Archdiocese of Liverpool
Parish of
Our Lady of the Annunciation
and Saint Bernadette
Clergy: Father John Hindley
Saint Marie’s Presbytery
Almond Brook Road
Standish, Wigan, WN6 0TB
Telephone: 01257 423291
Serving the Churches of:
St Marie of the Annunciation
Standish
www.stmariesstandish.co.uk
St Bernadette Shevington
www.stbernadettesshevington.org.uk
[email protected]
www.twitter.com/stmstb
Download our parish app at
www.myparishapp.com
Parish Office at St Marie’s:
Open Monday to Friday
from 9.00 am to 12 noon
Baptisms: By prior arrangement.
Information available at weekend
Masses. All baptisms take place
during Mass.St Bernadette’s first
Sunday, St Marie’s third Sunday
of the month.
Confessions: Saint Bernadette’s:
Sunday 9.10 to 9.20 am. Saint
Marie’s: Thursday 6.30 - 6.50 pm.
or by request.
Church opening: Please
remember that Saint Marie’s
Church is open for private prayer
during weekdays between 9.00
am and 12 noon.
Funerals and Marriages: By
arrangement.
Visits to sick and housebound:
Please inform Fr John if you know
of sick or housebound
parishioners who would like Holy
Communion.
Hospital Visits: If you wish to
see a priest please let the hospital
staff know.
Mass Requests: Place in an
envelope and hand in to the
Sacristy or to the Parish Office.
Please indicate your preferred
church, if any. Please also specify
the reason for the intention, i.e.
recently deceased, anniversary
etc. For a particular day, please
request early.
Newsletter Notices: Please email to [email protected]
or hand in to the Parish Office by
Thursday morning.
Repository: Open at the back of
church after each weekend Mass.
St Marie’s Hall: All bookings for
hall usage should be made in
advance with the Parish Office
during the parish office hours.
Liverpool Roman Catholic Archdiocesan
Trustees Incorporated. A registered charity.
Number 232709.
Seventh Sunday of the Year
19 February 2017
Get Your Own Back?
One of the most misquoted
phrases from the bible is “an eye
for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”.
People use it to justify revenge.
They think that it means you can get your
own back on those who do wrong to you.
What they don’t understand is that this
phrase in the Old Testament was used to
ensure that people did not retaliate wildly
against each other. It was intended to set
the limits, to stop people looking for a
payback that was out of proportion to the
offence. So if someone cheats you out of
your car, you shouldn’t try and have their
home taken away from them. If someone
defrauds you of a thousand pounds you
shouldn’t try and sue them for a million.
Our response should be proportionate.
This is not a response favoured by the
“no-win-no-fee” lawyers!
Christianity invites us always to be
more generous in our response than we
need to be. A Roman soldier could
demand by law that a Jew must carry his
load for approximately one mile. Carry it
two, says Jesus. You must forgive your
enemies, says the law. Don’t just forgive
them, says Jesus: love them and pray for
them.
Of course, Christians are mocked for
following this teaching of Jesus. It
doesn’t rank among the streetwise skills.
In fact it runs contrary to a
society that prizes assertion,
aggressiveness and getting a
“piece of the action”. But
there’s one obvious ingredient missing
from the commonly agreed way of
behaving: God. When it comes to loving
your enemies, the idea that Christianity is
simply nothing more than good manners
breaks down. For the teaching of Jesus is
not only revolutionary but also
subversive. It challenges society’s
commonly accepted ideas about how we
should deal with those who break the law,
those who threaten our security or those
who offer us the chance of making a
fortune at the expense of others. This is
because if we model ourselves on God
then we are signing up to values that put
others first, especially the weak and
vulnerable. And if God, who created us in
his own image of goodness and holiness,
chooses not to obliterate us when we
deface his image in our world, then how
can we possibly claim vengeance for the
paltry complaints that we have against
others?
Anyone can love those who are good to
them. It takes a special kind of person to
be able to love their enemies. And it’s the
minimum requirement for a Christian
Mass Intentions this week
You must therefore be perfect
as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)
Seventh Sunday of the Year
Day
Church
Saturday
St Bernadette’s
St Marie’s
5.30 pm
6.45 pm
Parry Gordon (Birthday Remembrance)
Tom Darwin (LD)
Sunday
St Bernadette ’s
St Marie’s
9.30 am
11.00 am
People of the Parish
Margaret Holmes (LD)
Mo n d a y
St Marie’s
11.00 am
Requiem: Father Kevin Snape
Tu e s d a y
St Bernadette's
9.15 am
Eucharistic Service
Th u r s d a y
St Bernadette's
St Marie’s
9.15 am
7.00 pm
Margaret Parkinson (LD)
Father Kevin Snape (LD)
Friday
St Marie’s
St Marie’s
9.15 am
Roland Williams (Birthday Rem)
11.00 am
Requiem: Patricia Nolan
So do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take
care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Eight Sunday of the Year
Time
Intention
(Matthew 6:34)
Saturday
St Bernadette’s
St Marie’s
5.30 pm
6.45 pm
People of the Parish
Kathleen & John McConville (Wedd
Anniv Rem)
Sunday
St Bernadette ’s
St Marie’s
9.30 am
11.00 am
Patrick McDonald
Winifred Sturgeon (Birthday Rem)
This weekend:
St John Rigby College
How you can help:
Sunday after 11.00 am Mass: Tea
and coffee in St Marie’s Hall.
