THE CATHOLIC PASTORAL PARTNERSHIP OF , , KIDSGROVE & UNDER THE PATRONAGE AND PROTECTION OF OUR LADY OF GRACE SUNDAY BULLETIN PENTECOST SUNDAY SUNDAY 31ST MAY 2020 CHURCHES A WORD FROM THE PARISH PRIEST Biddulph English Martyrs’ Church, Church Road, Biddulph, tion of how we will come guidance is at the moment) ST8 6NE out of the lockdown clo- not be over 70 years old, Goldenhill St Joseph’s Church, sure of churches. It is likely nor have underlying health High Street, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 to take place in July. The conditions. This is because 5RD first stage will be that we, under the law, have a Kidsgrove St John the Evange- churches will be open for duty of care to volunteers list’s Church, The Avenue, personal prayer, before to safeguard their health Kidsgrove, ST7 1AE being opened again for and safety as far as possi- Packmoor St Patrick’s Church, public celebration of Mass. ble. We have the next Mellor Street, Packmoor, Stoke- The Vicar General has indi- month to get everything in on-Trent, ST7 4SN I wish you a blessed Feast cated that only churches place so that we are ready of Pentecost! Some of you that can guarantee the re- to re-open when the word KEY CONTACTS have been following the quired social distancing comes from the hierarchy Parish Priest nine days of the Pentecost will be able to open. As I that we are able. Rev Fr Julian C Green Novena with me online. I said last week, in our part- Assistant Priest Opening the churches hope that it was a blessed nership, when we open, it Rev Fr Prabhakar Pamisetty MF physically is as nothing time for you, and that the will be St Joseph’s and St Joseph’s Presbytery compared to opening up consecration to the Holy English Martyrs’ which 715 High Street the life of the Church Spirit that we make today will be the first to open. Stoke-on-Trent ST6 5RD again. This is the greater will bring many blessings Tel: (01782) 782121 I’d like to thank the few challenge, and requires to you and to our parishes. [email protected] who have already volun- greater inspiration and Who would have thought teered to help with stew- work. I look forward in the Parish Secretary that we would still be arding. It will be absolutely near future to beginning to Teresa Harding without public Masses, and necessary to have a team of look again at being led by Tel: (01782) 782121 with churches firmly stewards each time the vision, and the mission that Email: partnershipparishes closed, at the end of the church opens. The volun- is most essential. It is the @gmail.com Easter season? We have teers, so we have been Holy Spirit who will help Office Hours: Mon, Tues, Fri now received some indica- told, must (as far as the us with this. 9am to 3.30pm. Weds, Thurs 9am to 1pm. SAINT OF THE WEEK Safeguarding Our safeguarding reps are: Bl John Baptist huge work of mission. He Biddulph: Mary Lomas Scalabrini had to deal with schism Goldenhill: Suzanne Meakin 1839-1901 caused by a false bishop. Kidsgrove: Denise Hewitt John Baptist was a saintly He founded two religious Packmoor: Peter Whitehouse They can be contacted through Bishop in Italy. He became orders: the Missionary the Parish Office, or call the known, as a priest, as a Fathers of St Charles, and Diocesan Team on 0121 230 catechist, and was es- the Missionary Sisters. This 6240 or safeguarding@rc- teemed by Pope Leo XIII was to meet the challenge birmingham.org and St Pius X as an apostle of migration, sending St Website of the catechism. Once Frances Cabrini to found a www.partnershipparishes.org made Bishop of Piacenza he mission for Italian Catho- made five visitations across lics in the USA. He was The Parishes are part of the Archdiocese of Birmingham: Registered Charity no. his Diocese, encouraging a beatified by St John Paul II 234216 PAGE 2 SUNDAY BULLETIN

MASS INTENTIONS THIS WEEK

A Private Mass (by the priest alone) will be offered for the following intentions this week Saturday Sharon Wood Wednesday Int Baby Erin Primrose Sunday People of the Parishes Thursday Requiem Mass for Maureen Morgan Monday Terry Chappell Friday Special Intention (CR) Tuesday Mary Zowada Saturday David Pooley

PARTNERSHIP OF PARISHES ON LIve streamed mass & Resources YOUTUBE! Fr Julian is not live-streaming Mass. However, many priests are. These range from the Cathedral to local par- Fr Julian (and a few guests) are doing Daily reflections, ish churches. Have a look at what is available, to view Mass homilies and devotional content online, and a video Mass online: https://www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/ aimed at children once a week. To access the Partner- parishes-with-live-streams You can also look in at the ship of Parishes YouTube channel, please search shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham who have a live- YouTube for ‘Our Lady of Grace Parishes’ or use this stream for Mass and Devotions at https:// link https://tinyurl.com/wqtqx76 www.walsingham.org.uk/live-stream/ Prayer LINE Our Prayer group are not meeting at the moment, but they are still praying! If you have any intentions that you want to have others pray for, then please email your intentions to: [email protected] This is a confidential prayer line, subject to normal safeguarding.

