Dear Parishioners,

Pope Francis has asked that we make Lent, in this Jubilee Year of Mercy, a special time to celebrate and experience God’s mercy by receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation. On countless occasions he has reminded us that God never tires of forgiving, it is we who tire of asking him for forgiveness!
In a recently published book THE NAME OF GOD IS MERCY Pope Francis was asked: ‘You once said that the confessional should not be a “dry cleaner.” What did you mean by that?’
He answered: “It was an example; an image to explain the mistake of those who believe that sin is a strain, only a stain, something that you can have dry-cleaned so that everything goes back to normal. The way you take a jacket or dress to have a stain removed: you put it in the wash and that’s it. But sin is more than a stain. Sin is a wound; it needs to be treated, healed.”
In response to his plea, a number of events have been arranged in the Deanery to encourage you to attend the field hospital of the Spirit, the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

This Saturday, 27^th February, the Mercy Bus will be in Blackburn, parked up (with permission!) from 11am until 4pm on King William Street, opposite the Town Hall. Young volunteers will be on hand to explain to passers-by what the bus is all about. Priests will be on hand to respond to requests for a blessing or Confession (Reconciliation). Some parishioners will remember that Fr Frankie spoke of this and his picture with the Pope and the bus at the recent parish Jimmy Cricket evening. So, do come along if only out of curiosity!

Then on Tuesday 1^st March at 7.30pm in St Albans, Blackburn, there will be a special Deanery Lenten Mass to celebrate the Year of Mercy. From 7pm onwards and throughout the evening a number of priests will be available for Reconciliation (Confession). Fr Frankie will preach at the Mass.

On Tuesday 15^th March in St Michael and John’s at 6.30pm there will be a Service of Reconciliation at which our Clitheroe and Dunsop Bridge First Communion children will make their First Confessions.
Parishioners are also welcome to celebrate the sacrament with Fr Wareing, Fr Kevin or me.
The following day, Wednesday 16^th Fr Kevin and I shall be in St Mary’s Sabden where the Service will begin at 6pm.

In St Michael and John’s the usual Saturday morning Confessions will continue from 11 until 11.45am and on Friday evenings during the Stations of the Cross at 7.30pm.

I leave the last word to Pope Francis: “God is faithful. His mercy will always be greater than any sin; no one can put a limit on the love of the all-forgiving God. We should only be conscious of our need, be honest with ourselves, and not simply lick our wounds.”

Fr John

Dear Parishioners,

In Lent we are asked to prepare for Easter by prayer and sacrifice. If you haven’t decided yet what you will do for Lent then please consider one of the following (or more than one!).

* Give God some silent attention each day.

* Buy (£1) the ‘Walk With Me’ booklet which will help you pray and reflect each day of Lent.

* Join the Stations of the cross in Clitheroe at 7.30pm on Fridays and in Sabden at 7.30pm on Tuesdays.

* Join the Lenten Service after Mass on Thursday at 8.10pm until 9.15pm.

* Spend a little time each day reading the Bible in the quiet of your home.

* Attend daily mass. (Details weekly in the newsletter)

* Come to Exposition on Saturday mornings between 11am and 12noon.

* Pay a visit to the church which is open daily during daylight hours.

* Encourage someone who has been away from Mass to return to practice and accompany them to church.

* Recite the Rosary at home or join the weekday recitation in church at 9.30am.

* Visit someone in need of help or friendship or perhaps an elderly relative you haven’t visited for a while?

* Make up a longstanding quarrel.

* Help to clean the church on Monday mornings at 9.30.

* Give up a favourite treat like sweets, drink, watching too much TV or cigarettes.

* Keep ‘Family Fast day’ on Friday.

* Every Friday give up eating meat.

* Make a clean sweep. Go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession), available Saturdays in Clitheroe from 11 to 11.45 and during the Stations of the Cross on Fridays.

