28th Sunday of the Year (B)

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, October 13th - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Monday October 14th - St Callistus I, Pope, Martyr

Tuesday, October 15th - St Teresa of Jesus Virgin, Doctor of the Church

Wednesday, October 16th -  Weekday in Ordinary Time

Thursday, October 17th -  St Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop, Martyr

Friday, October 18th - St Luke, Evangelist

Saturday, October 19th - Weekday in Ordinary Time

Sunday, October 20th - 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Please click this link to view live streamed masses from St Margaret Clitherow Churches

Sunday Readings

28th Sunday of the Year (B)

First Reading – Wis 7:7-11
Compared with wisdom, I held riches as nothing.

Second Reading – Heb 4:12-13
The word of God can judge secret emotions and thoughts.

Gospel Reading – Mark 10:17-30
Go and sell everything you own and follow me.

Psalter: Week 4

Weekdays: Ordinary Time Week 28

The Rosary

By Simone Cantarini - Self-photographed, Mattes. Public Domain.

October 7th is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and the month of October is dedicated to Our Lady.

Rosary and Benediction on the will be held on each of the Sundays of this month at St Ambrose Barlow at 3pm. All welcome.

The Rosary will be prayed after the midday Mass on Tuesday at Sacred Heart, Leigh.

At Sacred Heart and St Richards,the rosary is prayed every Thursday morning prior to Mass at St Richards starting around 10:00am. From Monday 7th October the rosary will be prayed at Sacred Heart church (prior to Mass) rather than on Wednesdays before Mass. The rosary is also prayed before Mass at Sacred Heart on the first Sunday of each month.

To find out more about the Rosary download this information sheet.

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.

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.)

Prayer

Prisoners Sunday
Today is a special day of prayer for Prisoners and their families.
As a Church we are asked to pray especially for those who are affected by imprisonment.
For the first time on record, an estimated 100,000 children have a parent in prison on any
given day, according to new analysis published (5 October 2023) by the Prison
Advice and Care Trust (Pact). Our prisons are in crisis. PACT (the Prison Advice &
Care Trust) is the only national Catholic charity in England & Wales that works solely
with those who are affected by imprisonment. Pact works with Prisoner’s, their
families, and with ex-offenders once they have been released.
For more info Tel: 020 7735 9535 www.prisonsweek.org

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

Loving Father,
May hatred be turned into love,
fear to trust,
despair to hope,
oppression to freedom,
occupation to liberation,
that violent encounters
may be replaced
by loving embraces,
and peace and justice
could be experienced by all.

News Bites

• THE POPE’S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR OCTOBER 2024:
  For a shared mission
  We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.
• Please also refer to the Events page for more social activities in the area.
• SPUC Christmas Raffle:
  Tickets will be on sale the weekends of 12th/13th and 19th/20th October.
• Christmas Cards
  Religious Christmas Cards, Calendars & Diaries will be on sale at all the Masses this weekend at St Joseph'e and Sacred Heart, Leigh.
• Mothers’ Prayers
  The next meeting of Mothers’ Prayers will be held on Monday 14th October in St Joseph’s Presbytery at 10.30am. All mothers and grandmothers are welcome.
• Animate Youth Lourdes Pilgrimage:
  Applications forms for the Archdiocesan Lourdes Youth Pilgrimage 2025 will go online on the 7th October. If you are a young person who is interested, please apply online at liverpoollourdesyouth.co.uk
  The dates for the pilgrimage is July 23rd - August 1st For ages 15 -22 (or in year 10) For more info Tel 01744 740461
• Cleaners needed!!
  We are currently in need of new members for our cleaning team at St Richards. If you can offer an hour or so to help keep our church clean and tidy, please speak to Fr Carl.
• Alzheimers Society Memory Walk:
  Anna Davidson will be taking part on Sunday 13th October at Heaton Park. If you would like to sponsor her please go to www.justgiving.com/AnnaDavidson2024 or you can sign the sponsorship form at the back of Holy Family Church.
• St Ambrose Barlow Guides:
  St Ambrose Barlow guides.are having a clothing collection in November (exact date tbc). Please start collecting now any clothing, paired footwear, bags, belts, soft toys and curtains and bedding sets, (not quilts and pillows). Drop off at church in the porch or at guides on Thursday night 7 till 9.
• Guides Christmas Fayre:
  We are also collecting any bric-a-brac, books, jigsaws and games for our Fayre. Nearer the time we will be asking for donations for a Christmas hamper and items for our bakery stall. If you need me to collect anything, please give me a call on 07753929476. Thank you for your support, as always. Delia
• Prayer and Fasting for the Holy Land
  Pope Francis has called for a Day of Prayer and Fasting on Monday7th October, the one-year anniversary of the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. “In this dramatic hour of our history,” the Pope said, “while the winds of war and the fires of violence continue to devastate entire peoples and nations,” the Christian community is reminded of its call to “put itself at the service of humanity”.
• 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 whilst the Applewood is refurbished.
• 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 dedicated SVP number 07566725590.
• Food Bank:
  Please give generously if you are able. Food donated at church is taken to support our local food bank.

