Mass Times and Intentions

Sunday 19th July (16th Sunday in Ordinary Time): 10.00 AM Holy Mass at Holy Rosary (Intention: Joyce Wordsworth).
Monday 20th July: 10.00 AM Holy Mass at Holy Rosary (Intention: Mary and Harold Smith).
Tuesday 21st July: 10.00 AM Holy Mass at Holy Rosary (Intention: Margaret Lilian Wright).
Wednesday 22nd July (St Mary Magdalene): Exposition and Evening Prayer at Holy Rosary at 6.15 PM, followed by 7.00 PM Holy Mass at Holy Rosary (Intention: Fr Leo Pyle).
Thursday 23rd July (St Bridget of Sweden): 10.00 AM Holy Mass at Holy Rosary (Intention: Pat, Andrea and Audrey).
Friday 24th July (The Martyrs of the Diocese): 10.30 AM Funeral Mass for Catherine Foley at St John’s (Intention: Catherine Foley).
Saturday 25th July: 5.30 PM Vigil Mass of the 17th Sunday at St John’s (Intention: Vocations).
Sunday 26th July (17th Sunday in Ordinary Time): 10.00 AM Holy Mass at Holy Rosary (Intention: Parishioners).

Prayers

Sick:

Maureen Braithwaite, Carol Brownlee, Fr Gerard Burns, Ann Christeson, Dorothy Davis, Bill Devine, Frank Donnelly, Judy Houchen, Sheila Hunt, Brian Kane, Mary Langsdale, Sarah McAllister, Christine McGhee, Rev. Dan Mckie, Ziggy Paczyński, Christine Rooney, Bill Simpson, Fr John Skivington, Peter Smith, Anne Ward, Margaret Wilkie, Kate Williams.

Recently Died:

Catherine Foley, Joyce Wordsworth, Alex Wilson, Edmund Ross, Sheila Allen, John Connell, Jack McCabe, Carol Stoves, Kathleen Grainger, Edith Robinson, Ernie Nardone, Sheila Holmes, Tony Canty, Thomas Peters, Roy Peacock, Lillian Gelder, Bridget McGoldrick, Georgina McQuilling, Peter Horan, Stephen Allison, Chris Allison, Helen Webb, Robert Dalton.

Lately Deceased:

Father Leo Pyle.

Key Notices

The Medway, Building Works and Closure: Fr Adrian is pleased to announce that building works in the Medway will take place from Friday 17th July to Monday 24th August 2026, during which time the space will be closed. The parish has secured a grant of £20,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund towards most of the cost. Thanks go to the Parish Finance Committee, especially Caroline Kelly for her many hours liaising with the Diocese and other bodies, and Callum Walker for his work in securing the grant. Once the project is under way, the Finance Committee will turn to remedial works needed at St John’s church, particularly the Sacristy and adjoining rooms. While the Medway is closed, some weekly activities are suspended, including the SVP Food Hub, Tea, Coffee and a Chat on Thursdays, and the Friendship Group meeting on Tuesday 4th August. Please see the web notices for updates.
Friendship Group Macmillan Coffee Morning: A Macmillan coffee morning takes place on Thursday 24th September in the Medway, from 10.30 AM to 2.00 PM, to help raise funds. Prizes for the tombola would be gratefully received. Please leave them at the back of church.
Baptism Preparation Meetings: The next meeting is on 3rd September, the first Thursday of the month, in the Medway at 6.30 PM. There is no meeting in August.
St John’s Meeting Room: While work proceeds on the Medway, the parish also hopes to refurbish the kitchen next to the meeting room. Ideas are needed for how this facility could be used. Please pass on any suggestions.
The Martyrs of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle: Their feast falls on 24th July. Of the three hundred and fifteen of our ancestors who gave their lives for the Catholic Faith in England and Wales during the persecution of the 16th and 17th centuries, twenty-eight can be counted as Martyrs of the North, having been born, laboured, or suffered within Northumberland and Durham. Returning to England as a priest was treason, and even sheltering a priest was a felony that could bring imprisonment, fines, loss of property, and, in many cases, death. These were heroes and heroines who faced such ordeals for the Faith.
Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC): Self-induced abortion is now legal up to birth. Please join the ‘Fightback Campaign’ with SPUC. See the SPUC noticeboards in each church.
Northern Cross: The July edition is on sale at the back of church. Take a look at some items about members of our parish family.
Walsingham Pilgrimage: Please return completed Emergency and Medical Forms, available from the back of each church, to Callum Walker as soon as possible.
Day for Life: On Sunday 21st June we marked the Day for Life under the theme ‘The Wonder of the Child in the Womb’, which also recognises the grief of losing a child before birth. The Bishops’ message, prayers and online donation options for the Day for Life Fund are on the website at www.dayforlife.org.
Little Joe’s Babies and Toddlers Playgroup: The playgroup does not run during the summer holidays and will restart on Friday 11th September 2026, from 9.00 to 10.30 AM at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School. Families from our community are welcome. For more information, contact the school office on 01642 560056.
All Our Yesterdays: If you have any photos, videos or cherished memories of parish life, we would love you to share them with Fr Adrian. When you do, please write your full name and a phone number, and place them in a bag or envelope with your items.
Light a Virtual Candle: Visit the Prayer Wall on the parish website, a place to post your intentions and pray alongside the rest of the parish. Please support people who need your prayers.
Looking to Our Future: If you wish to hear Fr Adrian’s update again, you can do so on the parish website. If you would like to receive updates on distributed documentation, please register on the website under ‘Community and news’, then ‘Looking at our future’.
Mass Schedule Updates: Sometimes circumstances change after the newsletter has been published, and a weekday Mass may have to be moved or cancelled. Where this happens it is unavoidable, and Fr Adrian hopes parishioners understand it is not done lightly or deliberately. To help let people know about late changes, it is proposed to set up a service that sends a message to your mobile phone. More information about how to join will follow soon.
Diocesan Pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi (online notice): Led by Bishop Stephen, 22nd to 29th October 2027, at £1,725 per person. Places are limited to 50 pilgrims and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with payment of the deposit securing your place. The itinerary and booking details can be found on the diocesan website, www.diocesehn.org.uk, or from Fr Adrian.
Bible in a Year (online notice): Fr Adrian recommends the Bible in a Year podcast, a fully approved free Catholic resource now available via the parish website. Often ranked as the number one podcast in the world across all categories, this 365-day journey is a way to deepen your daily prayer habit using your own Bible, including the New Catholic UK edition.

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