Category Archives: Weekly View

2nd Sunday in Ordinary time – 15th January 2017

Summary of Proposals for Deanery of Saint John Southworth:

The following parishes will remain as they are at present:

Saint Peter, Stonyhurst
Saint Mary, Bamber Bridge
Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Gerard Majella, Lostock Hall

The following parishes, already sharing a priest, are proposed for amalgamation:

Sacred Heart, Blackburn and Saint Anne, Blackburn
Saint Alban, Blackburn and Holy Souls, Blackburn [three churches]
Holy Family, Blackburn and Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Blackburn
Sacred Heart and Saint Edward, Darwen and Saint Joseph, Darwen
Saint Wilfrid, Longridge and Saints Peter and Paul, Ribchester and Saint Mary, Chipping
Our Lady of the Valley (Clitheroe and Sabden) and Saint Hubert, Dunsop Bridge
Our Lady and Saint Patrick, Walton le Dale and Saint Mary and Saint John, Salmesbury

In addition, the following amalgamations of parishes are proposed:

Saints Mary and John, Pleasington and Saint John Vianney, Blackburn and Saint Peter in Chains, Blackburn [initially with two priests whilst determining which of the church buildings to retain]
English Martyrs, Whalley and Saint Mary, Langho and Saint Mary, Osbaldeston

The following churches are proposed for closure:

One or two of the churches in the new parish of Saints Mary and John, Pleasington (which includes St Paul’s chapel of ease) and Saint John Vianney, Blackburn and Saint Peter in Chains, Blackburn [to be determined during the amalgamation process]

Summary of proposals across the Diocese:

37 parishes remaining as at present
14 amalgamations of parishes already sharing a priest (involving 31 parishes)
32 additional amalgamations (involving 69 parishes)
22 churches closing (or 24 depending on further considerations); 3 of these not currently used
6 situations requiring further consideration (involving 13 parishes)

When all proposals are implemented:

88 or 89 parishes (depending on further considerations) as opposed to 150 at present
161 or 163 churches (depending on further considerations) as opposed to 185 at present

A prayer inspired by today’s gospel on the healing of the leper

Lord Jesus, you reached out to the leper who wanted to be made clean. Inspire each of us to reach out to our brothers and sisters in need. May our deeds of charity and words of kindness ease the suffering of those who are poor and marginalised in our society. We ask this in your holy name. Amen.

The Ephipany – 8th January 2017

Dear Parishioners,

It was wonderful to see so many children and young families at the 4pm Mass on Christmas Eve. The time certainly suits young families, so this 4pm Childrens mass will be repeated next Christmas.

The following comments are from a priest who works promoting good relations between the Catholic and Jewish communities:

“Another area of common understanding between Jewish and Catholic communities is concern for the created order and the care for the earth, our common home. I have heard many Jewish groups express much gratitude for Pope Francis’ encyclical ‘Laudato si’ (On the Care for our Common Home)

“Pope Francis uses many Biblical texts to explain the essential values on which the encyclical is based. His recurring themes of the dignity of human beings is based on Genesis 1; the origin and connection of humanity to the earth itself is found in Genesis 2; the interconnection and inherent value of all life comes from Psalm 148; the connection of the degradation of the environment to the degradation of the poor are based on the stories of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4 as well as other quoted texts. He also uses many of the same laws in the Torah that Jewish environmentalists have been quoting for decades: the laws of the Sabbatical Year and Jubilee from Leviticus 25, the protection of species from Deuteronomy 22:6-7, and the Sabbath imperative to rest, from Exodus 23:12.

“In Laudato si, Pope Francis is focused on climate change’s impact on the poor. His encyclical looks at the moral and spiritual crisis that climate change illustrates: moral, because of its disproportionate impact on the poor, and spiritual because it highlights our disconnection to creation. He makes a deep and thoughtful critique of the modern economy, consumerism, the current concept of progress, and the way in which technology can have a negative impact on the environment if not properly regulated.

“Pope Francis calls for an open and honest discussion among all people to find effective solutions to this growing crisis. Many Jewish communities are seizing this critical moment in the history of our planet to speak out clearly and loudly about our common future on earth that is in jeopardy. Together as Christians and Jews, we must ask: ‘What kind of world do we wish to leave our children?'”

Members of our parish have been exploring this question in our discussions of Laudato si. We meet again a week on Wednesday, 18th Jan, at 7.30pm in the Presbytery. Why not join us ?

Fr John

Mary, The Holy Mother of God – 1st January 2017

A New Year’s Prayer

When the song of the angels has been stilled

when the star has gone from the night sky

when the kings have reached their far shores

when the shepherds have returned to their flocks

then the work of Christmas really begins

to find those who are lost,

to heal those who are broken in spirit

to feed those who are hungry

to release those who are oppressed

to rebuild the nations torn by strife

to bring peace among all peoples

to bring the Light of the Gospel

into the darkest corners of our world

O Lord, as we begin a new year, remind us of our truest

values and our deepest desires. Help us to live in

the goodness that comes from doing what you want

us to do. Help us to put aside anxiety about the

future and the past, so that we might live in peace

 with you now, one day at a time. 

