Pentecost Sunday (A)

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, May 24th - Pentecost  (A)

Monday May 25th - Mary, Mother of the Church

Tuesday, May 26th - St Philip Neri, Priest

Wednesday, May 27th - St Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop

Thursday, May 28th - Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest

Friday, May 29th - St Paul VI, Pope

Saturday, May 30th - Weekday in Ordinary Time

Sunday, May 31st - The Most HolyTrinity (A)

Sunday Readings

Pentecost Sunday (A)

First Reading: Acts 2:1-11
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 103
Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

Second Reading: 1 Cor 12:3-7, 12-13
In the one Spirit we were all baptised.

Sequence
Veni Sancte Spiritus, Holy Spirit, Lord of light

Gospel Reading –  John 20:19-23
As the Father sent me, so am I sending you: receive the Holy Spirit.

Psalter: Week 4
Weekdays:   Week 8 of Ordinary Time

May - the Month of Mary

May is the month of Mary and the month when we try to pray the Rosary.
St Therese described the Rosary as a long chain that linked heaven and earth. When we pray, we hold one end and Mary holds the other.
Pope Francis said ‘The Rosary is Spiritual Medicine’ and in a tribute to St Pope John Paul II written after the Pontiff’s death in 2005, Pope Francis recounted how St John Paul prayed 15 decades of the Rosary each day, and his example inspired Pope Francis to do the same.
Let us try and pray the Rosary during this special month of May because…’a world at prayer is a world at peace.’

A brief guide to the Rosary may be found here.

You can reflect on the rosary or make a retreat based on The Magnificat, with Jesuit Ministries on their Pray as You Go website.

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.)

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.

CAFOD News

CAFOD: Stand with Sudan. 
Give monthly. On the third anniversary of the war in Sudan, Kayode Akintola, CAFOD’s Head of Region for Africa, asks for your help:
“So many of our sisters and brothers in Sudan are facing increasing violence, hunger, and disease. That is why today, I’m asking you to consider setting up a regular gift to support families who are fleeing the violence – with food, safe water and other vital support. Monthly gifts are an act of steady love for our 
neighbours, a way of saying: we will not abandon you, we will stand with you until peace is restored.”
Donate at: cafod.org.uk/StandWithSudan

CAFOD: Response in Gaza
Your donations to Gaza since the start of the conflict have been a vital lifeline. Right now, CAFOD's partner, Caritas Jerusalem, is delivering essential medical treatment to displaced people and providing medicines to treat chronic illnesses. We have helped 1,400 households with cash to buy supplies in the last month and we are currently feeding 2,000 people with new stocks of flour and rice. Despite the restrictions on aid coming into Gaza, CAFOD's local partners are working tirelessly to help people. And with your ongoing support, they will do all in their  power to keep doing so. You can find out more about how you can make a difference in Gaza at cafod.org.uk. Thank you for backing our work through holding collections for our Family Fast Day appeals and for continuing to pray for peace in the Middle East.

Prayers

A selection of prayers covering various subjects. Each prayer opens on a new page.

Powerful Words from Pope Leo XIV

Prayer for Peace

Ukraine

Jubilee Prayer

The Rosary

Season of Creation Prayer

Remembrance Sunday

Links to prayer based websites:

Pray As You Go

Sacred Space

Universalis

Wellsprings - this site hasn't been updated for sometime, but the content has a useful selection of prayers.

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. Any young person who is in year 8 or above, have made their First Holy Communion and would like to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation can register for Sacramental preparation at www.liverpoolcalled.co.uk/confirmation. The website for registration is open and will close on 13th February

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.

Read more: Celebrating the Sacraments

News Bites

• THE POPE'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR MAY 2026:
  That everyone might have food.
  Let us pray that everyone, from large Producers to small Consumers, be committed to avoid wasting food, and to ensure that everyone has access to quality food.

