Sponsored Walk (Photos)

The Sponsored Walk last weekend was a huge success, with lots of sunshine and smiles; as parishioners, families and friends from across the parish walked together along the beautiful River Ribble.  Thank you very much to everyone who walked, helped and sponsored the walkers.  Please get sponsorship money to Meriel (07989922666) by 23 October deadline.
Funds will be split between the Caritas Young Parents Service and Parish Hall building funds.

Refugee Response – donating

A special fundraising page has been set up to support war-torn refugees coming to the Ribble Valley for a new life.  Anyone wishing to donate can do so directly to the CAB or Salvation Army in Clitheroe by logging into

https:www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/RibbleValleyRefugeeCrisisFund

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 2nd 2016

Dear Parishioners,

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has an active conference in this Parish. Nationally the Society has over 8000 volunteers who last year made more than half a million visits to people in need.

Our group has 18 active members, 7 men and 11 women, who meet each Tuesday, at 7pm, in the Presbytery. Members try to do a weekly visit, always in pairs, to people in need of a little help or simply a friendly chat. Last year the group made 2,034 visits to people in their own homes, 1,141 to people in Residential Homes and 218 to hospitals making a total of 3,393. There were a further 133 lifts given for appointments, shopping or coming to church.

In our locality the SVP supports people in all kinds of need. In the last year these included debt, disability, sickness, addiction, rehabilitation after prison, struggling with family poverty, bereavement and loneliness. We could do nothing without the help that you give us, so vital in reaching out to families and individuals for whom life is a struggle.

Our group would like to thank you all for the amazing financial support we receive from you through quarterly collections and donations. Last year we received £2,327 from church collections, £498 from members’ donations, £340 from gift aid and £997 from other donations. £2,089 was used to help families and those in need locally, £832 supported national projects, £120 was sent to our twinned conference in India to assist their work, £320 to provide beds for Indian families, £400 to the Nepal disaster appeal, £200 to the Sudan baby feeding camp and £120 to sponsor a doctor and nurse in training in India. £85 was given in stipends for Masses for those who have died. We really appreciate your support and prayers helping us to help others.

Being a member of the SVP is about more than helping other people, it is also about our own spiritual development. Prayer forms an important part of every SVP meeting. We start and finish our meeting with prayers and we also have a short spiritual reflection. In one of our prayers we say, “We thank you Lord because you inspired the foundation of our society to help overcome suffering and for the spiritual development of the members”

Everyone is welcome to join. If you are interested, please contact Peter Donnelly (01200 441081) or any member.

Parish SVP Group

Laudato si

Laudato si is the first line of a hymn written by St Francis in praise of God’s creation and quoted by Pope Francis to introduce a letter written to the world to warn of the damage that humanity is inflicted on our common home, planet earth. The letter has been praised by many both within and outside Christianity. From Wednesday 5th October we shall begin a study of this important document.
Never before was a Papal letter more enthusiastically received by other Christian Churches, other religions, politicians, scientists, believers and non-believers alike as Pope Francis’ letter on creation, “Laudato si” two years ago.  Though it is a challenging read at 189 pages it is clearly written and has a message that we should all try to absorb.  So, over eight meetings, held twice a month during October, November, January and February, we shall travel through the document, as we did with Evengelii Gaudium, starting this Wednesday evening in the Parish Centre.  Tea or Coffee will be served from 7.15pm, meetings will start at 7.30 and end at 8.30pm while those who wish to continue a while longer are welcome to do so.  Do come along.      Fr John

Click here to download Laudato Si…

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 25th 2016

Dear Parishioners,

Saturday 24th September is the feast of Our Lady of Walsingham. The Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham was established in 1061 when Richeldis de Faverches prayed that she might undertake some special work in honour of Our Lady. In answer to her prayer, the Virgin Mary led her in spirit to Nazareth, showed her the house where the Annunciation occurred, and asked her to build a replica in Walsingham to serve as a perpetual memorial of the Annunciation.

This Holy House was built and Walsingham grew to become one of the greatest Shrines in Medieval Christendom.

In 1538, the Reformation caused the property to be handed over to the King’s Commissioners and the famous statue of Our Lady of Walsingham was taken to London and burnt. Nothing remains today of the original shrine, but its site is marked on the lawn in “The Abbey Grounds” in the village.

After the destruction of the Shrine, Walsingham ceased to be a place of pilgrimage. Devotion was necessarily in secret until after Catholic Emancipation in 1829 when public expressions of faith were allowed.

In 1896 Charlotte Pearson Boyd purchased the 14th century Slipper Chapel, the last of the wayside chapels on the road to Walsingham, and restored it for Catholic use.  Since then Catholic devotion at Walsingham has revived and grown to such an extent that there is an urgent need to upgrade existing buildings and construct new facilities.

