Friday 27 July 2018

Sunday 15 July 2018

Young Catholic Adults Weekend at Douai Abey




Are you 18-40, do you want to deepen your knowledge of the Catholic faith, learn its devotions and meet like minded people? Young Catholic Adults are inorganic a weekend at Douai Abbey in Berkshire) with Lawrence Lew O.P., and Canon Poucin ICKSP. You’ll be able to hear catechetical talks, learn how to sing Gregorian Chant, say the Rosary, socialise and have fun. Book soon as places are limited! All Masses are in the Old Rite.


For updates goto:- http://youngcatholicadults-latestnews.blogspot.co.uk/.

For more details goto:- http://www.youngcatholicadults.co.uk/events.htm. Prices start from £13.

Saturday 14 July 2018

Keep in touch with Lourdes Pilgrims


I'm sure that many parishioners at home will be keen to see what those in Lourdes are doing and join with us in prayer next week. I shall be using Twitter to publish news and photos. You can access these posts without signing up to Twitter. All you need to do is click here. You may see an invitation to register but you can ignore this and still see everything.

My previous post gives further ways of linking parishioners at home with pilgrims in Lourdes.

May Our Lady of Lourdes pray for our parish and for all our intentions, and may we hear her invitation to do whatever her Son tells us.


Thursday 12 July 2018

Lourdes 2018 - Do whatever He tells you


Words of Mary at the Wedding at Cana provide the 2018 Pastoral Theme at Lourdes: "Do whatever he tells you."

A number of parishioners will be on our way to Lourdes next Monday morning. We shall pray for those at home, and hope that those at home will join us in prayer.


Here are some resources to prepare for our pilgrimage, or to make a spiritual pilgrimage at home.

  • Our Bishop's Homily at the Centenary Mass gives us plenty of material for reflection. You can find some key points from the homily and a link to the full text here.
  • Those at home might like to take a look at what is happening in Lourdes on Lourdes TV. You might see someone you know, especially in the processions each day at 4pm and 8pm, or at the International Mass on Wednesday at 8.30am - all times BST - our watches will be an hour further on in Lourdes!
  • There is lovely video about Lourdes and this year's Pastoral Theme here.
  • There is even an app with lots of useful stuff on it: iOS here, Android here.

A wonderful year at St Charles School

This has been an excellent year in the life of St Charles School. The close ties between parishes and school have been strengthened through a number of joint activities. I remember especially the Centenary Mass at OLOL in February, and the lovely parish picnic in the school grounds more recently.
The school was rated good in an OFSTED inspection in February.
In the last couple of days we have received the latest SATS results. Our children scored above the national average in these tests.
St Charles will join the St Thomas Aquinas Multi Academy Trust in September and will be the smallest school in the trust. However, it is in a good position to punch well above its weight in the new trust.
Congratulations to staff, children, and governors for all that has been achieved this year. We look to the future with great confidence.

Catenian BBQ - All welcome


Newsletter for July 14/15 & 21/22 - Sunday 15 & 16(B)


Click here to read the newsletter with details of everything for the next fortnight.

Sunday 8 July 2018

Thank you Jacqueline


After Mass today we said "Thank you" and "Good bye" to Jacqueline Rodden who has been been our inspirational Chair of Governors at St Charles School for the last four years. She is now to be the first Chair of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi-Academy Trust which brings together the Derbyshire Catholic Schools in our Diocese.

It was wonderful to have Jacqueline, Paul and Alasdair with us at Mass this morning.

Thank you, Jacqueline, and God bless you.

Saturday 7 July 2018

Financial Statements etc

Last weekend, Tony Holt and Marie Allen updated us on the financial position of our two parishes. Here are the two statements for the 2017-18 financial year:
Our Lady of Lourdes, Ashby.
St Charles, Measham.

We also use this annual opportunity to draw people's attention to a number of other things in parish life that we need to review each year. Please could you read the script below the accounts and note what it says about gift aid, letting us known if you are new to the parish, and volunteering for the different task/ministries that enrich the life of our communities. In the last category I say in this weekend's newsletter: We are desperately short of volunteer Church cleaners. This task only comes round for each group about every nine weeks and it usually takes about an hour if we get enough people.

You can find the relevant forms to respond in these various ways at the back of the two Church or download them below:
Anything to do with Gift Aid.
New parishioners and change of contact details.
To volunteer for tasks/ministries.

Road closures for World Cup quarter-final

Please make this as widely known as possible. I only became aware of it this morning.



Thursday 5 July 2018

Wednesday 4 July 2018

Happy ninetieth birthday!


Congratulations to Father Robert Rutledge on his ninetieth birthday on the feast of St Thomas, a very hot Ashby day. He tells me it was raining in Co Mayo the day he was born! We are so blessed to have you with us in Ashby, dear Father. God bless you.