PARISHES OF BLESSED JAMES BELL, AND SACRED HEART & ST ALBAN CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION through Warrington town centre Sun 2 Jun, beginning at 2pm at St Mary’s, ending with Benediction at St Alban’s (Bewsey Street)
The garden of the Priory will be available to use, for those who’d like to stay on after the 11am Mass to eat their own picnic lunches, prior to the Procession!
Congratulations…
…to Bronagh, Cecily, David and Jessica, who will receive their First Holy Communion at the 11am Mass on Sun 2 Jun.
“If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.”
The Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord is a holy day of obligation in the UK, when all Catholics are obliged to assist at Holy Mass, as well as “to abstain from those works and affairs which hinder the worship to be rendered to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s day, or the suitable relaxation of mind and body”, unless “family needs or important social service” so require.
Many thanks to everyone who helped in any way with the Holy Week liturgies — especially our choir-members, servers, flower-arrangers, as well as all of you who helped with decorating and cleaning the church. May God reward you!
Liturgical Calendar: 7-20 April 2024
GIFT AID ENVELOPES for the new tax year are now available to collect from the narthex.
If you are a UK taxpayer, please consider increasing your regular donations by Gift Aid. You can increase the value of your donation by 25% at no extra cost or inconvenience to yourself. Either pick up a ‘one-off’ envelope from the church porch, or contact the office if you’d like to start using the numbered envelopes for your weekly giving.
Congratulations…
…to our very own St Mary’s Shrine football team, who convincingly beat St Joseph’s Men’s Group from Bolton at their match on Easter Monday!
Fathers Goddard, Verrier, Stewart, Evans and Jolly, along with seminarian Péter Uhel, wish you all a grace-filled Holy Week and a very happy and blessed Easter!
Liturgical Calendar: 24 March – 6 April 2024
N.B. Good Friday is a day of fast and abstinence. All Catholics aged 18-59 inclusive are obliged to fast (one meal & two small snacks permitted); and, as usual on Fridays, all Catholics aged 14+ must abstain from meat.
Maundy Thursday: at the singing of Tantum ergo after the Procession;
Good Friday: by adoring and kissing the Cross at the Solemn Liturgy;
Holy Saturday: by joining with renewal of baptismal promises at the Vigil.
Thank you…
…to the children from our shrine community, who raised £315.21 at their home-made cakes and crafts sale on Lætare Sunday! The proceeds will be split between the Life charity and towards funding the completion of Priory Court. (See photos here.)
Farewell…
…to our seminarian, Péter Uhel, who has been with us on pastoral placement for the past six months. He leaves us on Easter Monday to return to his seminary formation at the FSSP’s European seminary in Wigratzbad. We thank him and assure him of our continued prayers.
Following on his private audience two years earlier, Pope Francis met again with FSSP superiors last 29 February. No particular decision was made but benevolence was shown, a comforting gesture for those attached to the Roman traditions of the Church, comments Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP.
A Fresh Look at Courtship
Since most marriages nowadays end up in divorce, and whereas young Catholics have fewer opportunities to meet like-minded souls, a young Catholic layman (attending Juventutem events and recently married) finds wisdom in the traditional way of courtship.
Two Young Women Love Sacred Art
Young convert Rachel Moberly paints sacred pictures to evangelise, and one-of-twelve cradle Catholic Francesca Stevens seeks traditional artistic formation abroad after failed attempts in the UK. Their artistic involvement can inspire other Catholics young and old.
Evangelising Britain in the Digital Age
Webmaster Robert Sławik introduces the website dowry.org.uk. This new tool for evangelisation provides easy access to a wealth of articles about faith, spirituality, family matters and education, liturgy, vocations, history, sacred art and literature published in the magazine Dowry since 2008.
The Spiritual Meaning of Making Altar Bread
A nun in formation at the Cistercian monastery of Valley of Our Lady in America reflects on the process of baking hosts for holy Mass, one of the manual tasks performed by her community. She sees in it a spiritual comparison illustrating her life hidden with Christ.
Picasso’s Guernica or, This Is Not A Corrida
Fr Armand de Malleray, FSSP suggests a different title for Pablo Picasso’s famous war painting. Started months before the Basque town was bombed, the picture was subsequently given a title that changed its meaning without substantially altering its composition, though.
Priory Campaign Appeal Update
Rector of Warrington Shrine Fr Matthew Goddard, FSSP explains how the long-awaited completion of the conversion work will provide a versatile hall next to the beautiful Pugin church. Costs rise lead to a final appeal to the generosity of anyone wishing to support this growing traditional apostolate.
…to everyone who contributed in any way to Fr Goddard’s Installation as Rector and the visit of Archbishop McMahon on Thursday. It was a happy and special moment in the life of our shrine community. The ceremony is available to watch again on our YouTube channel here.
Pontifical Benediction following Fr Goddard’s Installation as Rector on Thursday 7 March (Feast of St Thomas Aquinas)
Liturgical Calendar: 10-23 March 2024
NOVENA TO SAINT JOSEPH FOR PRIORY COURT
(10-18 March)
UPDATE: The last stages of the Priory Court works continue to progress. Last weekend, some of you helped choose wall colours; and decorators have since started painting. The lift is due to be installed in the next 2 to 3 weeks, while the plans for the kitchenette have been finalised and the new flooring ordered.
However, sadly, funding issues have not abated. In order to restart the works last autumn, we had to spend around £100,000 (the majority) of St Mary’s general funds. Within the past few weeks—because of price rises, necessary design variations and unexpected requirements to comply with regulations—we are now facing extra costs in the region of £30,000 to £35,000, which we need to find. The substantial cost overrun approaching £140,000 from our original budget was principally due to the delays from Covid, substantial increases in material and labour costs, preliminaries for works on other parts of Priory Court still to be refurbished, and other regulatory requirements. Are you able to help cover that overrun? All donations would be very gratefully accepted.
We need to pray that these extra costs will be covered. In this month of St Joseph, let us entrust the funding for the completion of phase 1 of the works—the creation of hall facilities—to his intercession. We’ll be praying a novena for this intention from Sunday 10 to Monday 18 March, in preparation for his feast on 19 March. It will be said at the end of each Mass. Please pray it at home too.
