DAY FOR LIFE

Each year Day for Life provides an opportunity to reflect on the dignity of every human person, both young and old, and to pray for and support all life from conception to natural death. This year’s Day for Life provides us with an opportunity to reflect, to pray and to offer practical and emotional support, especially for those who have lost a child and for those women who are anxious about their pregnancy.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Abortion Act in October, we mourn the large annual number of abortions and continue to pray for the care and support of mothers and their children in the womb. Pope Francis, reminding us of the consistent teaching of the Church, describes abortion as a grave sin. As a compassionate pastor, however, he reminds priests that they are called to be ministers of God’s mercy. He also points out that we have not done enough to support and accompany pregnant women in desperate circumstances.

In his Angelus address on the Italian Day for Life in February this year, Pope Francis said to thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square, “May no one be left alone and may love defend the sense of life.” Citing the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, he continued: “Life is beauty, admire it. Life is life, fight for it… Each life is sacred. Let’s pray together for those children who are in danger of interruption of pregnancy and for those who are nearing the end of life.” These words can help us rediscover a spirit of awe towards the gift of human life and stir our hearts to the wonder of this gift.

Within our parish communities, we are called to reach out and accompany all those who are alone, and to offer real practical support to those in need, which includes worried mums and dads and those struggling with the news of their pregnancy.

Please invite your parishioners to support the crucial work of Day for Life by their generosity to the collection which is taken today. This enables the Church to fund the Anscombe Bioethics Centre as well as projects that seek to care for life at every stage and in every condition. Please visit and encourage others to visit www.dayforlife.org.

Bishop John Sheerington

Dear Parishioners,

Speaking of today’s great feast of Pentecost Pope Francis said: ‘Saint Paul concludes his Letter to the Romans by praying that “the God of hope” will make us “abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13). As a gift of the Spirit, hope is both an anchor (cf. Heb 6:18-19) giving us security amid the storms of life, and a “sail” driving us forward towards the safe harbour of eternal life. The Spirit bears witness within our hearts to the consoling truth of God’s promises and the inheritance that awaits us as his beloved sons and daughters (cf. Rom 8:16). Filled with this hope, we can become, in the words of Cardinal Newman, “consolers in the image of the Paraclete… advocates, helpers and bringers of comfort” to others. The Spirit, who brings hope to all creation (cf. Rom 8:20-22), also inspires in us love and respect for this world in which we live. May this Pentecost find us, like Mary and the Apostles, gathered in prayer, and may the gift of the Holy Spirit make us “abound in hope.”’

Returning from the School break, candidates in Dunsop make their First Holy Communion today, followed next week by the children of Clitheroe and Sabden.

On Weld Day, which this year is Sunday 2^nd July, at the special 10am Mass celebrated on the Parish field all the children from the three school communities will be presented to the parish in all their finery and receive their certificates and rather splendid work books as mementos of the day they received the Body of Jesus Christ for the first time and became fully fledged Catholics. The Parish Picnic will follow.

Today also is the last Sunday before we adopt the new Saturday/Sunday Mass schedule which is clearly listed on the front of the newsletter and church notice boards. Please share this news far and wide, particularly among parishioners who may not have been to Mass recently.

Next Sunday, 11^th June, due to the First Holy Communions, there will be an extra Mass in Clitheroe at 11am. So, next Sunday only parishes Masses will be:

Saturday at 6pm first Mass of Sunday in DUNSOP

Sunday at 9.30am usual morning Mass in CLITHEROE

Sunday at 11am First Holy Communion Mass CLITHEROE

Sunday at 11am First Holy Communion Mass SABDEN

Sunday at 5pm the new Sunday evening Mass CLITHEROE

The following Sunday’s masses will be at the new times.  Please see the red box on the front page.

San Diego Fr John

Dear Parishioners,

Today, we celebrate the feast of the Ascension which marks the end of the post-resurrection period during which our risen Lord was seen by the disciples. His last words, as we heard at Mass today, were a command to go out, preach his message and invite to baptism. This is the mission of the Church which continues throughout the world to this day.

When the first disciples set out to spread the message they had only one option, which is still the best, to meet and speak with people face to face. But times change and today we have an amazing number of ways in which we are able to communicate: printed word, broadcasting by TV, Radio, Film, and the new world of digital media. All can be employed to spread the Gospel message as they may also be used to promote false news, violence and hatred: the communications media may be used for good or evil. So, today, the feast of the Ascension, the Church observes Communications Sunday.

Particularly we are encouraged to pray for all who work in the field of Communications, that their one guiding principle is the truth and the truth alone.

A particular intention for prayer is for those responsible for communicating on behalf of the Catholic Church in this country through the Catholic Communications Network.

The Catholic Communications Network (CCN) is the media office of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and seeks to support the Bishops in their task of communicating and defending faith.  The office is the central point for media enquiries and is a key resource for national and international media professionals. It also plays an important role in developing the public profile of the Church through word and image, online and offline. In addition to this, CCN works on carefully selected proactive campaigns to promote the Catholic Faith in public life such as the acclaimed Art of dying well. http://www.artofdyingwell.org/

Our own diocese has appointed its first professional communications manager: Rachel McGee is a practising Catholic, with a wide experience of the world of journalism and the communications world in general.

