St Teresa & St John Southworth Churches, Cleveleys
Fr Chris Cousens—Phone: 853340
Rev Bernard Ward (Deacon) (Tel: 858346)
Enquiries for St John Southworth: Phone: 853340
17 March 2024
http://www.st-teresas-church.co.uk
Email: st.teresas.cleveleys@gmail.com
Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trustees Registered Charity Number 23433
Sunday : Fifth Sunday of Lent
Contents: Gospel
Notices
Gospel : John 12:20-30
Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. These approached Philip, who came from Bethsaida in Galilee, and put this request to him, ‘Sir, we should like to see Jesus.’ Philip went to tell Andrew, and Andrew and Philip together went to tell Jesus. Jesus replied to them:
‘Now the hour has come
For the Son of Man to be glorified
I tell you, most solemnly,
Unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies,
It remains only a single grain;
But if it dies,
It yields a rich harvest.
Anyone who loves his life loses it;
Anyone who hates his life in this world
Will keep it for the eternal life.
If a man serves me, he must follow me,
Wherever I am, my servant will be there too.
If anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.
Now my soul is troubled.
What shall I say;
Father, save me from this hour?
But it was for this very reason that I have come to this hour.
Father, glorify your name!’
A voice came from Heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’
People standing by, who heard this, said it was a clap of thunder, others said, ‘It was an angel speaking to him.’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not for my sake that this voice came, but for yours.
‘Now sentence is being passed on this world;
Now the prince of this world is to be overthrown.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I shall draw all men to myself.’
By these words he indicated the kind of death he would die.
We Remember In Our Prayers Maureen Lynch, whose Funeral Service is at St. Teresa’s on Tuesday, 19th March at 12.30 pm, Donna Fildes, the daughter of Des and Vera Stevenson, who has sadly and unexpectedly died, and whose Funeral Mass is at the Church of St. Andrew and Blessed George Haydock in Cottam, Preston (PR4 0NB) on Thursday, 21st March, at 10 am, and Sheila Davies whose Funeral Service is at Carleton Crematorium on Thursday 4th April at 1.15 pm. We remember them and their families, and those whose anniversaries are at this time. May they all be in God’s peace.
We Welcome Into The Family Of The Church Katelyn Christina Morrey, whose Baptism takes place at St.Teresa’s this weekend.
There Is A Meeting Of St, Teresa’s Parish Council this Monday, 18th March, 7 pm in the church sacristy.
The SVP (St. Vincent de Paul Society at St.Teresa’s) have their regular collection for ‘those in need’ at each Mass next weekend, 23rd/24th March.
100 Club Winners for February : Andre Glynn £15, Mary Jones £10, Jo Devine £5
It’s That Time Of Year – Planned Giving/Gift Aid Envelopes for the coming new tax year, are available this weekend after each Mass. At St. Teresa’s please see Steve Laird in the Food Pantry room at the back of church, and at St. John Southworth see Jane Collier who will be in the church porch. The envelopes of those who have them now will soon run out, but there are plenty of envelopes for those who want to start using them. Of course if you are a tax payer, whether working or retired, this is a very important source of income for our parishes. Last year it gave us 25p in the pound on what you already gave, at the Inland Revenue’s expense, not yours, which meant we received back £7,000 to add to our income. Such an amount proves that it is so worthwhile, and why we are so grateful to those who already contribute in the weekly offertory in this way. Please will anyone who is not already using ‘Gift-Aid seriously consider it, and also see Steve or Jane in order to complete the simple paperwork. They are both very helpful, and we thank them for what they do for the good of our parishes.
Afternoon Tea : Why not treat yourself to a scrumptious afternoon tea in St. Teresa’s Parish Hall, on Wednesday, 3rd April, 2-4 pm. The cost is just £5 each, and admission is by ticket only, so that we know what numbers to expect for catering purposes. The tickets can be purchased from the back of St. Teresa’s church, or the church shop, A limited number of tickets are available from this weekend.
Stations of The Cross This Sunday, and each Sunday in Lent, we have the Stations of the Cross, with Benediction, at 3 pm at St. Teresa’s. This is a short Service which is very suitable for our Lenten reflection.
The Food Pantry At St. Teresa’s Church is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10.30 am – 12 noon, and on Wednesdays, 2.30 pm – 4 pm.
The Church Shop, in the porch at St. Teresa’s, is open before and after each weekend Masses, and has cards and gifts for Mother’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and First Holy Communion. The last few Diocesan Directories are also on sale, priced at £6. Please call in and browse. You will be most welcome.
HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SERVICES
(All at St. Teresa’s unless otherwise stated)
Maundy Thursday Mass – 6.30 pm
(After this Mass there will be an opportunity for the customary time for private prayer,
‘watching’ at the Altar of Repose, which will finish thirty minutes after the end of Mass)
Good Friday
Stations of the Cross – 11 am at St. John Southworth and St. Teresa’s
(At 12 noon there is a short Ecumenical Service, organised by all our Churches, near Boyles, formerly TSB in Cleveleys)
3 pm The Celebration of the Lord’s Passion
(This is the main Service of the day. The church is then closed until the Easter Vigil)
Holy Saturday (Easter Vigil) – 6.30 pm.
Easter Sunday Masses – 10.00 am at St. Teresa’s
5.00 pm at St. John Southworth
Daily Reflections for this week
Monday (C.S.Lewis)
In the Christian story God descends to re-ascend. He comes down; down from the heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity. But he goes down to come up again and bring the whole ruined world up with Him. One may think of a diver, first reducing himself to nakedness then rushing down through the green and warm water into black and cold water into the death-like region of ooze and slime and old
decay; then up again , back to colour and light till suddenly he breaks surface again, holding in his hand the dripping, precious thing that he went down to recover. He and it are both coloured now that they have come up into the light: down below he lost his colour too.
Scripture (Psalm 138)
I thank you for your faithfulness and love which excel all we ever knew of you. On the day you called, I answered; you increased the strength of my soul. The Lord is high yet he looks on the lowly, and the haughty he knows from afar. You stretch out your hand and save me, your hand will do all things for me. Your love, O Lord, is eternal, discard not the work of your hands.
Tuesday (Henri Nouwen)
For most of my life I have struggled to find God, to know God, to love God. I have tried hard to follow the guidelines of the spiritual life—pray always, work for others, read the scriptures. Now I wonder whether I sufficiently realised during all this time God has been trying to find me, to know me, to love me. God isn’t the patriarch who stays at home, doesn’t move and expects his children to come to him, apologise for their aberrant behaviour, beg for forgiveness and promise to do better. On the contrary, he leaves the house, ignoring his dignity by running towards them and brings them to the table richly prepared for them.
Scripture (Jeremiah 31:3, 33-34)
See, the days are coming—it is Yahweh who speaks—when I will make a new covenant with Israel. This is the covenant I will make when those days arrive: deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they will be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother “Learn to know Yahweh!” No! They will all know me, the least no less than the greatest—it is Yahweh who speaks—since I will forgive their
iniquity and never call their sin to mind.
Wednesday (Peter Abelard)
And so our redemption is that supreme love manifested in our case by the passion of Christ, which not only delivers us from the bondage of sin, but also acquires for us the liberty of the children of God; so that we may fulfil all things from the love rather than from the fear of him, who, as he himself bears witness, showed us grace so great that no greater can be found,. No man, says he, has greater love than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
Scripture (John 12: 21-24, 27-32)
When Jesus heard that some Greeks would like to see him he said “Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you most solemnly, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies it yields a rich harvest. Now my soul is troubled. What should I say: Father save me from this hour? But it was for this very reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name! “ A voice came from heaven “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” Jesus said “It was not for my sake but for yours that this voice came. Now sentence is being passed on this world; now the prince of this world is to be overthrown. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself.”
Thursday (Eucharistic prayer, preface 1)
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. Through his cross and resurrection he freed us from sin and death and called us to the glory that has made us a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart. Everywhere we proclaim your mighty works for you have called us out of darkness into your own wonderful light.
Scripture (Isaiah 54:4-5)
Do not be afraid, you will not be put to shame, do not be dismayed, you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth and no longer remember the curse of your widowhood. For now your creator will be your husband, his name Yahweh Sabaoth; your redeemer will be the Holy One of Israel, he is called the God of the whole earth. Yes, like a forsaken wife, distressed in spirit, Yahweh calls you back.
Friday (1st Epistle of Clement)
Through Christ, we see God’s face as in a mirror, spotless, exalted. Through Christ the eyes of our heart have been opened. Through Christ our dim and clouded understanding unfolds like a flower towards the light. Through Christ, the Lord of the Universe willed that we should taste knowledge of eternity. For he is the very brilliance of the rays that shine from God’s majesty.
Scripture (Hebrews 5:7-9)
During his life on earth, Christ offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although he was Son, he learned to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation.
Martin Bennett