Welcome to the Catholic parishes of

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION SAINT THOMAS MORE Sisters of St Joseph of Peace 54 New Street Oadby Leicester LE2 4LJ

Primary School: Saint John Fisher CVA 0116 288 2203 Head Mr A Gallagher

Parish Priest: Fr Michael Moore Assistant Priest: Fr John Owens

0116 221 8385 stthomasmoreknighton

@gmail.com Deacon: Vince Kelly

Secondary School: Saint Paul’s 0116 241 4057

Principal Mrs S Conaghan Parishes Website

http://www.le2catholicparishes.info

75 Knighton Road Knighton

Leicester LE2 3HN

Primary School: Saint Thomas More CVA

0116 270 6365 Head Mrs C Crosse

Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time 19th July 2020

Holy Mass The obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is removed during these emergency circumstances of the lockdown, and for as long as they last. This pandemic is the serious reason why this obligation does not apply at this time.

The Vatican II document Lumen Gentium (“Light of the Nations”) describes our homes as “the Domestic Church” for this is the first place we learn about our

faith and continue our journey of faith through our daily living. We are encouraged to develop ways in which we can renew

and deepen still more our spiritual relationship with God in our homes at this time when we are unable to gather or pray in our Churches.

Sacrament of Reconciliation The Congregation for Sacred Worship, speaking about the pandemic, reminds the faithful who cannot receive sacramental absolution, that ‘perfect contrition, rooted in love of God who is to be loved above all things, expressed in a sincere request for forgiveness, insofar as the penitent is able to make it at that moment, and accompanied by the firm intention to go to confession as soon as is possible, obtains forgiveness of all sins, including grave sin (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church 1452). Confessions cannot be heard over the telephone. Services of General Absolution cannot be held as this involves travel and the gathering of people.

All liturgies, parish activities and meetings are postponed until further notice.

Leicester Churches previously opened for private prayer only

have been closed in line with the local lockdown

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

Entrance Antiphon Ps 53: 6, 8 See, I have God for my help. The Lord sustains my soul. I will sacrifice to you with willing heart, and praise your name, O Lord, for it is good.

The Gloria Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Collect Show favour, O Lord, to your servants and mercifully increase the gifts of your grace, that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity, they may be ever watchful in keeping your commands. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

First reading Wisdom 12:13,16-19 There is no god, other than you, who cares for every thing, to whom you might have to

prove that you never judged unjustly; Your justice has its source in strength, your sovereignty over all makes you lenient to all. You show your strength when your sovereign power is questioned and you expose the insolence of those who know it; but, disposing of such strength, you are mild in judgement, you govern us with great lenience, for you have only to will, and your power is there. By acting thus you have taught a lesson to your people how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men, and you have given your sons the good hope that after sin you will grant repentance.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 85(86):5-6,9-10,15-16

O Lord, you are good and forgiving.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving, full of love to all who call. Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my voice.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving.

All the nations shall come to adore you and glorify your name, O Lord: for you are great and do marvellous deeds, you who alone are God.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving.

But you, God of mercy and compassion, slow to anger, O Lord, abounding in love and truth, turn and take pity on me.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving.

Second reading Romans 8:26-27 The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything

in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.

Gospel Acclamation cf.Ep1:17,18 Alleluia, alleluia! May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our mind, so that we can see what hope his call holds for us. Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 13:24-43 Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’ He put another parable before them: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’ He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.’ In all this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; indeed, he would never speak to them except in parables. This was to fulfil the prophecy:

I will speak to you in parables and expound things hidden since the foundation of the world. Then, leaving the crowds, he went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’

The Nicene Creed I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, At the words that follow, up to and including ‘and became man’, all bow. and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried,

and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen

Prayer over the Offerings O God, who in the one perfect sacrifice

brought to completion varied offerings of the law, accept, we pray, this sacrifice from your faithful servants and make it holy, as you blessed the gifts of Abel, so that what each has offered to the honour of your majesty may benefit the salvation of all. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon Ps 110: 4-5 The Lord, the gracious, the merciful, has made a memorial of his wonders; he gives food to those who fear him.

