Upcoming Events
WARM SPACE:
Past Events
Easter
MAUNDY THURSDAY
GOOD FRIDAY
ST PATRICK’S NIGHT
15/03/24
THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD FINAL MASS
GUILD OF ST STEPHEN SERVICE
ST STEPHEN’S DAY MASS
Mass was offered today for the altar servers. Father Darren explained that our altar servers are enrolled into the Guild of St. Stephen and that 4 of them, Thomas, Alice, George and Adam will soon be receiving their silver medals for over 10 years’ of service. One of our servers, Hayley, will soon be enrolled into the Guild and will receive her bronze medal for her first year of service.
CHRISTMAS MASSES
HOLY SOULS MASS
OUR LADY OF SORROWS FEAST DAY
On 16th September St Mary’s celebration of its Feast Day took place in the form of a cream tea afternoon in the Hall. Over 60 tickets for the event were sold at which cream tea and prosecco was served by serving staff. This was a tremendously successful event. It took an enormous amount of work by the Social Committee to organise the afternoon tea and I am grateful to them for their efforts. The hall looked fantastic. A big thank you to all those of you who volunteered to help in a variety of ways - by baking, making flower arrangements, providing crockery and cake stands, setting up the hall, making sandwiches and serving the afternoon tea. Thank you for the generous donation of prizes that were received for the raffle. I have received numerous compliments about the afternoon. Parishioners were appreciative of the work that was put into making this a fitting celebration for St Mary’s Feast Day. The cream tea afternoon raised an overwhelming £579.44.
HALL RENTAL FOR BIRTHDAY PARTIES
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION AT ST MARY’S
EASTER SUNDAY:
EASTER VIGIL: Christ is Risen, Alleluia!
GOOD FRIDAY
PALM SUNDAY MASS
On Sunday 11th December we had our Carols and Lessons, which was lead by Deacon John, we are very grateful to our organist Chris and the choir for all the work they did in leading us in the carols. After the service Mulled wine and mince pies where served in the parish hall, many thank to Dorothy, Arial and Jackie for they work they did for the reception afterwards.
On the 9th December we had our parish 10th Anniversary dinner at Heysham Golf Club, 92 people attended which was a great number, Cannon Cooper also came and joined us for the celebration. The anniversary dinner was a great success and every one enjoyed themselves. We are very grateful to Jackie, Sr Justyna and John Hayes for all the work they did in making the evening a great success.
AFTERNOON CREAM TEA: On Saturday 13th August there will be a cream tea afternoon at St Patrick’s at 2pm till 4pm. This is an opportunity for us to come together as a parish community. The event will be free, yes that’s right something free in the Catholic Church. Of course, there will be some entertainment, a raffle and just maybe a game of bingo. We would be grateful for any prizes for the raffle and bingo, so time to look to see what unwanted gifts you might have received recently. Signup sheets will be available from next weekend, as the 10th anniversary sign up sheets will be available for another weekend this week.
SOLEMN EXPOSITION 2022: Our parish is due to have Solemn Exposition the weekend of the 5th, 6th and 7th August. The exposition will only be possible if people can sign up to ensure that the Blessed Sacrament is not left unattended. There are some sign up sheets at the back of church. There will be exposition at St Mary’s covering most of the period between the 5th, 6th & 7th and exposition also at St Patrick’s from 9am Saturday till 5pm.
St Mary’s Friday 5th August 6pm till 10pm, Saturday 6th 08:00 till 20:00 and Sunday 11:30 till 4pm. (subject to people signing up)
St Patrick’s Saturday 10am till 5pm (subject to people signing up)
PARISH OPEN MEETING WITH REGARD TO FINANCE: Some time ago I mentioned that once the parish accounts had been finalised, we would have a parish open meeting to present the past, present and future financial situation regarding income and expenditure. This open meeting will take place on Friday 22nd July 2022 at 7pm in St Mary’s parish hall and is open to all parishioners.
SVP MEETING: This meeting will take place on Thursday 21st July 2022 at 7pm in the parish hall. We welcome any new people who wish to join the SVP and share their talents with the wider community.
DEACON JIM MURPHY’S RETIREMENT PARTY: Deacon Jim would like to express his grateful thanks to the Parish, Frs. Darren and Stephen for the celebration of the Mass, the many gifts including Mass Offerings, cards and best wishes and for all those who were able to attend on Wednesday evening. The sharing of the past with so many I found very touching and will stay with me for a long time. Last, but by no means least, thanks to those responsible for providing such a wonderful buffet!! Thank you all for your friendship and sharing in my Ministry. Holy Mass will be offered for the intentions of all.
PARISH FEAST DAY CELEBRATION: An update on the Parish Feast Day Celebration held on 7th October. We can now announce, although numbers were low, it was an excellent night and all those who attended had a really good time. The food was delicious and the drinks flowed. Thank you to everyone involved, including the amazing ukulele band!
LONDON MARATHON FUNDRAISER: Thank you so much to everyone who supported me in running the London marathon. We managed to raise £3,065. The money has been split between Blood Cancer UK and MDS UK. Julie will be so pleased you remembered her and have contributed to helping others affected by this awful disease. She will no doubt return your kindness in her own way. Deacon John
CONGRATULATIONS: Olivia and Thomas, who were married at St Mary’s last Saturday, please keep the couple in your prayers as they begin their married life together.
TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PARISH OF ST JOHN HENRY NEWMAN: 9th December. Sign up sheets at the back of church, please sign up, so far there are around 50 people who have signed up. Also, just a reminder anyone struggling to afford to go please let me know as there are funds available and someone has paid for two places in the last few days to enable people to attend, any who approaches me for help will be totally confidential.
CONGRATULATIONS: Ted Case one of our senior servers, who has been serving at the altar as a member of the guild of St Stephen for over 10 years. Ted received his recognition from Bishop Paul at the annual altar servers dinner which took lace in Kendal on Thursday 10 November. Many thanks to Ted for his continued service in our parish.