Amen

 

 

Faith must be lived out in our decisions and actions

At the St John’s Cathedral Music and Readings for Advent and Christmas, on Sunday 11th December, Bishop John Arnold had a very simple message for us: “Pope Francis is insistent that our Faith cannot be something that is merely personal and interior. Faith must be lived out in our decisions and actions. The birth of Jesus Christ was the gift of God in His love for us – sending us His Son to communicate His love for each one of us. It was the same Jesus who, after his resurrection commissioned us to go out to the whole world as his ambassadors and take that same love to those on the margins of society – the lonely, the poor, the trafficked, the broken.”

Third Sunday of Advent – December 11th 2016

Dear Parishioners,

On this Sunday three years ago, Pope Francis said:

The Third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday; that is, the Sunday of Joy. In the Mass the invitation rings out several times to rejoice. Why? Because the Lord is near. Christmas is near. The Christian message is called the ‘Gospel’ which means ‘good news’, an announcement of joy for all people; the Church is not a haven for sad people, the Church is a joyful home! And those who are sad find joy in her, they find in her true joy!

However, the joy of the Gospel is not just any joy. It consists in knowing one is welcomed and loved by God. As the prophet Isaiah reminds us in today’s first reading at Mass, God is he who comes to save us and who seeks to help, especially those who are fearful of heart. His coming among us strengthens us, makes us steadfast, gives us courage, makes the desert and the waste land rejoice and blossom; that is, when our lives becomes arid. And when do our lives become arid? When they lack the water of God’s Word and his Spirit of love. However great our limitations and dismay, we are not allowed to be sluggish and vacillating when faced with difficulty and our own weakness. On the contrary, we are invited to strengthen the weak hands, to make firm the feeble knees, to be strong and to fear not, because our God always shows us the greatness of his mercy. He gives us the strength to go forward. He is always with us in order to help us to go forward. He is a God who loves us so very much, he loves us and that is why he is with us, to help us, to strengthen us, help us go forward. Courage! Always forward! Thanks to his help, we can always begin again.

Someone might say to me: “No, Father, I did so many inexcusable things… I am a great sinner… I cannot begin from scratch!” You are wrong! You can begin from scratch! Why? Because he is waiting for you, he is close to you, he loves you, he is merciful, he forgives you, he gives you the strength to begin again from scratch! Everybody! And so we are able to open our eyes again, to overcome sadness and mourning to strike up a new song. And this true joy remains even amid trial, even amid suffering, for it is not a superficial joy; because it permeates the depths of those who entrust themselves to the Lord and confide in him.

Christian joy, like hope, is founded on God’s fidelity, on the certainty that he always keeps his promises. The prophet Isaiah exhorts those who have lost their way and have lost heart to entrust themselves to the faithfulness of the Lord, for his salvation will not delay in bursting into their lives.

Gaudete, Fr John

 

Second Sunday of Advent – December 4th 2016

Dear Parishioners,

Every year the church cleaning team is joined by volunteers for the annual pre-Christmas big clean. It will begin a week tomorrow, Monday 12th December at 9.15am. We have plenty of dusters, brushes and vacuum cleaners so please do consider whether you can spare an hour anytime between 9.15 and 11.45 to join in the fun, followed by tea, biscuits and natter. Please do come along – volunteers are people like you! If you don’t come, then maybe no one will arrive! A similar appeal has gone out with the school newsletter.

You may remember two weeks ago we began to look at the Bishop’s letter outlining what he considers to be the requirements of a good and adequate preparation for infant baptism. It includes the request that parish members welcome parents and godparents to our parish community by accompanying them to Mass, to coffee and encouraging their growth in faith to ensure a well-founded hope that their child will be brought up as a practising member of our Catholic community.

Bishop John stresses that this is not the responsibility of the few parishioners who help organise the baptismal preparation instruction but of the whole parish community. Baptism should then be followed up by these or other parishioners willing to maintain a friendly link with the family to encourage them to live their baptismal promises.

Why? Well, I’m sure you are aware that the majority of parents never come to the parish after their child has been baptised until they need a copy of the baptismal certificate to help ensure a place in a Catholic school.

I have no idea how we as a parish may best organise this and would be grateful if you would share with me any ideas you may have. Could this be best achieved at the next Forum meeting on 8th February? Or would it be better to arrange a special meeting to discuss this one issue?

One thought that I have and am certain of, is that grandparents are key. Pope Francis time and again speaks of the important role of grandparents in inculcating a love of the faith in their grandchildren and in developing their awareness of who they are and of their heritage, which will stand them in good stead as they navigate their way through life and encourage them in their turn to share their faith and heritage with their grandchildren.

Let’s start a parish conversation on these vital issues!

Fr John

 

Becoming a welcoming community

In his recent pastoral letter on restructuring Bishop John Arnold talks twice about restructuring as an opportunity for us to think carefully about caring for one another both within and beyond our communities.

“I firmly believe that this re-structure will strengthen us all for our missionary purpose of bringing Christ to the world in which we live, both in the care we have for one another within our own communities and in the witness we show through our Works of Mercy in the wider community.”

