St Mary׳S Manchester

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 19 JULY 2020 ST MARY’S

MANCHESTER

A place of prayer at the heart of our city Serving the people of Manchester since 1794 ______

THE WORD THIS SUNDAY THE WORD THIS WEEK The daily readings of the Mass ______

Wisdom; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43 Jeremiah comes a few years later than Micah: he was born in 646 B.C., and is the prophet of the destruction of Jerusalem. Judah is Jesus put another parable before under threat from the Babylonian Empire; they keep trying to play the crowds: ‘The kingdom of Egypt against Babylon, but this is a dangerous game, as Jeremiah heaven may be compared to a reminds them. It was in his time that Jerusalem fell in 587. man who sowed good seed in his Throughout this Jeremiah constantly calls for a return to the wor- field. ship of God.

While everybody was asleep his In the Gospels (Matthew 12-13) we finish the narrative section and enemy came, sowed darnel all move into a great collection of Parables of the Kingdom: we begin with the parable of the Sower. among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted ______

and ripened, the darnel appeared MASS AND PRAYER INTENTIONS as well. The owner’s servants ______went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’

There is no room in a good field for weeds and rubbish: so in the Kingdom of Heaven, there is no room for all things that provoke offences, and all who do evil . They must be got rid of, for The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be celebrated for the following the sake of the good wheat, for the sake of the good subjects of intentions, received at St Mary’s this week: the kingdom. But this weeding out will not take place Holy Souls; Joan Kane (LD); Tom Nolan (BR); Arthur Langford (S); until harvest time - in case one piece of good wheat is destroyed P J Cahill (LD); Michael Connors (LD); Hugh Coyle (LD); Betty and with the weeds. Sandy Wilkie RIP; Dorothea Dargantes (A); Catherine and John Walsh RIP; Fr Pat Boyle (SI); Kathleen and Michael Campbell (SI); This shows the mercy of God: everyone has chance after chance Jack Bramall (BR); Jason (LD); Camillus Mendis (BR & A) to prove that they are wheat, not darnel; there are no quick ______judgements in the kingdom of heaven, and things are never as black and white as we think. Only at the end of time will evil stand LD= Lately dead, A=Anniversary, S=Sick, B=Birthday out clearly, so that it can be disposed of, and only the Son of Man SI= Special Intention, BR=Birthday Remembrance ______can judge.

THE WEEK AHEAD AT ST MARY’S THE CHURCH IS OPEN EACH FOR QUIET PRAYER Mon 20 July Tues 21 July Wed 22 July Thurs 23 July Fri 24 July Sat 25 July Sunday 25 July Weekday Weekday St Mary Magdalene St Brigid Weekday St James 17th Sunday of Sweden Apostle in Ordinary Time Patron of Europe Micah 6:1-4.6-8 Micah 7:14-15.18-20 Song 3:1-4; Galatians 2:19-20; Jeremiah 3:14-17; 2 Corinthians 4:7-15 1 Kings 3:5.7-12 Matthew 12:38-42 Matthew 12:46-50 John 20:1-2.11-18 John 15:1-8 Matthew 13:18-23 Matthew 20:20-28 Romans8:28-30 Matthew 13:44-52

11.00am 11.00am 11.00am 11.00am 11.00am 10.30am 09.00am Church opens Church opens Church opens Church opens Church opens Church opens Church opens

11.00am - 12.25pm 11.00am - 12.25pm 11.00am - 12.25pm 11.00am - 12.25pm 11.00am - 12.25pm 10.30am - 11.45am 10.00am Adoration of the Adoration of the Adoration of the Adoration of the Adoration of the Adoration of the Holy Mass Blessed Sacrament Blessed Sacrament Blessed Sacrament Blessed Sacrament Blessed Sacrament Blessed Sacrament 12 noon 12.10pm 12.10pm 12.10pm 12.10pm 12.10pm 11.30am Holy Mass Holy Rosary Holy Rosary Holy Rosary Holy Rosary Holy Rosary Holy Rosary 1.00pm 12.30pm 12.30pm 12.30pm 12.30pm 12.30pm 11.45am Church closes Holy Mass Holy Mass Holy Mass Holy Mass Holy Mass Benediction

1.00pm - 2.30pm 1.00pm - 2.30pm 1.00pm - 2.30pm 1.00pm - 2.30pm 1.00pm - 2.30pm 12 noon Adoration of the Adoration of the Adoration of the Adoration of the Adoration of the Holy Mass Blessed Sacrament Blessed Sacrament Blessed Sacrament Blessed Sacrament Blessed Sacrament 5.15pm 2.30pm 5.15pm 2.30pm 5.15pm 2.30pm Vigil Mass Church closes Holy Mass Church closes Holy Mass Church closes of Sunday

