The Parish of Our Lady and St Patrick Oldham

TWENTY NINTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
(YEAR B)
WEEK: OCTOBER 20TH - 26TH 2024

The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many

“Can you drink the cup that I must drink?”

YOUR CHARITABLE PRAYERS are requested for our parishioners and friends, especially those whose names appear below.
SICK: John Green, Joan Killeen, Eileen Killeen, Cyril and Christine Clarke, Tony Kenny, Luke Burke, Amy Howard, Dominic Boardman, Connie Marrone, Alexander Loughlin, Mary Malone, Win Powell, Surya Duval, Margaret Lawless
LATELY DEAD: Beatrice Butler, Alan Bedford, Jean Woolley, Lynne Smith, Tony Heald
ANNIVERSARIES: Joaquin da Silva, Inancia da Silva, Joe Beswick

LAST WEEK'S COLLECTION: £2,023.33

Standing Order: £674.00 a month

CHURCH BOXES / DONATIONS
Caritas (Homeless) £20.00; Missio £14.69.
Many thanks for your kind generosity.

Our Bank: Barclays Bank - Account Name: TSDT, Our Lady and St. Patrick’s, Oldham; Sort Code 20 55 34; Account Number 90652504; Reference: Contr.

THIS SUNDAY'S MISSALETTE

29th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Missalette

NOTICES:
All Masses will continue to be live streamed. A link is provided on the Parish website: www.smwsp.org.uk or via the Twitter App (@PhilipSumner13).

WORLD MISSION SUNDAY
This year’s theme for World Mission Sunday is “Go and invite everyone to the banquet” (cf. Matthew 22:9) and Father Chantry, the director of Missio, described a huge celebration he was a part of in South Africa after the building of a church by a small Catholic community in 2004: One of the parishioners said, “The day the bishop came to dedicate the church was one of the happiest days of my life, and I think in the lives of that community…”. The theme Pope Francis has chosen for today indicates that our mission is to invite people to the banquet of the Kingdom of God.

NEWMAN COLLEGE AND ST. PATRICK’S PRIMARY SCHOOL
Both these places of education have aske me to inform you of the process they are both currently engaged in to become parts of a Multi Academy Trust. Those involved in education will know that the services provided by the Local Authority have been pared back in recent years. The new MAT /CAT will hopefully re-establish and improve those services, and with a greater Catholic ethos.

PARISH TEAM MEETING
The Parish team decided that the date for the next Mass for the deceased members of the parish, during which the names of those who have died over the past year are read out, will be celebrated at the 12noon Mass on 2nd November. The Book of remembrance will be left out for the next few weeks for people to enter the names of those whom they would like us to remember at Masses during the whole month of November.
After the incident of an attempted burglary, team members expressed their concern about security between the church and the house. It was suggested that we investigate a lock that could be opened by a mobile phone; the current lock requires people to remember the code and to be able to see the device clearly, therefore often causing difficulties leading to it being left open.
Christmas Eve (First Mass of Christmas) will begin with carols at 7.30pm, with Mass starting at 8pm.
Parish reconciliation service would be celebrated on Sunday 15th December at 3pm.

FIRST COMMUNION PROGRAMME FOR 2024-25
The next session for the First Communion programme will be on Saturday, October 26th at 10.00am in the church. We now have 40 young people on the programme for this year.

TAKE ACTION ON TWO-CHILD BENEFIT CAP
The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales is inviting you to join other Catholics in taking action on the government’s two-child policy on Universal Credit payments for vulnerable, larger families. All you need to do is complete a short e-Action form that automatically contacts your MP to outline your opposition to the cap. Head to https://www.cbcew.org.uk/contact-mp-two-child-cap/ to find out more and complete the form.