For further information: http://www.catholicnews.org.uk/wcd17

                                                                               Fr John

Dear Parishioners,

The Bishops of England and Wales have written a joint letter encouraging Catholics to play an active part in the coming General Election. While voting for any particular political party is a matter of conscience, the bishops encourage us to use our vote at this pivotal time. They begin with a quotation from Pope Francis’ letter Evengelii Gaudium: “An authentic faith … always involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave this earth somehow better than we found it. We love this magnificent planet on which God has put us, and we love the human family which dwells here, with all its tragedies and struggles, its hopes and aspirations, its strengths and weaknesses. The earth is our common home and all of us are brothers and sisters.” These words of Pope Francis, the Bishops write, encourage us to approach this General Election with a positive determination to consider carefully all that is at stake. An important duty of every UK citizen with the right to vote is to take part in the General Election. Please make sure that you are registered. Please do vote.

The letter can be found at catholicnews.org.uk/election17 and I shall refer to it in my homily at the weekend.

Among a number of issues highlighted by the Bishops is the sanctity of human life, reminding us that in 2015, Parliament voted overwhelmingly to protect society’s most vulnerable people, by preventing the legalisation of assisted dying. Much of the success of the campaign that preceded this vote was led by the campaigning group, “Right to Life,” an organisation which this parish supports.

In this connection, Arnold Marsden writes: “Fifty years ago this year the abortion act was passed, and since then eight million unborn babies have been destroyed. The unborn child is unable to defend itself, and relies on us for its very life; and the parable of the good Samaritan warns against walking by on the other side. A week on Monday, the Bank Holiday of 29^th May, we host our annual sponsored walk, to raise funds for “Right to Life” to help it fight the constant battle on behalf of these children. Archbishop Kelly our own Bishop John along with several priests will join us along with many other walkers from the northwest. If you are unable to walk and collect sponsorship, you may sponsor our own Fr John or Fr Kevin or any other walker. This is a once a year effort to support this cash-strapped campaigning group in its efforts to defend life from the womb to the grave.”

Finally, a reminder that the new Mass schedule begins on 10^th June.

Fr John

Dear Parishioners,

Today we celebrate Vocations Sunday. The Bishop wrote recently to priests: “We have a very encouraging eight applicants for the selection conference this year, which is certainly an answer to prayer. If we have a good number of successful candidates, the Vocations Sunday second collection will be of all the greater importance this year and in coming years. Please do all you can to spread this good news and call on people’s generosity in helping to prepare our future priests.”

Two of ‘our’ past students, who you will well remember, are to be ordained this year: Mark Paver will be ordained to the priesthood on 22^nd July in Salford Cathedral and Callum Brown to the diaconate at Oscott College with priesthood following next year.

Finally, you will be pleased to learn that Ratna Babu Pairdha, the seminarian we sponsored in India, was ordained to the priesthood on 27^th of March. I offer my and his gratitude to all who contributed.

Fr John

Prayer for Vocations

Loving Father,

touch and transform us by the joy of your love.

Make us missionary disciples, empowered to carry the love of Christ to our neighbour.

May young people be inspired by our example to take up the path of Christian discipleship and dedicate their lives to the service of the Gospel.

Raise up new vocations by the power of your Holy Spirit to the priesthood and the consecrated life:

send us men and women, inspired to be living signs of your mercy.

Grant us all an openness of heart,

that we might readily respond to your call,

and proclaim with joy the Good News to the whole world. 

Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Dear Parishioners,

As announced at last weekend’s Masses, on 10^th May at the Parish Forum we shall discuss how best we may respond to the Bishop’s request that we rearrange the weekend schedule of Masses so that one priest is able to celebrate the current two Masses in Clitheroe and one each in Dunsop and Sabden.

My hope is that during this meeting a consensus will develop that will enable us to make a firm decision.

Two questions have been asked of me. Could we experiment with Mass at different times and then choose the most appropriate? Will we have a ballot? The answer to both is: No.

Experimentation with times of Mass would only cause confusion, so we must work to agree a final and binding decision.

There will be no ballot because I’m looking for a consensus. For this to emerge there should be a frank exchange of views coupled with a generous willingness to give and take a little on all sides. If necessary a show of hands, only by those attending the meeting, may be required to move the discussion along.

A few parishioners have mentioned that since Clitheroe is the largest community, has two Masses and that the Masses on Sunday morning will remain at the times agreed with Sabden over seven years ago, then Clitheroe should be willing to offer some form of concession.

So, a reminder of the options which are under review.

5pm Saturday evening Mass in Dunsop necessitating the Clitheroe evening Mass moving forward to 6.30pm or possibly transferring to Sunday evening, at a time to be agreed.

Or a 4.30pm Saturday evening Mass in Dunsop followed by the usual 6pm Mass in Clitheroe.

To be honest, having two Saturday evening Masses would not offer a real choice to the parish as a whole and I’m not too sure that the Bishop would be happy with this suggestion.

Nothing is decided, so let’s talk about these and any other possible options not yet suggested.

Above all I ask you to pray that as a community we arrive at a reasonably satisfactory consensus.

Fr John