CAFOD COLUMN; development agency of the Catholic Church in Eng-land & Wales. Bishop John, as Chair of CAFOD, has

written to every parish in the country

about the serious famine in East Africa:

Our trusted local Church partners, and Caritas sister agencies are doing all that they can to reach the most vulnerable in their par-ishes – on the frontline providing vital aid where the needs are greatest. Unfortunately, those responding have seen the suffering and crisis worsen out of proportion, leading to the DEC's decision to respond this week. This DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal will help to support our partners scale up their work and reach more people in need. One of the saddest things about this truly devastating crisis is that so many of the communities affected have worked tirelessly, for so many years; only to be thwarted by repeatedly failing rains, extreme weathers, and circumstances beyond their control. Yet, their dignity and faith is truly extraordinary. Most of all, I ask you please to keep the region's people in your prayers. They have endured so much, and for so long. Please pray too for our local Catholic Church and our other partners who continue to work against the odds in the worst-affected areas across, and for us as we work with them to address this widespread crisis. Yours in Christ, Bishop John Arnold, Chair of Trustees, CAFOD

From the early days of our parish: Some

men of St. Joseph’s parish mentioned in

World War Two.

Sgt Gerard Keegan, aged 21, of 9 Tonge St, was killed 22nd May 1944. He organ-ized an evacuation and took command when his platoon commander was killed. For this he was posthumously awarded the Military Medal. Gunner Francis Keighery, of 2 Hilton St, was wounded in 1944 with a broken leg. Cpl Gerard Kirby, aged 25, was acciden-tally killed in Scotland, of 134 Miller St. He was at Dunkirk. His father had served 4 years in the First World War. Pte Bill Lee, aged 32, of Abbey Crescent, was missing in Burma 21st November 1944. Pte Tom Lynskey, aged 23, of 14 Hilton St, was captured in North Africa in Novem-ber 1942. In January 1944 he escaped to Switzerland. From the Advertiser, cour-

tesy of John Gwilliam

NEXT SUNDAY’S (2/4/17) MINISTERS

6.30pm (St J) 9.30am (St. J) 11.00am (OLSP)

Reader 1 P Greenall M Schofield children Reader 2 : J Matthews M Wrigley children E.M. 1 M O’Neill J Horrocks J Wildman E.M. 2 J Matthews G Casey D Tierney E.M. 3 P Greenall K Walmsley C Shore E.M. 4 M Payne G Hennon E.M.5 P Hunt L Armstrong E.M. 6 R Windle Children’s Liturgy: E Flynn and P Caffrey

WELCOME: OUR PAR-

ISH COMMUNITY

Congratulations to Ivy and John Danylak on their Dia-mond Wedding Anniversary. Fr. Paul writes that there is no still news as to the time-scale for the closure of Our Lady and St. Paul’s church. Mgr Daly, VG, has been to look at church and presbytery. After Easter we will hold a meeting to plan the next stage.

WORKING together, sharing our time,

talent and treasure as the Body of Christ in

Heywood & beyond

The Gift Aid envelopes are available in church. Thanks to Anne-Marie and Ann for their help with this necessary part of parish administration. If your box is not there, please let us know. We are grateful to all who pay tax on salary, pension or savings, and sign a GiftAid form which means we claim 22p for every pound you give. If you are in this category and haven’t signed a GiftAid form, please give your details to Fr. Paul or Fr. Alf and we can claim money back with your signa-ture. The parish Finance and Buildings Commitees will meet on Thursday 6th April at 7pm at St. Joseph’s Presbytery. Thanks for your generosity: Gift Aid : £543, Loose : £485.31, Developing World Fund: £480.86, including £114.61 from the Lent Lunch This weekend there is a retiring collection for the Buildings Fund. The next meeting of the SVP is on 19th April at 6.30pm at St. Joseph’s Presbytery.

WORSHIP AND DISCIPLESHIP

On Friday evenings of Lent there will be a reflective time of Prayer around the Cross from 7pm-8pm and church will stay open till 10pm. Come for five minutes, or an hour or any time in between. Lent Lunches: 29th March St. Luke’s 5th April St. John’s A short service takes place at 12.30pm followed by a soup and cheese lunch, with do-nations to Christian Aid.

WORD: GROWING IN FAITH and IN KNOWL-

EDGE OF FAITH

Nastepna Sw. Msza: 2 kwietnia o 16:00 w kosciele Sw. Jozefa. Święcone 2017. W sobotę 15-ego kwietnia o godzinie 12 odbędzie się święcenie pokarmów wielkanocnych w naszym kościele. Gorąco zapraszamy i prosimy o poinformowanie znajomych. Bóg zapłać!

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER 2015

Tuesday Confessions Our Lady and St. Paul’s 6-6.30pm

SPY WEDNESDAY Mass of the Sacred Chrism, Salford Cathedral 11am If you would like to come, please

see Fr. Paul for a (free) ticket.

