Please check the Diocese section for weekly news of events and news from our diocese.
See below the Newsletter for last weekend and a Pastoral letter received from the Bishop

Sunday 17th October –     29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) 
MASS TIMES this week
           Monday                        10.00am        Weekday Mass  (St. Luke)   
           Tuesday                        10.00am        Weekday Mass
           Wednesday                  10.00am        Weekday Mass
           Thursday                      10.00am        Weekday Mass 
           Friday                            10.00am        Weekday Mass  (St. John Paul 11)
           Saturday                       10.00am        Weekday Mass & 5.30pm Vigil Mass of Sunday                                                   
           Sunday                          10.30am        Sunday Mass       
 
CONFESSIONS IMMEDIATELY AFTER SATURDAY 10.00AM MASS
 Readers: Saturday 16th October – Linda   Sunday 17th October – Catherine L   Weekdays - John                      
         Eucharistic Ministers:  Saturday 16th October – Catherine K & Peter
                                                  Sunday 17th October – Ronnie & Anthonia
Masses and Prayer Intentions This Week:
     Lately Dead:               Susan Collins, Brian Pilling
     Anniversaries:           Marie Smith, Veronica Burton
     Others:                        Sacred Heart Prayers answered, Tony Quirke, George Rawlinson (B/day)
                                           Leonard & Terence Holdcroft (B/days), Anthony Rea (B/day),
                                           Sayers & Riley Families & Paul White, Rita Grant (sick), Prayer of Thanks.
                                           Prayers to St Blaise.
                                             
​Bidding Prayers: - Reader:           “Father, we are in need of your help”,
                                 Response:      “we come with boldness to the throne of grace”.   
                                      
Fr. Wilson’s comments on Mass Readings:
Isaiah:  The offering servant – the prophet sees the way of salvation as being brought to his people by the suffering of the Messiah. 
 
Hebrews:  Where the Lord Jesus has gone, we are to follow.  His suffering leads to our salvation.
 
Gospel – Mark:   James and John – these brothers and disciples seek places of honour in the Kingdom
of Heaven on earth.  Jesus tells them they must be like him – servant of all.
 
COVID 19 CONTINUES TO BE AN ISSUE FOR US AND SO WE CONTINUE TO ADVISE
CONGREGATIONS TO WEAR MASKS, REFRAIN FROM PHYSICAL CONTACT AND BE AWARE OF RISKS POSED BY OTHERS.
 
LAST WEEK THE BISHOP WROTE TO US ABOUT THE FORTHCOMING GATHERING IN GLASGOW OF COP26 AND THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING TOWARDS A “CLEANER” AND “SAFER” FUTURE.
THE LETTER IS AVAILABLE IN CHURCH.  
 
WHEN VISITING OUR LADY’S CHAPEL FOR MEDITATION AND PRAYER, PLEASE REMEMBER TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PRAYERS THE PEOPLE MENTIONED IN OUR MEMORIAL BOOK.
 
Memorial Book: The following names are included for October.  Christina Saunders, Cliff Roache, Dominic Cheshire, James Hayden, Jane Kenner, John Greenwood,
Keith Kilbourne, Maria Bay Nguyen, Marie Smith (Maguire), Mary Owen (Collins),
Norman Martin, Raymond Matthews (B/day), Robert Craig (B/day), Samuel Taylor,
Steven John Pennington, Teresa Tierney, William Jeffries.
 
May their souls and the souls of all faithful departed
through the mercy of God rest in peace, Amen.
 
Notices
 
BAPTISMS:   We are pleased to see a return to worship and prayer amongst our new parents and their families.  May we remind all those who come to church that we continue to observe the disciplines of good behaviour – the wearing of masks and respectful, prayerful, consideration for others in church.
 
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION:
Year 8 children and older, who are regular church goers are invited to choose the Sacrament of
Confirmation as part of their Journey of Faith.
 
CONFESSIONS:  Confessions will be held in the Lady Chapel – immediately after the Saturday 10.00am Mass.  This is until it is permitted to re-open the Confessional box.  Such enclosed spaces – even
wearing Masks – is not yet permitted.
 
PIETY STALL:   We have put the Christmas and Confirmation items out on display.  All items are priced individually.  If nobody on sales, please put your money in the Honesty Box under the card table.
 
