15th Sunday of the Year (A)


 

Fr Paul's Sunday Reflection

Macauley's Yemen Appeal (see Yemen article below)

Re-Opening of Churches: From Monday 6th July churches will be allowed to open for Mass and other services following guidelines and preparations from the Archdiocese, and only once safety measures are in place and approved by the diocese. The number allowed in church will be restricted and work will be done to prepare for this over the coming week. More information to follow as to how this will work.
The Sunday obligation to attend Mass is still suspended for the time being. Please be patient as our greatest concern is the safety of everyone.
Mass will continue to be livestreamed as below.

Facebook and  YouTube.

The Redemptorists have Sunday Mass online available from 12pm on Saturdays, celebrated by Fr Denis McBride C.Ss.R.

There are several churches which live stream masses throughout the Archdiocese of Liverpool. These can be accessed here.

Other streamed masses are also available, click below for more

15th Sunday of the Year (A)

First Reading – Isaiah 55:10-11.
God’s Word is powerful and comes to us as both a challenge and a gift.

Second Reading – Romans 8:18-23.
Paul speaks of the fruits of the Resurrection for the human race and the whole of creation.

Gospel Reading – Matthew 13:1-23.
The parable of the sower illustrates the mystery of faith as it works in the heart of each individual.


Archdiocesan Sunday Reflections and hymns

In prayerfully being present at a Mass being broadcast to you, obviously physically receiving the Eucharist is not possible. However, Spiritual Communion is.

So what is Spiritual Communion? The common practice of making such a spiritual communion indicate our desire to join with the Lord when in a situation that makes unable to sacramentally receive the Body and Blood of the Lord in Holy Communion at Mass.

Many of you will have seen the terrible situation in the Yemen on the TV News recently. Thousands of innocent people are caught in the middle of the war over there and are stranded. many of them have had to flee to other countries where they have not always been welcomed. Apart from the war they, like ourselves, are facing a Pandemic and are trying to satay safe in such difficult circumstances. Many of these people area children. How do you stay safe in a war torn country or as a refugee?


One of the young people from the local area, Macauley, is doing a charity run very soon to raise much needed funds for the plight of the children in Yemen. Please help him by visiting his "fund giving" page - the link is below, and help the needs of these children who are greatly at risk in these difficult times.

Macauley's Yemen Appeal

Prayer for Yemen

15th Sunday of the Year (A)

Reflect

Today we hear the Parable of the Sower. God gives each of us the seeds of His Word, but how do we use them?

There are three newsletters published weekly in the Deanery, you can access current and past editions here:

St Edmund Arrowsmith Newsletters

Sts John Rigby & Margaret Clitherow Newsletters (new joint newsletter from 1st September 2019)

St Lewis, St Catherine's & All Saints Newsletters

(Sacred Heart, Hindley Green Newsletters (to 4th August 2019)

 

( Newsletters download as pdf files in a new window.)

 

St Joseph's Centre - 01942 673517

Fr Paul Seddon - 01942 883395 (St Richard's & Sacred Heart.)
Fr Paul Grady - 0161 790 2390 (Holy Family, St Ambrose Barlow & St Gabriel's)
Fr Kieran O'Grady - 01942 673517 (Sacred Heart & St Joseph's)
Fr Gordon Abbs - 01942 273851 (St Lewis, St Catherine's & All Saints)

St Margaret Clitherow Enquiries: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

St Edmund Arrowsmith Enquiries: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

There are several items of interest available from the Archdiocese of Liverpool.

New resources now available include:

 The Liverpool Catholic website also has up to date information on the Church's Policy regarding Coronavirus and lots of other useful information.

Download this information as a pdf

View a short video of what to expect

What to expect

Before you arrive You should avoid bringing any unnecessary items into church, e.g. shopping bags, as you will not be returning to your seat once you have received Holy Communion.
You should stay at home if you are unwell. People who are vulnerable or who feel unsure about returning to Mass need to consider the wisdom of doing so.
Remember the Sunday obligation has not been reinstated and livestreaming of Masses will continue.
You will need to bring your own face covering. All people entering church must wear a face covering at all times.

When you arrive

You will be welcomed by a volunteer steward and you may be asked to give your contact details.
You must adhere to social distancing guidelines in place.
Baskets will be available at the entrance (and exit) for your weekly envelopes or other contributions.
You will be directed to the hand sanitiser.
You will be directed to a bench. It may not be where you usually sit.
Toilets will remain closed at all times except for a genuine emergency.
The piety stall will be closed.
Any children accompanying you must do the same.

Times of Masses.
Many of you will have heard the news this week that SOME churches are re-opening for services. This will depend on the advice of the Archbishop’s Council. At the moment we are only allowed to re-open ONE Church in each Parish. This means that in the Leigh Deanery we will be re-opening five churches. They are listed below. Numbers will be limited, because we will still have to adhere to self-distancing rules and regulations. The liturgy of the Mass may have to change slightly to reflect the need for safety. Please read and follow all the guidelines in all the churches that are open. It is for your safety and for everyone else’s safety that we have to do this at this time.

Holy Family, Boothstown – Sunday at 9am & 11am. Follow this link for more information about Sunday Masses in St Margaret Clitherow Parish
All Saints, Golborne – Saturday at 5pm & Sunday at 10.30am.
St.Lewis’, Croft – Sunday at 9am.
St.Joseph’s, Leigh – Saturday at 4.30pm & Sunday at 9.30am. Follow this link for more information about Celebrating Mass together again in St Edmund Arrowsmith Parish
Sacred Heart, Hindley Green – Saturday at 5pm & Sunday at 10.30am.

