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OUR LADY Of LOURDes & sT. JOsePH’s, KeIGHLeY Parish Priest: Fr Dennis Cassidy, St Joseph’s Presbytery, Queens Road, Keighley BD21 1AT (01535) 681861
[email protected] www.ourlady-stjoseph.org.uk
Diocese of Leeds Registered Charity Number 249404
Sunday 26th
April 2020
Date & Place Time Mass Intention Feast
Saturday 25th
6pm People of the Parish Vigil, Third Sunday of Easter
Sunday 26th
10am Terry Monaghan (LD) Third Sunday of Easter
Monday 27th
9am Sue Reynard Weekday of Easter
Tuesday 28th
9am Ann Melvin Weekday of Easter
Wednesday 29th
9am Mary Ingram (LD) St Catherine of Siena
Thursday 30th
9am Denise Kerry (LD) Weekday of Easter
Friday 1st 9am Pat Berry (LD) St Joseph the Worker
Saturday 2nd
9am
6pm
Kennedy Family
People of the Parish St Athanasius
Vigil, Fourth Sunday of Easter
Saturday Confessions: On request
Mass Offerings received: Josie Trant (LD); Terry Monaghan (LD).
Please Pray for the Sick: Peter Connor, Bernard Tarpy, Lorna Lynch, Stephen Hanson, Maureen Conor, Frank Kofler,
Abby Carter, Sarah Howell, Catrina Farnell, Bill Forde, Sheila Scott, Luke Yates, Maureen Simpson, Mary Connolly
Kathryn Inman (Allen), Maria Andrews, Josie Butler, Betty Emmett, Ann Loiacono, Kathleen Lunney-Walsh,
Matthew Goulden, Amy Knowles, Rita Watson, Chris Brady, Eva Swidrak, and Paula Williams.
Video Mass from the Presbytery: Thank you to all those who have contributed video, audio and photographs to
make these video Masses possible. Positive comments on the videos have been lovely to receive, not just from our
Parish, but from viewers all over the world, and it gives great pleasure to pass this message on to those involved. If
you would like to participate by recording readings etc. from home, please let Fr Dennis know and he will send you
the details of how to do this.
As usual, you will receive a separate email when this week’s video link is available. You can also subscribe to the
Parish YouTube channel to be notified when new videos are available. You can do this from any of the Parish
videos, by clicking on the red ‘SUBSCRIBE’ button.
Prayer of St Alphonsus (The Prayer of Spiritual Communion):
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in this Holy Sacrament of the altar.
I love you above all things and I passionately desire to receive you into my soul.
Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally,
come spiritually into my soul so that I may unite myself wholly to you now and forever.
Amen.
Mass Offerings: Mass Intentions can be emailed to Father Dennis, and the offering can be made via online banking
with the reference ‘Mass Offering’. Alternatively, you can write a letter and include a cheque (payable to Diocese of
Leeds - Our Lady of Lourdes) and either post it or pop it through Fr Dennis's letter box.
200 Club April Draw: In another Parish first, this will be online. It will take place on Sunday 26th
April at 12 noon.
You can view the draw by tuning in at the Parish Facebook page.
CAFOD Boxes: Please keep your CAFOD Lenten boxes until Mass resumes in church. By then they will no doubt
be overflowing and we can send a big donation to help CAFOD in its work. Thank you for your generosity.
Offertory Collections: Our primary concern remains that of the health and wellbeing of all our parishioners.
However, we are aware that parish income has obviously reduced significantly since public Masses have been
suspended. The past weeks have seen offertory income drop by at least 80%.
We would like to thank all parishioners who have already responded to this appeal by starting to give by standing
order, or by sending cheques, or posting through Fr Dennis’s letter box. We also thank those who were already
doing this. Due to the ongoing situation for the foreseeable future, your Parish is in need of your support. Thanks
to your response, Parish income has recovered somewhat, but is still currently down by 60-65%. If you are able to,
please consider making your offertory by online banking or setting up a standing order, details of which are
available on request.
There is now a big ‘DONATE’ button on the top of the Parish website, and you may also contribute £5 to the Parish
Offertory by texting CHURCH OLSJ to 70500
Cheques (payable to Diocese of Leeds - Our Lady of Lourdes) with details enclosed, including envelope numbers,
may also be posted c/o Fr Cassidy at the Presbytery, St Joseph’s RC Church, Queens Road, BD21 1AT.
Thank you for your continued support.
Live-streamed Mass from Leeds Cathedral: Regular streams currently include 11am Sunday Mass, 10:30am Daily Mass and 12 noon Regina Caeli followed by the Rosary (Regina Caeli replaces the Angelus in Eastertide).
Please check the latest details on the YouTube channel via www.leedscathedrallive.org.uk Lots of links, Mass times and intentions, and other information are also on the Diocesan home page www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk/ and also the Cathedral’s own page www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk/cathedral
Links to any Orders of Service etc. are shown by clicking “Show More” on the YouTube video pages, which greatly assists joining in with the responses and hymns.
Don’t forget also that on the following pages of this document there is a Reflection by Fr Dennis, plus our parish Bidding Prayers, and the Mass readings. In this way, we can still join together as a parish, in spiritual communion.
Holy Mass on Demand: The holy Mass is being broadcast in English every half an hour from different churches in
the world online at https://mass-online.org/ There are also some links to Mass in other languages in the comments
where people have asked where they can find this information.