WEEKDAY MASSES:   We are very fortunate to have a Mass carried out here at St. Stephen’s every day of the week and to have a fair number of parishioners attending.  The benefits of spending half an hour in prayer and thanksgiving in company with God and friends, is very up-lifting and comforting. 
The Pandemic has cut many of us off from our usual community groups and to some extent left some people isolated and alone.  If this is the case, why not come along and join us, it costs nothing and there is everything to be gained!  Parishioners.
 
OFFERTORY GIFTS:  There are still a number of boxes of envelopes that have not been collected.  If you would prefer not to use these, may I recommend the use of Standing Orders – forms are
available.  This means of planned giving is very efficient, and helpful.
 
FOOD BANK:  The Food Bank are short of the following:  carton fruit juice, tinned fish, tinned
potatoes, tinned carrots, tinned and packet soup, sponge puddings, rice puddings, tinned custard,
cordial, instant mash, meat free tinned meals, crisps and tooth brushes.  Thank you to everyone for their continued help.  Stella.
 
Next week will be WORLD MISSION SUNDAY for which there will be a
Retiring Collection.
 
Next Week:
Readers – Saturday 23rd October – Mary   Sunday 24th October – Paul   Weekdays – John 
Eucharistic Ministers:     Saturday 23rd October – Linda & Joan P
                                            Sunday 24th October – Kay & Catherine L


​

CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF ENGLAND AND WALES
​Pastoral Letter for Pentecost 2021 It was the decision of the Bishops of England, Wales and Scotland to unite in promoting a Pastoral Letter for Pentecost Sunday which reads as follows: Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The Solemnity of Pentecost reminds us that everything which exists, every person and the whole of creation, is a gift of “God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.” God our loving Father creates and continues to give life to the world through His Word, Jesus Christ, in the power of His Holy Spirit. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church, which we celebrate at Pentecost, is not something separate from Creation. God’s revelation of himself in Creation is inseparable from the revelation of his love for us in Christ and in his desire to live in us through his Holy Spirit. ‘God’s Spirit is always and everywhere “the Lord, the Giver of Life”, and the voice of Pentecost is echoed in the voice of creation being transformed into the glorious liberty of God’s children.’ In this liberty, as God’s children, we call on the Spirit to ‘renew the face of the Earth’, and as his children, we are called, in turn, to use this liberty for the good of creation and for the good of all that brings life. Our world, God’s creation, is a precious gift to us. It is our common home entrusted to each generation. But how have we used that glorious liberty? How do we honour this precious gift? Are we really demonstrating love, care and respect for our common home? As we celebrate Pentecost this year, we are acutely aware of the damage that continues to be inflicted on the Earth, and the repercussions for the well-being of our brothers and sisters, both here in our own countries and, more especially, in the poorest countries of our world. Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have both taught us that everything is interconnected and interdependent. The way we live our everyday lives has an impact on everyone and on the earth. The urgency of the situation, and the enormity of the challenges we face, have spurred us to speak out together this Pentecost Sunday, as bishops of England, Wales and Scotland, about the role that the Catholic Church and our faith must play in our shared care for God’s gift to us. For all too long we have either been ignorant of, or ignored, the systematic exploitation of our planet and the unsustainable consumption of its resources. While accepting the crucial need and demand for energy for the benefit of the poorest of our brothers and sisters, the provision of our energy must, nonetheless, be by means which radically reduce the use of carbon-based fuels.In our political thinking, there must be a new global understanding of our world, where nations recognise our common responsibility for the dignity of all people and their rights to sustainable livelihoods, in authentic freedom. Pope Francis speaks of a global politics that looks beyond our own needs to the needs of all, most especially the poor and the marginalised. But we cannot leave the healing of our common home and the wellbeing and care of our brothers and sisters merely to a response from industry and governments. Our own local concern and action is necessary and has far-reaching consequences. We all have a part to play, each and every one of us, in the routines, choices and decisions of our everyday lives and our aspirations for the future. The actions of parishes, families, schools, and individuals will have a significant impact on our efforts to restore our common home. There are now many resources, freely available, to advise us on our choice of food, saving of water and electricity, suggestions about travel, waste, and re-use. These are measures that everyone can employ, in some degree, with minimal inconvenience and change. They are effective ways in which we can each reaffirm our personal vocation to be stewards of creation. This Pentecost comes at a time of remarkable challenge and opportunity. We are gradually emerging from the tragedies and restrictions of the pandemic. We have the ability to make changes. Our countries are also hosting two most important meetings this year, the G7 in June and COP26 in November. These meetings will gather together men and women who have the power to make defining choices and policies which will help us build back better, provide for our brothers and sisters, and take care of our common home. In all our human endeavours, we need the presence of the Holy Spirit, “the Lord, the Giver of Life”, whose gift to the Church and the world we celebrate again at Pentecost. Let us keep this Feast with that enduring hope that we can begin to repair the damage we have done and provide a healthy home for future generations. Our hope will be strengthened by our prayer. May our constant request be that the Holy Spirit guide us, strengthen our resolve and ‘renew the face of the earth’. I am sure that we will all understand the importance of what the Bishops have addressed to us. Stay with us, Lord, on our journey. Yours devotedly, +John Arnold Bishop of Salford

Dear all,
Please find a message from the Bishop below.