Confessions, St. Joseph’s 6-6.30pm

PASSOVER SUPPER, St. Joseph’s Presbytery, 7pm (please sign list in church porch)

MAUNDY THURSDAY MASS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER (St. Joseph’s) 7.30pm, followed by watch-ing at the Altar of Repose until midnight. Confessions after Mass for half an hour. Holy Hour 10.30-11.30pm GOOD FRIDAY Joint service of worship and witness outside St. Luke’s Church, 12.30pm SOLEMN LITURGY OF THE LORD’S PASSION (St. Joseph’s) 3PM, followed by confessions HOLY SATURDAY Confessions 11-11.45am Blessing of Bread, Eggs and Meat (po polsku) 12noon SOLEMN VIGIL OF EASTER AND FIRST MASS OF EASTER (St. Joseph’s) 8pm no 6.30pm Mass!

EASTER SUNDAY MASSES 9.30am (St. J) and 11am (OLSP)

First Confessions are on Tuesday 28th March, from 6.30pm to 8pm, in St. Jo-seph’s church.

The First Holy Communions

will be celebrated on the weekend of Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th June. At each church on that day there will be a 9.30am and 11am Mass.

RCIA/Journey in Faith continues on WEDNESDAY 29th March at 7pm. IF GOD IS CALLING YOU INTO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, or wish to deepen your understanding of the Faith, speak to Fr. Paul/Fr. Alf. The next Baptism Preparation

Meeting is Sunday March 26th 6pm, St. Joseph’s Presbytery. Contact Fr. Paul or Fr. Alf before attending.

PARISH OF OUR LADY & ST. JOSEPH, HEYWOOD partner with St. Joseph’s, Numan, Nigeria

Parish Priest: Fr. Paul Daly paul.daly@dioceseofsalford.org.uk Assistant Priest: Fr. Alfred Rebello

St. Joseph’s Presbytery, Mary St, OL10 1EG Tel: 369777 Chaplain - Fairfield Hospital: Fr. Andrew Starkie

(Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham) Our Lady & St. Paul’s Presbytery, Argyle St, Heywood, Ol10 3PB Tel: 625512

PARISH WEBSITE www.catholicheywood.com

19th MARCH 2017

St Joseph’s Church (St J) Our Lady and St Paul’s (OLSP) Events in italics: Ordinariate Parish Church: St. Joseph’s Church, Mary St, OL10 1EG Chapel of Ease: Our Lady & St. Paul’s, Sutherland Rd

We reflect on the Church’s teaching in the Cate-

chism of the Catholic Church (CCC1119-22)

Forming "as it were, one mystical person" with Christ the head, the Church acts in the sacraments as "an or-ganically structured priestly community." Through Baptism and Confirmation the priestly people is en-abled to celebrate the liturgy, while those of the faith-ful "who have received Holy Orders, are appointed to nourish the Church with the word and grace of God in the name of Christ." The ordained ministry or ministerial priesthood is at the service of the baptismal priesthood. The or-dained priesthood guarantees that it really is Christ who acts in the sacraments through the Holy Spirit for the Church. the saving mission entrusted by the Father to his incarnate Son was committed to the apostles and through them to their successors: they receive the Spirit of Jesus to act in his name and in his person. The ordained minister is the sacramental bond that ties the liturgical action to what the apostles said and did and, through them, to the words and actions of Christ, the source and foundation of the sacraments. The three sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders confer, in addition to grace, a sacra-mental character or "seal" by which the Christian shares in Christ's priesthood and is made a member of the Church according to different states and functions. This configuration to Christ and to the Church, brought about by the Spirit, is indelible, it remains for ever in the Christian as a positive disposition for grace, a promise and guarantee of divine protection, and a vocation to divine worship and the service of the Church. These sacraments can never be repeated. Christ sent his apostles so that "repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations." "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The mission to baptize, and so the sacramental mission, is implied in the mission to evangelize, because the sacrament is prepared for by the word of God and by the faith which is assent to this word: The People of God is

formed into one in the first place by the Word of the

living God, the preaching of the Word is required for

the sacramental ministry itself, since the sacraments

are sacraments of faith, drawing their origin and

nourishment from the Word.

Point to ponder: Sacraments. Why?

We reflect on Care of creation with Pope Francis’ Laudato sii

(121-2) A misguided placing of man at the centre of everything leads to a misguided lifestyle. I have noted that the practical relativism typi-cal of our age is “even more dangerous than doctrinal relativism”. When human beings place themselves at the centre, they give absolute priority to immediate convenience and all else becomes relative. We should not be surprised to find the rise of a relativism which sees eve-rything as irrelevant unless it serves one’s own immediate interests. There is a logic in all this whereby different attitudes can feed on one another, leading to environmental degradation and social decay. To Ponder: What does Pope Francis mean by a

‘relativisim typical of our age?

We reflect on the Church’s teaching on Marriage (Amoris Laetitia 72)

The sacrament of marriage is not a social convention, an empty ritual or merely the out-ward sign of a commitment. The sacrament is a gift given for the sanctification and salvation of the spouses, since “their mutual belonging is a real representation, through the sacramental sign, of the same relationship between Christ and the Church. The married couple are therefore a permanent reminder for the Church of what took place on the cross; they are for one another and for their children wit-nesses of the salvation in which they share through the sacrament” Mar-riage is a vocation, inasmuch as it is a response to a specific call to ex-perience conjugal love as an imperfect sign of the love between Christ and the Church. Consequently, the decision to marry and to have a fam-ily ought to be the fruit of a process of vocational discernment. To ponder: what does it mean to say that marriage is a sacrament?

