Leigh Pastoral Area

Thursday, February 17, 2011

World Day of Prayer Service

Last February, Chile suffered a severe earthquake.  In the autumn, 33 Chilean miners were trapped underground:  after their remarkable rescue, they witnessed to God’s power, strength and comfort in their ordeal.  Now the Christians of Chile invite you to pray with them and for them in the Unity Service,  composed by them,  at St. Thomas’ Church, Chapel Street,  Leigh,  on Friday 4th March, at 7.30pm.  This is one of many such services taking place in UK and in 170 countries worldwide that day.  ALL (men, women, young people,  children)  MOST WELCOME. 

All who enjoy SINGING (male, female, any age) are invited for the joint Choir practices: Monday 21st & 28th February, 7.30 - 8.30 pm, at St. Thomas’ Church.

As part of the World Day of Prayer, a special service will take place in St. Richard’s Church at 2.00 pm on Friday March 4th. The speaker will be Maureen Knight, from Liverpool Archdiocesan Pastoral Formation Department. Please come along and join us, especially if you cannot make it to the evening service in Leigh. The service is part of the annual Women’s World Day of Prayer, but this year it is open to everyone. It should be a wonderful occasion so please come along and join us in prayer. Refreshments available after the service.

Education Sunday 2011

Education Sunday is a national day of prayer and celebration for everyone involved in the world of education. For more than 100 years there has been an annual recognition of Education Sunday in England and Wales (traditionally on the ninth Sunday before Easter).

When Pope Benedict visited England last September, he spoke to school children all over the country:  “I hope that among those of you listening to me today there are some of the future saints of the twenty-first century. What God wants most of all for each one of you is that you should become holy. He loves you much more than you could ever begin to imagine, and he wants the very best for you. And by far the best thing for you is to grow in holiness.”

God our Father,
we ask you to bless all we do
in our schools and colleges
May we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely
so that he can lead us to find the fullness of life
he has promised to all who love him,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.

Friday, February 11, 2011

WITH YOU ALWAYS

Changes in the way we celebrate Sacraments

In recent years in the Archdiocese of Liverpool, most Catholics have been baptised as babies, made their First Communion around age seven and been confirmed as teenagers.

These three sacraments make up the process of belonging to the Church (called Christian Initiation). The sacraments weren’t always in that order, and adults preparing for initiation have always received them in the original order: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist (Communion).

From September 2012 in this Archdiocese, children who have been baptised will follow that same order. Those aged eight by the first of September 2012 will be invited to receive Confirmation and First Communion in the days between Ascension Sunday and the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) in 2013, and the same pattern will be followed each year after that.

The families of these children will be invited to explore and celebrate Reconciliation with them during Advent each year, while teenagers and their families will be invited to explore and celebrate Reconciliation during Lent each year.

The bishops will preside at some of the celebrations of Confirmation and Communion (with priests delegated to confirm at the other celebrations) and at some of the celebrations of Reconciliation with teenagers and their families.

At the same time the way children are prepared for these sacraments will change. Instead of teachers, catechists and priests teaching children and parents about the sacraments, they will help the parents to hand on their own faith to their children, fulfilling the privileges and responsibilities expressed in the Rite of Baptism. New resources will help parents to prepare their own children for these sacraments with the support of the local church community.

These changes are meant to help us understand that sacraments are gifts of God’s grace, that parents are the first teachers of their children in the ways of faith, and that we are all called to get to know Jesus better throughout our life’s journey.

Between now and June 2011
First Communion as usual in Year 2/3
Confirmation for Years 9 & 10

Autumn 2011
Confirmation for Years 7, 8 & 9

January - June 2012
No First Communions because the celebration of the sacrament is moving to Year 4
Confirmation for Years 4, 5 & 6

September 2012 onwards
Confirmation & First Communion in Year 4

Details for the Sacrament of Reconciliation to follow.

OPERA GALA

Charity Concert in aid of Leukemia & Lymphona Research
An evening of opera and musical favourites featuring singers studying at the Royal Northern College of Music

31st March 7.30 pm
St Mary’s Catholic High School, Astley

Tickets £7.00 available from Daniel Farrimond
Tel 07900 517773 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

Support for the Journey VI: Prayer

Thursday 24th February, 7.30 - 9.00 pm
Sacred Heart, Warrington WA5 1AQ

An evening to explore different approaches to prayer within RCIA Groups including workshops on praying with mantras, psalms or paint!

