Woodhall Spa Parish
Our Lady and St Peter Woodhall Spa
click on the picture above to see inside and here to see the garden
Sunday 10am Mass and Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 10.00am
Serving Woodhall Spa, Horncastle, Coningsby and Metheringham
Parish Priest Fr John O'Donnell
Our Lady and St Peter
15 Cromwell Avenue, Woodhall Spa, LN10 6TH
Tel 01526 352245
e-mail catholic.church.woodhallspa@gmail.com
The Catholic Church in England and Wales
Daily Readings - read the entire New Testament over a 2 year period
(reading plan courtesy of Gideon International)
Live and recorded Masses at St Barnabas Cathedral, Nottingham
Please click on the picture link below
Live and recorded liturgies and addresses of Pope Francis with English commentary
Please click on the picture link below
ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION PRAYER
Offered as an example of a suitable prayer for use by home viewers wishing to participate in a Live Streaming of the Mass
After the celebrant has received Holy Communion himself, the celebrant reads aloud the Act of Spiritual Communion, and invites the home viewers to say the words of the prayer with him.
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen
Notices
Cake Sunday next week - beat the darkness with lovely light cakes with your coffee.
Cuppa & Chat - Tues. 5th. after Mass - discuss your fireworks??
For “Churches Without Walls” and "Community of Enquiry" meetings, programme and information click here
"Talking Philosophy & Theology: a Carmelite Perspective - Reading & Discussion Zoom Group - Open to All" - A group of Third Order Carmelites, a lay organisation, are offering a course via Zoom on the philosophy that is woven into the spirituality of Ss Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Sr. Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein). Meeting via Zoom as follows: 1st & 3rd Wednesday evenings at 7.45 pm for 8.00 -10.00 pm. Philosophy & Theology Combined NB “Formal” reading and discussion of Edith Stein begins in October, on Wednesday evenings. -- 2nd & 4th Thursday afternoons at 12.45 pm for 1.00 -3.00 pm. Philosophy & Theology Combined 26th December no meeting : Christmas Break -- NB Since this is not a “time-limited course”, as such, with no strict “beginning” or “end” other than “in God”, we always welcome new members and old returners, at any time! Should anyone be interested please contact james.hunter200@btinternet.com Click here for more details
Let us pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community, and may receive peace of heart from the Spirit of Consolation.
What can we say to parents who have lost a child? How can we console them?
There are no words.
You see, when one spouse loses the other, they are a widower or a widow. A child who loses a parent is an orphan. There’s a word for that. But when a parent loses a child, there’s no word. The pain is so great, that there’s no word.
And it’s not natural to outlive your child. The pain caused by this loss is especially intense.
Words of encouragement are at times banal or sentimental, they’re not helpful. Spoken with the best intention, of course, they can end up aggravating the wound.
To offer comfort to these parents who have lost a child, we need to listen to them, to be close to them with love, to care responsibly for the pain they feel, imitating how Jesus Christ consoled those who were afflicted.
And those parents who are sustained by their faith can certainly find comfort in other families who, by suffering such a terrible tragedy as this, have been reborn in hope.
Let us pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community, and may receive peace of heart from the Spirit of Consolation.
November 2024
Grapevine Newsletter
Autumn 2024
Season of Creation
The Season of Creation is a global ecumenical celebration of prayer and action to protect our common home, starting each year on 1 September and finishing on the feast of St Francis, 4 October.
World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly 28 July 2024
The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly falls on Sunday 28 July 2024. Pope Francis has given the day the theme "Do not cast me off in my old age" c.f. Psalm 71:9
Monthly Newsletter
The Catholic Diocese of Nottingham
No. 5 - 2nd October 2024
Street Pastors in Lincoln
Seventeen towns and cities in Nottingham Diocese have a Street Pastors scheme which reaches out to young people..
Lincoln Street Pastors are looking for people who are willing to offer up their time and their prayers for the Night Time Economy streets of Lincoln and become one of the team of Lincoln Street Pastors.
To find out more about what's involved follow the links below.
The recent wave of extremist violence on our streets 09.08.24
From the chaos of hatred, the order of love
Responding to the anxieties of minority communities from Catholic social teaching.
The recent wave of extremist violence on our streets has brought shame on the UK. No-one should fear abuse or violence, least of all on the grounds of who they are, where they are from, or how they arrived. Everyone should feel welcome while they are living here in the diocese of Nottingham.
Cardinal calls on Catholics to take action to oppose assisted suicide 10.10.24
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop of Westminster, has issued a pastoral letter on assisted suicide that will be read in the churches of his diocese on the weekend of 12-13 October.
Assisted Suicide
Oppose Assisted Suicide
We are calling on Catholics in England and Wales to unite in prayer and compassionate action to oppose assisted suicide.
CAFOD
Israeli-Palestinian Crisis
How you can help
We have all been shocked and saddened by the devastating conflict in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. Our local partners are actively responding and providing urgent humanitarian aid to those in need.
Ukraine
Pray for Peace in Ukraine
Click on the picture link above for details
Good news for prospective hosts
of Ukrainian refugees
October 2022
We are happy to announce a new matching service under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, supported by the nationwide Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) in England and Wales.
St John of God Hospitaller Services in partnership with CSAN are offering a matching pathway, training and support programme for sponsors and individuals displaced by the war in Ukraine. We aim to support people on their journey and provide opportunities to integrate into our community in the UK.
After months of the brutal Russian war in Ukraine, the number of people fleeing the war and in need of shelter remains high and will continue to rise as winter is fast approaching.
