Canonisation of St John Henry Newman.

“Cor ad cor loquitur”, (Heart speaks to heart) is the motto that was taken by Cardinal Newman on his appointment as a Cardinal by Pope Leo X111 in 1879.

On Sunday 13 October 2019 Cardinal Newman was canonised as a saint in St Peter’s Square in Rome.  The parish of Our Lady of the Valley was informally represented by the Spencer’s and the Wallace’s.  The pilgrimage started at Chiesa Nuova, the site of St Philip Neri’s first oratory, which was the base for the organisation of the British contingent.

Twenty thousand seats were laid out in st Peter’s Square and large TV monitors located down the length of the Via della Conciliazione to the Tiber.  The Mass started at 10am with the security gates opening at 7am to process everyone through.  The skies were absolutely blue and the southern façade of the square provided some shade from the sun in the hours leading up to the Eucharistic Celebration of the Canonisation.

The Mass began with the canonisation.  In addition to St John Henry, four other saints were canonised, St Giuseppina from Rome, St Miriam Thresia from India, St Dulce from Brazil, and St Marguerite from the canton of Fribourg.  Many pilgrims had made their way to Rome and the Brazilians and Indians were well represented by a sea of flags.  The Mass started with a short summary of each saints’ life and work.  Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu then made the petition “Beatissimo Padre, la Santa Madre Chiesa chiede che Bostra Santita iscriva I Beati”, (the Holy Mother Church beseeches your Holiness to enrol blessed…..)

Pope Francis then responded declaring them saints “e li scriviamo nell’Albo dei Santi”, (and we enrol them among the saints).  Cardinal Becciu then replied, concluding with the words “Lo ordiniamo”, (we so decree).

There then followed the most incredible organisation as Holy Communion was distributed to the 20,000 seated congregation and beyond.  The crowds extended down to the Tiber and must have exceeded 200,000.  The final hymn of the Mass was ‘Lead kindly light’, written by St John Henry, and a fitting conclusion.  After Mass, Pope Francis was able to drive along the pre-formed alleys to the bottom of St Peter’s Square.

The following day there was a Mass of Thanksgiving with Cardinal Vincent Nichols at the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, which in his final words “brought the party to a conclusion”.  There was another connection with Clitheroe at the end of the Mass when I met with Fr Rod Strange, author of a number of works on St Henry including ‘A Mind Alive’, a former pupil of Stonyhurst and friend of parishioner, David Clews.

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During this month, Pope Francis has called the whole Church to reflect upon our response to Jesus Christ’s command to ‘go and make disciples of all the peoples’ by calling for October to be an ‘Extraordinary Month of Mission,’ celebrated throughout the world. Please make this a wonderful moment of prayer, joy and solidarity with Catholics across the globe by joining with Pope Francis and paying this prayer with him every day of October.

cytotec overnight without prescription God our Father,
when your Son Jesus Christ rose from the dead,
he commissioned his followers
to ‘go and make disciples of all nations’.

Through our Baptism you send us out
to continue this mission among all peoples.

Empower us by the gifts of the Holy Spirit
to be courageous and enthusiastic
in bearing witness to the Gospel,
so that the mission entrusted to us,
which is still far from completion,
may bring life and light to the world.

May all peoples experience the saving love
and generous mercy of Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

Dear Parishioners,

September has once again been designated as an awareness month for the St. Vincent de Paul Society and you will have noticed posters on the church pillars showing aspects of our work. Each year we give parishioners information about our work and how we allocate our funds which you kindly donate through the quarterly collections.

At present we have 25 active members who meet weekly on Tuesday evenings at 7pm. The purpose of these meetings is to pray together and to plan our work.

The Society gives its members the opportunity to address the two great commandments, love of God and love of neighbour. It enables us, with all our weaknesses and struggles to serve those most in need and in serving, to grow and become spiritually enriched. In this ever changing world, with poverty increasing in a multitude of different guises, the demands and opportunities for service are many and varied. Membership is a vocation, a calling to serve Christ in his poor.

Since last March, members have put in 3960 hours visiting people in hospital, in residential homes and in their own homes. They have transported people to medical appointments, Sunday Mass and Masses of healing and have supported 20+ families both financially and practically. Our total income for the financial year was £5649 and we would like to thank again all who have contributed for your great generosity. A report on how this money has been distributed will be given out after Mass. We have also used funds from a legacy to send five families on a short holiday this summer; something which they would have been unable to do.

