Christ the King Main Page

The parish clergy team has reviewed the current arrangements. In the light of the rising numbers of cases, hospitalisations and deaths we decided to leave arrangements unchanged until further notice This means that, to enable people to continue to feel safe in church, we retain the current lay- out of our seating, continuing to enable social distancing. We continue to request that adults con- tinue to wear face coverings and sanitize their hands before entering church. Thank you for your help and cooperation in these difficult times.

DISPENSATION FROM ATTENDING MASS

As we are experiencing the great increase in numbers attending Mass in our churches, it is timely to remind everyone that the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days has been suspended since the start of the pandemic. For those who feel unready or unable to return, you may know that the Prayer of Spiritual Communion is recited to include you in our prayers. Here is an example of a Prayer that you may wish to say:

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament I love you above all things and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since at this moment I cannot receive you sacramentally, please come spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you now as if you were already here and I unite myself wholly to you.
Never permit me to be separated from you, Amen

THE LATEST MASS TIMES:

Public Masses for the parish are as follows. They may be subject to change at short notice so, if you can, check daily on the parish website for updates.

There will be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament starting 30 mins before all of the weekday Masses.

The disruption to the roads around Christ the King church is now over. We return to the programme of Masses that we had in place before the disruption, as shown below.

St Mary’s Church Update:

St Mary’s church is still currently temporarily closed as it needs essential repair. The builders continue with their investigatory work before giving their assessment of how to proceed. The investigation includes internal problems within the ceiling and possibly external repairs to the roof. We will keep you informed through the Newsletter and Web site.

THIS WEEK'S MASSES:

	St Mary's	Christ the King	St John's
MONDAY	X	7.00 pm	9.30am
TUESDAY	X	X	9.30am 12 Noon
WEDNESDAY	X	X	9.30am 7.00pm
THURSDAY	X	9.30am	10.30am 1.30pm Funeral Mass for Brendan Salmon
FRIDAY	X	12 Noon	9.30am
SATURDAY	X	9.30am 6.30pm Vigil	6.00pm Vigil
SUNDAY	X	9.15am 5.00pm	9.30am* 11.00am

NEXT Sunday 12th September the streamed Mass will be at 9.15 from Christ the King.

Saturday Vigil Masses: Please consider attending at either of the Vigil Masses in the parish where there is currently more capacity.

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION—ADDITIONAL AVAILABILITY: Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available from 5.30pm to 5.55pm at St John’s church.

EXPOSITION AND RECONCILIATION: There will be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Saturday 17th July at Christ the King church from 10.30am to 11.30am.

*The Sunday 9.30am Mass from St John’s will be live-streamed.

There will be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament starting 30 mins before the weekday Masses.

CHURCH STEWARDS

Huge thanks to our stewards who make attendance at church possible as we continue to work at remaining safe whilst in church. Please call Fr David if you would like to join this invaluable team.

WHICH MASS TO CHOOSE?

At the moment the demand for the Vigil Masses is less than those on Sunday mornings, so it may ease the stewarding considerations if you choose to attend either of the two Vigil Masses. Midweek Masses are more lightly attended, and can be used unless your only option is at the weekend.

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DON’T DROP YOUR GUARD!!

Remember! This virus doesn't spread on its own: you, (yes, you), and others spread it when we go outside our households and mix with others in other places.

DON’T RELAX! We pray that the vaccine is successful, but please don’t drop your guard—the virus is still spreading like wildfire!

READ ALL ABOUT IT! We have discovered a really good and informative website with simply worded but high-quality guidance. It has 18 different sheets like the one aside. It runs from what to do if you have symptoms, to looking after children who are going to school. Please look at it, use the information and pass it on to family friends and neighbours. It is also available in several languages so pass it on to people who speak and understand their own language best.

🌐THE WEBSITE IS: https://covid19graphics.info/

This virus is killing people, and leaving others with long-term health problems—don’t let it be you or yours.

Take no risks, stay safe. We are all responsible for this!

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REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULES!

HANDS: The virus travels through touching things that an infected person has touched. If you then touch your nose, mouth or eyes, you may transfer the virus into your own body. So wash your hands, for 20 seconds, every time you have been in contact outside your home.