SPECIAL DAYS THIS WEEK
Tuesday 22nd October: St John Paul the Second. Charles Joseph Wojtyla was born in 1920 in Wadowice in Poland. He was elected Pope in 1978 and took the name John Paul II out of respect for his short-lived predecessor John Paul I. His apostolic zeal particularly for families, young people and the sick, led to many pastoral visits throughout the world. He died on 2nd April 2005.
Wednesday 23rd October – St. John Captistrano – He was born in 1386 and, after a legal career, he became a Franciscan, travelling throughout Europe to preach. He died in 1456.
Thursday 24th October – St. Anthony Mary Claret -He was born in 1807, was later ordained a priest and began preaching throughout Spain. He founded the Claretians before being made Archbishop of Santiago in Cuba where he overcame great trials in his ministry. He returned to Spain but fled in 1868 after the revolution there. He died in France in 1870.
Saturday 26th October – Ss. Chad and Cedd – Chad and Cedd were brothers, who were educated at Lindisfarne under Aidan, Cedd founded many monasteries and was sent as Bishop to evangelise the East Saxons, establishing his See at Bradwell (Essex). He died of the plague at his monastery in Lastingham. Chad was Abbot of Lastingham and was made Bishop of Northumbria, but his ordination was contested by Wilfrid, and he humbly withdrew. He was sent instead as Bishop of Mercia, where he founded the See of Lichfield. Despite the shortness of his ministry, after his death in 672, he was immediately revered as a saint because of the holiness of his life.

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS
There’s a poignant moment in the service of ordination of a priest, when the bishop offers the person to be ordained a chalice to hold. The question we hear in today’s Gospel is not verbalised in the ordination ceremony, but it’s surely understood. At the very beginning of one’s ministry as a priest, the question is, “Can you drink the cup that I must drink?” I suspect that, if that question had been verbalised, I, like James and John, would have said, “I can!” Like the apostles, I’m sure that I would have had a very faulty and idealised image of what discipleship or priesthood involved.
Once again, this week, on that journey of Jesus and his disciples to Jerusalem, we see the self-centredness of his companions. Jesus had just told them again that the journey would end in his death. It’s heartless on the part of perhaps his closest friends that all they can think about is places of honour in his kingdom. It’s important, of course, to acknowledge that society, at the time of Jesus, was driven by honour. For Jesus to talk about being killed, and in such a shameful way, would have been unthinkable.
What drives our society is perhaps different but there will be some similarities. Perhaps we are driven by wealth, fame, power and/or pleasure. But we’ve had a terrible example this week that all these can be just dead ends in our quest for life. Liam Payne’s sudden and tragic death speaks of the emptiness of wealth and fame in itself.
The cup that faces us all on our way to life will involve great difficulties. But, if we can accept a way of service and sacrifice rather than one of prestige, the suggestion is that much greater and lasting joy will be ours. Perhaps, for us alone, this is a cup that we would have difficulty accepting, but we don’t take it on alone. We have the person of Jesus supporting us and encouraging us and giving us strength.

HEATING IN CHURCH
You will be pleased to hear that, last Thursday morning, the boiler contractors arrived on site to start extracting the old boiler and installing the new one. However, it will still be a little while before they finish. They are hoping to have completed the task by Friday 25th October, but it could be the following Monday! Many thanks for your continued patience with this matter.

ANNUAL PARISH INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
Don’t’ forget that the annual parish international music festival will take place this year on Saturday 30th November at 3pm. Please begin to get your different presentations together.

FESTIVAL OF LIGHT
Every year the Oldham Interfaith Forum celebrate a festival of light, when several of the major festivals of the different religions are marked under one roof. This year the Festival of Light will be at 6.30pm on 18th November in the QE Hall, Oldham. The festivals celebrated are Diwali, Channukah, Mawlid al-Nabi and Christmas. The event is free to enter. More information later.

WEEKLY SERVICES
SUNDAY:	10.00am. 12.30pm (Polish Mass) 6.00pm
MONDAY:	12 noon Mass
TUESDAY:	9.30am Mass There is a meeting that day for the priests of the diocese re the Diocesan Synod
WEDNESDAY:	12 noon Mass
THURSDAY:	12 noon Mass
FRIDAY:	12 noon Mass
SATURDAY:	12 noon Mass