Sunday 26 January 2025
Third Sunday
As recently as 2019, the Holy Father established this Sunday, the Third in Ordinary Time, as the Sunday of the Word of God. The desire of the Holy Father is to emphasise how important the sacred Scriptures are to those
who follow Jesus Christ, Who is Himself the Word of God, made Man. The recent invitation to purchase and prayerfully use your own Sunday Missal was inspired by the teaching of the Second Vatican Council that the lay
faithful should be invited to full, conscious, and active participation in the Holy Mass by holding in your own hands the texts, prayers, and readings of the Sunday Mass, so as to better enter into the offering of the Mass,
united with the priest. I would encourage you, taking up the invitation of the Holy Father on this Sunday in particular, to use your Sunday Missal as a prayerbook, not just on a Sunday at Mass, but at home, too. Why not prayerfully read the Sunday Mass readings ahead of the Sunday? Why not use some of the additional prayers in the Sunday Missal as a way to prepare for Mass or as your family prayers? It would also be a positive step to own and use your own Bible, and perhaps to consider coming to the remaining Luke talks as a way to refresh your knowledge of God’s Word. In all these ways we can be responsive to the Holy Father’s intention of making sure that the Word of God is at the heart of our prayer.
​
May God bless us in the week ahead.
Father Edmund
Candlemas
The feast of Candlemas, marked
with the blessing of candles, and the commemoration of the Presentation of the child Jesus in
the Temple
Indulgence
Inside, a detachable guide to how to
receive the Holy Year Indulgence, as
often as every day
Holy Family
As January gives
way to February, the
devotion is the Holy
Family of Jesus,
Mary and Joseph
How to Receive the Holy Year Plenary Indulgence
When we sin and repent, we can be forgiven if we are truly sorry and seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance. However, even when we have been forgiven by God, the reality or consequences of our sin in our lives, and in the lives of others, remain. We have the duty to make up for this by penance
Prayer Requests
Ellie O’Driscoll, Marion Andrew, Lisa Gilmore, Ella-May Ehlen, Pat, Edna, Anne Donnelly, David Fitzgeraldson, Jean Bowles, Tony Kemp, Pat McMahon, Margaret Kenny, Antoinette Denney, Francis Ellis, Babies Avery and Vincent White, Christine Fernandes, Christine Brown, Kath Leahey, Jim Shepherd, Joanne, Michael, Sophie, Elliott, David, Karen Seymour, Mavis O’Donnell, Baby Alana, Honora Ellis, Marie, Sheila, and
Vincent Smith.
Please pray for those who have died: Peter Kirkham, Patricia Hughes, Margaret Stanford, John Tobin, Hugh Jones, and Maureen Dobbs.
Luke Talks Re-Start
Thank you for your patience during my recent extended period of illness (and recovery) from a serious bout of ‘flu. Happily, God willing, we can return to the Luke Talks, looking this week at the three Canticles unique to Luke’s Gospel, but forming the core of three of the Hours of the Divine Office prayed every day throughout the Church: the Benedictus, the Magnificat, and the Nunc Dimittis. All welcome - Wednesday 29 January at 6.30pm, Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish Centre.
Plenary Indulgence
With the Holy Year proclaimed by the Holy Father, the Church invites us to receive a Plenary Indulgence.
​
The central pages of the Parish Newsletter this week can be removed and kept so as to be an aide memoire for you to help explain what a Plenary Indulgence is and the steps towards
receiving this beautiful grace from the Lord.
Lourdes Roadshows
A message from Canon Christopher Matthews, the Director of the Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage: In this Jubilee Year of 2025, Bishop Mark has asked that our diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes will be our Jubilee Pilgrimage. To help raise the profile of the pilgrimage and to answer any questions your parishioners might have, we
have organised two roadshows for those who are interested in joining our annual diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes. Our first roadshow will be on 1 February 2pm-4pm at Our Lady and StJ ohn, Heswall, Wirral, and our second roadshow will be on 15 February 2pm-4pm St Anthony, Wythenshawe. Information and register of
interest cards will be available, and members of the Lourdes Management Team will be present to answer any questions.
Diocesan Job Vacancy
An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Diocese with the Shrewsbury Youth Mission Team. Further details can be found on the Diocesan website. Completed applications should be sent to Pauline McCulloch via email:recruitment@dioceseofshrewsbury.org. Closing date 21 February 2025.
Missal Page
A helpful reminder that the page for the Sunday readings and prayers is shown on the back page of the Parish Newsletter, above the grid shown the Holy Mass and Liturgy Schedule for the coming week.