FACE: You are legally obliged to cover your face in all shops, hospitals, church and other places. It prevents you spreading the virus to others, with some exceptions.

SPACE: When a person coughs or sneezes it is though that the minuscule droplets travel up to two meters. So you keep safe by keeping apart from others. Unfortunately, there are many people who seem to disregard this, so they offer a risk to others, especially indoors.

So, please keep safe, and protect your loved ones and all those around you.

Remember, this virus kills people, and others have become seriously ill,

often with long-term adverse impact on their lives.

These comments are a brief summary of the full guidelines.

If they worry you, please read the full Government Guidance here.

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PUBLIC MASSES AND SERVICES IN THE PARISH

Exposition: There will be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament starting 30 minutes before all of the above Masses.

Exposition and Reconciliation: Every Saturday there will be Exposition and Reconciliation at St Mary's from 10.30 to 11.30am. The Reconciliation will take place on the Sacred Heart altar. Please be guided by the Stewards.

Grateful thanks to Mark our Seminarian for doing such a splendid job in organising very successfully our bookings for the Masses for the Christmas Octave. We are very grateful to him.

We are very grateful to the stewards who have been so faithful and committed through this pandemic and on whom we totally rely to be able to continue to keep the churches open.

We will review the above programme as we proceed and keep you informed through the website and newsletter.

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TESTING FOR COVID 19—FREE—STILL AVAILABLE —PLEASE HAVE ONE!!

You will see that the problem of the virus spreading and we have had extra restrictions coming in.

This testing programme is to help the authorities to know how widespread it is, and learn how to manage and control it better. It is continuing for these reasons, in spite of problems we are seeing elsewhere, so please don’t be put off from being tested. It’s free and available on Centenary Way near the Gala Bingo, Saturday to Wednesday, between 10.00am and 3.00pm.

Please note the change of days it is available. No booking needed. Just turn up.

No injection—they just take a swab. Waiting times vary but queues keep moving.

Our thanks to the staff and volunteers who run the service.

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OTHER NOTICES

GRATEFUL THANKS

Irene Perry and family wish to sincerely thank Fr David, the musicians, and the singing group for the lovely Requiem Mass for Ron Perry which they provided at John’s on Monday 6th September. Thanks also to all the friends and parishioners for their Masses and prayers. It is very much appreciated and a Mass will be offered for your intentions.

FOOTBALL CAR PARK VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED

Our wonderful team of volunteers which runs the car park at St Mary’s during Burn- ley FC matches needs strengthening. You’ll be surprised to know how infrequently you will be ‘on duty’! It’s only once every other game—that’s a maximum of 9 games (plus cup ties, but we tend not to have many!). If we build the number of teams it will be only 6/7 games when you’ll be on duty (plus cup ties).

Each match you will be there for about 90 minutes and if you’re a fan, you will have plenty of time to get to the game.

This could be YOU! It’s of huge benefit to the Parish: So far this season we’ve raised over £1,00 Over the season that could be as much as £10,000+!! Please help us to achieve this wonderful opportunity.

To join the team, please contact Danny 07485 002 097 or Fr David. Thank you.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PARISH BY STANDING ORDER

Could those who contribute to St Mary’s or St John’s by Standing Order, please kindly contact your bank and inform them that the payment should now be made as follows: Name: The Salford Diocesan Trust :The Good Samaritan Parish Sort Code: 205558 Account number: 50404640. Many thanks.

KSC COUNCIL MEETING

Knights are reminded that their meeting is on Monday 13th September at 8.00pm in the Club.

AFGHAN REFUGEE APPEAL—WHAT A RESPONSE!

Caritas Salford requested that we collect goods for the displaced people The parish joined forces with New Neighbours Together, the refugee charity that does so much of its excellent work from St John’s premises.

What followed was amazing! Firstly, our volunteers—a lovely group of parishioners, from teenage to ‘don’t ask!’ , all our church communities, received, labelled, and stacked so much stuff! We had three lines of tables running the length of St John’s Parish Hall stacked, below and above up to shoulder height! It was five hours of inten- sive work, all done with great spirit and fun. Thank you all so much, and well done!

Our other volunteers were refugees who set the room up, and came to load up the van(s) to take the goods to Caritas’ depot in Manchester. They were non-stop-go! So much committed effort and at such speed! (Amongst them were a young couple who had brought goods from a mosque nearby, who stayed and got stuck in as well!) This reflects the spirit of the ‘project’ throughout.

