Funeral arrangements Aileen Allsopp RIP

Aileen's funeral arrangements were finalised too late to make it into the newsletter. Please make these details widely known:

Aileen Allsopp RIP

Wednesday 28^th February
5:00pm: Reception into Our Lady of Lourdes Church

Thursday 1st March
12.45pm: Funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church
followed by Committal at Bretby

X May she rest in peace. Amen X

Lent Resources

Need some help to get going for Lent? Here are some ideas:

• CAFOD Online Lent Calendar
• LentBuddy iOS app (Not sure whether there is an Android equivalent.
• Pray as you go/Sacred Space Lent Retreat
• Further app suggestions

But don't forget the things we do together:

• Daily Mass
• Stations/Benediction
• Adoration

...and the things you can do alone offline:

• Pray more
• Self-denial
• Almsgiving

Lent Adoration

It was good to see the first of our three sessions on Adoration well supported. You can find the handout here.




It was mentioned at the session how useful some people find the Universalis app in preparing for Mass.
Details for iPhone and iPad here
Details for Android devices here.

Newsletter for 24/25 February - Lent 2(B)

Click here to read the latest newsletter.





Please remember to bring your offering as a result of the Lent Fast Day when you come to Mass this weekend.

Pastoral Letter for Lent

Click here to read the Bishop's Pastoral Letter which we heard at Mass this weekend.

The Bishop says:
This Lent I would like to encourage you to think of the Mass and Eucharistic Adoration as an encounter, a place where God begins to create a community of people who strive to unite prayer with action, praise with justice, adoration with social involvement, a place where love of God and love of neighbour are entwined.

Think how to answer the Bishop's call this week. Maybe we could manage an extra weekday Mass, and/or Reflection/Adoration after Mass on Thursday, and/or Stations on Sunday afternoons (always followed by brief Adoration and Benediction), and then respond with generous hearts to the CAFOD Lent Fast Day on Friday/Sunday.

Newsletter for 17/18 February - Lent 1(B)

Click here to read the latest newsletter.

We are approaching CAFOD Lent Fast Day. Please use the envelopes which will be distributed on Sunday. Not only can CAFOD claim Gift Aid tax relief, but also Money raised towards the Lent appeal between Shrove Tuesday 13 February and Saturday 12 May will be doubled by the UK Government, up to £5 million.

Two Catholic Secondary Heads needed

Both Blessed Robert Sutton and De Lisle are seeking to appoint headteachers. These are extremely significant posts for our local Catholic community. The head has an enormous influence on the life of the school, including its Catholic ethos. Please draw this to the attention of any experienced, practising Catholic secondary teachers who might be interested.

Let's all pray that the right people are appointed.

Details for Blessed Robert Sutton here.

Details for De Lisle here.

Bishop's Homily

One of the many wonderful things about yesterday's celebration was the encouraging homily from our Bishop.

Click here to read it.

Here are two key passages, one from the beginning, one from the end of the Bishop's words:

But what no short history can adequately portray, however, is the faith and commitment of your forebears in this church, (many of whom may be family, relations or friends of yours) — their trust in God, their love and encouragement for one another as a parish community down through the past hundred years, their commitment to bear witness to Christ and Christian values, ecumenically and in the wider community. Tonight/today it is fitting then that we acknowledge and give thanks to God for the many men and women who have gathered in this church to pray and worship, and to be fed and nourished by the Lord in the Word of God and the Eucharist. Fitting too that we acknowledge and give thanks to God for all those who have here, before God, pledged their love for one another in the sacrament of marriage; for the faith of those couples who have brought their children to this church to be baptised, and then later to be strengthened in their Christian witness by the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation; and for all who have celebrated and received the healing forgiveness and love of the Lord in both the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Sacrament of the Sick. Let’s also commend to the Lord all those who have worshipped in this church and have now gone before us, marked with the sign of faith. May they rest in his eternal peace.

This, therefore, is a special parish occasion, not only to look back with gratitude to God for the past 100 years, but also to look forward in trust and hope as a parish community ready and willing to pledge itself afresh to God. This Anniversary can, therefore, be a special moment of surrender, an opportunity as a parish community to express a new YES to God:
YES to who God is and to all that he has done for you in Jesus.
YES to his life giving, life-changing Holy Spirit.
YES to all that he still wants to do in your lives as individuals and as a parish community.
May God bless you, and may the prayers of Our Lady of Lourdes always accompany you as you confidently journey forward as a parish community into the next 100 years. 

A Wonderful Celebration of our Centenary

Pictures of today's celebration here.

Almost there

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. St Bernadette, pray for us.

Newsletter for 10/11 February - Solemnity of Our Lady of Lourdes, Sunday 6(B) of the Year.

Click here to read the latest newsletter.

The long awaited celebration of the Centenary of OLOL has almost arrived. We eagerly await the visit of our Bishop to lead our celebrations. Please pray that this weekend may be a blessing for our parish communities.

After Feast, comes Fast! Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday: Mass times for that day are in the newsletter as are outline details of our Lent programme.

Looking forward to Sunday

Newsletter for 3/4 February - Sunday 5(B)

Click here to read the latest newsletter.

This year the Solemnity of Our Lady of Lourdes will be a very special day for us as we welcome our Bishop and celebrate one hundred years of our Church building at Ashby. It would be good if we prepared for this as a community by making the Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes, which starts on Friday, 2nd February. You may like to us this prayer each day:


O ever Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, Comfort to the Afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings. Deign to cast upon me a look of mercy.
By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it  a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your favours; and already many sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal.
I come, therefore, with the most unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession. Obtain, O loving Mother, the granting of my requests.
Through gratitude for favours, I will endeavour to imitate your virtues that I may one day share your glory.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

If you prefer to have new prayers for each day of the Novena, you can find suitable material here.