By order of His Grace the Archbishop, all our churches are now closed to the public and parish- ioners until further notice. Mass is celebrated privately each day, by the priest alone. Please unite your intentions to the of- fering to the Mass, and make a Spiritual Communion. No other Sacraments may be celebrated at the moment other than in exceptional circumstances, such as the last Sacraments, in danger of death. Please contact Fr Julian by email at [email protected] to ensure that he receives requests quickly. Do not leave messages for urgent matters on the parish voicemail. Funerals are not being celebrated in church, but only graveside or crematorium services for im- mediate family are being offered. Requiem Mass is offered on the day of the funeral by the priest alone. A Funeral Mass at a later time after restrictions are lifted will be able to be arranged. Mass can still be offered for any intentions. Either place the Mass offering in an envelope, writ- ing the intention on the outside of the envelope and clearly marking it ‘Mass Offering’, and post it through the Presbytery door at St Joseph’s, or email Fr Julian to arrange and give the offering later (use above email address). The same can be done for Sanctuary Lamps. Please mark enve- lopes ‘Sanctuary Lamp’ and preferred church. Or email and give donation later. We still rely on your offertory! But please keep hold of your offertory envelopes or money and let us have it when we return to church. Don’t worry about getting it to us now. If you can please set up a Standing Order or give online (See page 3) Fr Julian is using the time to speak to parishioners by telephone. If you or anyone you know would like to receive a telephone call, please let Fr Julian know, preferably by email. There will be no Parish Priest’s Open House until further notice. PENTECOST SUNDAY PAGE 3

PARISH REGISTERS Good News! Over the last couple of years, while we have set up a new SVP in Biddulph, the SVP groups in Deaths Goldenhill and Kidsgrove both went into abeyance. The good news is that the volunteers who have taken part in Of your charity please pray for the soul of Maureen Mary ‘St Joseph’s Volunteers’ during the lockdown are now Morgan. Funeral Service at Bradwell & burial at Tunstall looking at setting up a joint SVP for Goldenhill and on Thursday 5th June. Kidsgrove to keep up the good work. If you are interest- Also for the soul of Irene Reynolds. Funeral service on ed in being part of the group, then please let Fr Julian Thursday 11th June at Biddulph Cemetery. know, and he’ll put you in touch with the group. It is not possible to attend funeral services, as they are restricted Our Lady of Grace Men’s Group We have started to the closest family, but please pray for the souls of the dead. another series of studies, this time on the Holy Spirit. Requiescant in pace While we can’t meet in real life, we are going to have a go at doing these sessions online. If you want to take Sanctuary Lamps part, please email Fr Julian. The next session is on Friday This week the lamps are dedicated for: 12th June at 7.30pm on Microsoft Teams. St Joseph’s: Elsie Goodwin & family St John’s: John Martin Biddulph foodbank update Sanctuary lamps can still be dedicated. Minimum The Foodbank continues to be busy. We had some lovely donation £5. Please see page 2 on how to request feedback this week: “I cannot thank you enough. Honest- sanctuary lamp dedications while churches are ly I hadn’t realised how stressed I was until I felt a huge closed. sense of relief and emotional as my food parcel was deliv- ered. Thank you. You have made our weekend.” “Thank supporting your parish finan- you. This is way more than I expected. My cupboards are cially at this time full. Thank you so much!” It is great to see the effect our donations make to recipients. Keep up your generosity It would be a great help to the Parishes if parishioners please. Please leave food donations at Sainsbury’s or St would begin to pay their weekly/monthly collection Lawrence’s church. Red vouchers should be posted money by Standing Order from your bank to ours. It through the post box around the back of English Martyrs’ means we can continue to receive your Collection meeting room, not the former presbytery. Food is deliv- through this time, but also in any case, means we avoid ered by volunteers on Fridays. bank charges on paying in cash. To begin paying your contribution to the Parish by Standing Order please use Hospital If you know someone in hospital, ask the nurs- the form here: https://tinyurl.com/uqsttlr and deliver/post to St Joseph’s presbytery. es to call the Chaplain on call. This is the best way of notifying the Catholic chaplain on call. Otherwise, please Thanks to those parishioners who have responded and call the chaplaincy on 01782 676400. This is the best way filled in a standing order form. of ensuring a chaplain visits your loved one.

NEXT SUNDAY’S GOSPEL John 3:16-18 KEY VERSE: "For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son" (v.16). TO KNOW: This well-known verse summarizes the Christian faith; it is the whole Jesus said to Nicodemus: ‘God Gospel in miniature. It is essential for our Christian belief to know that it was God's loved the world so much that love, not condemnation that was the motivation to send the Son to redeem the he gave his only Son, so that world. Each person has a choice to respond to the grace God offers, or to turn away everyone who believes in him from it. By rejecting God's love, condemnation is brought upon oneself. Those who may not be lost but may have believe in God's Son have the indwelling light of the Spirit to guide them to all truth eternal life. For God sent his (Jn 16:13). Our belief is in the One God who is revealed in three divine Persons— Son into the world not to con- Father, Son, and Spirit—the creative, the redemptive, and the sanctifying love of demn the world, but so that God. The Trinity is about relationship. The Son is obedient to the Father and the through him the world might Father does whatever the Son asks. Although the word "Trinity" is not found in Scripture, Paul concluded his letter to the Corinthians, "The grace of the Lord Jesus be saved. No one who believes Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you" (2 Cor in him will be condemned; but 13:13). Our concept of the Trinity has scriptural roots in the variety of ways we un- whoever refuses to believe is derstand the one God in three persons that the creeds later defined. condemned already, because TO LOVE: How does Trinitarian love manifest itself in me? he has refused to believe in the TO SERVE: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore and worship you. name of God’s only Son.’ PENTECOST NOVENA