6.00pm 6.00pm 6.00pm Church closes Church closes Church closes

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AT ST MARY’S and for your SUPPORT of our parish Thank you for your generosity; Please remember to Gift Aid any donations to St Mary’s to help us in our Mission

______The Concluding Rites of the Mass are deliberately brief, and should ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT ______not be extended: in one sense, Mass ends with the silence after communion, which is “sealed” with the prayer and the blessing, In line with our desire to have more after which all are dismissed. Parishes should be wary of “adding” opportunities for Adoration of the elements to the Concluding Rites—indeed in some ways it is alien Blessed Sacrament at this time, and to the traditions of the Roman Rite to have a final hymn. The “final” because we have the benefit of volunteer welcomers in the church all hymn of Mass wThe “final” hymn of Mass would be a hymn of the time that it is open, we have thanksgiving after holy communion. This deliberate brevity is decided, for the moment, to have because there is a job to be done, a mission to be embraced: in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at Mass we have gathered as the Church, listened attentively to the the following times this week: Word of God, offered ourselves with Jesus and received Him in return. Now it is time for us to put all that into practice as we are  Monday to Friday, in the mornings (11am - 12.25pm) sent back into the world.  Monday to Friday, in the afternoons (1.00pm - 2.30pm),  And Saturday mornings (10.30am –11.45am, concluding There are three forms of dismissal: the first is simple and to the with Benediction) point “Go forth, the Mass is ended,” but the other two give us lots to think about: “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord” or “Go in Please take extra care during these times to respect the silence of peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” Both of these dismissals set the church. ______out a clear mission for every member of the congregation, which we each need to apply to the circumstances and possibilities of our THE SACRAMENTS ______coming week. “How will I announce the Gospel?” “How will my life glorify the Lord?” It is now possible for priests to hear confessions but it is recommended that this is done outdoors. This isn’t really practical One question remains: how has our participation in the Mass on Mulberry Street, but we hope to be in a position to resume changed us? Every week it is meant to “do something to us” confessions, as before, as soon as is practically and safely possible. Recently Pope Francis gave a series of talks on the Mass, and ended by talking about this: Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals can now be celebrated in church but are subject to different rules enforced by the government, with “We know well that when Mass ends, the commitment to Christian a limit of 30 people at present. witness opens up. Christians do not go to Mass to do a weekly task ______and then forget, no. Christians go to Mass to participate in the VACANCY Passion and Resurrection of the Lord and then live more as ______Christians: the commitment to Christian witness opens up. We FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR leave the church to "go in peace" to bring God's blessing in daily A part-time post which involves an interesting variety of activities, in our homes, in the workplace, among the occupations administrative and financial tasks as part of the Finance Team of the of the earthly city, "glorifying the Lord with our lives". Every time I Sisters of Evron, a small religious congregation based in the North leave Mass, I have to go out better than I entered, with more life, West. Please request full details from Sister Maura Considine: with more strength, with more desire to give Christian witness [email protected] Closing date for applications 3 August 2020. ______NEXT SUNDAY’S GOSPEL Matthew 13:44-46 LIVING THE SUNDAY EUCHARIST ______Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom of As we begin to make our way back to church and to the celebration heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which of Holy Mass, it is an opportunity for us to reflect on what we are someone has found; he hides it again, goes doing when we come together to celebrate the Eucharist. off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field. Having listened and prayed and eaten and drunk at the Lord’s table, we are sent away. The very name of “the Mass” comes from the ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a final words: “Ite, missa est!” (“Go, you are dismissed!”) But in these merchant looking for fine pearls; when he words is contained something else: as Pope Emeritus Benedict said: finds one of great value he goes and sells “In antiquity, ‘missa’ simply meant 'dismissal'. In Christian usage, everything he owns and buys it.’ ______however, it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word

'dismissal' has come to imply a 'mission'. These few words succinctly I look forward to welcoming you back to St Mary’s express “the missionary nature of the Church.” Sunday Mass is the in the coming weeks, SOURCE of all our other activity as disciples of the Lord. when you feel it is safe for you to return.