Sunday after 11.00 am Mass: Tea
and coffee in St Marie’s Hall.
Sunday: Annual Civic Mass at the
Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the
King, Liverpool at 11.00 am.
Congratulations to all at St John
Rigby College, which has been placed
as the second highest performing sixth
form College in Greater Manchester,
the eighth highest in the United
Kingdom, the top Catholic sixth form
College in the country and, once
again, the top College in Wigan for A
level progress. The college has been
visited by Ofsted this week and we
await their judgment. Fr John
celebrates Mass every fortnight in the
college chapel.
Counters: St Bernadette’s is in need
of several volunteers to help with
counting the collection after 9.30 am
Mass. Two more are needed to start
this weekend, when training will be
provided by the two existing counters,
who are retiring. If you are willing to
help, please let Fr John know as soon
as possible. The commitment is once
every seven weeks.
Thank you for your offerings
Father Kevin Snape
This week:
Monday: Prayer Group meeting in
St Marie’s Hall at 7.30 pm. This is an
open meeting. All are welcome.
Next weekend:
£1,547.15.
Bonus Ball
No.28 - Michael Braddock - £20.
At the back of church...
 St Patrick's Day, Mother's Day
and Easter cards. 2017 calendars
and diaries half the marked price.
At this time, we say farewell
to
Father Kevin Snape
Patricia Nolan
Until we meet again....
Sanctuary Lamps
St Marie’s: For our Guardian
Angels;
St Bernadette’s: Mary Hall
(Anniversary).
Ash Wednesday Services
Services on Ash Wednesday on 1
March are as follows:Ashes will be distributed in St
Marie’s school at 9.15 am.
Mass and distribution of Ashes in St
Bernadette’s Church for the school
and parish at 10.00 am.
Mass and distribution of Ashes in St
Marie’s Church at 7.00 pm.
Congratulations
Congratulations to all at St
Bernadette’s school for being
shortlisted for Spirituality in our
School award at the Archdiocesan
Awards. Only three schools from the
Archdiocese have been shortlisted for
this award. Congratulations also to St
Peter’s who have been shortlisted for
their Year 11 Rugby team which won
the national championships.
The awards take place on 3 March
at a presentation lunch at the Royal
Liver Building in Liverpool.
The funeral of Father Kevin Snape
will take place at St Marie’s on
Monday, 20 February at 11.00 am,
followed by burial at St Chad’s,
Chorley. Archbishop Malcolm
McMahon will be the main celebrant.
There will be no 9.15 am Mass on
that day.
Something to pray about
We can join Pope Francis in his
prayer intention for February:
Comfort for the Afflicted: That all
those who are afflicted, especially the
poor, refugees, and marginalized, may
find welcome and comfort in our
communities.
Ladies Section
Members of the Ladies Section have
been invited to a day retreat at St
Benedict’s, Hindley on Tuesday, 7
March. If any Member is interested,
please contact Marjorie, 424332 or
Monica, 400558. The Ladies Section
AGM and ‘Bring and Buy’ will be
held in St Marie’s Hall on Tuesday,
28 February at 8.00 pm.
Baptisms
This weekend, we welcome a new
member to our Catholic Church
community when Emily Jane
Cunliffe, Sophie Elizabeth Cunliffe,
Ayana-Mia Nora Wilson and Isla
Kate Woods are baptised during the
11.00 am Mass. Congratulations!
Women's World Day of Prayer
This year’s Women’s World Day of
Prayer will be held at Shevington
Methodist Church on Friday, 3 March
at 2.00 pm. The theme is 'Am I being
unfair to you?' and the service has
been prepared by Christian women of
the Philippines. Please give your
support to this Ecumenical Service.
Children’s Liturgy: Volunteers
are required to join the rota for St
Marie’s Children’s Liturgy Group.
The commitment is one Sunday in
four. If you can help, please contact
Joanne Millington, 421462.
Metropolitan Cathedral
On the weekend of 3 and 4 June, the
Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the
King, Liverpool will be celebrating its
Golden Jubilee. The will be a number
of events taking place, details of
which are on the poster displayed in
the Church porch. For more
information, please visit
www.liverpoolmetrocathedral.org.uk.
Marriage Preparation
Marriage Preparation course dates
for 2017 are now available. Visit
www.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk/BookMarriage-Preparation-Course. For
more information, contact
[email protected].
Catholic Pictorial
Free copies of the February edition
of the Catholic Pictorial are available
at the back of Church.
HCPT Pilgrimage Trust
Thank you to everyone who
supported the HCPT collection last
weekend, which raised £750.96.
The money will help to provide
travel and accommodation for this
year’s Easter pilgrimage.
Vision aid Overseas
Thank you for the continued
support of parishioners for recycling
surplus spectacles to the Third World.
Peter’s Pence
The Catholic Bishops of England
and Wales have received a letter from
the Apostolic Nuncio expressing
thanks for the contribution of
£20,739.47 from Churches in country
to Peter’s Pence in 2016.
N e ws l e t t e r k i n d l y s p o n s o r e d b y S t a n d i s h P r i n t C o m p a n y, 2 2 c P r e s t o n R o a d , S t a n d i s h Te l : 0 1 2 5 7 4 2 7 1 4 4