The current plans include the development of: new and upgraded pilgrim accommodation; modern accommodation for the disabled; retreat centre; youth ministry and accommodation; wet weather cloister; pilgrim hall; conference centre; new hospitality centre; Catholic media hub; Perpetual Adoration chapel; and an exhibition of the history of England through the lives of the Saints. These ambitious plans will cost up to £10 million!

So, this year to coincide with the feast of Our Lady of Walsingham there will be a retiring collection in all churches in England and Wales.

For further details, go to www.walsingham.org.uk

Fr John

CAFOD – Harvest Fast Day

Be sure to get your Harvest Fast Day envelope next weekend.  If you tick the Gift Aid box on the envelope, the Government will add 25% to the value of your donation.  This year, we are supporting Altiplano in Bolivia.  Your gift will help to provide families with training and tools to grow enough food to feed their families.  Your generosity means so much to our brothers and sisters around the world.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 18th 2016

Dear Parishioners,

Last Wednesday, a meeting was held at Dunsop Bridge to discuss the Bishop’s proposals for the restructuring of Parishes. Almost forty people attended, representing each of the three church communities within Our Lady of The Valley parish.
We discussed the principals which underpinned the Bishop’s proposals: the need for change due to reduced numbers of priests, for strengthening our ability to become a missionary church, for larger more dynamic parishes rather than smaller struggling communities, the welfare of our priests, involvement of lay people, developing our outreach to the community, retention of ownership of closed churches and necessary changes to parish structures to face the challenges of the 21st century.

These proposals were condensed into three questions.

  1. How did you feel when you first heard about the proposal to amalgamate with another parish?
  2. Fears always lead to opportunities. What opportunities do these changes present?
  3. What do you think is our next step should be?

The questions promoted lively debate which highlighted some genuine concerns but also identified positive opportunities that could result from the proposal. All conclusions were noted and will be collated to share with the Bishop and the parish.

This was a productive evening which showed that our three church’s communities were ready and keen to work together.


This coming Wednesday, 21st September, the Forum meets at 7.30pm in the parish social centre. For the benefit of new parishioners, I should explain that the Forum is our parish council but differs from almost all other parish councils in that you and every parishioner is a member with the right to attend, to speak and to vote. The only condition is that you turn up! We meet every six weeks or so and have full and interesting agendas so do come along and play your part in parish life. Tea and biscuits will be served from 7.15pm.


Laudato si is the first line of a hymn written by St Francis in praise of God’s creation and quoted by Pope Francis to introduce a letter written to the world to warn of the damage that humanity is inflicted on our common home, planet earth. The letter has been praised by many both within and outside Christianity. From Wednesday 5th October we shall begin a study of this important document. Make a date in your diary! A full list of 7 meetings spread over the coming 7 months will be published next week.

Fr John

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 11th 2016

Dear Parishioners,

As you are probably aware, the most famous daughter of Albania, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was canonised last Sunday and is now St Teresa.

On 5th November 38 Albanian martyrs will be beatified (the final step before canonisation), representative of many bishops, priests, men and women religious, and laity who accepted death rather than deny their faith under one of the most despotic communist regimes in Europe.

Among them is a young young teacher who was preparing to join an order of religious sisters. Maria Tuci was 21 years of age when she was arrested in 1949 while teaching at a primary school run by the religious order she intended to join. Maria died a martyr’s death the following year at the age of 22.

In prison, she was brutally tortured for her faith and her religious vocation, humiliated and sexually assaulted by the prison guards. One of the guards told her: “I will reduce you to a state that even your family would not be able to recognize you.” That is exactly what happened.

Resisting to the end, she was tied naked inside a sack with a feral cat whom the guards had beaten and tormented for days. Inside the sack, the cat was again beaten by sticks. Maria was scratched and repeatedly bitten by the cat. Puncture wounds from cat bites can be serious, introducing bacteria deep into the flesh. Infection can be lethal if not quickly attended to.

After days of brutal torture, Maria was admitted to the hospital, disfigured and bruised over her whole body. She died an agonizing death on October 24, 1950, holding a rosary in her hands.

Before her death she said: “I thank God because he gave me the strength to die free.” Despite terrible torture, the 22-year-old forgave her tormentors and the prison guards.

Such witness to faith should prompt us to ask ourselves, what does my faith cost me?

Fr John


warning

WARNING

This Sunday, 11th September,

Lowergate will be totally closed to re-surface (11th) the road. 

Cars may be parked on the school car park.  Please enter and leave by Bayley Fold via

Peel Street and Highfield Road.

Rosary of the Unborn

ROSARY OF THE UNBORN will be said after Mass/Service at St Michael & St John’s each morning this coming week (12th – 17th September) for all Pro-Life intentions. Our Lady of Guadalupe Pray for us.

Christmas in Lourdes

6 days by coach departing 22 December.  No overnight travel—£390 or £450 (single room). Contact Northern Star Travel 0161 763 8722.