To book your place, please contact Mrs Julie Cassidy
0151 522 1040 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Being A Catechist

A course for catechists and those interested in becoming catechists

The course will be held at Holy Family, Boothstown, on:
Tuesday 5th April:  7.00 - 9.00 pm
Tuesday 12th April:  7.00 - 9.00 pm
Tuesday 19th April:  7.00 - 9.00 pm
Saturday 7th May:  10.00 am - 2.00 pm

A Diocesan Certificate will be awarded to all who complete the course and attend all sessions. There is a charge of £20 per participant. Places are limited to 30 participants so early application is advised. Please contact Mrs Julie Cassidy (0151 522 1040) no later than Friday 25th March.

Marriage & Family Life

Celebration of Marriage & Family Life
A special Celebration of Marriage and Family Life led by Archbishop Patrick will take place at St Mary’s, Lowe House, St Helens, at 2.30 pm on Sunday 20th February.  It will be a celebration for everyone: young or ageing, married or single, widowed, separated or divorced. Activities for children (0-10 years), Youth Workshop provided by Animate (11-14 years & 15+). Refreshments will be served after the service.  Free parking in St Helens on a Sunday.

Recovering & Moving On After Divorce
The Archdiocesan Pastoral Formation Department is offering a series of six weekly meetings to offer support to Catholics who are divorced or separated, or experiencing the breakdown of a long term relationship.  Christians of any other denomination, or of none, are very welcome.  The groups are small and confidential.  There is no charge. Meetings will start on Monday 21st February, 7.30 to 9.00 pm, near Aigburth Vale, Liverpool.  For further details and bookings (essential) contact Frances on 0151 727 2195. There will also be a one day meeting on Saturday, 19th February, for those who would find difficulty in attending the six meetings.

MINISTRY OF MARRIAGE PREPARATION

ROLE
Marriage Preparation Catechist

WORKING WITH
Co-ordinator for Marriage & Family Life, Pastoral Formation
Department LACE in partnership with Marriage Care

WHO CAN APPLY?
Catechists should be 18yrs+ and can be Married,
Single, Divorced, Separated or Widowed

DESCRIPTION
As part of a team to provide courses organised by the
Marriage Care Centre to couples who are marrying with
the blessing of the Catholic Church

SUPPORT PROVIDED
Initial training 20 hours. On-going support/ supervision provided
in a group setting.  One day in-service training annually.
 
TRAINING DATES
Two courses available: 12th, 13th March and 3rd April
or 10th, 11th September and 2nd October 2011

TIME REQUIRED  
Minimum requirement 3 days a year

For more information, please call:  Maureen O’Brien
Tel 0151 522 1044 Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Pastoral Area Presentations

In February last year, there were two presentations in the Pastoral Area to help us reflect on how far we have travelled since 2002 in trying to respond rather than react to change. 

Some of the milestones of this journey include:
A) The formation of a Pastoral Area Forum, made up of representatives of each parish, to work in a collaborative partnership with the clergy.
B) The development of two areas within the Pastoral Area, under the patronage of St Margaret Clitherow and St Edmund Arrowsmith, to enable working together and sharing resources.
C) The decision of the priests to work together across the Pastoral Area as a team.
D) The bringing together of parish newsletters into two area newsletters to improve communication and sharing.
E) The celebration of various liturgies as an area - Holy Week & Easter, Lourdes ‘At Home’ Day, Holydays, Patronal Feasts, etc.
F) The appointment of a clerk of works to help manage the ongoing building repairs and maintenance.

At the end of the meetings, parishioners were asked if they thought we were at the stage when we should consider bringing the nine parishes together into two parishes.  There was overwhelming support for this proposal.

We are now at the stage where we can implement this change.  So we are inviting parishioners across the Pastoral Area to attend ONE of the following presentations to see what this change will involve.

Tuesday 15th February
7.30 - 9.00 pm
The Excellence Centre
St Mary’s Catholic High School, Astley

OR

Thursday 17th February
7.30 - 9.00 pm
St Joseph’s Parish Hall, Leigh

Friday, January 21, 2011

A Parable

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, ‘Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.’ The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, ‘You have seen Hell.’

