Sunday Bulletin 5th Jan. 2020

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Deo gratias for the beautiful recent Christmas festivities! Thank you so much to all of you who, this past Christmas and over the year, contributed to the life of St Mary’s Shrine in general through: the liturgy and music, the flowers and cleaning, the collection and LiveMass, the administration, site managing, the various devotion groups, the cooking of meals, tidying the garden and car park; washing, sowing and mending vestments, linens and clergy items, and generally though your prayer and Christian charity.

Last but not least, I thank my fellow clerics Frs Ian Verrier, Henry Whisenant and Andrew Jolly, and Deacon Roger Gilbride for their generous pastoral zeal along the past year, not to forget our dear absent clergy Frs Konrad Loewenstein and Alex Stewart. On their behalf and mine, I thank you for your many expressions of affection and consideration through Christmas cards and Christmas gifts. Please be assured that you were remembered and your intentions in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at Midnight Mass, including all of you praying with us from a distance via LiveMass.

Fr de Malleray, Rector

Welcome home Henry! We are delighted to see our local seminarian Henry back for a well-deserved break after his first trimester at Our Lady of Guadalupe seminary: find out more here http://www.fsspolgs.org/.

Our heartfelt congratulations to Alasdair Mckenzie and Virginia Hale who were united in Holy Matrimony last Sat 28^th Dec. at St Mary’s, Fr Whisenant presiding, assisted by Deacon Gilbride. We assure the young couple of our prayer.

The Men’s group weekly meeting resumes this Wednesday (8^th Jan) following the usual format.

Extra liturgical Christmas celebrations: the Saturday before Christmas, a group of our parishioners walked into the town centre to sing Christmas carols and handed out blessed Miraculous Medals to the passersby. On Monday 30^th December, there was standing room only at the performance of ‘The Finding of the King’, a nativity play in the top parish room. Congratulations to the families and Fr Whisenant for the hard work and the impressive success.

White Flower Appeal 2020 – the Society for the protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) will be holding its annual appeal next weekend. January 12^th.

On 21^st October 2019 the most extreme abortion regime in Europe was imposed on the people of Northern Ireland by the Government at Westminster.  Abortion will now be permitted for any reason up until (and even beyond) the 24th week of a 40 week pregnancy.  The abortion lobby now wants to introduce this in England and Wales.

Please be as generous as you can to help SPUC defend unborn babies and their mothers from this new attack.

SPUC Youth conference, Friday 28^th Feb – Sun 1^st March 2020. Willows Training Centre, Great North Road, Wyboston Bedfordshire MK44 3AL. £115 by 31/12 or £135, with one of the FSSP UP priests offering holy Mass each day.

40 Days for Life, Manchester: Wednesday, 26th Feb – Sunday 5th April (subject to possible PSPO).

Juventutem Warrington Sat. 11^th Jan: Chester, City walls, site of St John Plessington’s execution, and the cathedral. Parking £5; lunch in pub. Any 18-35 welcome! Leave St Mary’s at 10:00am after optional 9am trekkers’ Mass.

Full info on: www.facebook.com/juventutem.warrington/

Vocation Weekend 24-26 Jan. 2020: Warrington, for single Catholic men 18-30. 9 men booked already. Contact: malleray@fssp.org

Clergy Retreat 27 April-1^st May 2020, Stonyhurst: The priests and Holy Church: her sons and defenders – by Fr A. de Malleray. COST: £320 in total (4 days full board, modern single room with ensuite).

Mass Intentions:

(Other intentions were offered over the past 3 weeks as private Masses. Please ask Fr Whisenant if needed.)

by Fr AM