Welcome to the celebration of Holy Mass. If you are visiting our parish you are most welcome, do feel free to introduce yourself and join us for coffee/tea in the church hall after mass.
Please pray for the sick, housebound and those in the armed forces suffering mentally and physically from the effects of war: Deacon Bernard Curtin, Justin Family members & Jessica, Maureen McDonnell.
Fr Bernard Garrett RIP Fr Bernard’s mortal remains will be received into church at Burford at 7pm on Monday 24th July. His Grace the Archbishop will preside at his funeral mass the following day at 11.30 on Tuesday 25th July. Fr Bernard will then be cremated.
Confessions are available during exposition at St Joseph’s on Friday mornings, before weekday masses at Burford, at Bampton in the Lady Chapel 4.30-4.50, and of course on request
Church Choir Rehearsals 7-8pm on Tuesday evenings.
Sacrament of Confirmation We finished the preparation for this Sacrament this week. The date we have been given by Canon Paul is Thursday October 12th at 7pm. Please remember our younger parishioners who are preparing to take this important step in their lives of faith.
11am Mass at St Joseph’s Whilst I realise lots of music isn’t everyone’s ‘cup of tea’. We shall be aiming to sing all the parts of the mass on the first Sunday of the month when we shall have an organist. On the other Sunday’s we may just sing one or two bits of it so we can learn it.
Bampton Saturday Evening Mass Advanced Warning There will be no mass at Bampton on Saturday 22nd July because of the church being used for other purposes. Likewise there will be no mass on the 5th August because of the Bampton Beer Festival. On these evenings the Vigil Mass will be celebrated at 5.15pm to allow anyone turning up at Bampton to get to Carterton before Mass starts.
Pilgrimage to Walsingham I have enquired into the possibility of a parish pilgrimage to Walsingham. I used to take a group every October half term however that seems to be booked up. The choice we were given seems to be 28-30 August or 30Oct-1st November. We were always blessed with amazing weather in the October half term but tipping over into November we might be pushing it for the weather?! I will put up a sign up sheet in the porch for anyone expressing an interest in coming. We tried to keep costs to a minimum but I am awaiting costings from the Coach company. It used to cost £200ish I seem to remember for the three days that included everything except food on the journey and lunch on the Tuesday when we would often go to Wells Next the Sea for fish and chips! I have received the quote back from the coach company of £1900 which would make things very expensive. I will look into a minibus option.
July, Month of the Precious Blood One particular devotion in the Catholic Church connected to the Passion of Jesus Christ is the honouring of his Precious Blood. It is a recognition of Jesus’ sacrifice and how he spilled his blood for the salvation of humanity. Furthermore, this blood is made present through the gift of the Eucharist and is something we can consume at Mass, along with the body of Christ, under the appearance of bread and wine.
Over time the Church developed various feasts of the Precious Blood, but it wasn’t until the 19th century when a universal feast was established.
PACT Prisoners Sunday Pact, Prison Advice and Care Trust, is the national Catholic charity which supports prisoners and their families. We are working in 11 prisons in the Archdiocese of Birmingham and in the community. Pact warmly invites you to our Roadshow on Saturday morning in the Grimshaw Room next to St Chad’s Cathedral. The event will be opened by Archbishop Bernard Longley. Pact’s Head of West Midlands Services, Tina Pritchard, is looking forward to telling you all about our local work.
There are more than 85,000 men and women in prison today in England & Wales – a number that is growing. We estimate that there are around 97,000 children who will go to bed tonight without their mum or dad because they are in prison. The experience for children of having mum or dad in prison is more common than divorce.
There will certainly be people in our parish communities, neighbourhoods and schools who have a loved one in prison. It is very likely that they will not speak about it to others because of the stigma and so they may be serving this ‘hidden sentence’ in isolation, and perhaps suffering hardship too.
How can we help? What is helpful? And sometimes people ask: Why should we help people in prison who have done terrible things?
In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis says, ‘a community can be rebuilt by men and women who identify with the vulnerability of others, who reject the creation of a society of exclusion, and act instead as neighbours, lifting up and rehabilitating the fallen for the sake of the common good.’
Many people in prison are living with mental ill-health. Ethnic minority communities are over-represented in prison, as are people who have been in care and other vulnerable groups of our brothers and sisters.
Pact’s CEO Andy Keen-Downs met Pope Francis recently. He asked the Pope to bless an image of Mary Untier of Knots, on behalf of everyone in prison in England & Wales (pictured).
Come along to our Roadshow. We’ll talk about how we can all help, and why.
Andy Keen-Downs will be there too – with the image blessed by Pope Francis so you can have a closer look.
Make a Donation to help us continue supporting prisoners and their families.
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Thank you!! For the cards and kind wishes I have already received for my Birthday! You are most kind!
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