Please also refer to the Events page and individual newsletter pages for more

• Students
  Good Luck to all GCSE & A-level students in the parish who will be sitting exams over the next few weeks - you are in our prayers!
• Wednesday Evening Readers Rota
  If anyone would like to be included in the next Wednesday readers rota for Holy Family please let Liz in the parish office know. This will involve reading approximately once every 6 weeks at 7pm mass. The new rota will start 17th June. All volunteers welcome
• BBQ 27th June St Ambrose Barlow
  Please refer to the Events page for more details.
• Catholic Legacy Week
  Catholic Legacy Week, 24-30 May, Is a time when Parishes and Catholic charities such as CAFOD celebrate the work made possible in the life of the Church through gifts in Wills.
  Find out more about the week at: https://cafod.org.uk/CatholicLegacyWeek
• Confirmation :
  As earlier announced, the Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation for our Leigh area parishes will take place on the 10th of June at 7pm at All Saints Parish, Golborne. Those who have registered for it are invited to attend preparation sessions on the 13th and 20th of May at St Richard's Parish Club, Atherton at 7pm. There will be a rehearsal meeting on the 3rd of June at All Saints Golborne at 7pm.
• Parish Council Meeting - St Edmund Arrowsmith
  The next Parish Council Meeting will be held on Wednesday 27th May. If there are any issues you would like discussing at the meeting, please let Fr. Kieran know this weekend.
• Day For Life—Sunday 21st June
  Archbishop John Sherrington is inviting all parishes and parishioners across the Archdiocese to join together in praying a Novena in preparation for the forthcoming Day for Life on
  Sunday 21 June.The Novena will run from Saturday 23 May to the Feast of the Visitation (Sunday 31 May). This is the third year in which the Dioceses of England and Wales will join with those of Scotland and Ireland to pray this Novena. The Novena is available on the Bishops’ Conference website: https://cbcew.org.uk/novena-for-life, and https://prayforlife.ie
• Ladywell Trip
  A trip to the shrine at Ladywell (Preston) will take place on Saturday 20th June - £13 per person- the coach pick up at 10.15am at Sacred Heart and 10.30 at St Richards. We will be celebrating Mass, Stations of the cross and evening prayer at the shrine. Please bring your own packed lunch. Tea and coffee will be available (for a small donation). The coach will return at 4pm. A list for names of those interested will be at the back of church. For any queries, please contact Lauren at St Richards
• Rome / Assisi 2027 Meeting
  A meeting will be held on June 2nd (7pm) at St Richards parish centre for all those who are hoping to go to Rome / Assisi in May next year. Booking forms can be collected and any questions will be answered at the evening. Any queries please contact Lauren or Marie at St Richards.
• Young Adult trip to Assisi
  During the 800th anniversary year of St Francis of Assisi, we’re offering an exciting opportunity to people aged 18-35 to go on a pilgrimage to Assisi from 29th November—2 December 2026. For more information & booking: https://archdioceseofliverpool.org/BookAssisi
  

  Read more: News Bites

Live Simply / Laudato Si

Reflect:
Pentecost, the great feast of the Church in which the Disciples receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and in so doing find themselves with the gifts and grace to 'go out into the world and teach all nations.'

Act:
Now is the time to let the Holy Spirit renew our faith, rekindle our hope, and fill us again with the life and love of God. If we pray as the disciples prayed, the Spirit will not leave us unchanged. He will restore what is weary, strengthen what is weak, and send us out with fresh courage, ready to face whatever the future holds. Pray that his week we realise the potential within each of us by opening ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit.
   
Pray:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.