Prayer after Communion Graciously be present to your people, we pray, O Lord, and lead those you have imbued with heavenly mysteries to pass from former ways to newness of life. Through Christ our Lord. Scripture Readings from The Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday and

Company Ltd. Excerpts from the English translation and chants of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved

Please remember in your prayers… Cycle of prayer during Ordinary Time (Summer)

A deeper understanding between Christians and Jews; those who suffer Persecution, Oppression and Denial of Human Rights; Europe; Human Life; Seafarers

The names of our sick and housebound parishioners as placed by the statue of our Parish Patrons…

Immaculate Conception, Oadby Patricia Briner, Barry Dobson, Rita Dobson,

Tessa Ellis, Jean Farmer, Dr Mary Ginger, Bridget Harrigan St. Thomas More, Knighton

Derek Allen, Jamie Cardwell, Natalie Ellis, Barbara Henry, Philomena Joyce, Geraldine McGlynn, Brian Neill, Patrick Maughan, Fr Michael Moore, Val Ratcliffe, Margaret Spence

Please note that we are only be able to publish in the newsletter/website/social media and display by our Patronal statues the names of those we have evidence of giving consent to do so. During the current situation please can the nearest relative or family member email the

Parish Office with consent to publish names if individuals are unable to do so. Those whose anniversaries occur at this time… Annie Bradley, Mary Breen, Anna Callaghan, Mary Chapman, George Copeland, Anna Dodes, Andrew Flynn, Mary Franklin, Bridget Grant,

Elizabeth John, Michael Koleczko, Malcolm Lucas, Frank Madden, Sylvin Molloy, Roland Nicholson, David O’Brien, Rosalie Perchal, Millicent Rebeiro, Marjorie Smith,

Graham Taylor and John Taylor

Those who have died recently… Loes Doubt RIP, John Duncan Cloud RIP, Tom Ellis RIP, Bente Hendrick RIP,

Kathleen Ingram RIP, Iris Pandya RIP

Loes’ funeral will take place on Wednesday 22nd July at 12.00pm A live webcast will be available at www.obitus.com User name Sebu5065 Password 532776

Bente’s funeral will take place on Thursday 23rd July at 12.30pm. A live webcast will be available at https://www.wesleymedia.co.uk/webcast-view

Login/Order ID 40603 Password trhutfkx

To their families and friends we offer our sympathy and the support of our prayer at this time. May the angels lead them to paradise

HOW TO JOIN THE MASS ONLINE AT SAINT THOMAS MORE

Mass is streamed at 9.00am every Sunday on YouTube from St. Thomas More Church, Knighton

You can use either of the following ways to join the Mass –

Go to YouTube and search for “Saint Thomas More Leicester” and the page will appear. Press the “Subscribe” button. If you also click on the little Bell Symbol you will receive notifications from the page that will let them know when a new video or stream is happening

Use the link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrZu39_vJOmfp5OcVR4INiQ/ Press the “Subscribe” button. If you also click on the little Bell Symbol you will receive notifications from the page that will let them know when a new video or stream is happening

Opening of our Churches …

Following the local lockdown in Leicester, the decision has been taken that our Churches will remain locked at all times within the lockdown area. Bishop Patrick said that he considers it best

that we suspend the opening of Churches in the affected area for the foreseeable future. As I have previously said the Dean will then decide on which Churches will re-open in the first instance for private prayer in Leicester, so that there will be a reasonable distribution of

Churches across the city. Until then no Church in Leicester will be open for private prayer until further notice.

Mass Intentions…

If you would like a Mass celebrated for a particular intention, please let me know of the intention by post or email. If you require a Mass Card signing please indicate this on your request and I will organise collection by prior arrangement or post the card to you, which ever is convenient.

Congratulations…

…to Chris & Netsai Mukopfa on their 23rd Wedding Anniversary

Responding to Laudato Si…

At the request of the Laudato Si parish group …Tip of the week … Use the dishwasher…On average we use 63 litres of water to wash up after a meal for 12 people compared to 18 litres of

water used by a full dishwasher. The average energy consumption is broadly similar.

A PRAYER FOR THOSE WITHIN THE LEICESTER LOCKDOWN ZONE

offered by the Church Leaders of Churches Together in Leicester and Leicestershire Loving God,

ever-present with your people through the highs and lows of life,

we cry out to you for Leicester in the face of prolonged suffering and hardship

as a result of lockdown. Grant us peace in our frustration;

strength to our NHS and all who are called to care and help; wisdom to our city leaders;

and discernment for our churches in offering the medicine of your gospel. Bless all caught in the grip of Covid-19 and comfort the grieving.

In the name of the One who gives us hope, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Parish Finances…

All contributions made by parishioners are very much appreciated at any time, but the generosity of those of you who have continued to give via online banking and standing order, during this difficult time, has been valued greatly. We also realise that the current emergency is affecting many people’s income and they may not be able to continue their level of offerings. If this is the case, we fully understand.

