Gaudete Sunday

 

Sunday 14th December

Third Sunday of Advent. Year A.

Gaudete & Bambinelli Sunday

8.30am Mass 

10.30am Mass 

Refreshments after both Masses in the Social Centre

Cake Sunday this week!

The tradition of families bring their “baby Jesus” figure from their Cribs at home to be blest in church has long been a part of life in some European countries. Pope St John Paul II took it up as a practice at the Vatican and it has since become popular in many other places around the world. It takes place next week on Gaudete Sunday and we will join in with this tradition as a way of bringing prayer and a sign of the Faith into our homes. 

When he first blest figures at St Peter’s, Pope St John Paul said this to the children:

Take home, with great care, the little statue of the Infant Jesus, also as a sign of God’s love for you and your families. Put it in your Crib with intense faith, with that faith wherewith the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God, laid the new-born Jesus in the manger. Invite your father, your mother, your brothers and sisters, the whole of your family, to gather round the Crib  and pray there together with your family.

So next Sunday, do bring in the figure of Jesus to church to be blest at Mass. Children (and anyone else too!) can bring them forward for the blessing but children can also receive a little Bambino for their own personal devotion and bring these up to be blest. Perhaps they can set them up at home as a reminder of the focus of Christmas amid all our practical preparations.

MASSES DURING THE WEEK

Monday  9.30am Mass

Tuesday  9.30am Mass

                11am Funeral Service for Dennis Beamish

               

Wednesday 9.30am Mass

                    6pm St Mary's Primary School Carol Service

Thursday  9.30am Mass

                 

Friday   --- No public Mass today

Saturday CHARITY CAROL CONCERT

               

             

Sunday 21st December

Fourth Sunday of Advent. Year A.

8.30am Mass 

10.30am Mass 

A reminder of our

CHARITY CAROL CONCERT

THIS SATURDAY 20th DECEMBER 7.30pm

Glass of mulled wine & Mince Pies in the Social Centre to follow.

The Octavius Singers will give us a splendid introduction to Christmas with Carols, popular Christmas songs, Classics and Readings. It is a concert rather than a service to enable you to invite along people of all faiths and none. It was lovely last year and this year promises to be even better, with great effort going into it’s preparation. The Octavius Singers give their time and talent for free and usually perform religious works, particularly in their original religious context. For example, singing settings of the Mass during the celebration of Catholic Mass or Evensong in Anglican churches.

Performed under the auspices of the Order of St Lazarus, raising funds for charity. In recent years the Order has supported a variety of causes, including those affected by Hanson’s disease (leprosy) in Sri Lanka. They do this through a local charity (SUROL) with it’s patron, the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith. SUROL stands for the “Society for the Upliftment and Rehabilitation of Leprosy Affected Persons” and was founded in 1971 by Fr. Realino Chiriatti. SUROL’s purpose is mainly to rehabilitate those affected and disabled by leprosy, help their return to communities and rebuild their lives with dignity and self-respect. The founding members adopted a non-religious, non-sectarian and non-partisan strategy for the Society which opened doors for everyone. Public education to remove the stigma attached to leprosy was one arm of SUROL’s two-way plan, the other being the important task of rehabilitation of disabled leprosy affected persons. 

There is no charge for entry or the reception afterwards but a collection will be taken up in church. We are blessed that we have raised many thousands of pounds for this charity over the years. 

This year our guests will include James Carter DL, the High Sheriff of Lancashire, the Mayor of Chorley, Councilor Alistair Morwood and Mayoress Jane Morwood and Katrina Reed, Council Chairman of the Exton Parish Council.

So mark it in your diary and invite your family and friends.

Two children helped by SUROL

Fr Simon meeting Cardinal Ranjith. 

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Christmas Mass Times

Christmas Eve 

Carols from 6.30pm Mass at 7pm

followed by Mulled Wine and Mince Pies in the Social Centre.

Christmas Day 

Masses at 8.30am & 10.30am.