On Friday and Saturday people came in their droves to bring their donations, from all part of our local com- munity. There were lots of different schools, churches, mosques and other local charities from across East Lancs. All of these people were like the other hundreds of individuals who came with goods. They shone out with their kindness, generosity, and real wish to help their unknown ‘neighbours’ from the terrors of all that we have seen going on in Afghanistan.

We were also greatly assisted by three local organisations: Furniture for Education Worldwide (FEW), Calico and Emmaus who all offered transport to take the goods to Manchester. In the event the huge FEW van took the lot!! This itself felt like a miracle—the more we put in, the space never diminished until it was full!! Thanks to all three organisations.

But the greatest gift that the people and volunteers brought was their kindness, generosity, their loving care and concern for people in need. They opened their hearts and their hands to reach out to care for their fellow humans in need.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR GIVING OF GOODNESS. A BRILLIANT RESPONSE BY WONDERFUL PEOPLE! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

AFGHAN REFUGEE CRISIS

Full details of how our parish, working with Caritas and New Neighbours together are helping in the crisis.

Concerned about the plight of those seeking refuge from the turbulent, dangerous situation in Afganistan?

Wish you could do something to help?

The parish of The Good Samaritan, and the local refugee charity New Neighbours Together are responding to the Appeal under the wider umbrella of Caritas Salford, the Catholic Diocesan charity.

The immediate need is for those people who have fled their homes in Afghanistan and are currently in hotels in and around Manchester Airport, in Covid isolation and awaiting eventual allocation to a new home. They have few belongings, and so need the following items, as soon as possible.

Can you donate Please!

We plan to have two occasions when you can come and drop goods off your gifts

Drop-Off arrangements

If you have goods and donations, we will have two drop-off sessions, and would ask you to bring your goods to either one. They will be at St John’s Parish Rooms. Ivy Street, Burnley as follows:

Friday 3rd September from 5.00pm until 7.00pm, and Saturday 4th September from 10.00am until 1.00pm. What’s needed

- Clothing: men’s Women’s and Children’s (especially older children– new or used.
- Personal hygiene products especially toothpaste.
- Incontinence Pads
- Baby-care products: Nappies, cot blankets, baby wipes,
- Packs for expectant mums including mater- nity wear
- Scarves
- Shoes and trainers
- NEW underwear and socks (children and adults)
- Children’s Activity packs
- Adapters to enable people to plug into UK sockets.

Guidelines for your Donations

Please make sure that any used goods you donate are CLEAN, and are of GOOD QUALITY. Please only send anything that you would pass on to a friend or relative, feeling proud of what you’re giving.

With clothing, please sort into separate bags and label them as follows:
Men’s Clothes, Women’s Clothes,
Boys/Girls Clothes separate in age groups: Aged 1 - 5, Aged 6 –11, Teenage—12+

Ideally, put them into separate bags, each one labelled.

Remember, we can only accept NEW underclothes and socks. I’m sorry, but we can’t arrange pick-up.

For safety’s sake, we will ask you to observe Covid ‘rules’ if you can: wearing a mask and respecting social distancing whilst in the Parish Hall. We hope you can oblige for the few minutes involved.

You can also make online donations of money.

Go to https://www.caritassalford.org.uk/afghanistan-appeal-2021/

Thank you so much for your generosity and thoughtfulness.

SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY IN THE PARISH

Thanks again for your ongoing generosity and support. We have been able to take on regular financial support for a second SVP conference in India as well as the one we have supported for many years. The SVP conferences in India are able to do so much more with this support.

At home, as Covid-19 restrictions are eased we are hoping that we can resume some home visits to people who are housebound. We are also helping a lady with her shopping on a regular basis. We encounter people in need, and try to help in any way we can. Worth-
while and rewarding work.

If you would like to find out more about the SVP and perhaps become a member, please speak to Maria Boys, Klaus Lamle, or Lynne Middleton. Most of our current workers are in the St John’s community and we would really welcome volunteers from our other parish communities.

LIVE STREAMING—CAN YOU HELP ONCE A FORTNIGHT!