After the Communion Rite, the Mass closes with a brief Concluding Please consider being a volunteer welcomer, Rite. Its purpose is to send the people forth to put into effect in so that we can open the doors of our church their daily lives the Paschal Mystery and the unity in Christ which each day throughout the summer. they have celebrated. They are given a sense of abiding mission, which calls them to witness to Christ in the world and to bring the WITH EVERY GOOD WISH AND BLESSING Gospel to the poor. The Dismissal sends the members of the FOR THE COMING WEEK; KEEP SAFE! Fr Anthony congregation forth to praise and bless the Lord in the midst of their ______daily responsibilities. SANCTUARY CANDLE INTENTIONS THIS WEEK - burning from Saturday morning onwards

THE PIETÀ ALTAR TABERNACLE - OUR LADY TABERNACLE - ST JOSEPH OUR LADY’S STATUE

For all Finola’s family RIP Kathleen and Michael Campbell Catherine Ryan and family Camillus Mendis RIP

CONTACT DETAILS St Mary’s Presbytery, 17 Mulberry Street, MANCHESTER, M2 6LN

Telephone: 0161 834 3547 Parish website: hiddengem.me.uk

Parish Priest: Monsignor Canon Anthony Kay [email protected]

St Mary’s parish is a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford dioceseofsalford.org.uk

Salford Roman Catholic Diocesan Trustees Registered Charity RCHiddenGem THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AT ST MARY’S and for your SUPPORT of our parish Thank you for your generosity; Please remember to Gift Aid any donations to St Mary’s to help us in our Mission 225th ANNIVERSARY OF THE OPENING OF ST MARY’S CHURCH, MULBERRY STREET

This year, the 15th August, 2020, will mark the 225th anniversary Dobb’s sensitive understanding of what the Catholic Church was of the opening of first St Mary’s church, Mulberry Street, the then, and for years afterwards, seeking to tackle. It said this: “the present building being the second church on this site. vicinity of Mulberry Street was vile in every way, and the idea of it being a site of a place of worship was to the last degree a glaring As we approach this significant anniversary in the history of this and nauseous incongruity.” parish, we thought it might be good to dig into the parish archives a ______little and see what we could find. Over the next few weeks, we will THE SAME PLOT OF LAND re-tell a little of the story of this great parish, using historical ______documents, articles and photographs from the parish archive. ______The poverty of the area was outstanding for the next century or

