Third Sunday of Lent

27th March 2011

 

The Church reminds us that every Catholic must receive Our Lord in Holy Communion at least once a year around Easter time and prepare for that Communion by going to Confession.  The time for making one's "Easter Duty" is from Ash Wednesday until Trinity Sunday.

 

Take a good drink…


 

Water does three things.

The most obvious thing it does is to wet. Whatever water comes into contact with, it changes. The sound of children squealing with delight at the end of a hosepipe is a familiar one. So is the groan of someone SAP071caught in the rain without an umbrella. If water gets on you, then you’re no longer the same. For better or worse!

 

Water also cleans. We use it to wash in since it is one of the best agents we know of for taking away stains and dirt. Perhaps it’s not surprising that when Christians think of water they often associate it with baptism’s role in cleansing us from original sin. The psalms too speak frequently about being washed from sin and made whiter than snow.

 

Yet it’s not this aspect of water that Jesus emphasises in today’s gospel. It’s the third function of water: water refreshes and brings life.

 

All over the world today there are men and women standing in our churches who are asking to be admitted to the Church community, to be baptised, to become Christians. And the gospel addressed to them on this day is about the gift which Jesus promises: water to take away your thirst and lead you on to eternal life.

 

If you are to be a Christian, then it’s because you find the message of Jesus so attractive that no other drink will satisfy you. The promise of Jesus reaches the parts that no other drink can reach. And what a promise this is! Jesus tells us that our deepest yearnings and longings will be satisfied. In him life begins to make sense, priorities start to change, the will of God becomes our only goal.

 

So as thousands of would-be Christians stand before congregations today and ask to be given this living water, we use the opportunity to count our own blessings and to thank God for the gift of faith which we often take for granted but which we know is a well from which we can draw water in times of drought, and a spring that offers us eternal life.


 

Mass Intentions this week

Day

Church

Time

Intention

Third Sunday

of Lent

You must strike the rock, And water will flow from it for the people to drink. (Exodus 17:6)

Saturday

St Bernadette’s

St Marie ’s

5.30 pm

7.00 pm

Derek Jones

Margaret Laura Carney

Sunday

St Bernadette ’s

St Marie’s

9.30 am

11.00 am

People of the Parish

Caleb Hodkinson

Monday

St Marie’s

9.15 am

In Thanksgiving (Ruby Wedding Anniversary)

Tuesday

St Bernadette’s

9.15 am

Eucharistic Service

Wednesday

St Marie’s

7.00 pm

Tony Jennings

Thursday

St Bernadette’s

9.15 am

Marie Malpass & Family

Friday:

St Marie’s

9.15 am

Pat Glover

Fourth Sunday

of Lent

He put a paste on my eyes, I washed, and I can see.

(John 9:15)

Saturday

St Bernadette’s

St Marie ’s

5.30 pm

7.00 pm

Mike Gregory

Christopher John Brown

Sunday

St Bernadette ’s

St Marie’s

9.30 am

11.00 am

People of the Parish

Bibby & Lowton Families


 

This weekend:

Sunday: Coffee morning after 9.30 am Mass. Proceeds to Butterflies.

Sunday after 11.00 am Mass: Tea and coffee in the Church Hall.

This week:

Monday: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at St Marie’s at 2.00 pm.

Monday: Lenten meeting in St. Marie's Church Hall at 7.30 pm. All welcome.

Tuesday: Ladies Section meeting in St Marie’s Church Hall at 8.00 pm. Talk on Origami. Coach fare (£6) for trip to Skipton on Wednesday 13 April due. Coach leaves Market Street, Standish at 10.00 am and then St Marie’s Church. Contact Marjorie 424332 or Monica 400558.

Wednesday: Stations of the Cross at St Marie’s at 6.30 pm.

Thursday: Stations of the Cross at St Bernadette’s at 7.00 pm, followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at 7.30 pm.

Next Weekend:

Saturday: Knights of St Columba Charity Concert at the Unity Club, Standish at 7.30 pm. Tickets £6 from John Melarkey, 01942 244030, Tom Dickens, 404038 or Parish Office.

Sunday after 11.00 am Mass: Tea and coffee in the Church Hall.

 

Thank you for your offerings

£1,592.42.

Bonus Ball

No.17 - John Braddock - £39.

Sanctuary Lamp intention

Special Intention.

Church Development Fund

Subs can be paid at the back of Church next weekend.

200 Club – March results

1st: £50, No 207, R Astley; 2nd: £20, No 136, P Cunliffe; 3rd: £15, No 217, K Draper; 4th: £10, No 37, G & M Hill. Cheques are available in the sacristy.

