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Please Pray for . . .
At Mass we pray especially for ...
Tuesday, 29 April
9am, Maureen Cull, Michael Smith,
Margaret Jackson Smith,
Robert Campbell
Thursday, 1 May
6.30pm, Jimmy Farrell,
Stephen Cawley, Mr & Mrs Whittle
Friday, 2 May
9am, Liz Morris & Family,
Hilda Thomas, Michael Twig
Prayer for Francis
O God, faithful rewarder of souls,
grant that your departed servant Pope Francis,
whom you made successor of Peter
and shepherd of your Church,
may happily enjoy for ever in your presence in heaven
the mysteries of your grace and compassion,
which he faithfully ministered on earth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Click on the link to read the Pastoral Letter
Bereavement Drop In
Tuesday, 6 May, 2pm, St Mark's annexe, all welcome for a confidential chat and a listening ear over a cuppa.
PreLoved Adults Clothing Event
Good quality preloved adults clothing sale, St Mark’s annexe, Friday, 16 May, 2.30pm-5.30pm and Saturday, 17 May, 10am-1pm. Bring a bag and grab a bargain. Tickets £2 includes a raffle or pay on door. No returns. This event has been organised by our Ladies Group with proceeds being shared between our LiveSimply project, the Parish Lourdes Fund and one of our primary schools.
We’ll Care Community Tea Dance
In partnership with Halewood Town Council, We’ll Care will be hosting a Tea Dance for all Halewood residents, in particular, residents who are isolated or lonely and would like to socially engage with others.
The Tea Dance will be held on the last Thursday of every month, 12noon-3pm. Entrance is free and tea, coffee and soft drinks will be provided. Venue: Hollies Hall, Hollies Road, Halewood, L26 0TH. Limited parking is available. For further info or to confirm your attendance please contact Ria on 07707 620 544 (9am-4pm).
Events at Our lady of the Assumption, Gateacre
Easter Worship
Led by One Hope Project and taking place at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 3pm-4pm, Sunday, 11 May, song, praise, silence, adoration followed by refreshments.
Liverpool Male Voice Choir
The choir will be performing at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Centre on Friday, 16 May, 7.30pm, tickets £5 in aid of young people helping in Lourdes. All welcome.
Parish Retreat
A Parish Retreat has been organised for Saturday, 12 July at The Irenaeus Project in Waterloo. As this date falls shortly after Pentecost our theme will be the Holy Spirit. The retreat will start at 10am, end at 3pm and the cost will be in the region of £30pp to include lunch. If you are interested, please sign up at the back of church.
Prayer Garden Fund - Donate To Our Future Prayer Garden
As part of our ‘Live Simply’ Plan, the group have been investigating creating a prayer garden and prayerful space at our churches. Starting with St Mark’s we are looking to develop an outdoor space with benches, trellis, flowers, plants to attract pollinators and tubs. There will be an opportunity for you to sponsor our garden in different ways:
- general donation, for plants, materials etc for both churches.
- a more specific donation could be made towards seating as this can be quite costly.
- there will be an opportunity to sponsor a bench at St Mark’s where memorial plaques will be placed. Cost of contributions to this will be in the region of £70.
If you are interested in donating, please have a chat with Jen Jones, Peter Renwick, Janet Markey, David Manning, Mark White, Ann Farrell, Ron Smith or contact the Parish Office on 486 3992.
Parish Centre Manager Running London Marathon!
On Sunday, 27 April our very own Emma Harvey who manages the Parish Centre will be running the London Marathon. Emma is running to raise vital funds for the Megan Hurley Foundation. Megan, from Halewood, was a young victim of the Manchester Arena bombing and the Foundation supports families who have experienced unimaginable loss.
Emma has opened a GoFundMe page so if you feel able to support her efforts with a donation please visit:
The Big Christian Aid Quiz
This is a family friendly evening taking place on Friday, 30 May, 7.30pm at Greenalls Social Club, Alder Hey Road, St Helens, WA10 4DN. Tickets £12pp includes hotpot supper. To book contact Janice Watkins: 01744 27425/07947 743 219 or Andy Watkins: watkinsa@edgehill.ac.uk
Baptismal Information
If you would like the Sacrament of Baptism for your child you must first register your interest at one of our Baptism Registration meetings. These meetings take place at 6pm in St Mark’s annexe on Penmann Crescent. For all baptism enquiries please ring Chris Myles on 07443 018 816. Dates fill very quickly so it is recommended you register well in advance of the date you are hoping to secure. Please note, we do not offer dates for baptism during August.
Upcoming registration meetings: 12 May, 2 June, 7 July, no meeting in August.
Please note, children due to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion in 2025/26 require to have first received the Sacrament of Baptism.
Starting School September 2025/26 or Starting First Holy Communion Preparation 2025/26?
If the above applies to you, please be aware that all children are required to produce a Baptism Certificate in order to be eligible. Dates fill quickly so if you wish your child to receive the Sacrament of Baptism please attend a Baptism Registration meeting as soon as possible.
What is a Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church?
An ordinary jubilee happens in the church every 25 years – the last one was in the year 2000. Occasionally, there can also be Extraordinary Jubilees called, for example, we had one in 2015, that ran until 2016, called the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. Jubilee years date back to the 1300s, and traditionally, it is a year that sees the remission of sins, debts and universal pardon.
2025 will mark 60 years since the second Vatican Council, or Vatican II. Following a Year of Prayer in 2024, celebrations will now begin. The theme is Pilgrims of Hope.
This year’s Jubilee logo is rich with imagery that can help you to understand the meaning of the Jubilee. Father Simon Gore explains: “The logo shows a group of people travelling together, reminding young people that they’re never alone on their journey of faith and will always have support in their faith communities. There's also the symbol of the wave, a reminder of the potential difficulties of being a follower of Christ in the modern age. But most importantly, there's the anchor – the anchor of hope – to show that no matter the difficulty, we can always find hope and comfort in our faith.”
Watch this space for more news and events.
Looking for a Late Catholic Gap Year?
Do you know anybody who is Catholic, aged around 18 to 22 and still not got anything lined up for the year ahead? Castlerigg Manor (the Diocese of Lancaster Retreat Centre, located in the Lake District) are still looking for young people to join their youth ministry internship scheme. The scheme provides comprehensive training and experience as well as accommodation and food for the year, and a stipend each week. Interested? Please visit: castleriggmanor.com or email Jack Regan – director@castleriggmanor.co.uk
St Mark’s Parish Centre
Every Sunday, 7pm-10.30pm, Karaoke Night.
RCIA Meetings
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the process given to us by the Church to initiate adults and older children into Christianity as it is lived within the Roman Catholic tradition. Do you know anyone who wants to become a Catholic? Whatever your starting point you are very welcome to come along.
This course has now started and takes place every Thursday, 7pm in St Mark’s annexe. All enquiries to Reverend Peter Renwick on 07707 917 554.
Looking for something to help you to pray? Why not try out Pray As You Go - daily meditations and many others reflections and inspirations for prayer.