Our live stream is a vital, and sometimes the only connection for many of the people in the parish, who, for whatever reason cannot get to Mass on Sundays. We need someone to help out on the live stream team for an hour or two every other Sunday. Full training and lots of support given. It's not too hard and it's a new skill, a new insight into how we live stream services. In addition, from time to time we

need help with weekday services, (eg funeral Masses, weddings, etc) which is again an invaluable service to many at home and abroad - even if you cannot commit to a Sunday, are you sometimes available during the week on an ad hoc basis?

If you think you may be interested and would like to know more, please contact Mike Morris on 07929 451 566 or email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Lilies, White, Belladonna, Easter Lilies, Fragrant

VOCATIONS NEWS

We would like to let you know that as from September there will be a new Diocesan Vocations team in place. The new team will comprise of Fr Mark Paver and Fr Michael Deas. This means that Fr John Hitchen and Fr David Featherstone will be stepping down from their respective roles as Vocations Director and Vocations Promoter. Fr David has been involved with vocations for the Diocese for fifteen years but both himself and Fr John are delighted to be handing over the reins of this important ministry to two very capable and competent priests.
We are delighted to announce that our seminarian Mark McGeehan has now successfully completed his one year of formation in Valladolid, Spain and from September will continue his training for the priesthood at St Mary’s College, Oscott, Birmingham. Please keep him and all our seminarians in your prayers.

St John Paul II used these prayers for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life.

They can also be used in the context of married and single life-vocations.

Holy and provident Father, You are the Lord of the vineyard and the harvest and You give each a just reward for their work. In your design of love, you call men and women to work with You for the salvation of the world. We thank You for Jesus Christ, your living Word, who has redeemed us from our sins and is among us to assist us in our poverty. Guide the flock to which You have promised ossession of the kingdom. Send new workers into your har- vest and set in the hearts of pastors faithfulness to your plan of salvation, perseverance in their vocation and holiness of life.

Mary, Virgin who listened, and Virgin of the Word of God made flesh in your womb, help us to be open to the Word of the Lord, so that, having been welcomed and meditated upon, it may grow in our hearts. Help us to live like You the beatitudes of believers and to dedicate ourselves with unceasing charity to evangelizing all those who seek your Son. Grant that we may serve every person, becoming servants of the Word we have heard, so that remaining faithful to it we may find our happiness in living it.

MISSIO RED BOX HOLDERS AT ST JOHN’S

The Summer Edition of Missio Booklets are ready for distribution by our wonderful promoters who will collect your donations if they feel safe and happy to do so. Alternatively, your box can be dropped off at church. Very many prayerful thanks for your continued crucial support. Anyone wanting a box or would like to help please contact Lynn 433832.

CATENIAN ASSOCIATION

Good news! After 17 months of virtual Zoom meetings, Burnley Catenians are meeting in person, on the 11th August at Burnley Football Club and just in time to celebrate their Centenary Banquet (albeit a year late!) at the same venue on the 12th November. To outline what the Catenians do and the benefits parishioners can get out of it by joining, we have produced a short informative video.

You can view it by visiting https://youtu.be/ RtKf41p1jwA

For more information about the Catenians please contact the Burnley Circle Membership Officer, Mick Armfield, on 01282 459424. Please give him a call, and he’ll tell you how “It’s a great organisation to be part of”.

PHOTO OF A WWI SOLDIER—CAN YOU HELP?

We have had a request via our website for a photo of a WWI soldier who features there. His name is John William Welsby and he was KIA on 3rd June 1917. If you do have one please call Barbara on 01282 424967 who will either put you in touch or act as go-between, Thank you

HUMOUR AND HORROR IN THE BIBLE!

Fancy a weekend away in November (19th to 21st)? This is the theme of a weekend at Minsteracres Retreat Centre near Hexham with the international speaker, songwriter and author from the Iona Community - the Rev John Bell. Some members of the Good Samaritan Parish are now booking and you are welcome to join in. All details are available in printed form at the back of church, or on the parish website or ring Karen 431723 who will forward them to you. Cost: £175 full board. Highly recommended!

CATENIAN CHARTER CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

The celebrations, postponed from last year have been re-scheduled. The major event is to be at Burnley FC on Friday 12th November 2021.