“In the busy secularisation of our world, many have drifted away but, if we are persistent and constant in our living of the Gospel, in our kindness and care for those around us in need, then people will be drawn back with a new sense of searching and commitment. Pope Francis asks us if we have the courage to walk with others, even while they are walking away from the Church? I believe we have.”

These words brought to mind a homily we experienced earlier this year in North America.

It was the small and insignificant township of Cheteck in Northern Minnesota but we had a good homily on humility which I thought was particularly apposite in the context of what we are trying to do by way of developing our Parish community.   It’s easy to think we have a good community and easy to think we have little to learn, yet to become a better community and a welcoming community we need to do more.  Humility it seems is the first step.

We were told that that there were three ingredients to humility:

  • Not thinking first and foremost about ourselves and wanting to be the focus of attention
  • Acknowledging and complimenting others
  • Thinking about others and being aware of their needs

As we move into the final weeks of the Year of Mercy we should shift our thoughts from God’s mercy and ourselves to our mercy toward others – and the key to that is humility.

It was a simple enough message but presented in such a way that made it clear that humility shouldn’t just be one of a number of virtues to practice, it is at the core of our faith.  It is charity.  So what specifically did our priest in Chetek have to say about his three ingredients of humility?

can you order disulfiram online Not thinking first and foremost about ourselves Many people tend to talk rather than listen but humility should temper this inclination.  Our priest didn’t dwell too long on this one but what he said later led me to quiz him more closely over coffee and pancakes.  His thinking was much influenced by Francis de Sales and a particular theme was giving, or being the recipient of, hurt or offence.  I looked up the relevant quotes later.  They are instructive:  “Be very watchful as to what can give offence to others; if you fail in this, try to repair the mischief as quickly as possible.”   But a great quote that covers it all is: “It is a great degree of lowliness of heart …to fear honours and flattery as much as little minds enjoy them, who easily take offence at any affront.”   How often does a lack of humility make us focus on ourselves and our discomfort when someone praises us? It struck me that humility has its greatest test when someone is offended by what we do or say; or when we are offended by them.

reminiscently Acknowledging and complimenting others was the second point.  Humility should teach us to acknowledge praise graciously. Just as we should graciously acknowledge a compliment, so should we look outwardly to others rather than to ourselves and recognise and acknowledge them.  But the key to it all is whether we think foremost about our ourselves or others.  If the heart is pure, so too will be the acknowledgement and we will learn to tread carefully the fine line between praise and flattery.

Thinking about others and being aware of their needs was the third and final point which extended and embraced the other two.  It is easiest to start with the people we know and like but we should think of all others and not just those closest and those we feel most comfortable with.  We should think of those we don’t know particularly well or don’t particularly like and reflect on whether perhaps a lack of humility has failed us.

So as we enter the last few weeks of the Year of Mercy and as we think about developing a welcoming Parish community it occurred to me that we might see humility as a good starting point.  Let’s learn something from Francis de Sales and build the sort of community that doesn’t have to contrive methods or models of welcoming because welcoming is what comes naturally to us.

 

First Sunday of Advent – November 27th 2016

Dear Parishioners,

Advent is a particularly busy time for us all: cards to send, presents to buy, meals to plan and the list could go on. But amid all this frantic panic and haste we must remember that Advent should be above all else a time to reflect, to grow in relationship with Jesus Christ and remind ourselves of what Christmas is about. There is no better way to do this than to buy an Advent Walk with Me booklet, available at the back of church (£1). This provides a short reflection and prayer for each day of Advent. Remember that a prayer a day not only keeps the Devil at bay but according to an increasing body of scientific research helps us live longer and so celebrate many more Christmases!

We are privileged this year to begin Advent with a copy of a Lampedusa Cross. It is made from pieces of a boat that was wrecked on 11 October 2013 off the coast of Lampedusa, a Mediterranean island south of Sicily, while crossing from Libya to Europe. 311 Eritrean and Somali refugees were drowned but the Inhabitants of Lampedusa helped to save the lives of 155 others. After meeting some of the survivors who are Eritrean Christians in the church on Lampedusa, Francesco Tuccio, the island’s carpenter, was moved by their plight but felt frustrated that he could not make a difference to their situation. The best he could do was to use his skills as a carpenter to fashion for each of them a cross from the wreckage of the boat as a thanksgiving for their salvation from the sea and hope for the future. A similar cross was made for Pope Francis who carried it at a memorial service for those who had perished. The cross stands witness to the kindness of the people of the small island of Lampedusa who do so much for the refugees and migrants who arrive on their shores.

CAFOD has supplied a copy of the cross which will be in our parish.

This Sunday for the Advent service in St Mary’s Sabden at 4pm.

Tuesday it will be in St Hubert’s Dunsop Bridge at Mass.

On Saturday it will be processed into St Michael and St John’s at the 6pm Mass and the 9.30pm Mass on Sunday.

During the week It will be displayed in St Michael & St John’s.

Have you considered inviting a refugee family to a meal with your family? Full details are to found at the back of each church?

Fr John