Tuesday

Thursday

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Date Mass, other Services and Parish Events Time

9.30am

9.30am 11am 11am 1pm 3pm

Church

St J

St J St J OLSP St J St J

Exposition of the Bl. Sacrament Mass

Mass Funeral Service for James Long Lent Service, with Guest Speaker, and Lunch RCIA Journey in Faith

9am 9.30am 1pm 1.30pm 12.30pm 7pm

St J St J Fairfield Hosp’l Blackley Crem’m St. Luke’s St J. Presbytery

Wednesday

Mass, followed by breakfast Mass

Holy Hour

Legion of Mary

6.30am 9.30am 12noon 6.15pm

St. J St. J St. J St J Presbytery

Exposition of the Bl. Sacrament Mass, followed by refreshments Prayer around the Cross

Mass

Mass

Sung Eucharist Baptism of Chloe Louise Green & Phoebe Jacqueline Wardle Stations of the Cross and Benediction Baptism Preparation Meeting

26th MARCH

2017 FOURTH SUNDAY of

Lent

Laetare Sunday

Mothering Sunday

9.30am 11am 11am 1pm 3pm 6pm

St J OLSP St J St J OLSP St J Presbytery

Exposition of the Bl. Sacrament Mass

Funeral Service for John Bates First Confessions

9am 9.30am 11am 6.30pm

St J St J Middleton Cem’y St J

Friday 9am 9.30am 7-8pm

St. J St. J St. J

11am 12noon 6pm 6.30pm

St. J St. J St. J St J

Saturday Confessions and Exposition of the Bl. Sacrament Mass

Confessions Mass (First Mass of Sunday)

This week’s Feasts: Tue: St. Stephen Harding, born in Dorset, became Abbot of Citeaux in France where, with St. Bernard, he established the Cistercian Order. He died in 1134. Bl. Christopher Wharton, from Ilkley, worked as a priest in York where he was arrested at the house of Mrs Hunt. She was kept in prison til death: he was martyred in 1600. Wed: Bl John Hambley, from Cornwall, worked as a priest in the South West. Arrested twice, both times he informed on prominent local Catholics and won his freedom. Arrested a 3rd time, he stood firm and was martyred in 1587. Thu: St. Osburg; Abbess of Coventry in Saxon times. After her death and her monastery’s destruction by Vikings Lady Godiva re-built it in her honour Fri: Bl Christopher Robinson, from Cumberland, worked as priest until his martyrdom in 1598. Sat: St. Cellach, Archbishop of Armagh, played a key part in the transition of the Irish Church from monastic-based to parish-based. He died in 1129. St. Gilbert, Bishop of Caithness during the reign of Alexander II, died in 1245. Bl. John Bretton, from Barnsley, was a devout Catholic. Because of the persecution he suffered for his faith, he was often separated from his wife and fam-ily. As an old man, he was falsely accused of making traitorous speeches against the queen and condemned to death. He refused to renounce his faith, and was executed at York on 1 April 1598.

We pray for the Pope’s prayers intentions for March: That persecuted Christians may be supported by the prayers and help of the Church. We pray for the people of the parish of St. Marie and St. Joseph, Bury, and for Fr Francis Wadsworth their parish priest. We pray for all who live or work on North Light Way, Gale St, Rose Hill St and Moor st. We pray for Joan McDonough, Bob Emmett, Monica Curran, Netta Garfield, Bridget Hart, Margaret Lloyd, Amber Taylor, Josie Green and all the sick. We pray for James Long, Patricia Clancy, John Bates, Seamus Farren, Ante Carden and all who died recently and for Tho-mas and Lilian O’Hara, Vera Navesery, Jean McCormack, Clyde Oxton, Josephine Pearson, Margaret Holden, Andrew Hol-den, Catherine McDermott, Mary Flanagan, Pat Duffin and all we remember at this time

Monday Mass

Mass

Mass

Sung Eucharist

Baptism of Grace Brown Stations of the Cross and Benediction

MOTHERING SUNDAY - A SONNET BY MALCOM GUITE

At last, in spite of all, a recognition,

For those who loved and laboured for so long,

Who brought us, through that labour, to fruition

To flourish in the place where we belong.

A thanks to those who stayed and did the raising,

Who buckled down and did the work of two,

Whom governments have mocked instead of praising,

Who hid their heart-break and still struggled through,

The single mothers forced onto the edge

Whose work the world has overlooked, neglected,

Invisible to wealth and privilege,

But in whose lives the kingdom is reflected.

Now into Christ our mother church we bring them,

Who shares with them the birth-pangs of His Kingdom.

To hear this poem read click on the link on the poet’s homepage: https://

malcolmguite.wordpress.com/2015/03/14/a-sonnet-for-mothering-

sunday-3/