Please contact Peter Nuttall:Tel: 01282 432356 or 07546261012

or e-mail: pandmnutThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Details on the parish website

QUEEN’S AWARD FOR VOLUNTARY SERVICE (QAVS)

Do you know a voluntary group that deserves recognition for the work it does? Why not consider nominating it for a national award? We all know the value of voluntary effort to support communities not least in the difficult circumstances we are continuing to face in 2021. The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service was established to recognise exceptional groups of individuals who give their time freely for the benefit of others and make a real difference in the communities they serve. It is the highest honour (equivalent to the MBE) that can be bestowed upon groups.

Groups must be nominated for the award - self-nomination is not permitted. A group (three or more people and operating for at least three years) can be nominated if it is based in the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Further details on eligibility criteria and the online nomination process (which is fairly straightforward) are available from: https://qavs.culture.gov.uk/. The closing date is 15th September 2021.

🌎 PARISH WEBSITE—INTERNATIONAL🌎

Our parish website gets visitors literally from every part of the country and some of those visitors have dropped in many hundreds of times from different towns and cities. We also get quite a great number of visitors from overseas and we've probably had people from pretty much every country on earth by now. One period of 24 hours we had:

Pakistan: 1 location / 2 visits

USA: 4 locations / 4 visits

Canada: 1 location /2 visits

Dubai 1 location/2 visits.

And one visit from each of: Burkina Faso, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands.

And yes, you did read it correctly—that’s just one day!! Well done to all the website team.

COVID CHAMPION NEWS

In our parishes, we want to keep ourselves & families safe & wish for the protection of the whole community. It is so important that we vaccinate everyone, so we can enjoy our lives & town again.

If you know of anyone who hasn't received the vaccine & would like to, information is available on the NHS website or e-mail; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thank you.

GIFT AID—THE PARISH NEEDS YOUR HELP!

We require someone from each of our three churches to help with the administration of Gift Aid for the parish. An interest in numbers might help, but you do not need to be experienced as training will be provided by the Diocese. If interested please contact Fr David.
Gift Aid adds 25% to each donor’s contribution, so is a really important source of income.

SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST NEEDS YOUR HELP

As we hopefully move to a more “normal” time we are looking for one or two people to join our team and help in managing the Parish Rooms at St Johns. If you think you could help please contact either Margaret Pickles 07751025178 or Michael Mulrooney 07791506695

STEWARDS IN OUR CHURCHES

We are very dependent on the generosity of our wonderful stewards. We are very grateful for the dedication they have shown throughout. If anyone would like to become a steward please contact Fr David.

CAFOD NEWS

CAFOD is working to help and support: ˃ in Haiti to deliver emergency aid to people affected by the catastrophic earthquake and tropical storm. ˃ in Afghanistan, for the safety of our local partners and communities. ˃ in Tigray in Ethiopia, South Sudan and north-east Nigeria to deliver urgent food and water supplies to hundreds of thousands of people facing extreme hunger.

You can read more on the website: https://cafod.org.uk/News/Emergencies-news.

Your compassion, generosity and prayers have helped us to stand together to support so many communities in so many difficult situations. Thank you.

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MAILING THE NEWSLETTER

Until we get back to normal activities, if you need a paper copy of this Newsletter please contact Fr David tel 422007 with your name and address. He is happy to forward it to you.

If you would like to include an item, or make a Mass Offering, please email:(This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) your request before midday on Thursday.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

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These daily reflections from the parish clergy team are available on this link, each day.

The Lord’s Day at Home sheets are available on this link and are great for providing sacred time at home while the churches are closed.

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FEAST DAYS FOR THIS WEEK

WEEK Commencing 13th September

Monday St John Chrysostom

Tuesday Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Wednesday Our Lady of Sorrows

Thursday Ss Cornelius and Cyprian

Friday St Robert Bellamine

Saturday Weekday

Sunday 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

“I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder!!”

Here’s one of the Quotes sent from a parishioner on the website.

There are many more—and Quips! Have a laugh! Enjoy the wisdom!

Send us one of your own favourites!

We’re all deeply into our new way of life and most of us we need to look for the silver linings.

Till things go back to normal, let’s try to cheer each other up. Parishioner Tony Waters, who many of you may know from St Mary’s, has contacted us with a brilliant idea.

In the current climate, why not have a series of items on reasons to be cheerful?

