3rd Sunday of Lent (C)

This Week's Feast Days

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.

Sunday, March 23rd - 3rd Sunday of Lent (C)

Monday, March 24th -  Weekday of Lent

Tuesday, March 25th -  Annunciation of the Lord

Wednesday, March 26th -  Weekday of Lent

Thursday, March 27th -  Weekday of Lent

Friday, March 28th - Weekday of Lent

Saturday, March 29th - Weekday of Lent

Sunday, March 30th - 4th Sunday of Lent (C)

Sunday Readings

3rd Sunday of Lent (C)

First Reading – Exod 3:1-8, 13-15
I Am has sent me to you.

Second Reading – 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12
The life of the people under Moses in the desert was written down to be a lesson for us.

Gospel Reading – Luke 13:1-9
Unless you repent you will all perish as they did.

Psalter: Week 3

Weekdays: Lent Week 3

Mass of Induction

The Archbishop of Liverpool, Most Reverend Malcom McMahon OP was the principal celebrant of the Mass. He was joined by priests of the Deanery, Fr Francis's former Parish Priest, the Provincial of his order and several priests and brothers from Fr Francis's order - The Missionary Society of St Paul. Many people had travelled some distance to attend the occasion.

Read more: Mass of Induction

Lent 2025

Stations of the Cross:

During Lent we will have several opportunities to take part in this devotion each week:

Monday - St Lewis's, Croft at 7.00pm

Tuesdays - Sacred Heart, Leigh, after the midday Mass

Wednesdays  - St Josephs after the midday Mass  
                          Holy Family Church at 6.30 pm before Mass (led by Parishioners.) (Excluding March 14th and Wednesday of Holy Week.)

Fridays - All Saints, Golborne, beginning at 12.30pm after 12 noon mass
                Sacred Heart Hindley Green at 6.00pm;
                St Richard's, Atherton at 7.00pm;
                St Ambrose Barlow Church at 7.00pm, led by Deacon Bob

The Stations of the Cross at St Lewis's

The Stations of the Cross at St Catherine of Siena and All Saints

The Stations of the Cross with Cardinal Vincent Nichols

Newsletters

There are four newsletters published weekly in the Leigh area, you can access current and past editions here:

St Edmund Arrowsmith Newsletters (St Joseph's and Sacred Heart, Leigh)

St Margaret Clitherow Newsletters (Holy Family, Boothstown; St Ambrose Barlow, Astley)

St John Rigby Newsletter (Sacred Heart, Hindley Green; St Richard's, Atherton)

St Lewis, St Catherine's & All Saints Newsletters (Croft, Lowton & Golborne) (opens in new window)

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

News Bites

• THE POPE’S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR MARCH 2025:
  

  For families in crisis
  Let us pray that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, rediscovering each other's gifts, even in their differences.

• We keep in prayer- Pope Francis - 
  Let us pray for our Holy Father Pope Francis. That the Lord preserve him and bring him back to health to continue his ministry amongst us. Lord bring him strength in his suffering and hope in you always. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen

• Parish Council Meeting -St Edmund Arrowsmith
  There will be a meeting for the Parish Council on Wednesday at 7.00pm in the Green Room at St Joseph’s Presbytery
• Children's Liturgy - St Ambrose
  The next children's liturgy at St Ambrose Barlow church will take place during the 11:00am mass on Sunday 6th April.
  We desperately need more volunteers to help with this important role. If you feel able to become involved please speak to Fr Francis, Alison Doctor or Karen Standring.
• Ladies Group
  The next meeting will be held on Thursday 27th March 12 noon in St Ambrose Hall.
• St Edmund Arrowsmith Parish Office
  Please note that the Parish Office will be closed for the next few weeks. For enquires please contact Sacred Heart Presbytery 01942 731679. There is also a fault with the telephone line at St Joseph’s which means that no-one is able to leave a message.
• Ecumenical Lenten Talks
  There are five Ecumenical Lenten Talks taking place each week at All Saints Church, High Street, Golborne WA3 3BG. Tea and Coffee at 7.30pm talks begin at 7.45pm Wednesday 12th March. Mr Herbert Cooper from Lowton and Golborne Community Church.
• Walsingham Trip Easter 2025.
  Anyone interested in going to Walsingham with the XII Apostles group at Easter 2025, please contact Therese Thompson on 07780064502 or Jessica Sanderson on 07540797574.
• St Vincent de Paul.
  The weekly meeting of the older men in the parish for lunch and a chat will be at the Boundary Stone at 1.00pm on Wednesdays
• The SVP may be able to assist you or someone you know who needs help. We could help by providing people in our parish with supermarket food vouchers, essential furniture and home items and energy top ups where these are needed. For more information contact our dedicatedSVP number 07566725590
• Food Bank:
  Please give generously if you are able. Food donated at church is taken to support our local food bank. 
•  
• Please also refer to the Events page and individual newsletter pages for more social activities in the area.

Mass Times In The Area

Below are the normal mass times for the churches in the area, but please check the newsletters for any changes which may occur during certain periods, e.g. funerals, holidays, feast days.

Jubilee Prayer

The official Prayer allows pilgrims from all over the world to use the same words to express 
gratitude to God for the Jubilee experience and request the grace of forgiveness.

Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us
into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos
in the sure expectation
of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee
reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise for ever.

Amen

Gaza Appeal

You have raised an amazing £1,372.24 for our brothers and sisters sheltering in Holy Family Church Gaza.

In addition, there were numerous cards and messages of love, support, prayers and encouragement which was delivered by Bishop James Curry to Fr Gabriel Romanelli on the 20th January whilst visiting Jerusalem with the Holy Land Commission of Bishops. In the darkness of war, your incredible acts of generosity and kindness represented a shining light of hope, reminding our brothers and sisters in Gaza not to lose faith in God, and that we care.

We have also received £1,100 from two donors making the total sum raised in St Margaret Clitherow Parish a whopping £2,472.24.

St Joseph Church and Sacred Heart Church of St Edmund Arrowsmith Parish have raised the incredible sum of £1,805.

The total funds raised by our two parishes in Leigh Deanery amounts to £4,277.24 which was matched by another generous donor making a grand total of £8,554.48 going to Holy Family Church Gaza.

Well done and “thank you” to everyone who has helped in raising this remarkable amount of money for a very worthy cause.

Ukraine

Pope Francis
Pope Francis gave us this invitation.... ‘let us persevere in our closeness and in prayer for the dear Ukrainian people who are experiencing immense cruelty’

A Prayer for Ukraine
Loving God,
We pray for the people of Ukraine,
for all those suffering or afraid,
that you will be close to them and protect them.

We pray for world leaders,
for compassion, strength and wisdom to guide their choices.

We pray for the world
that in this moment of crisis,
we may reach out in solidarity
to our brothers and sisters in need.

May we walk in your ways
so that peace and justice
become a reality for the people of Ukraine
and for all the world.

Amen.

(From the CAFOD website. Link opens in new tab.)

Prayer for Peace

World Day of Prayer for Peace.

The theme chosen by Pope Francis this year:
Forgive us our trespasses…grant us your peace
In a world hungry for revenge and where ‘sorry’ really does seem to be the hardest word, Pope Francis has boldly chosen  ‘forgiveness’ as the central theme for World Peace Day 2025. This is in stark contrast to the calls for ‘revenge’ and ‘an eye for an eye’ that are currently played on repeat by our politicians and amplified by the media.
Do we really have the faith to believe that when we choose to forgive then God will grant us peace?
The Pope informs us that it is only from a genuine conversion on all levels - personal, local and international - that true peace will be
able to flourish.

CAFOD News

Family Fast Day - March 14th

Please donate to our Family Fast Day parish collections and be a pilgrim of hope with CAFOD this Jubilee Year. You’ll be supporting communities experiencing the impacts of war, poverty and climate change to find solutions and hope.

Use the CAFOD envelope in church, donate online at cafod.org.uk/envelope call us on 0303 303 3030. You can also text CAFODLENT to 70085 to donate £10.

CAFOD's Prayer for Peace in the Middle East (Opens in a new tab.)

Live Simply / Laudato Si

Reflect:

This week's Gospel is about repentance, forgiveness and hope. The story of the barren fig tree reminds us that God is always there to welcome us when we turn back to him.

Pray:

Prayer of Saint Richard of Chichester

Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits thou hast given me,
for all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me.

O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly,
and follow thee more nearly, day by day.
Amen.

Act
God never gives up on us. He is always there waiting for us to return to him, ready to forgive our faults and failings. His love for us is unconditional. Do we treat others in this way too? or do we harbour grudges and find it difficult to lve some people? This week step back and consider your relationship with others Make a special effort to welcome those who may have hurt you back in to your life.

Challenge

In the spirit of Laudato Si:

• This week make a special effort to support your local environment. Take care not to drop rubbish. Keep to footpaths and help protect young seedlings starting to grow. Plant insect friendly flowers in your garden.
• Insect friendly plants are crucial to maintain a healthy ecosystem. Now is a good time to plant a variety of plants and flowers for this purpose.
• 'Nobody else bothers, so why should I?' It's so easy to follow the crowd and take the easy option when things get difficult, but we each need to recommit to doing what we as individuals can do to protect our precious planet.
• The world is in a bubble of hatred and war mongering. We each have within us the facility to bring about peace by starting with ourselves. This week, make efforts to be at peace with each other and with nature.
• February brings an increase in activity in nature to remind us that warmer days are right around the corner. Why not take a moment in your garden or a local park to notice what you see, hear and feel?
• Now is the time to start planting seeds indoors for any vegetables you want to grow this year.
  

  Read more: Live Simply / Laudato Si

Children's Liturgy

St Richard's  - Children's Liturgy takes place every Sunday at the 9.30am Mass.

Sacred Heart - Children's Liturgy takes place every Sunday at the 11.00am Mass.

St Ambrose Barlow – Is held once a month with a planned celebration on the first Sunday of every month. Next celebration is on Sunday 6th April during the 11:00am mass.

Holy Family – We have a few volunteers but need several more to be able to run a rota in a similar way to St Ambrose. If you would like to volunteer, please speak to either Fr Paul or to Liz in the parish office as soon as possible.

Please note that all volunteers must complete a DBS form with the Archdiocese to comply with safeguarding which is paramount in all parish activities.