A Prayer for Ukraine (Bishop Patrick)
We pray that the Lord God send His Holy Spirit to all the people of Ukraine
and gives them the grace of endurance in faith, hope and love amid the current ordeals;
may peace be granted throughout Ukraine
and may the Ukrainian nation be delivered from all enemies,
so that we may glorify the good and merciful God in justice and truth.
Lord hear us and have mercy. Amen.
6th Sunday of Easter
Pope Francis’ intention for May
For The Formation Of Men And Women Religious And Seminarians
Let us pray that men and women religious and seminarians, grow in their own vocational journey through human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, that leads them to be credible witnesses of the Gospel.
May is the month of Mary
Her “yes” at the Annunciation illustrates the Blessed Virgin Mary’s perfect humility, obedience, and openness to the Holy Spirit that we are called to imitate in our own lives. In becoming the Mother of God, she also became the Mother of the whole Church.
So, in the words of St. Francis de Sales: “Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.”
Parish Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction: Sunday 26th May from 15.00.
All welcome! The Feast of the Most Holy Trinity.
Feast Days in May:
3rd SS Philip and James,Apostles.4th English Martyrs, 9th Ascension Day, Holyday of Obligation, 14th St Matthias,Apostle,19th Pentecost,20th Mary Mother of the Church,23rd Christ the High Priest,26th The Most Holy Trinity,29th Pope St Paul VI 31ST The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Parish school: School assembly and the Crowning of Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, Wednesday 1st May @09.00. All welcome!
Little Church: dates in May : Sunday 5th & Sunday 19th @10a.m. Mass.
The Sacrament of Confirmation: Please pray for our young parishioners, Anastasia, Dominika Grace and Jeston who will be confirmed on Pentecost Sunday 19th May at the 10a.m. Mass.
Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage: 15th -19 th July. Three parishioners are going. If anyone else is interested, please contact Deacon Tony.
Parish piety shop; There are lots of new religious items in stock including statues, crucifixes, and rosary beads plus cards for all occasions. Please come along and see for yourselves. Thank you to Ann for organising it all.
Parish groups:
Men of the parish are invited to a monthly meeting in the parish hall to discuss matters of faith and individual points of interest.The next meeting is Tuesday 7th May @ 19.00.
Women of the Parish meet every third Saturday in the Parish Hall for breakfast and discussion,from 09.00. the next meeting is 18th May.
Parish fundraising: Thankyou to our generous parishioners for raisng £160 in the recent chocolate raffle. Thankyou for the prizes and the money donated. Thank you to Sharon, Bridget, Trish, Sheena, Sue, Alice and Ivan for their help and others, especially on the day of the raffle.
A family BBQ is planned for Sunday 9th June from 12.30 onwards at the home of David and Susan Stodart,21 Chapel Lane Leasingham. A donation box will be available, and all monies will go to the parish. There will be a list nearer the date for the numbers of people coming which will assist with catering etc. It is hoped to have parish musicians playing on the day. Many thanks to David and Sue and all who are organising the day.
- The next meeting of the men of the parish –Tuesday 7th May @ 18.30 in the Parish Hall, Jermyn Street. All welcome!!!
There will be a Jubilee Year in 2025. In preparation for this event, Bishop Patrick has asked if parishes could concentrate on various monthly prayer themes. January’s theme is Baptism.
There will be Adoration and Benediction each month to help us offer our prayers for this Year of Preparation and Prayer. In January it will be Sunday 14th January at 15.00. All are welcome!
A Jubilee Year will be celebrated in 2025, which will also be the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea (325 AD). Pope Francis has asked for 2024 to be considered a year of prayerful preparation.
The Jubilee Year is a special occasion that occurs every 25 years, and it is a time for Catholics to come together to celebrate their faith and to seek forgiveness for their wrongs.
Many Catholics will travel to Rome on pilgrimage to celebrate the Year of Jubilee.
Parish Activities.
Little Church resumes Sunday 2nd September @ 10a.m. Mass. Children aged between 3-11 with parents most welcome. Every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month. See the poster in the church porch.
Weekly Offertory Collection.
If you would like to make an offering via the envelope system, please give your name to Fr Peter. If you want to gift aid your offering, then speak to Fr Peter or Deacon Tony.