Dear Father
We are looking at ways that we can help parishes deal with some of the impact of the pandemic and ways to help parishes function more effectively with any longer-term impacts.
One of our immediate priorities was to make online donations easier for those who wish to continue to support our parishes and their work. We have done this by putting a ‘donate’ button on the Diocesan Website, anybody will be able to donate to their own parish or a number of the other funds we have.
You can access the diocesan website via this link:
https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/
The donate button is found in the right-hand corner of the main page when on a desktop and it directs you this this page.
https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/supporting-your-parish-financially/
On a mobile device the donate button is listed in the main menu. We are currently working on improving the access and making the button more prominent when on a mobile device.
Visitors to the donations page will find two options:

1. Setting up a standing order
2. Make a donation

Setting up a standing order
This button takes you to a page on the website where parishioners can access a standing order form for each parish. This page is currently being populated and will be ready next week.
To help with this work please send a copy of your current standing order form to communications@dioceseofsalford.org.uk
Make a donation
This button is already live and accepting donations.
Visitors to this page with see five options.
 
Four picture options for specific diocesan funds and the ability to search for a specific parish and make a donation to that parish.
 
Details of transactions for every parish will be recorded and on a monthly basis the relevant funds from online donations will be transferred into parish accounts.
Each online transaction will have a small fee attached and there is also an opportunity to gift aid every donation.
You will notice when searching for your own parish that the address listed on the forms is the Cathedral Centre. This is for administrative purposes to meet the requirements of the financial services authority.
How can you share in your parish?  
The best way to promote is to do so by sharing this link https://www.dioceseofsalford.org.uk/supporting-your-parish-financially/
You can send this directly to any parishioner who has asked how they can continue to give their offertory donation, add the link to your website or mention (if you feel appropriate) during your live streams.  
When promoting the donation function, we must remain mindful of the changing financial position many of our parishioners find themselves in during this time. You may make the decision that circumstances in your parish mean you do not want to actively promote this option.
If you would like to discuss the options for having a button integrated into your parish website please email communications@dioceseofsalford.org.uk
If you would like to discuss anything to do with your parish finances please email finance@dioceseofsalford.org.uk
If you have any further questions please let me know.

​Fathers,
Despite the current low risk to the public from coronavirus, Bishops’ Conference have issued guidelines to enable Catholic churches and organisations to find the relevant information in one place. The complete document – which will be amended in the future if necessary – is attached but please note the following key messages:
 

• At the time of writing there is no need to take special measures on suspending the Chalice or Sign of Peace. Should that become necessary, more detailed pastoral care guidance will be issued.

 

• Ask anyone with cold or flu symptoms to refrain from taking communion from the Chalice and receive the host on the hand only. (We should be doing this anyway, every ‘flu season.)

 

• Ensuring ministers of the Eucharist wash their hands before distributing communion or sanitise them is a good practice to encourage always.

 

• The best way of protecting us from spread is for everyone to use universal good hygiene, which will effectively disrupt spread of the virus. We should be doing this all the time for ‘flu:

§ Catch it - sneeze into a tissue
§ Bin it - bin the tissue
§ Kill it - wash your hands with soap and water
§ Do not touch your face unless you’ve washed your hands
§ Ensure good regular cleaning of surfaces lots of people touch regularly

• There is a government campaign on hygiene and posters can be downloaded and placed in parishes. It would be sensible to place these in churches and premises and alert people to this in newsletters and bulletins. The link can be found in the further materials section in the document.

 

• Pastoral care remains important

 
o Chaplains and others working in institutions where people with coronavirus are being cared for should seek and follow hygiene guidance from that institution
 
o Those who have been asked to self-isolate in the community as a precaution by medical staff will understandably be anxious but equally it is important not to breach this isolation. “In person care” should be kept to a minimum and advice taken from NHS 111 or call NHS Direct Wales on 0845 4647 on any precautions needed.