Parish Newsletters
3rd Sunday of Advent Year (C)
15 December 2024
THOUGHTS FOR THIS WEEKEND
The Third Sunday of Advent, like the Fourth Sunday of Lent, is a day of joy in the midst of our spiritual preparation for Christmas.
This is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin of the Entrance Antiphon/Verse for today, Gaudete in domino semper (Rejoice in the Lord always).
2nd Sunday of Advent Year (C)
8 December 2024
THOUGHTS FOR THIS WEEKEND
Second Sunday of Advent.
Last Sunday’s apocalyptic language of the Gospel is replaced this weekend by a text which picks up the message of this Sunday’s First Reading. The words of the prophet Isaiah will find a glorious fulfilment in the person of Jesus. Note how precisely the writer fixes the moment of John the Baptist’s preaching against the backdrop of the wider world, as if to remind the reader that the coming of Jesus has an universal effect.
33rd Sunday of the Year (B)
17 November 2024
THOUGHTS FOR THIS WEEK
The Readings today direct our thoughts towards death, eternal life and the Lord’s second coming at the end of time. Appropriate themes in November as we pray, in faith, for the Holy Souls. In today’s Gospel, Mark’s readers, the Christians in Rome, were living in fear of abuse and persecution. Although no-one can tell when their sufferings will be vindicated, Mark assures them that there will be an end to it all when the chosen ones will be gathered in.
32nd Sunday of the Year (B)
10 November 2024
THOUGHTS FOR THIS WEEKEND
“What is Dying?”
The ship sailed away and I stand watching till it fades on the horizon, and someone at my side says, “The ship is gone”. Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all; the ship is just as large as when I saw it. As I see the ship grow smaller and go out of sight it is just at that moment that there are others in a different place who say; “Watch, here the ship comes”, and other voices take up a glad shout, “You have arrived!” - and that is what dying is about.
The Parish of Haigh, Aspull & Blackrod
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception was founded in the mid 1850's and is part of the R.C. Diocese of Salford. The Church was blessed and opened in 1858, the year of the apparitions of Our Lady at Lourdes. The Church was re-ordered in the 1990's and several new stained-glass windows were installed, some made in Blackrod, and are an interesting feature of the Church.
Holy Family Parish, New Springs, was funded from Our Lady's in 1898 and in 2009 clebrated the Golden Jubilee of its Church. The community of Blackrod, Bolton, had a chapel-of-ease from 1960 to 2009 when St. Andrews Church Hall was closed.
All three areas - Haigh & Aspull, Blackrod and New Springs are now served from Our Lady's.
Rev Kevin Foulkes
48 Haigh Road
Aspull
Wigan WN2 1YA
TEL: 01942 516732
Mass Times
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
6.00pm
9.30am
11.15am
9.15am
9.15am
9.15am
9.15am
9.15am
11.00am
Haigh
Haigh
Holy Family
Haigh
Holy Family
Haigh
Holy Family
Haigh
Haigh
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Saturday
11:30 - 12 noon
As announced
Haigh
Holy Family
A Parish History ~ 1858-2018
Mr Livesey & Mr West have worked with local parishioners to produce a book about the history of our parish and school, they have kindly allowed us to reproduce an electronic version of their book, available on the Parish Page, CLICK HERE to read it.
If you would like to purchase a hard copy of the book CLICK HERE
Forward...
It is a privilege and honour to write the forward to the Parish History of Our Lady’s Parish, on its 160th Anniversary.
It has also been a privilege and honour, and a pleasure, to serve as Our Lady’s Parish Priest since 1997 – following in the footsteps of my twenty-six predecessors.
Saint Peter writes ‘He is the living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him; set yourselves close to him so that you too, the holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God, may be living stones making a spiritual house.’ (Peter 2:3-5)
We are the living stones of this Christian community – commissioned as ‘missionary disciples’ to be Christ’s ‘ambassadors’ (St. Paul Cor. 5:20) in loving witness, worship and service to our community.
There have been many changes over these 160 years – in the Church, Society, Education and the design of Our Lady’s Church. The priests and people of Our Lady’s Parish have experienced many joyful family and Parish celebrations but also wars, peace, poverty and economic depressions, through twelve Pontificates and six Reigns – and we too are facing a challenging time for the Catholic Church. Blessed John Henry, Cardinal Newman wrote that ‘To live is to change and to be perfect is to have changed often’.
And so, building on and celebrating our heritage – the stones of Our Lady’s Church, and the ‘living stones’ of our dedicated, faithful and often courageous priests, parishioners and teachers in our Parish School we can face the future with confidence. We do so knowing that Jesus, Our Risen Lord, has promised to be with his Church forever. (Matthew 28:20)
I commend this publication to be read and enjoyed by everyone.
Many thanks to Phil Livesey and Neil West for their initiative to begin and to bring this book to completion and to all who have collaborated with them, with their own very interesting and often amusing memories! God bless you all.
Fr Kevin C. Foulkes