SUNDAY XVII IN ORDINARY TIME
25 th JULY 2021
Jesus went off to the other side of the Sea of Galilee – or of Tiberias – and
a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he gave by
curing the sick.
Jesus climbed the hillside , and sat down there with his
disciples . It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover .
Looking up, Jesus saw the crowds approaching and said to
Philip, ‘Where can we buy some bread for these people to
eat?’ He only said this to test Philip; he himself knew exactly
what he was going to do. Philip answered , ‘Two hundred
denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece
each.’ One of his disciples , Andrew , Simon Peter’s brother ,
said, ‘There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and
two fish; but what is that between so many?’ Jesus said to
them , ‘Make the people sit down .’ There was plenty of grass
there , and as many as five thousand men sat down . Then
Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks , and gave them out to all
who were sitting ready; he then did the same with the fish,
giving out as much as was wanted . When they had eaten
enough he said to the disciples , ‘Pick up the pieces left over,
so that nothing gets wasted .’ So they picked them up, and
filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of
five barley loaves. The people , seeing this sign that he had
given, said, ‘This really is the prophet who is to come into
the world.’ Jesus, who could see they were about to come
and take him by force and make him king, escaped back to the
hills by himself. John 6:1-15
Sat 24th
17.00 Vigil Mass at St Mary’s Chorley
Sun 25th SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Sun.10.00 Mass at St Mary’s Chorley
11.30 Mass – Bernard Swarbrick
Mon 26th St Joachim and St Anne
10.00 Mass – William Phalen
Tues 27th
Wed 28th
10.00 Mass – Margaret Lavin
Thurs 29th Ss Martha, Mary and Lazarus
Fri 30th St Peter Chrysologos
Sat 31st St Ignatius of Loyola
17.00 Vigil Mass at St Mary’s Chorley
Sun 1st Aug EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Sun.10.00 Mass at St Mary’s Chorley
11.30 Mass – Tom Murphy
Burial of Ashes – Tom Murphy (TBCF)
PLEASE PRAY FOR ALL THE SICK AND THE HOUSEBOUND
Emeritus Pope Benedict, Joan Bailey, Stan Bolton, Francis Brennan, Gerard Clarke,
John Fearnhead, Mary Fearnhead, Philip Fishwick, Pat Font, Tom Fraser, William
Freeman, Bob Goulding, Cyril Hodkinson, Cathy Hull, John Kerfoot, Mary Johnston,
Marion Kerins, Emma King, Gordon Lee, Paul McBeth, Finton McPeake, Eddie
Marsden, Fr Laurence Mayne, Fr Barry McAllister, Ellen Morris, Teresa O’Malia, Heidi
O’Neill, Barrie Swift, Alan Taylor, Irene Tootell, Peter Warren, Betty Wignall, and all at
Grove House & Marley Court.
PRAYERS DURING THIS PANDEMIC: Collect from the special Mass
Almighty and eternal God, our refuge in every danger, to whom we turn in our
distress; in faith we pray look with compassion on the afflicted, grant eternal
rest to the dead, comfort to mourners, healing to the sick, peace to the dying,
strength to healthcare workers, wisdom to our leaders and the courage to reach
out to all in love, so that together we may give glory to your holy name. 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.
HEALTH AND SAFETY INFORMATION FOR ST JOSEPH’S ANDERTON:
In Chorley the infection rate per 100,000 over the seven days to July
22nd soared by 122.5% and is now the highest ever, 850 new cases in seven
days, giving a rate of 717/100,000, up from 323 a week ago. Have people thrown
all caution to the winds? Please take care, for your own sake and the sake of your
loved ones. Hospitals in Preston and Manchester have COVID wards full again.
We all want to resume some normality in our lives and get rid of this lethal
virus. However, the medics and the scientists are telling us to be very cautious. How
ironic that the new Health Minister himself tested positive for Coronavirus on so-called
“Freedom Day.” A warning for us all.
St Joseph’s is continuing with the following measures:
* Masks must be worn in the church (unless you are exempt). No mask – no entrance.
* Hands must be gelled coming into the church and upon exit.
* 2 metre distancing must be maintained. Only every second pew is in use.
The capacity number is 60 (weddings and funerals included) until further notice for
any service or Mass. I want you to feel safe and looked after when you come to
church here. We need to prioritize the care we offer for the elderly and the vulnerable.
We wear facemasks not only to protect ourselves but as an act of generosity
to protect other people. The Archdiocese recommends the continued use of
facemasks and hand-cleansing measures. There can be a limited amount of
congregational singing allowed indoors, so we may use the chants of short parts of
the Mass. For those helping in church to distribute Holy Communion, or to do home
visits, it is very strongly recommended that you have received the two jabs. If
unvaccinated, please keep to roles where you are not in close contact with other
parishioners.
Vaccines offer protection, but they are not 100% effective. Sir Patrick
Vallance, the government’s chief scientific advisor, reported that 60% of those in
hospital with COVID are unvaccinated, but that means that 40% have had either one
or two jabs. He added: "In the winter wave, we were up to around 60,000 people
testing positive per day….We are now somewhere on towards 50,000. So we're quite
close to the size of the winter wave of infections and this is going to increase."
