Fr Loughran.JPGThis is the second edition of St Clare’s News. We have broken into a new year, 2009 and I hope and pray that it blest for you and for your families.  I was very impressed with my first Christmas and New Year here at St. Clare’s; impressed with the way people worked together to make a success of the carols by Candlelight (and the church didn’t go up in flames!). It was so lovely to have our boys and girls from St Clare’s School with us and to sing for us. And just how well behaved they were. There was a good atmosphere in the Hall afterwards for seasonal refreshments.

It was good to see the church full at the Christmas Masses and the trouble that had been gone to, to decorate the building. I was pleased by the response to the invitation to start the year right by attending Mass in New Year’s Day – all 150 of you!

The danger in this post-festive period is that we lose the momentum; there is much cold weather about and sickness and the awful credit crunch. So much to pull our spirits down; but as Christians we are called to stay close to God, to walk in his ways – not always the easiest thing to do, but certainly the best.

Coming up very shortly is the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity. It always stretches from the 18th to the 25th of January, that latter date being the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. During that Octave there will be a Prayer Service in many of the Churches participating in the Fulwood & Broughton Churches Together. These Services will be signalled in the Parish Bulletin.

Later in the year (May 1st) our new Bishop, Michael Campbell will be installed as 6th Bishop of Lancaster and Bishop O’Donoghue will sail off into retirement. He will go with many plaudits from the Vatican for his series of documents Fit For Mission? Which only this month have received approbation from the Congregation for the Family.  Before the end of this month I will have been with Bishop O’Donoghue to a meeting of the Cenacolo organisation in northern Italy and Fr Smith will manfully hold the fort!

 


 

We'll Have a Mass Said

Over Christmas I received very many greeting cards and not a few gifts, all gratefully accepted. But amongst them, two or three kind souls who know me well, sent cards saying that they were having Mass offered for me; and one sent me a ‘spiritual bouquet’ whereby the individual promised to attend a certain number of Masses and offer Holy Communion etc for my intentions.

As Catholics we know that the Mass is the greatest prayer there is. It is the prayer offered by Christ’s the priest on the altar of the cross to his Father for the salvation of the world. It is the most powerful prayer and it is offered everyday on our altars, by our priests, under the veil of the Sacrament.

Every Mass is offered for all the living and the dead (no one escapes!). But it has long been the Catholic custom to request the priest to offer Mass for specific intentions. Often it is for someone who has died, whereby we ask God to speed them on their way to the place prepared for them in heaven. But you don’t have to be dead before a Mass can be offered for you. Wedding anniversaries, sickness, family difficulties, in thanksgiving and for other specific intentions – Mass can be offered for all of these.

In days of old, rich or powerful people would leave large sums for Masses to be celebrated for them after their death; and that is when various charities sprung up in large churches and cathedrals. Of course you cannot buy a Mass. The offering given to the priest was supposed to be enough to keep him fed for that day. That practice has very much waned, but many people (me included) leave money in their wills for Mass to be offered for them after death.

The gift of the Mass is one of the loveliest gifts that can be given; it is applying the fruits of our Lord’s death and resurrection to a given person or situation. It is a surrendering of someone to the loving embrace of the Lord who knows, loves and cares for them more than we ever could.

 


 

Adjustment to Mass Times

Mass times are often set for a given purpose, for example, one parish has Mass at 6.10pm because years ago the bus arrived at 6.05pm but even when bus times and routes changed the Mass continued at the odd time of 6.10pm. I am told that the reason for a 6.30pm Mass on Saturday and a 6pm Mass on Sunday is that originally there was also a 5.15pm Saturday Mass in the Hospital Chapel. But that stopped a few years ago so there is no reason why both evening Masses (Saturday & Sunday) shouldn’t be at the same time: 6pm. Having the Mass a little earlier will also help if we have any gatherings after Mass, they can begin at 7pm. So the adjustment will be: Saturday Vigil Mass from 6.30pm to 6pm.

Similarly with the weekday evening Mass at 7.15pm, if we move this back by quarter of an hour, it will enable any parish meetings to get under way that little bit earlier and end that little bit earlier. So the adjustment will be: Weekday evening Mass and Devotions from 7.15pm to 7pm.

A change too, to Saturday morning; at present if there is only one priest, he has to dash out of Confessions at 12noon to begin Mass. Very occasionally this leaves penitents without the Sacrament or having to wait until Mass is over. Therefore, the adjustment will be: Saturday Mass from 12.00 to 10am.  This will also enable us to have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, from the end of Saturday Morning Mass to the end of Confession (10.30am to 12.00) This will be a special prayer time when anyone will be able to call into church for some quality time with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

To round off our adjustments and add space for devotion to our Lady, the Mass on the first Saturday of each month will be a Novena Mass (10am) in honour of our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

As you can see from the reasons given, these adjustments are not just done on a whim. No doubt some will welcome these changes, many will be ambivalent and some will be inconvenienced by them.  But I would encourage you to look upon them as an opportunity for thoughtful reflection. Perhaps you will consider attending Mass more regularly during the week, or of developing your relationship with our Lady.