We reckon that anything that lightens up some of the doom & gloom has got to be good!

We’ll publish them on the website, and in the Newsletter when space allows.

Email us with your suggestions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Here’s one of our latest - on being allowed to ‘play out’ (for exercise)

- - - - Unseasonal sunshine
        
        People smiling because you are deliberately avoiding them
        
        The fresh green of the springtime trees
        
        Young families out together for their walk
        
        Unexpected meetings and chats

Join the fun—share the joy! Tell us your Reasons to be Cheerful! 😃

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OVERSEAS ACCLAIM FOR OUR GREAT WEBSITE!

"Everything in the site pulls you into the parish community.

It's like an invitation to belong to something special”

These are the wonderful words sent to our web manager this week from an admirer from the Parish Council of Magheralin Parish in Northern Ireland. She says she's had a good look at our website and was impressed - commenting especially on the dedication it takes to keep it up to date! She adds:

“Sincerely, well done with that design and to all contributors."

She ends by saying she will ask the other members of their Council to take a look...

she wants to steal some of our ideas! Well done to the web team for their dedication, creativity and hard work. Well deserved praise. SHARE THE NEWS! There are many people still self- isolating so make a call!

Read our wonderful newsy and topical parish website, and ring someone with the news and a chat to help with their isolation. Good fun too!

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LIVE STREAMED MASSES

Streamed Sunday Mass: Please note that Fr David and Fr Damien will celebrate the 9.30am Mass on Sundays at St Mary’s and it will continue to be live-streamed.

This Mass will be recorded and available to view later on Sunday morning, or early afternoon.

Thank You: We have built excellent teams of stewards over the weeks and they do a really splendid job. Our thanks to them—without your help, none of this would be viable!

The National Shrine in Walsingham; www.walsingham.org.uk

The Good Shepherd parish in Colne; www.goodshepherdpendle.org.uk

You can also find the Readings for Mass each day on www.universalis.com

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PRAYERS AND MESSAGES

Pope Francis’ Prayer Intention For September

An Environmentally Sustainable Lifestyle: We pray that we all will make courageous choices for a simple and environmentally sustainable lifestyle, rejoicing in our young people who are resolutely committed to this. Gospel.

Papal Prayer Intention for 2021

Respect for the Planet's Resources:

We pray that the planet's resources will not be plundered, but shared in a just and respectful manner.

Artificial Intelligence
We pray that the progress of robotics and artificial

intelligence may always serve humankind.

Our Families:
We pray that today's families may be accompanied with love, respect and guidance.

Diocesan Cycle of Prayer Intentions in Ordinary Time

● A deeper understanding between Christians and Jews
● Those who suffer persecution oppression and denial of human rights
● Europe

● Seafarers

The Bread of Life—A Prayer

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; Amen.

Pope Francis’ Prayer for grandparents and the Elderly

The special day which Pope Francis declared for grandparents and the elderly (last Sunday) caught us a bit unawares! So here’s a little catch-up.

A comment from Pope Francis: “How precious is the family as the privileged place for transmitting the faith! Speaking about family life, I would like to say one thing: today, as Brazil and the Church around the world celebrate this feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, Grandparents Day is also being celebrated. How important grandparents are for family life, for passing on the human and religious heritage

which is so essential for each and every society! How important it is to have intergenerational exchanges and dialogues, especially within the context of the family.”

And an extract from the Prayer for this special group of people: “I thank You for having given me a family and for having blessed me with a long life. I thank You for moments of joy and difficulty, for the dreams that have already come true in my life and for those that are still ahead of me. I thank You for this time of renewed fruitfulness to which You call me.”

Message from Pope Francis about Reconciliation: These words from the Holy Father should help us while some of us cannot go to the Sacrament:

“Do what the catechism says. It’s very clear. If you don’t find a priest to go to confession, speak to God. He’s your Father. Tell Him the truth: ‘Lord. I did this and this and this. Pardon me.’ Ask His forgiveness with all your heart with an act of contrition, and promise Him, ‘afterwards I will go to confession.’ “You will return to God’s grace immediately. You yourself can draw near, as the Catechism teaches us to God’s forgiveness, without having a priest at hand.