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, ‘I don’t understand’. ‘It is simple’, said the Lord. ‘It requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. The greedy think only of themselves.’

(Source unknown)

The Problem with Dandelions

A man who took great pride in his lawn found himself with a large crop of dandelions. He tried every method he knew to get rid of them. Still they plagued him. Finally he wrote to the Department of Agriculture. He enumerated all the things he had tried and closed his letter with the question: “What shall I do now?” In due course, the reply came: “We suggest you learn to love them.”

(Source unknown)

NEW TRANSLATION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL

Before leaving England, Pope Benedict XVI asked the Bishops of England and Wales to prepare for the introduction of the new translation of the Roman Missal.  The Missal contains the texts which are prayed by priest and people every time Catholics come to Mass. Work on the new translation has been ongoing since the publication of a new Latin edition of the Roman Missal in 2002.

The translation of the Roman Missal is now complete and the Holy See has given its recognitio on the text. The bishops, following the Holy Father’s encouragement that this new translation is an opportunity for ‘in-depth catechesis on the Eucharist and renewed devotion in the manner of its celebration’,  have decided that from September 2011 the Order of Mass in the new translation will be used in parishes in England and Wales. The Order of Mass contains those texts of both priest and people which are constant at each celebration of Mass. For three months from September 2011 until December 2011 there will be catchesis in parishes both on the new translation and on the Mass itself. This will precede the publication of the new Missal which at the earliest is expected by Advent 2011.

For more information about the new translation of the Roman Missal, see: http://www.missal.org.uk

Thursday, January 13, 2011

PASSING ON THE FAITH

Parents and grandparents, priests and deacons, catechists and teachers are invited to a Conversation about what we mean when we talk about ‘Passing on the Faith’:

Saturday 22nd January at St Edmund Arrowsmith School, Ashton, 9.30 am - 12.30 pm. 

Each parish has received three or four invitations.  If you would like to go, please let Fr Dave or Fr Paul know by Tuesday at the latest Thank you.

ADULT FAITH FORMATION

MEETING MATTHEW
Led by Dr. Camilla Burns SND (Director of the Institute for Pastoral Theology)
A chance to explore the Gospel for Liturgical Year ‘A’ with special attention to the Passion Narrative.

At LACE on Saturday 29thJanuary 2011, 10.00 am to 3.00 pm.
Cost: £12 per person or £50 per group of five.
Tea/Coffee on arrival and Hotpot Lunch included.

Please email Mrs Julie Cassidy on .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or phone 0151 522 1040 to reserve your place.

PASTORAL LEADERSHIP
A new part-time Diploma in Pastoral Leadership starts on 1st February 2011.  See noticeboards for full details or contact Mrs Julie Cassidy (details above).

BELIEVING & BELONGING
A new course exploring what being a Catholic means today:  6.30 - 9.00 pm on 1, 8, 15 February and 1, 8, 15 March at Hope University in the new Eden Building on Taggart Avenue.  Cost: £50.  See noticeboard for further details or phone 0151 522 1040.

JOB VACANCIES

There are vacancies in the Archdiocese for two posts:
a Safeguarding Administrator and an Assistant Director of Youth Ministry. 

Please see under ‘Job Vacancies’ on the Archdiocesan website: http://www.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

Astley Churches Together
There will be three half-hour services during the week, each beginning at 7.00 pm: 
Tuesday 18th January
7.00 pm at St Ambrose Barlow
Wednesday 19th January
7.00 pm at St Stephen’s
Thursday 20th January
7.00 pm at the Independent Methodist Chapel on Manchester Road

The week will be brought to a conclusion with a final short service at the Independent Methodist Chapel at 4.00 pm on Sunday 23rd January.

Churches Together in Boothstown
Tuesday 18th January at 7.00 pm
Compline at St John’s, Mosley Common
Wednesday 19th January at 7.00 pm
Reflection & Contemplation at St Andrew’s
Friday 21st January at 9.30 am
Prayer Service at the Methodist Church
Sunday 23rd January at 6.00 pm
Unity Service at Holy Family
Tuesday 25th January at 7.00 pm
Shared Table & Quiz Night at St John’s School
(Please bring something for the shared table)