* Attend the series of ecumenical Lenten talks on Saturday mornings in the Hall at 11am. (Coffee from 10.30)

* Join a Lent discussion group based on Pope Francis’ recent letter ‘The Joy of the Gospel’, Wednesdays at 7.30pm in the Hall on 17th, Feb, 2nd and 9th March

* Attend a Lenten Station Mass (see the notice board)

Wishing you a fruitful Lent,

where to buy stromectol uk Fr John

St Bakhita

Tomorrow is the feast of St Bakhita, taken by Arab slavers in 1877 at the age of 7, although thanks to people like William Wilberforce slavery was abolished in most of the British Empire in 1833. Nearly two hundred years later his great, great grandson, Fr Gerald Wilberforce has this to say: What would he think about children as young as nine who are asked to steal and pickpocket; what would he say about young men who are enslaved in cannabis factories; what about people who are asked to work as domestic slaves in people’s homes; and young girls brought to this country and sold for sex; and what about those people who do escape but nobody believes them. I think I know what he would have said had been alive today: “Haven’t we abolished slavery? Why is it still going on?” The truth is that slavery still exists and to a large extent we are all complicit in this. We are all part of the same society and we are all personally responsible. It’s time this stopped for good. Together we can end modern slavery.

Tomorrow on St Bakhita’s feast day and during this Year of Mercy let us remember that there are more slaves in the world today than at any time in human history and pray for its end.

• Pray for those forced into slavery to grow our food and make our clothes
• Pray that retail managers become aware of the slave issues in their supply chains and boldly make necessary changes
• Pray for the families who are searching for their lost daughters.
• Pray for the millions of families in India trapped in bonded slavery.
• Pray for the men and women who care for and restore those who have been rescued from slavery.
• Pray for those rescued from slavery that they may heal from years of abuse
• Pray for the church to respond to Pope Frances’ call to rise up and lead in the fight against modern slavery
• Pray that we may become aware of modern day slavery and learn the signs to help the Police identify potential victims.
• Pray that we may come to understand our complicity in buying the goods produced by this evil trade
• Pray that together we can bring an end to modern slavery.

 Anthony Brown , Medaille Trust

Dear Parishioners,

The Forum met a week last Wednesday in Sabden.

With Dunsop Bridge a part of the family it was decided that all future meetings would convene in Clitheroe to save Dunsop parishioners travelling 15 miles to Sabden and vice versa. So we shall next meet in Clitheroe after Easter on Wednesday 6^th April.

Forum also voted in favour of the proposal to celebrate a Children’s Mass on Christmas Eve at 4pm in Sts Michael and John’s. Hopefully this will prove to be a more suitable time for young families and also reduce the pressure on the 6pm Mass. The 8pm Mass will be celebrated in Sabden and on Christmas Day morning Mass will be celebrated in St Hubert’s at 9am and in Clitheroe at 10am.

Also discussed was the irritation of some parishioners at the frequency of retiring collections (so named because these are taken as you leave church). 18 of the collections are compulsory and taken in every Catholic Church in England & Wales. Occasionally another collection may be added in response to a particular need or emergency. What is important to bear in mind is that you are not obliged to give to retiring collections. These collections are not compulsory but an opportunity to support some charities important to the church.

In this Year of Mercy there will be a Reconciliation service in St Michael and St John’s on Tuesday 15^th March at 6.30pm during which children from St Hubert’s will join Sts Michael & John’s pupils to make what most of us remember as their First Confession. Children at St Mary’s will make their First Reconciliation in Sabden the following evening, 16^th March, at 6pm.

Just look at what we found while planning the refurbishment of the Confessional: two stained glass windows. These will be opened up when work begins.

The Church runs an excellent internship scheme that provides recently graduated Catholics with an intensive experience of political and social action in a spiritual context. This year it is offering up to eight internships, including placements with Christian MPs at Westminster; a parliamentary support role within the Bishops’ Conference Secretariat; with the Catholic Agencies CAFOD and CSAN in social action and public policy roles; and a media and communications internship in Archbishop’s House, Westminster.

Applications close soon but there is still time to apply. To learn more: http://faithinpolitics.org.uk

Fr John