We know that vaccine efficiency (from three weeks after the second jab) is
around 85-95%. Young people particularly are at risk of developing Long Covid if they
contract the virus. We cannot afford to be reckless or careless. Thank you for your
cooperation and understanding. Fr Francis Marsden.
BAPTISMS: It is difficult to socially distance in a safe way when
administering the sacrament of baptism. Therefore the resumption of baptisms is
delayed except in emergency.
NEW WORLD DAY FOR GRANDPARENTS AND THE ELDERLY
Pope Francis has decided to institute a Church-wide celebration of a World Day for
Grandparents and the Elderly. Starting this year, it will be held on the fourth Sunday of
July, close to the memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.
The Pope said, “The Holy Spirit even today stirs up thoughts and words of
wisdom in the elderly.” The voice of the elderly “is precious because it sings the
praises of God and preserves the roots of the peoples.” The elderly “remind us that
old age is a gift and that grandparents are the link between the different generation, to
pass on to the young the experience of life.”
He has instituted this Day of Grandparents and the Elderly because
“grandparents are often forgotten, and we forget this wealth of preserving roots and
passing on” what the elderly have received. He emphasized the importance of
grandparents and grandchildren getting to know one another, because “as the prophet
Joel says, grandparents seeing their grandchildren dream,” while “young people,
drawing strength from their grandparents, will go forward and prophesy.”
A Plenary Indulgence is available on this day under the usual conditions to
the Elderly and to Grandparents and to those who care for them. "Big is beautiful" may be a clever slogan, but God still asks, "Who dares despise the
day of small things?" (Zech.4:10)...A few loaves and fishes fed thousands. Little is
much if God is in it." Warren W. Wiersbe
“Many, if not most, of the miracles recorded in the Gospels can, in fact, be directly
connected to the earlier miracle of the Creation. The same Being who, as YHWH,
organized the elements and framed the heavens and the earth was thus, as the Man
of Galilee, able to control the winds and the waves. He could change water to wine,
multiply loaves and fishes, heal bodies, and restore sight by the same power...that he
had exercised in the beginning.” ― Eric D. Huntsman, The Miracles of Jesus.
CHORLEY AND PRESTON HOSPITALS: Please contact St
Joseph's Chorley (262713) if any member of your family is
admitted into Chorley Hospital and needs a visit. Please, by
making a request for the visit, make sure that the ward
staff understand that you would like the RC Chaplain to
come and administer the Sacraments to your loved one,
the ward staff will call the Chaplain on his bleep/phone.
For the chaplaincy service at Royal Preston Hospital please
ring 01772 522435. For the chaplaincy service at Wigan
Infirmary T. 01942 822324.
A CHRISTMAS CARD ORDER is currently being compiled, even though it is a bit
early. You can place an order now if you wish for cards, and there is also a
catalogue available for other items for Christmas which can be viewed by
contacting Sheila Cronin on 01257 475153.
LOURDES AT HOME 2021 ; A Lourdes at Home Pilgrimage Programme takes place
from Sunday 25 July to Friday 30 July. Archbishop Malcolm will celebrate the opening
Mass in the Metropolitan Cathedral at 3.00 pm on Sunday 25 July and the pilgrimage
will conclude with a picnic followed by the Rosary and Torchlight Marian Procession in
Our Lady’s prayer garden, Southport Road, Lydiate from 6.00 pm on Friday 30 July.
Full timetable printed of the events at the back of the church on individual sheets..
Livestream available.
KNITTED HEARTS: We have had another request from the hospitals for more
twinned knitted hearts. One heart stays with the poorly patient and the other stays with
the family. Please keep them coming in. Thank you.
CHORLEY FOOD BANK: The summer holidays have arrived. This means that some
children may get little to eat during the day. Normally at school they would be on free
dinners. Please donate food to the food bank if you can. Your donations will be
gratefully received. It is surprising how much food is given out during school holidays.
Thank you. The Food Bank is at Living Waters on Bolton Street. Contact number is:
07889 757045.
DEANERY FESTIVAL DAY 12TH SEPTEMBER AT ST GREGORY’S WELD BANK
The Parish hopes to run a bottle stall for tombola. All donations please to Kath Heald
HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTION FOR JULY
Social Friendship: We pray that, in social, economic and political
situations of conflict , we may be courageous and passionate
architects of dialogue and friendship
Parish Priest: Fr Francis Marsden
Secretary: Mr Frank Webster
Parish Office: St Joseph’s Presbytery, 28, Bolton Road, Adlington, Chorley PR6 9NA
Wed. 10.00-13.00
Tel: 01257- 480237 or 01257- 262537 (St Mary’s Chorley
E-mail: stjosephs.anderton@tiscali.co.uk
Parish Website: www.stjosephsanderton.com
LIVERPOOL ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESAN TRUSTEES INC Registered Charity No.232709