Catholic Care Community Response Service: To support those in our Catholic communities who are sick, self-
isolating, have been adversely financially impacted, or are finding it difficult to cope, a team of Catholic Care
workers will be available to support parishioners and families in a number of ways. Please see this link for more
details: http://www.ourlady-stjoseph.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Cath-Care-Comm-Help.pdf
Simple Humour: Last week I raised the question if Fr Mike Walsh had competition from Mgr. Paul Fisher in
regards of a sense of humour so I decided to look at Fr Mike’s last newsletter where I found the following:
“Q. What do you call a girl who stands inside goalposts and stops the ball rolling away? A. Annette!!!”
Parish Bulletin: If you are not currently on the list but would like to receive this newsletter by email, it is now easy
to sign up yourself via the Parish website. The signup form is on the front page if you scroll down a little.
Our Parish Online: Much more parish information is on our website, and Facebook page (see “Useful Links” tab).
Third Sunday of Easter, Year A, Sunday 26th
April 2020
Sometimes in life it is very hard to understand why things happen. When
faced with disasters, family or personal illness, the death of a loved one, often
the only thought that comes to our mind is: why? When I was a teenager a good
friend of mine was diagnosed with what turned out to be an aggressive form of
leukemia. At the time I remember there was great hope at first that after
treatment he would survive. Six months after being diagnosed he very sadly died
just before his 17th birthday on December 26th. I remember vividly crying after
hearing the news and asking God why he had allowed this to happen. I picked
up one of my prayer books and there before my eyes was a psalm that expressed
most of my anger, both at God and losing a good friend.
Reflecting since on the various griefs and heartaches I have experienced
since that tender age, I have come to understand more and more that God’s ways
are indeed not our ways. The disciple Cleopas and his companion were utterly
devastated as they walked on the road to Emmaus. Into that place of sadness and
desolation the Risen Jesus walks. The story unfolds to us in three stages, stages
which refer to key parts of the Christian life. Jesus comes into their midst as a
fellow traveller on the road but they do not recognise Him. It’s only through the
gift of grace that we can recognise God’s presence in those who travel with us
during our lives on earth. It’s when we begin to glimpse the divine dignity in
others that we will act in love towards them.
In the second stage we are told that Jesus sets their hearts on fire as he
explains the scriptures to them. Meditation and reflection on the scriptures is a
key part to our Christian life. The disciples were downcast and without hope in
God or trust in others. Their hearts were icy cold until their hearts were warmed
by Jesus’s explanation of the scripture to them.
In the third stage we see the vital importance of prayer. Even though they
still do not recognise Him they invite Jesus in to eat with them. For St Luke,
tables are his symbolic setting for expressing the experience of prayer. It was
though the breaking of bread that their eyes were opened and their belief and
hope was restored.
Wednesday is the feast day of Catherine of Siena, a great Dominican
saint. In her teaching she describes very clearly the importance of both love of
God and neighbour. We are called to have a care and concern for our neighbour
because we should recognise in them the dignity that all people have, since they
have been made in the image and likeness of God. If we are so bound up with
ourselves and our own lives and the problems and challenges that life brings,
and refuse to make a place in our hearts for others, then inevitably we are turned
inwards on ourselves. In order to live out this life of charity or love towards
others, it is necessary to make room within ourselves for God.
Through her life of prayer, Mary our Mother is an example to us of what
God can accomplish in and through us. She is the great example of what it
means to be in intimate communion with God, and shows us how to be
responsive to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, who is actively
transforming us into the image of Jesus. It is Mary who helps to teach us how to
pray and who helps us learn and grow spiritually through our sufferings, so that
we might be more ready to respond to and ease the suffering of others, and to
know our true and utter need of God. In seeking God we find one who is
faithful, forgiving and loving. It is true that there will be times that we do not
understand, we will be angry with God and sad, but at the very heart of our lives
there will continue to be an abiding presence of God’s infinite love and care for
us. Quite simply, if we were fully able to understand God, then we would be
able to understand everything. This, during our time on earth, is not in our gift,
but in the fullness of time all will be revealed. Let’s continue to pray for one
another, that as we grow in knowledge, we will grow in faith and wisdom and
love of others.
God Bless
Dennis Cassidy
With Jesus to guide us and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we turn to our
heavenly Father and pray.
We pray for the Holy Father Pope Francis, and all who lead the Church: may
they be given strength and courage for their task.
Lord, hear us … Lord, graciously hear us
We pray for those who teach and enable others to learn, especially all those who
are helping their children with home schooling. May they be guided by the gift
of wisdom from above.
Lord, hear us … Lord, graciously hear us
We pray for ourselves: may we grow more fully in our love of the scriptures and
our friendship with God.
Lord, hear us … Lord, graciously hear us
We pray for those in any kind of distress: may the word of God be for them
healing and strength.
Lord, hear us … Lord, graciously hear us
We pray for those who are ill and those who care for them.
Lord, hear us … Lord, graciously hear us
We pray for those who have died: may they rest in peace and rise in glory.
Lord, hear us … Lord, graciously hear us
In a moment of silence we pray for our own needs and intentions. (pause)
Lord, hear us … Lord, graciously hear us
We ask Our Lady of Lourdes to join her prayers with ours as we pray:
Hail Mary...
Heavenly Father, hear our prayers, and grant us what we ask in faith, through
Christ our Lord.
No copyright infringement is intended. Reproduced solely to aid our parish during the COVID-19 measures.
