Dear Parishioners,
I must first thank parishioners and both our primary schools for the Spiritual Bouquet and the many cards, cakes, gifts and well wishes you so generously gave me on Sunday (the actual day!) for my 70th birthday. What a great surprise it was and never before have I received so many and such huge birthday cards! It was a most affirming experience and I am grateful to you all.
In response to the emergency appeal to help fight the dreadful Ebola epidemic that is raging through some West African counties and to prevent its further spread, there will be a retiring collection for those who wish to contribute to CAFOD’s work in the area.
Next Sunday is Remembrance Day and so, as last year, Mass will be delayed for half an hour in Sabden to allow parishioners to join the local community for a short Remembrance service at the village cenotaph. Mass will begin at 11.30am.
With the centenary of WWI in mind, Peter and Susan White spent two days restoring the war memorial chapel in St Michael and St John’s. The panelling has been cleaned, re-gilded where necessary, polished, and the two missing names of Pte E Snape and L’cpl D Moon have been added to the memorial Roll of Honour. In addition the icon of La Madonna della Strada (Our Lady of the Way) was cleaned and re-gilded.
At 7.30pm on Tuesday there will be an interfaith meeting in the Presbytery during which we will not be talking theology nor, for that matter, politics! This will be, hopefully, the first of a number of gatherings where folk from the various Churches in Clitheroe meet with members of the Muslim community to talk about life and so come to know each other a little better. We begin on Tuesday by discussing the various customs and religious rituals that surround birth and the new-born in our communities. Surely, everyone is an expert on that? The meeting will end by 9pm. Then in future gatherings we’ll look at childhood, adolescence, marriage, old age, and plenty more before arriving at death and burial. So do come along. If we are too many for the Presbytery (which I doubt) we’ll move to the parish centre.
Finally, again this weekend and after both Masses in Clitheroe Ann Harkin our parish’s Safeguarding Representative will be on hand to answer questions and deal with any other matters regarding safeguarding. Eucharistic Ministers who depart church immediately with Holy Communion may leave name and telephone number and Ann will contact them later.
Fr John