Many parishioners contribute through Planned Giving Envelopes or loose plate and we are asking you, if your circumstances allow, to re-consider your way of giving and use either Online Banking or, if you are not online, the paper standing order method.

The advantages to this are:

Usually free of charge for both payer and payee

Quick and easy to set up

Useful for making recurring contributions

Helps the Parish to have a reliable income each month to assist in forward planning

You can increase or decrease your offering at any time by contacting your bank

Less cash handling within the parish

Increased security as less cash being kept on Church premises and being taken to the bank

Setting up a Standing Order with Online Banking If you have internet access and your bank account is online you can set up your standing order with the Parish bank details which can be given to you by the relevant Parish Office on the telephone or emailed to you on request. Please use as the reference your surname and first name with the prefix Z if you Gift Aid e.g. ZSMITHJANET with Gift Aid or SMITHJANET without Gift Aid. Please remember if you are a taxpayer gift aid can be claimed from your donations. If

you donate £20.00 per month this would become £25.00 at no extra cost to yourself. If you wish to Gift Aid as a taxpayer, you will need to sign a Gift Aid declaration, again available from the Parish Office or downloaded from the Diocesan Website.

If you do not have access to Online Banking but still wish to contribute by standing order, please request a form from the Parish Office

If you would like your new supply of envelopes posting to your home address please contact Fr. Michael by email or telephone and we will arrange this for you

Year 6 Big Sleep Out …

Three years ago STM Year 6 students organised a fundraising event to help a local homeless charity, Action Homeless. It was a huge success and with your help they raised over £5k for the charity, still their largest single donation to date. This event has become a bit of a tradition for the year6 Leavers of STM, it looked like it would have to be cancelled this year due to COVID, but the kids refused to let yet another end of Year 6 school event be cancelled, especially one this important. So they have come up with an ingenious idea, which means the event can still happen. Year 6 are doing the Big Sleep Out - at home! They need your support again. Please help them if you can. Thank you http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/yearsixbigsleepout

National Justice and Peace Mini Zoom Conference …

Saturday 18th July Post Pandemic Church: paralysed or energised? recovered or re-imagined? An online mini conference (Zoom) - How do we, as Church, move to an alternative model of

being - in the light of the Gospel message and Pope Francis Catholic Social Teaching documents (Laudato Si’, Evangelii Gaudium).

Session 1: Forgotten People - 10.30am to 12.00pm Session 2: Our Response – 2.00pm to 3.30pm. Book via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/post-pandemic-church-paralysed-or-

energised-recovered-or-re-imagined-tickets-108604414728 We are delighted that Rev. Dr. Joseph O'Hanlon will contribute to Session 2

The Briars Team 2020-21 …

Applications for Team 20-21 remain open! Based in Derbyshire at our Diocesan retreat centre (The Briars), successful applicants will live together in community for 11 months, working across the Diocese of Nottingham with young

people in Schools and Parishes and providing Digital Ministry and content via our YouTube channel, thus carrying out the mission of NDCYS. Applicants should be ages 18-25 For more information or for an application pack, please email director@ndcys.com

LACY (Leicestershire Active Catholic Youth…

… will be celebrating the feast of The Assumption on line, via Zoom, on Sunday 16th August at 4.00pm Fr. Simon Gillespie will be leading us in our prayer and reflection. We are looking for people to share in the liturgy. If you can help contact Pauline Payne at paulinepayne@hotmail.com. Please ensure that all under 18 years of age do ask parents/guardians to make the contact and when sharing the celebration should be on line with the young person.

Liturgical Calendar and Mass Intentions week commencing 19th July 2020 Sunday Readings Year A Weekday Readings II Prayer of the Church Week 4

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME Saturday 18th July Mass Sunday 19th July Mass All Parishioners

Monday 20th July Feria Mass Sr Breege Leddy RIP

Tuesday 21st July Feria Private Intention

Wednesday 22nd July Saint Mary Magdalene Mass Loes Doubt RIP

Thursday 23rd July Saint Bridget of Sweden, Religious, Patron of Europe Mass Bente Hendrick RIP

Friday 24th July Feria Mass Frank Madden RIP

Saturday 25th July Saint James, Apostle Mass Maureen Condon RIP

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

Sunday 26th July Mass All Parishioners

With every good wish for the coming week Fr Michael

Prayer for the Year of the Word…

Living God, you walk alongside us and speak to us throughout the Scriptures.

Your Son, Jesus Christ, listens to our hopes and fears and shows us how to live for one another.

Send us the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds so that we may be your witnesses throughout the world. Amen.

NRCDT Company Number: 7151646 & Charity Number: 1134449