"Every political social or religious project involves the inclusion or exclusion of the wounded, lying on the side of the road. Each day each of us faces the choice of being a good Samaritan or an indifferent bystander"

- Pope Francis, 2003

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Pope Francis, Audience, Vatican, St Peter'S Square

POPE FRANCIS SPEAKING ABOUT CHRIST THE KING

At the end of our life we will be judged on love, that is, on our concrete commitment to love and serve Jesus in our littlest and neediest brothers and sisters. That mendicant, that needy person who reaches out his hand is Jesus; that sick person whom I must visit is Jesus; that inmate is Jesus, that hungry person is Jesus.

WITH A FATHER’S HEART—THE YEAR OF ST JOSEPH

“The faith Christ taught us is what we see in Saint Joseph. He did not look for shortcuts, but confronted reality with open eyes and accepted personal responsibility for it. Joseph’s attitude encourages us to ac- accept and welcome others as they are, without exception, and to show special concern for the weak, for God chooses what is weak (cf. 1 Cor 1:27). He is the “Father of orphans and protector of widows” (Ps 68:6), who commands us to love the stranger in our midst. I like to think that it was from Saint Joseph that Jesus drew inspiration for the parable of the prodigal son and the merciful father (cf. Lk 15:11-32).”

Pope Francis in ‘Patris Corde’

Send Your Holy Spirit:

Heavenly Father, You have created each of us to love You and your people.
You have chosen some to serve by responding to the particular call to the priesthood and religious life. Send your Holy Spirit to stir the hearts of those You have designed to follow this path of spiritual leadership.
We pray this petition, faithful and most gracious God, in the name of your Son,

Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

-Pope John Paul II

“An obedient father: As he had done with Mary, God revealed his saving plan to Joseph. He did so by using dreams, which in the Bible and among all ancient peoples, were considered a way for him to make his will known.”

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MASS INTENTIONS

Lately Dead: Ron Perry, Brendan Salmon, Mgr Tom Devaney, Fr Michael Sharratt, Kathleen Hardy, Gerald Sanders, Lisanne Melling, Marie Barnes, Sean Brennan

Anniversaries: James Kinsella, Paula Helm, Nora and Russell Ingham, Rita Kelly, Liam McLoughlin, Gladys Winniefred Gilbert (Peggy)

Other Intentions: Brian Bennett, Clergy of the Good Samaritan Parish, John O’Boyle, Fr David, Kathleen Worden, James Worden, Catherine Carter, John Worden, Esther Worden,

In Memoriam: Margaret Boland, Francis Carter, Jimmy Carter, Joan and Harold Doidge,

Birthday Memoriam: Wilfred Jackson, Margaret Williams, Margaret Ingham, Rita Kelly

Candle in Towneley Chapel: Fr David Featherstone, Andrew Harrison

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FOODBANK AND OFFERTORY COLLECTION

Foodbank - keep it up!

Sadly, the need continues for us to support the Foodbank. Here’s how:

Every local Spar shop should have a collection point for non-perishable food. There are two ways to make monetary donations:
1. Online Donations: Blessed Trinity is supporting the Foodbank. Website: https://tinyurl.com/BlessedTrinityJustGiving. They have raised £4,946 so far! Well done them!

2. Cash Donations (at St John’s only). You may leave a cash donation (in a clearly marked envelope) at the presbytery or contact David H on 07434 763822 and we will see if we can collect. We will pass these on to the Foodbank via the Community website (above) - this led to £253.51 being donated during August.

Congratulations to Blessed Trinity—their Just Giving webpage has passed the £10,000 marker!! Well done young’uns!!

Thank you all for your great generosity, online, in cash and in-kind.

Thanks and God bless to everyone who helps with this vital work

Website if you want to make a money donation: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/supportburnleyfoodbank

Please note that Christ the King has suspended Foodbank collection during the unfolding Coronavirus situation.

Offertory Collection

RESUMPTION OF OFFERTORY COLLECTIONS

The new regulations mean that there are no longer opportunities to make our weekly offerings. However, you can make your donations online through the parish website.

- Open the Home page and on the right, there is an icon (on the side)

- Click on it and follow the instructions. Please Gift Aid if appropriate.

It’s fully recognised that some people will now be in a worsened financial position and less able to give at the moment so please do not feel obligated. Thank you.

