Newsletter: 9th March 2025

First Sunday Of Lent

15.00 Stations of the Cross and Benediction
16.30 Confessions
17.30 VIGIL MASS

9.00 MASS
10.30 MASS (& Coffee)
12.00 Baptisms

09.15 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
10.15 Mass (Remembering Vera Wilkinson)
10.45 Coffee Morning

19.00 Mass
19.30 UCM AGM

19.00 Station Mass, Cardinal Langley RCHS, M24 2GL

8.00 Early Lenten Mass

15.00 Stations of the Cross and Benediction
16.30 Confessions
17.30 VIGIL MASS

9.00 MASS
10.30 MASS (& Coffee)
12.00 Baptisms

CAFOD

During next weekend’s Masses Simon Holleran will be speaking about the work of Cafod.

LENTEN APPEAL

There is a bucket in the Atrium for our Lenten Appeal, which this year will used for the Catholic Life and Mission of our own Primary School. Our Appeal will hopefully help to buy Catechisms, Bibles, Teaching Aids and Devotional objects to inspire and further the spiritual lives of our children, revealing Christ Jesus to them, that they may discover the great joy of Discipleship. Thank you for your continued generosity.

DONA CARD MACHINE

A reminder that the Dona card machine, installed at the right-hand side of the church entrance stairs is fully functioning. Should it be easier for you to make your weekly offering by card, you can do so with this machine. God bless your generosity and thank you.

THANK YOU

Thank you for the £100.00 donation received from those attending the coffee morning.

NATIONAL NOVENA TO ST JOSEPH 10TH TO 18TH MARCH 2025

Novena Booklets available at £1.00 in the Atrium.

OVER 70’S VARIETY SHOW – RADCLIFFE ROTARY CLUB (FOR RADCLIFFE RESIDENTS)

Please sign the list in the Atrium. Thursday, 17th April 1.00pm – 2.30pm by 29th March.

DIOCESAN SYNOD

The End of the Journey
Last weekend, our Diocesan Synod drew to a close with the final stage of the journey. On Saturday, clergy and lay synod members gathered to vote on the 40 recommendations that will form our Pastoral Plan to guide our diocese in the years to come. To find out more about the process, the recommendations, and results, please visit here >

PARISH OFFICE

Office Hours next week:
8.30am – 2.30pm Tuesday
8.30am – 1.30pm Wednesday
8.30am – 2.30pm Thursday
8.30am – 1.30pm Friday.

LENTEN RESOURCES

Fr James has provided the following to help parishioners on their Lenten journey:

Lent Guide 2025
Pray Each Day 2025

DEANERY LENT STATION MASSES 2025

Please note that these Masses are nothing to do with the Stations of the Cross. An ancient tradition in Rome is to travel between different Churches during Lent and celebrate the Eucharist: we do this as a Deanery. Especially in this Holy Year, when pilgrimage is such an important feature, please see this Lenten Journey from place to place in our Deanery as our own mini-pilgrimage, walking together as Pilgrims of Hope. This year we are delighted that two of our High Schools are hosting Masses – everyone is invited to these Masses as well as those in some of our Churches. Masses all begin at 7.00 p.m., with confessions beforehand and refreshments afterwards. The full program is:

Thursday 13th March: Cardinal Langley RC High School, Middleton
Thursday 20th March: Saint Mary and Saint Philip Neri, Radcliffe
Thursday 27th March: Saint Gabriel’s RC High School, Bury
Thursday 3rd April: Saint John the Evangelist, Rochdale
Thursday 10th April: Our Lady’s, Kersal.

SISTER ACT

St. Dunstan’s AODS are presenting “Sister Act the Musical,” in May. We have reserved tickets for 2 nights -Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th of May. Tickets are £25 including transport to the show and back to Church. Fr. Brady is playing Monsignor O’Hara! If you would like to reserve a place please sign the list in the Atrium, so we can organise transport and make the necessary arrangements.

DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES

Bookings are now being taken for the 2025 Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. This year’s pilgrimage will take place between 31st July and 6th August. For more information on how to book as a pilgrim or register as a volunteer: please visit >

Lepra’s Faith Appeal Video

Thank you for your kind support, to find out more and to support Lepra’s work please visit www.lepra.org.uk

STAY WITH US, LORD, ON OUR JOURNEY

THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL

To remind us that Lent is a time of testing, the gospel reading of the First Sunday of Lent is always about the testing of Jesus. Through our fasting (or whatever that extra offering we make to the Lord during Lent may be) we enter into solidarity with the hardship undergone by Jesus in his Passion. Of course Lent is not a matter of testing out how far we can push ourselves (a sort of macho self-torture). Rather it is a period of preparation for the Passion and Resurrection – just like the forty years of Israel in the desert preparing for the Promised Land, or like the prophet Elijah’s forty-day preparation before he encounters God on Mount Horeb, or like the forty days during which Christ prepared the apostles between Easter and the Ascension. The point of Jesus’ forty-day fast is to give some force in response to the devil’s first temptation. To each of the devil’s taunts Jesus replies with a word of scripture: if you rely on God’s word you are unshakably safe, for God has created and arranged everything. Matthew and Luke have a different order for the second and third temptations: Matthew climaxes with Jesus as the Second Moses, like Moses seeing all the territories from a high mountain. Luke ends the scene as he begins and ends his gospel, at Jerusalem, the turning-point of the gospel – the place where Jesus rises from the dead and ascends to the Father. We do not live on bread alone. How has the Word of God fed you? In the solitude of the desert Jesus prayed to his Father. Can you find solitude for prayer? What can you do during Lent to come closer to the Lord?

BAPTISMS Please see Fr. Brady after Mass if you would like your child to be baptised. A baptismal certificate for one of the parents must be provided as evidence of baptism in a Roman Catholic Church before a baptism date can be given. We welcome parents and children and by attending Masses at the weekend on Saturday at 5.30pm, Sunday at 9.00am or 10.00am which fulfil the Sunday obligation. All Catholics are OBLIGED to celebrate Mass on EVERY Sunday.

BAPTISM CERTIFICATE COPIES REQUESTS For those requesting copies of baptism certificate the office can be contacted initially and the certificate can be collected at any of the weekend Masses. This is also to encourage people to come to Mass.

SICK AND HOUSEBOUND If you know of anybody who would like Fr Brady to visit, could you please give him their name and address with postcode and a contact telephone number. Thank you.

MASS INTENTIONS, OUR LADY’S LAMP AND THE SANCTUARY LAMP The practice of requesting a Mass to be offered for loved ones, living or deceased, is a beautiful and wonderful part of our Catholic Tradition. Continuing this long-standing practice, you can remember someone who has died recently or many years ago. The Mass can also make beautiful gifts for any special occasion: birthdays, anniversaries, in thanksgiving for a prayer answered etc. You can offer an intention for anybody who is struggling with a serious illness or other difficulties of life. There are Mass Intention Envelopes provided on the table in the Atrium. (Please ensure that you have the express consent of the sick or housebound person as the bulletin is posted on the parish website, therefore making that information available to the public at large. Please provide a contact number with Mass Intentions so that any discrepancies can be resolved. Our Lady’s Lamp and Sanctuary Lamp are £5.00 and burn for seven days. Please place any intentions in an envelope with your donation and give to Father Brady or place in the Mass offering Box in the Atrium. All newsletter items must be sent in by Thursday morning.

MASSES AND PRAYERS RECEIVED THIS WEEK

Lately Dead
Vera Wilkinson, Robert Higgin, Gavin Wade.

Birthday Memory
Aileen McClusky, Eva Boote, Constance Hartley.

Sick
Pope Francis, Jennifer Barrett, Geoffrey Hunt, Kieran Rafferty, Francis Loughran, Andy Watson, Jeanette Moran, Michelle Clegg.

Other
Intentions of Mr and Mrs Anigbo, A Private Intention,
All Deceased Members of the Healey Family,
A Special Intention
A Special Intention For A Family Member

This week the Sanctuary Lamp burns for:

Francesco Chiodo

This week Our Lady’s Lamp burns for:

Rosetta Chiodo
Jennifer Barrett.

Lourdes TV

Please click on the red ‘Play’ button to watch Lourdes TV.