We would like you to let us know if you are aware of anyone who needs help or support. Our work is confidential and all members are DBS checked.

Please consider joining us to help put the words of Jesus into practise. “I was hungry and you gave me food, thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me.” All you need is to be able to offer time and love.

For more information please contact Peter on 01200 441081 or speak to any SVP member.

Thank you for all your help and support.

SVP Conference Members

Advice from Pope Francis

The family is a big training gym for the mutual giving and forgiveness without which no love can last for long. Without giving of oneself and without forgiving one another, love does not last; it does not endure.  In the prayer that he himself has taught us—the Our Father—Jesus has us ask the Father, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  And in the end he comments: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive  others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Mt 6: 14-15).  One cannot live without forgiveness—or at least, one cannot live well, especially in the family.  Every day we do wrong to one another.  We have to take stock of these mistakes, due to our frailty and our selfishness.  But what is asked of us is to heal right away the wounds that we cause, to repair immediately the threads that we break in the family.  If we wait too long it becomes too difficult.  And there is a simple secret for healing wounds and dispelling accusations.  It is this: do not let the day end without apologizing, without making peace between husband and wife, between parents and children, between brothers and sisters, between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law!  If we learn to apologise right away and to forgive one another, then wounds heal, marriage becomes stronger, and the family becomes an ever more solid house, one that withstands the impacts of our wrongdoings large and small.  And this is why there is no need to make a big speech.  A caress is enough.  One caress and everything is over; it is time to move on.  But never end the day at war!

Dear Parishioners,

As was discussed at the Parish Forum and at Mass in Dunsop Bridge,

the Saturday evening 6.30pm Mass in St Hubert’s will not be celebrated during the five winter months from the first weekend after All Saints in November, until the first weekend of April.

The Thursday 9.15am Mass will continue the year round and Mass will also be celebrated in St Hubert’s on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday.

Today is Home Mission Sunday,
a day on which we remember all engaging in sharing our faith, especially those working for the Home Mission Office that helps parishes engage in the vital mission of Evangelisation. This weekend, they ask for our prayers and our financial support through the second collection. Our prayers help them to be attentive to the Holy Spirit who directs their work, and our donations to the second collection will enable them to help parishes share the joy of the Gospel throughout England and Wales.  For more information visit www.homemission.org.uk

What can I personally do to help share our faith

• Welcome Catholics in your local community who are not active in their faith to join you one Sunday for Mass
• Welcome families with children starting school.
• Invite family members or friends who haven’t been to church for a while to make a visit, particularly during difficult periods in their lives, especially when facing a bereavement.
• On Sundays when children are attending First Communion preparation invite their parents to Coffee in the Hall and help them feel welcome.

  Fr John

Making Life Simpler – Bookings for the Assembly Hall

The Old School Rooms and Assembly Hall has become a hugely popular venue in the Ribble Valley and provides excellent commercial opportunities for the Parish.  However, it remains at the core of Parish life, offering a valuable facility for Parish Groups (spiritual and social alike).  Amidst an increasingly busy diary, we need to ensure that:

Parish Groups can be confident that their bookings are confirmed and there are no last-minute alternations or cancellations.

There is clear notification and agreement when “external” events will impact Parish meetings such as Sunday morning tea/coffee.

How will this work?

At the request of the Parish Forum, a new booking system is being introduced and John Spencer has agreed to be the “link” for Parish Groups who wish to make bookings. The Club diary is now available to John on-line so that he can spot potential areas of conflict and to pre-book all Parish events.

This is a complex task as the Club already has bookings for 2019/20 which will impact Sunday mornings:

5^th October (Saturday) – Music Festival

January/February – Major renovations, no events possible.

11^th to 17^th May – Beer Festival

What do Groups need to do?

Some events, such as Sunday tea/coffee and Wednesday evenings are “standing entries” in the diary, but it is essential that as soon as dates are planned, bookings are made through lunesdalebmw@gmail.com.  John can then advise if there are clashes or limitations.

What about private events?

Weddings, birthdays and other “private” events should be booked directly with Kevin to secure the preferred date.

The most important message for Parish and private events is:

Don’t wait – book today!