This is only a temporary list of Mass times. At present, due to the fact that this whole situation is so unprecedented, we have no idea how many people will wish to attend Mass, especially in the first weekend. We may need more Masses or we may need less. If you turn up for Mass you may find that you cannot get in. we simply cannot guarantee a place in church at this time since numbers will be limited due to social distancing.

As you may be able to notice from Archdiocesan guidelines, the Sunday obligation of attending Mass does not apply at present, so we may then put on more Masses during the week at which we will celebrate the Sunday Liturgy.

If you attend Church please do follow the guidelines and seek the help of those present. Please bring a face-mask with you if you have one. The liturgy will be different and, because of social distancing at this time, the Mass may well be shorter. You will be receiving Holy Communion as you leave the Church itself. Social distancing must be maintained at all times. This is for your safety and the safety of those around us.

We will need more people to help in the future – especially those churches not yet open. If you feel you are in a position to help then please contact one of the priests as soon as possible.

Most weeks there may well be a number of feast days. We don’t necessarily celebrate them all. Some saints are more important in certain parts of the country than others and will be celebrated more on a local level, whilst other saints will be celebrated everywhere. So each week we will comment on the feast-days that we should celebrate in our regional Church.


Saturday July 11th – St.Benedict.
St.Benedict was born in Norcia, Italy, and was educated in Rome. He chose to live a solitary life in the mountainous region of Subiaco, in a cave. He lived there for three years. Later he organised a form of monastic life in twelve monasteries. The monks who joined St.Benedict devoted themselves to work and prayer. In the great abbey of Monte Cassino, which he founded, he wrote his Rule, which is still followed by Benedictine monks to this day. This Rule wonderfully combines the Roman genius with the monastic wisdom of the Christian East. He was proclaimed Patron of Europe because of his influence in the spread of Christianity throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. He died at the age of 70 in 550.

Wednesday July 15th – St.Bonaventure.
Born near Orvieto in Italy, Bonaventure became Master of the Franciscan school in Paris. At the age of 36, he was elected Minister General of the Franciscan Order. In 1265 he was nominated Archbishop of York but rejected the honour. He took a prominent part in the Council of Lyons which met to create a union between the separate churches of the East. He was instrumental in bringing unity into the Church amidst much division. He died in 1274.

Thursday July 16th – Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Mount Carmel was the place where the prophet Elijah proclaimed the faith of Israel in one God, the meeting place of God and his people. During the Crusades, Christian hermits established themselves in caves on the mountain. In the 13th Century, they joined together in a religious community known as the Carmelites. Mount Carmel, not far from Nazareth, is under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In these difficult times we cannot give financial support as normal. We still need your support, so if it is possible for you, you can bring your donation to Church when we are open, or you can put your offering through the letterbox at Sacred Heart, St Joseph’s, Holy Family or St Richard's (Please remember to put your Gift Aid number on the envelope if you are signed up for Gift Aid), or you may want to set up a standing order, the bank details are as follows:

HSBC 99-101 Lord St, Liverpool, L2 6PG sort code 40-29-12 account No. 51545205.

Online giving website:
The Archdiocesan online giving website is now ready to be used and can receive both one-off and regular monthly donations. Each parish has its own unique link on the website and a church photograph is shown to provide additional reassurance to donors that they are donating to their parish. All donations will go to the parish selected by the donor. There is a Gift Aid option.
There is a detailed guide on how to donate on the website. If any parishioners would like support with this, please contact. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with name and telephone number and we will endeavour to call to assist as quickly as possible.

The links for the various parishes are:

St Margaret Clitherow : https://donate.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk/st-margaret-clitherow-boothstown
St John Rigby : https://donate.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk/st-john-rigby-atherton
St Edmund Arrowsmith’s: https://donate.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk/st-edmund-arrowsmith-leigh

Making an offering to the parish by text message:

Recent Articles which may be of interest:

Bishop Vincent Malone R.I.P.

Communications Sunday

Reporting Abuse

May, the month of Mary

Various inspiring and heart warming items and pictures to reflect on:

 Pope Francis’s Prayer Intention for July:

‘The family ought to be protected. It faces many dangers: the fast pace of life, stress…..
Sometimes, parents forget to play with their children. The Church needs to encourage families and stay at their side, helping them to discover ways that allow them to overcome all of these difficulties.
Let us pray that today’s families may be accompanied with love, respect and guidance; and especially, that they may be protected by the State.‘ 

 

Some resources for families who would like to celebrate the Liturgy of the Word with their children.

Martin at Ten: Ten is making available for free their daily prayers resources: https://www.tentenresources.co.uk/primary-subscription/prayers-for-home/daily-prayers-for-home/ and their Family Liturgy for Sundays: https://www.tentenresources.co.uk/primary-subscription/prayers-for-home/sunday-liturgy-for-families/

The God who Speaks now have a section on the Word at home: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/home/events/the-god-who-speaks/word-at-home/

CAFOD has several useful items to use with children -  updated weekly

This section will have details for the most recent links to websites which have been passed on to me or I've come across.

Click on each link to be taken to the relevant site. Older items can still be accessed on the useful links page by clicking here.

Tearfund has an article which highlights the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic has also brought out some of the best of humanity. You can read the paper here.

The Justice & Peace Assembly is being held online between Sunday June 28th and Sunday July 4th this year.
Click here to download a poster detailing the time table of events

The Vatican has released a podcast which looks at the meaning of the feast of Corpus Christi. Listen to it here.