The above will become effective in four week’s time: 7/8th February.

 


 

Money Matters

It certainly does! The Parish Fabric & Finance Group has been busy. All the radiators in the church, chapel, sacristy and house have been repaired and fitted with new thermostat valves As I write this Newsletter Fr Smith is taking a few days well earned rest away from the hospital and we are taking the opportunity to decorate and refurbish his quarters which have not seen paint brush or alteration for many a long year.

Soon, with some of the monies raised at the Parish/School Fair, lighting will be placed around the exterior of the church and presbytery and new digital timers will be fitted to the boilers for church and chapel central heating.

If all goes according to plan the new one way system for the car park should begin on January 12th. There is a slight alteration to the previous plan in that the ‘in’ gate is going to be the one opposite the presbytery, and the ‘out’ gate opposite the church. The ‘out’ gate being wider than the ‘in’ one will allow cars to line up in twos to turn either right or left out of the property. I imagine that it will take a little getting used to but hopefully it will make things a little better. On that same theme: one of the members of the Fabric & Finance Group is to have a meeting with the Hospital Authorities regarding its use of the Car Park.

In the near future we may face quite a bill from United Utilities who want to charge us for the surface water which drains into their system. This is a new departure and because we have quite a large Car Park area, the bill could be substantial. The F & F group are looking into the best way of dealing with this matter.

At their last meeting they agreed to change the designation of some of the collecting boxes at the back of church. These will now be for:  Youth Work, CAFOD, SAB, Homeless & International emergencies. The upright metal collection box to be used solely for papers, periodicals, and printed matter.

In the course of the year there are going to be the usual clutch of special appeals: The White Flower Collection will be held soon; the Survive Miva people will talk to us, as will the Missionary Columban Sisters later in the year.

 


 

 

Through the Registers

In recent months the following have died and we send our condolences to their families:

Ann Teehan, 21.10.08; Norman Booth, 25.10.08; George Jolly, 27.10.08; Mary Knight, 24.10.08; Vincent Gray, 18.11.08; Anthony Ainsworth, 20.11.08; Teresa Cunniff, 6.12.08; Eveline Spiro, 9.12.08; Thomas Turberfield, 12.12.08; Catherine Livesey, 16.12.08; Thomas Lowe, 17.12.08 & Sheila Borrill, 31.12.08. May their souls and the souls of all the Faithful Departed rest in peace. Amen.

Equally, we send our best wishes and congratulations to the families of the following who have been baptised here in recent months:

Jacob Lucas, 28.9.08; Amelia Van-Parys, 25.10.08; Isabel Pepa, 25.10.08; Jessica & Ellie Balchin, 16.11.08 & Ella Fowler, 30.11.08. Water of Life cleanse and refresh them, bringing them to life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

 


 

From the Diocese

Appointment: Fr Ted Gannon has been appointed as Parish Priest, St Gregory’s, Preston, on the retirement of Fr Maley. New Chapter Canons: Frs John Watson and Luiz Ruscillo have been appointed to the Cathedral Chapter.  Their installation will take place in May 2009. Relics of St Therése of Liséux: 28-30 September 2009 at Lancaster Cathedral with a short stop at Carmel in Fulwood. Bridgettine Sisters took over the former “Pilgrim Rest” at Holywell. It has been completely refurbished, renamed St Winefred’s Guest House, and all rooms are now en-suite. All are welcome for holidays, weekends, retreats, quiet days or meetings. Tel: 01352 714073. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A Glimpse of Heaven’  - the DVD  available at £12.99 (including p&p) from Gracewing Publishing, 2 Southern Avenue, Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 0QF, tel 01568 616835, fax 01568 613289, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. website: www.gracewing.co.uk.

 


 

Parish Pastoral Council

I think that I have said previously how pleased I was to learn that St. Clare’s had a Parish Pastoral Council (PPC), such bodies show that the people of the parish take seriously their responsibility towards stewardship of the parish with the clergy. As far as I am concerned the PPC has a role in setting the strategic direction of the parish by identifying the mission and sacramental needs of the parish. To do this the PPC needs to be honed and some training is necessary. Therefore, I am proposing a new start for the PPC as follows:

1.      The PPC will have 12 members (I believe that originally was the constitution of the present group), clergy ex officio.

2.      For the time being these 12 members will self nominate

3.      If more nominate than are required, all the names will be put into a draw, names will be withdrawn until only 12 remain and they will form the PPC

4.      The PPC will meet monthly

5.      Each fourth meeting will be an ‘open forum’ for any interested parties

6.      A secretary will be appointed preferably not a member of the PPC

7.      An agenda will be provided a week before the meeting and the minutes one week after

8.      This PPC will be in-situ for 12 months and will decide how its successor is to be constituted

9.      The PPC will concern itself with the strategic direction of the parish and, using the principle of subsidiarity, will leave other groups to organise events etc.

10.  Training will be required for those who are to be members of the PPC.

Timetable: Jan 18/19: Nomination Slips in Bulletin; Feb 1st : Deadline for return; Feb 8th: Draw (if more than 12 nominees); Feb 15th New PPC announced and first meeting called.