Ofsted and Religious Education comments: Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School.
Inspection dates: 14 and 15 June 2023 Overall effectiveness Good. The quality of education is Good. Behaviour and attitudes Good. Personal development Good. Leadership and management Good. Early years provision Good
R.E. Inspection 2017. The school is a highly effective Catholic school. Pupils’ needs are exceptionally well met. Good The school is an effective Catholic school. Pupils’ needs are met well.
- Little Church— It is on the first and third Sunday of each month. There will be no Little Church in August. Children between 3 and 11. Parents are welcome to attend.
The next Little Church will be September 3rd @ 10.00 Mass.
- Altar Servers
Children who have made their First Holy Communion are invited to become altar servers. Please contact Deacon Tony if your child is interested in becoming one.
- First Holy Communion class 2023/2024.
The First Communion Programme will start again in October. If you are interested in your child joining this group, please contact Jacky Griffiths on 01526 323275 or email: jackyegriffiths@gmail.com.
Parish Piety Room
Ann would like to thank all who have supported the parish piety library and shop. She is very grateful for your donations and interest in the books and goods available.
She has worked very hard to get it up and running again and has introduced some good ideas for parishioners to consider. Please continue your support. Thank you, Ann, for your commitment.
Cathedral Restoration
The Trustees of the Catholic Diocese of Nottingham have been awarded a substantial grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to embark on an exciting ‘Restoring Pugin’ project at Nottingham Cathedral. The total grant awarded for the first phase of development work is £277,558. A potential delivery grant of £524, 858 has also been awarded. Both grants represent 60% of total costs. Proposed and led by Nottingham Cathedral, the project is a unique partnership with Nottingham Trent University and Culture Syndicates (a CIC heritage and arts consultancy that offers paid development opportunities to museum sector entrants)
Nottingham Cathedral was designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, one of the key pioneers of the Gothic Revival architectural style in Britain during the early Victorian period. Through his works, publications and close collaboration with the architect Sir Charles Barry in the design of the Houses of Parliament, Pugin brought the Middle Ages to life with all its richness, colour and detail. At the heart of the Nottingham Cathedral project is the restoration of the three chapels at the east end of the building to Pugin’s original vision and design. Early investigations of the paintwork by conservators have showed that Pugin’s original decorative scheme, sadly covered over with later paint, can be uncovered and brought back to its former glory
A letter from Bishop Patrick —Diocesan support for the people of Ukraine
I thank you for all the prayers, practical initiatives, and generosity that people across our diocese have already been engaged in, and especially in support of CAFOD’s appeal for Ukraine.
On behalf of the diocese I have been in regular contact with Father David Senyk, the Chancellor of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of London, who also ministers to the Ukrainian communities in Derby, Leicester and Nottingham. I have offered him our prayers for the people of Ukraine and for an end to the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian forces.
More recently I asked him how best he thought we could cooperate with and support the Ukrainian communities within our diocese so as to welcome, house and guide refugees from Ukraine when they arrive amongst us. They, after all, have the contacts in Ukraine and among the Ukrainian refugees that we do not.
He explained that through their direct contacts with charity organisations already working on the ground in Ukraine they have been able to send £400,000 to each of the following charities, Caritas Ukraine, Red Cross Ukraine and Medicin sans frontiers. They are continuing to collect funds, but now it is for the use of refugees, mainly women and children, when they arrive here. Any donations for this work can be deposited directly into a dedicated account, sort code 16-00-16 account number 10121272, name, ‘Ukrainian Catholic Church’. Any cheques should be made payable to ‘Ukrainian Catholic Church’ and sent to Very Rev David Senyk, Chancellor, Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy, 21-22 Binney Street, London, W1K 5BQ.
N.B. Musicians are welcome to join us at Sunday Mass each week — 10a.m.
Pray for the sick:
Please pray for the sick of the parish and those who are housebound. Remember also our parishioners who are now living in care homes: Marion, and June.
Readers at weekend Masses.
There is always room for more volunteer readers at Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses.
Please contact Deacon Tony if you would like to be added to the rota.
Parishioners in local care homes—If you would like to visit a parishioner, please contact Deacon Tony for details.