Live Simply / Laudato Si

Reflect:

Jesus tells the Rich Young Man that to follow him he should give up all his riches. The young man could not accept this and walked away.

Pray

Prayer for Generosity:

Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labour and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that I do your will.
Amen.

Attributed to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, 1491-1556

Act

We are all restricted by our reliance on things. Sometimes our possessions and the money we have seem more important than anything else. And yet Jesus challenges us to give up all material wealth if we really want to follow him. This week, can we take time to differentiate between the things we have and the things we need? Perhaps we can then share our riches with others by helping the most needy in our society, perhaps by donating food to a food bank or clothes to a charity shop.

Challenge

In the spirit of Laudato Si:

• Wigan are highlighting the amount of electrical waste going into land fill which can easily be reused, recycled or repurposed. If you find you have a dawer full of old cables, gadgets and electricals, take them to your local recycling centre at Slag Lane, Leigh or Chanters Lane, Atherton. Click here for more info.
  

  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 3rd November 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.

Celebrating the Sacraments

Baptism

Please contact your Parish Office to make an appointment to meet with the Priest or Deacon. Baptisms usually take place on Sundays.

Holy Communion

Children in Year 4 at Primary Schools are invited to make their First Communion during that year. Preparation for the Sacrament may take place in school or by attending a series of meetings with parents or guardians.

Reconciliation

Children in Year 5 or 6 will be invited to make their First Act of Reconciliation (Confession). For continuing celebration of the sacrament, please refer to your local church. Quite often Reconciliation is available before Mass or by contacting the priest to make an appointment.

Confirmation

Preparation for this sacrament is usually arranged through the Archdiocesan Youth Ministry Team ' Animate' for young people in Year 8 or older who attend Catholic Secondary Schools.

Marriage

If you would like to celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage, please contact your  Parish Priest either directly or through the Parish Office to discuss. He will provide you with the necessary paperwork. Please remember to make arrangements well in advance.

Anointing the Sick

If you would like your Parish Priest to visit a family member who is sick and housebound, please speak to him or contact the Parish Office and a visit will be arranged.

CAFOD News

CAFOD Family Fast Day Soup Lunch:
Friday the 4th of October is CAFOD Family Fast Day, a day when we are asked to live a little more simply and donate what we save to CAFOD. To help us to do this together, there will be a simple soup lunch on Friday 4th October at 1pm in Holy Family Hall to which all are welcome.

Please take a CAFOD envelope and return it by Sunday 6th October if you wish to donate to this cause. If you are a tax payer, please consider gift aiding your donation.

CAFOD Sudan Appeal:
‘The people of Sudan need our urgent help. CAFOD are launching an emergency appeal for donations to get aid to them on the biggest scale we can muster. When violence broke out last year in Sudan between government and paramilitaries, most aid agencies evacuated. Now, humanitarian workers are struggling to get back into Sudan to help, meaning severe delays in getting aid to the people, and the challenges of getting into areas where fighting is still going on remain. Many borders are shut as the government say they need to keep weapons out. But the Church and our local partners are sill there. Donations may still be made this week in an envelope marked ‘Sudan’, or directly through the CAFOD website.

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