Dear Parishioners,

Next weekend we celebrate Palm Sunday. Palms will be blessed at all Masses including the 6pm Saturday evening Mass. On Sunday, the 9.30am Clitheroe Mass and the 11am in Sabden will begin with processions from the respective parish halls.

Also next weekend, the newsletter will carry a comprehensive list of all Holy Week and Easter Services.

As you may be aware, when Fr Wareing left St Michael and St John’s parishioners made him a presentation in recognition of his outstanding 25 years’ service to the parish. This enabled him to buy a burial plot in Clitheroe cemetery. I remember passing the plot, after we both had officiated at a committal in the cemetery, and with a grin he said to me, ‘that is where I’ll end up’. Well in the event he wasn’t buried there! A major drain was discovered below the plot and so to avoid possible future disturbance of the grave. The plot was swopped. His present grave is on Plot D, Row A, No 41. To visit the grave walk past the toilets and workshop, take the first right, to the second right and the grave is the first on the corner.

As is often the case when a carpark is left unattended, cars are parked without permission. This happened with the parish carpark, which also is used by the school to such an extent that staff often were unable to park there. For the past couple of months, the carpark has been locked at night and over the weekend, except for church services, and illicit parking has stopped.

To comply with Children’s Safeguarding regulations that require all schools be securely fenced and gated to prevent any unauthorised access to grounds or buildings, we shall have to close the permissive path that runs from Bayley Fold through to Lowergate. I recognise that the closure will be an inconvenience but we have no choice in the matter and the path itself was never a public right of way.

Fr John