Lord,
by the light of the Holy Spirit
you have taught the hearts of your faithful.
In the same Spirit
help us to relish what is right
and always rejoice in your consolation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Challenge

In the spirit of Laudato Si:

• Take steps to reduce meat and dairy consumption in an effort to aid a cut in carbon emissions.
• Hedgehog Highways are aimed at facilitating the path of hedgehogs through our gardens on their daily search for food. Can you help? 
• May is a chance to take part in 'No Mow May' in which we leave our grass or a portion of our grass unmown for the month. This allows flowers to grow, providing food for insects and wildlife.
• The Pope's prayer for May is that all humanity has access to food. How can you facilitate this? Give to a charity, share food with others, shop wisely with care and thought for those in more deprived countries?
• Have a look at your garden - how can you make it more wildlife friendly? Have a look at websites such as the RSPB, the RHS and Wildlife Trusts for ideas.
• Share something of what you have with others  this week.
• Many are struggling with the cost of living. Can you donate to your local food bank? Collections take place at some of our churches and at many local supermarkets.
• People are struggling in our world today. This week do at least ONE thing to alleviate someone's distress.
• The SVP would like donations of Easter Eggs for the local food banks. Can you help?
• Do we appreciate what we have? Take time this week to give thanks for all that is in your world.
  

  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 – Children's Liturgy recommences on Sunday September 13th during the 11.00am Mass

St Edmund Arrowsmith Churches - Little Church/Children’s Liturgy will return at all three Masses of St Edmund Arrowsmith Churches on the weekend of 7/8th September.

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 Francis 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.

Book From the Sermon

'The Search For Meaning' by Viktor Frankl
In 1942 Frankl and his family were deported from Austria by the Nazis to a ghetto in Czechoslovakia and then concentration camps. Here Frankl was stripped of his identity and humanity from the treatment he received at the hands of his captors. Frankl credits his survival in the camps by centering on the belief that humand can overcome suffering by finding meaning and a sense of purpose in every moment. The book was written after his liberation from the camps.
(Referenced in Fr Francis's sermon of 17th May 2026. A summary of five key takeaways from it may be found here.)

'The Four Loves'  by C S Lewis
Explores the nature of love from a Christian perspective identifying four different types - Affection, Friendship, Eros and Charity.
(Referenced in Fr Francis's sermon of 10th May 2026. This book is available as a free download from various sites, e.g. https://www.samizdat.qc.ca/cosmos/philo/PDFs/4Loves_CSL.pdf  or https://godinprints.org/books/2/the-four-loves )

'The Town Beyond the Wall' by Elie Wiesel
This story is based on Wiesel's own life. In it a young Holocaust survivor returns to his hometown, seeking to understand the mystery of those who stood by, watched and did nothing. 
(Referenced in Fr Francis's sermon of 18th September)

'The Great Divorce' by C S Lewis
The book reflects on the Christian concept of heaven and hell. Lewis’ most powerful idea is that Heaven and Hell are not simply places we go to after death, but the choices we make every day.
(Referenced in Fr Francis's sermon of 11th September)

'12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos' by Jordan B. Peterson

In the context of the readings for 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the section on  'Tell the truth—or, at least, don't lie' emphasizes the importance of honesty and integrity in personal interactions and self-perception. 
(Referenced in Fr Francis's sermon of 17th August)

'Tuesdays With Morrie' by Mitch Albom

A book about relationships and what the really important things in life are.
(Referenced in Fr Francis's sermon of 10th August)

Tea and Coffee

• ST RICHARD'S
  Coffee and Tea will be available after Mass on Sunday 10th May but NOT on Sunday 3rd May (Bank Holiday Weekend)
• HOLY FAMILY TEA AND COFFEE
  Tea and Coffee will be served today, 12th April. All welcome.
• SACRED HEART, LEIGH TEA & COFFEE
  Tea & Coffee will be served after the 11.00am Mass next Sunday 26th April. All are welcome.
• ST AMBROSE BARLOW TEA & COFFEE
  Tea, coffee and toast are served in the hall each Sunday after the 11.00am Mass. Take this opportunity to get to know your fellow parishioners!
  Tea and coffee are also served after the 9.15 Mass on a Tuesday mornng.