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CAFOD UPDATES

CAFOD UPDATE

CAFOD Lent Fast Day. Many thanks for your kind donations to CAFOD’s Lent Fast Day during these difficult times. We have received £485 in donations Our sincere thanks.

Your kindness will bring greater access to water to many people in the developing world. There is an opportunity to pray the Stations of the Cross each Friday in Lent at 11am via the CAFOD Website. Very prayerful and inspiring.

Please sign up on CAFOD web page if you wish to join in: https://cafod.org.uk/Pray

CAFOD NEWS UPDATE FOR NEWSLETTER

Our Fast Day plans are again scaled back due to COVID, but we hope you were able to take part in prayer and fasting to mark the CAFOD Fast Day. Your donations will help to alleviate the suffering of those with limited access to clean water and it also helps communities working to lessen the horrendous effects to the COVID pandemic.

Please keep CAFOD partners overseas in your prayers during this very difficult time.

Any donation can be placed in an envelope marked CAFOD and left in the donation baskets available in our churches or go to the CAFOD website: www.cafod.org.uk

CAFOD’s new campaign, ‘Reclaim Our Common Home’, is a response to Pope Francis’s call for a new way of thinking about the world, to take action to alleviate the pandemics of hunger, poverty runaway climate change.

You can sign the online petition to the Prime Minister and/or donate here: Reclaim Our Common Home

CAFOD HARVEST FAMILY FAST DAY

Two of our parish junior schools became wholeheartedly involved in our Harvest Fast Day—with wonderful rewards.

One school baked its way to a wonderful £165, the other raised a super £100 (this shared equally with the school fund).

They deserve a huge round of applause!

Well done children, parents and staff—great illustration of Christian action!

The CAFOD group are very grateful for your continued generosity over Harvest Fast Day and beyond. You can continue to donate via https://cafod.org.uk/Give

Some people in the parish raise money for CAFOD by keeping a small CAFOD cardboard collection box in their homes, in which they place any small change.

If you would like one of these boxes for Advent or at any other time then please get in touch with Anne Marie Coppock on 721701 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The CAFOD group at Good Samaritan are very grateful for your continued generosity over Harvest Fast Day. But the need is still great, so, after discussion with Fr David, anybody wishing to make a contribution to the Harvest Family Fast Day by cash or cheque can still do so.

Please label an envelope “CAFOD” and leave it in the collection baskets at the rear of any of the three churches.

Online donations can still be made direct to CAFOD by using the following link: https://cafod.org.uk/ Fundraise/Family-Fast-Day

We also wish to thank the fantastic fundraising achievements of our students, parents and staff at Blessed Trinity College, who have raised an amazing £825.93 Family Fast Day. Well done one and all!

FREE WILL WRITING SERVICE

As we approach the time of year when we remember our deceased family members and friends, CAFOD also remembers its deceased supporters and volunteers through memorial services and Masses. At this time, CAFOD promotes its free will writing service for people who wish to leave a gift for CAFOD’s work in their own wills.

For further details, follow the link: https://cafod.org.uk/Give/Leave-a-gift-in-your-will

Don’t forget to check out the CAFOD webpage on the parish website for more detailed news, including the latest campaigning news and online CAFOD petition to our Prime Minister.

“You have given with gentle kindness and selfless love, your generosity through these strange times has made such a positive difference.”

RESOURCES FOR YOUR COMMUNITY

Do you work with children and young people in school, in the parish or in our community? If so CAFOD has a range of resources and ideas for the new academic year, just visit the CAFOD Group’s webpage for the link to find them.

DISASTERS EMERGENCIES COMMITTEE

CAFOD has joined with the UK Disasters Emergencies Committee to help millions of people whose lives are at risk, as coronavirus spreads across refugee camps and countries suffering conflict. CAFOD was able to respond as first cases hit Northern Syria. You can donate directly to CAFOD at cafod.org.uk/coronavirus to help CAFOD scale up its coronavirus response through our global Church family.

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Christ the King

Community Gathering

Next dates for early 2020:

TBC

All at 7:15pm in Christ the King Presbytery

Come along to the next meeting – you'll be most welcome!

Introduction

Mass Times

How to Find Us

Christ the King Roman Catholic Church

9 Healey Ct, Burnley BB11 2QJ