We are very conscious that so much of our attention is rightly focused on those at home who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. There will be those in our communities less affected by that who may be able and willing to open their hearts and homes to displaced people from Ukraine. Can you help?
CAFOD Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal
At least 3 million people have fled their homes to escape conflict in Ukraine. Your donations will reach families who are in urgent need of help.
Parishes of Welcome
The war in Ukraine shows no sign of ending soon, and its people are continuing to flee. Would you like to help your parish extend a welcome to refugees? Are you seeking to host a family or individual - or do you already have a guest and experience you'd like to exchange with fellow hosts?
We have received numerous expressions of interest in hosting refugees from the conflict in Ukraine. Compassion and solidarity are alive and well in the Diocese of Nottingham. That's why we're opening a Parishes of Welcome scheme, to help you find the support you need as a welcomer, locally and nationally, within the Church and beyond.
Even if you don't have spare accommodation, there are already plenty of opportunities to develop the care, support and accompaniment that will help those who have fled Ukraine to find a place of safety.
Pope Francis Message for the 57th World Peace Day 01.01.24
Click on the picture link above to read the message
Sponsorship to all Ukrainian refugees
Click on the picture link above for details
Caritas in Ukraine
Caritas Ukraine and Caritas-Spes are working on the ground to help about 13.000 people in different parts of the country, and especially in critical areas such as Mariupol, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kyiv and Odessa. Caritas Internationalis have launched a campaign to support their work, especially for the most vulnerable people, such as the elderly and children in the conflict zones.
#HelpUkraine
Organisations in Derby serving the Ukrainian community have come together to launch the #HelpUkraine appeal. The national launch was hosted by the Ukrainian Parish Church of St Michael the Archangel, near the Arboretum. It is introduced in the video above by Fr David Senyk, parish priest of communities the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy in the area of our diocese.
You are invited to donate to this appeal, which is managed by the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain with the Church's support. It represents the efforts of Ukrainians here in Nottingham Diocese and across the UK, and is the perfect way to show solidarity with our own neighbours, and their efforts for their compatriots, in this crisis.
youth2000uk Youth 2000 seeks to draw young people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, lived at the heart of the Catholic church. www.youth2000.org
Pope Francis Letter to Married Couples December 2021
Pope Francis Message for the first world day for Grandparents and the Elderly 25.07.21
A Father's Heart - A Podcast for Catholic Dads
This new podcast series from the Diocese of Nottingham for the Year of St Joseph will explore what does it mean to be a Catholic Dad , taking St Joseph as our model. Each month a section of the Apostolic Letter Patris Corde will be explored through conservation with two dads from the Diocese of Nottingham sharing their thoughts and experiences.
'Being a Disciple'
The 'Being a Disciple' series was run in conjunction between the Diocese of Nottingham and Catholic Voices over four evenings on Zoom in January 2021.
Brenden Thompson, CEO of Catholic Voices presented in each session a fundamental principle of being a Catholic disciple. Session 1 explores the Word of God and how as disciples we are called to internalise it that means to live it, to share it and to seek to know it better.
This course was aimed at both those who would like to grow in their personal discipleship and those who want to help others grow.
The recordings are presented here for you to access and use this course to help you grow as a disciple or to help others in your community.
Pope Francis 03.02.15 - Daily contemplation of the Gospel
Daily contemplation of the Gospel helps us to have true hope. The Pope again urged people to take 10 minutes out of their day to pick up the Gospel and talk to the Lord, rather than waste it on TV soap operas or listening to other peoples’ gossip.
Take up the Gospel, read and imagine the scene, imagine what happens and talk to Jesus, from the heart. And with this we allow hope to grow, because we have our gaze fixed, we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
We should all carry out this contemplative prayer. 'But I have so much to do!'. At home, 15 minutes, pick up the Gospel, a small passage, imagine what happened and talk with Jesus about it. So your gaze will be fixed on Jesus and not so much on a TV soap opera, for example. Your ears will be focused on the words of Jesus and not so much on your neighbourhood gossip ... ".
Hope comes from this prayer, he said, adding "our Christian life unfolds in that context, between memory and hope": "Memory of our past journey, memory of so many graces received from the Lord. And hope, looking at the Lord, who is the only one who can give me hope. And in order to gaze at the Lord, to know the Lord, we pick up the Gospel and carry out this contemplative prayer.
Today, for example, try for 10 minutes - 15, no more – to read the Gospel, picture it and say something to Jesus. And nothing more. And so your knowledge of Jesus will be bigger and your hope will grow.
Bishop Patrick recommends the new Pocket Gospels
Pope Francis has said "Everyone should carry a small Bible or a pocket edition of the Gospels and should find at least a few minutes every day to Read the Word of God"
Priced £4.99 from the Bible Society
Daily Readings - read the entire New Testament over a 2 year period
(reading plan courtesy of Gideon International)
Thoughts from Elston Hermitage on Angels
Of all things visible and invisible angels then are part of that invisible side of God's creation and so worthily deserve our attention.
Angels are God's messengers not only for great occasions but we can be assured they are constantly looking after us too as promised by the Psalmist 'The Lord will command his Angels to guard you in all your ways, they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone' (Ps. 91 11-12). Angels then are body and soul guards, and each of us has a guardian angel to watch over us.
Pope Francis: Guardian angels our companions on life’s journey
Pope Francis at Mass at Casa Santa Marta. "Guardian angels exist, they are not the fruit of imaginative doctrine, but companions that God has placed beside us on our life’s journey."
Travelling away or going on holiday?
Click on the link below to find out Churches and Mass times at or near your destination