Janssens, Margaret Pugh ,Ashley Adams, David Sygrove, Noreen Merrion, Marie Almey, and for all who have died recently.

 

Please also pray for Maria Matkovits, Tara Viljoen, John Mather, Gerald Bolsover, Cathy Mansell, Vivian Kettle, Ann Spurrier, Beulah Blomfield, Diana Coughlin, Tony Thorlby, Hayley & Kaci Dunnill, John Southern, Monica Teeling, Peggy Merrell, Jane Bolsover, 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.

 

Banns of Marriage Please pray for Sarah Jesson and Kieron Phillimore, who are preparing to marry at St. Pius X, Narborough, on 4^th June.

If you know of any reason why they should not marry in the Catholic Church, please inform Father John immediately.

COME WITH LACY (Leicestershire Active Catholic Youth) to join Bishop Patrick on the Diocesan Pilgrimage at Walsingham  SATURDAY 11^TH JUNE 2022

Pilgrimage Mass, Picnics, Holy Mile Procession and Benediction

LACY are hoping to provide a coach to go to Walsingham from Leicester for this exciting Diocesan Pilgrimage.  Departing approximately 8.00 a.m., returning by 9.00 p.m. (including a stop off for chips!). Pick up and drop offs at Wigston, Knighton and Oadby.   Warm invitation to all young people, families and friends of all ages to join us.  Young people’s groups especially invited – we need young people to carry our LACY banner!  Cost:  £12 per person or £30 per family of 4 people plus. (Deposit of £7.00 per person or £15.00 per family required by Saturday 29^th May.)  Please be in touch as soon as possible if you are interested, enabling us to go ahead with a coach. It would be great too to see our young people, families and friends from the different parishes of Leicestershire also!  We will meet you all on arrival!  Contact details: paulinepayne@hotmail.com or mobile: 07885 187374.

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 Sixth Sunday of Eastertide

Our Bishops have recommended that everyone who is fit and able should return to worship in Church to be part of the physical community of the Body of Christ.

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 distances can still be kept; and Mass on Saturday rarely last longer than 45 minutes. There are also 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 would hope that we have reached the point when everyone could feel able to worship in Church.

• All are encouraged to be fully vaccinated (double vaccination and booster).
• All (except those who are exempt) are still required to wear masks or face coverings, to protect themselves and others.
• We are now permitted to sing; however, masks or face coverings must be worn during singing.
• Hand sanitizers must still 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.
• It is no longer necessary to take the names of all who attend (and advance booking is also not needed).
• Holy water may be provided at the entrance once again – but needs to be refreshed at least once a week.
• Anyone who feels unwell or tests positive for covid-19 should not attend Church or any social activity in the parish.

Please think very carefully about whether you should attend Church if you are feeling unwell; and please do not attend if you may be infectious or if you have been in contact with anyone who has had a positive Covid test.

Bishop Patrick wishes our two parishes to become a single parish. Please let me know if you think of any advantages or disadvantages of merging the two parishes into a single parish.

 

In the meantime there are some steps that we must take:

 

• We need to compile and publish a combined ‘parish handbook’ for our two parishes, detailing who is responsible for the various aspects of parish life;

 

• We need to arrange a joint meeting of the two parish finance committees, to review our finances and resources, and to consider the spending priorities over the next five years (this should take place when the accounts for the current financial year, just ending, have been finalized);

 

• We need to consider how to form a parish committee covering both parishes.

 

• A parish trip will be arranged for members of both parishes this summer. (See above)

 

• Possible difficulties were raised concerning the idea that telephone contact would be made with those unable to join us at Mass at the present time. Consequently, this idea will have to be delayed for a while until those difficulties can be dealt with.

 

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

With my prayers for every Easter blessing, Father John