Butterflies

St Bernadette’s parishioners, Chris Burke and Steve Grimes are to run the Liverpool half marathon this Sunday in aid of Butterflies Children’s charity. Sponsorship forms are at the back of Church.

Questions of faith and liturgy

Q.  What is the font?

A.  The font is the large vessel holding water for baptisms.

CAFOD

Thank you to all who took part in the Lenten Self Denial collections. At St Bernadette’s, £733.61 was raised, of which £376 was gift aided, making an extra £94 and a grand total of £827.61. At St Marie’s £531.06 was raised, plus £122.08 from 31 gift aid declarations.

Annual CAFOD sponsored walk will take place on Saturday 25 June.

'Past and Present'

A social evening for the grown ups to celebrate St Bernadette's School’s 40th anniversary on Friday 6 May featuring the Irish band, ‘Beware The Pig’ and hot food. Tickets £10 from school office. 401125. Details will be posted on the school website www.saintbernadettes.wigan.sch.uk.

Easter Chicken Cards

Easter Chicken Cards will be on sale at each Mass this weekend.  The cost of £1 each will buy a day old chicken for a mission run by the Sons of Divine Providence in Kaburugi, Kenya helping to run a Day Centre for handicapped children.

Sanctuary Lamp

Parishioners at St Marie’s can make requests for the Sanctuary Lamp in church to burn for their intentions.

To make a request, please follow the instructions on the folder, which has been placed on the baptismal font. Envelopes and cards are on the notice board in the Church porch.

RCIA Support for Journey VI

An evening of three workshops (postponed from 24 February) at Sacred Heart, Warrington on Wednesday, 6 April at 7.30 pm to explore different approaches to prayer within RCIA groups. Contact Julie Cassidy, 0151 522 1040 or e-mail j.cassidy@rcaol.co.uk.

Stations of the Cross

Stations of the Cross for Children will be held at St Marie’s on Tuesday 12 April at 7.00 pm. Children wishing to read at the service should contact Karen Bliss or Joanne Millington.

Bags 2 School collection

Time for spring clear out!! Please fill a plastic bag with unwanted clothing, bedding, curtains, soft toys shoes, and drop it off at St Bernadette's School on Thursday 5 May at 9.00 am. Proceeds to school funds.

Ladies Circle Raffle

Ladies Circle Easter Raffle takes place on Thursday 7 April. Tickets will be sold after Masses this weekend and next. Proceeds to HCPT.

If you would like to donate an Easter egg or a Festive prize, please give to Barbara or Margaret.

At the back of church…

·      ‘Living Faith’ booklets, April – June 2011;

·       Rotas for St Marie’s Eucharistic Ministers and Readers;

·      Mother's Day, Easter and First Holy Communion cards and gifts;

·      APF Mill Hill Mission books;

·      Offertory envelopes for 2011/12 for St Marie’s parishioners. If any parishioner would like a set of envelopes, please contact Fr John or Clare Farrell (253775).

Poverty Lunch

The Hill Family are joining forces with 1st Appley Bridge Cubs for you to exchange your Sunday Roast for a bowl of home-made soup and a cuppa n Palm Sunday, 17 April at Appley Bridge Community Centre (near the station) from 11.30 am until 1.00 pm. Cost: £3 per person / £10 per family. Book your bowl by ringing Mary B, 253380 or text number required to 07790 964846. Proceeds to Angela and Rod Price for their Nursery School Project in the Hambantota District of Sri Lanka.

Funny Money

Proceeds from the ‘Funny Money’ collection this year will go to the Wigan Lourdes Association.

‘Care for the Family’ events

See notice in porch for ‘Care for the Family’ events in Liverpool during May and June 2011.

Come & See

The Iranaeus Project for Spirituality and Growth is organising the 2011 Come & See conference at Christ the King High School, Southport on 17 & 18 September, with Sr Helen Prejean, whose story was told in the film ‘Dead Man Walking’. For further details, contact the Iranaeus Project, 0151 949 1199 or e-mail jenny@iranaeus.co.uk.

Dates for your diary

Thursday, 7 April: Joint Parishes Working Group meeting at St Marie’s at 7.30 pm.

Saturday, 16 April: Service of Reconciliation at the Metropolitan Cathedral led by Canon Anthony O’Brien at 3.00 pm. An opportunity for reflection and private confession.

Wednesday, 20 April: Chrism Mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral at 7.30 pm

Saturday, 25 June: Annual CAFOD Sponsored Walk. More details at a later date.