THE BEGINNINGS OF OUR STORY more. The Rev. Mr. Dobbs goes on to say that St Mary’s, much ______rebuilt, still stands on the same plot of land “now surrounded by the edifices of sophisticated materialism, which is probably more The king of England, Henry V, in 1422 granted permission for the spiritually barren ground than the moral vileness of the late collegiation of the parish church of Manchester, dedicated to St eighteenth century.” Mary the Virgin of Manchester. This was on condition that the priests should say Mass daily “ for our good estate and for our souls Along with the church, on the same plot of land, the priest’s house when we shall have thence from the light of day departed.” still stands next to it, a continuous residence since 1794. The parish priest of St Mary’s is now the only clergyman resident in the city There followed the petitioning of the local bishop - Manchester was centre. then within the diocese of Lichfield - for a charter authorising the erection of the Collegiate Body under the title of “The Guild or The Company of the Blessed Virgin of Manchester had been Company of the Blessed Virgin of Manchester”, that the town might dissolved in the first year of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, soon after always have priests sufficient to sing Mass and to chant the Offices the break with Rome. In the middle of the nineteenth century, when of the Church daily “for ever and ever for the living and the dead”. the Industrial Revolution was at its height, the shrine of Our Lady This obtained, the Holy See was petitioned for its confirmation. The of Manchester was erected in St Mary’s. The ancient title was to the document of Papal confirmation was issued by Pope Martin V in fore again. It was a period of great spiritual flowering in our April 1426. It can still be see in the Vatican archives. Catholic community. About that time Mother Mary Joseph Prout, foundress of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion, was teaching in Thus just forty years after the arrival of the of the mysterious the parish Sunday schools and the poor day school of the parish. painting of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Poland, the King of England [On 2nd September this year, 2020, the bicentenary of her birth on was venerating her under the title of Our Lady of Manchester, and 2nd September 1820, will be celebrated.] At that period too, Father Pope Martin V was authenticating that title, a title that certainly Dominic Barberi (Father Dominic of the Mother of God) and Father goes back into the fourteenth century and beyond. ______George Ignatius Spencer, the great-great Granduncle of Lady Diana Spencer, preached regularly in the church. Father Dominic has DEDICATED TO OUR BLESSED LADY already been beatified and the cause for the beatifications of ______Fr Spencer and Mother Mary Joseph Prout CP are now also going forward. With this devotion to Mary in Man- ______chester in Catholic days, it was fitting that when, in 1794, at the FAITH ALIVE ______beginning of the Industrial Revolution, a Catholic Church was Almost on the site of St Mary’s old school off Deansgate, there was built in Mulberry Street, it was excavated at the end of the 1970s, from a second century rubbish dedicated to Our Blessed Lady, Our pit belonging to the original civilian settlement outside the ancient Lady Assumed into Heaven. Roman Fort, a broken amphora on the side of which was scratched a Latin cryptogram in the form of a word square. St Mary’s, as its title is familiar- ly shortened to, or The Hidden When deciphered this yielded Gem, as it has come to be in Latin the word “Our Father” known affectionately, is now the in the shape of a cross with oldest post-Reformation Catholic the Alpha and Omega, the foundation in situ in the city. It was Beginning and the End, at the founded during the rapid four extreme points of the industrialisation of Manchester to cross. Thus a little more than meet the needs of the poor, crowd- a century after the ing into the town. The problems Crucifixion this secret symbol were enormous, and the church’s of Christianity, then so much service to the city from that time persecuted, gives evidence to assumed an heroic scale. The church’s life spans the growth of the faith alive in the area that Manchester, as the world’s first industrial city. became St Mary’s parish. ______The words of the cryptogram were used on the altar frontal when FOUNDED FOR THE POOR Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in Heaton Park in 1982 (picture ______above) and all the priests wore a new set of vestments made for One great leap forward in that growth came thirty-six years after St the occasion, with the word ‘Pater Noster’ (Our Father) on them. Mary’s foundation. In 1830 the passenger railway between Manchester and Liverpool was opened. It was the first in the world. Now, as the parish approaches the celebration of the 225th The Manchester Station was within the parish of St Mary’s. anniversary of the opening of the church on this site, St Mary’s has Liverpool Road Station lay on the then outskirts of Manchester. as much as ever a special place in the hearts of Mancunians and Omnibuses from Market Street were organised to carry passengers countless people far beyond Manchester. It is recognised as a place from the town centre. specially hallowed. In these early days following the lockdown of pandemic, people are slowly returning to St Mary’s. Up until the It was precisely because the area was on the edge of the city in recent temporary closure of all our churches, there was a constant those days that the newly arrived poor were congregating there. flow of people throughout the day to pray or light a candle in the And it was because the poor were there that St Mary’s was founded church. On Ash Wednesday this year, 26th February, just over there. The Anglican historian, The Rev. Arthur J Dobb, is his history three weeks before the lockdown, St Mary’s was full to capacity, for of the Diocese of Manchester, published in 1978, says this: “The the lunchtime Mass, to mark the beginning of the journey of Lent. Roman Catholic Church sought to tackle Manchester’s deepest Little did any of us realise on that day how our journey with the troubled area which lay between Deansgate and Albert Square. A Lord though Lent and Easter was going to be so different this year. church was build in 1794 in Mulberry Street on a site crowded in by intensive poor-quality housing, on land which had so recently been As people slowly return to the Hidden Gem, to say a quiet prayer, to open meadow and grazing pasture.” He goes on to quote the light a candle, or to join in the celebration of Holy Mass, we pray opinion that appeared in one of the city’s papers in 1822 regarding that we will soon be able to gather in great numbers once again in the foundation of the church twenty-eight years previously in such a this holy place, as countless generations have done so before us. poor quarter. It is an opinion that shows nothing of the Rev. Mr. Our Lady of Manchester, pray for us.

______

RESUMPTION OF HOLY MASS THE CELEBRATION OF HOLY MASS ______

Having considered all the guidelines we have received in recent A few slight changes have been made ensure that parishioners can weeks, and put a risk assessment in place, we have now resumed safely attend the celebration of Holy Mass at St Mary’s: the public celebration of Holy Mass here at The Hidden Gem. The  The sacristy is reserved for the priest celebrant at this time; Church wants to ensure that the safety of people is paramount, and in the present circumstances will require some slight  Particular care will be taken over the preparation of the adjustments to the way we normally enter, sit, and move around elements for Holy Communion, with coverings over the chalice the church. and ciborium before Holy Mass, and a small cloth placed over the altar breads during Holy Mass, which is only removed at Please note that the church can accommodate approximately 43 the time for the distribution of Holy Communion. individual people, observing 2 metre safe distancing, and using the  The priest and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion will gallery. This number increases with every couple, household, or sanitise their hands immediately before and after distributing bubble being able to sit together. Holy Communion

When entering, please indicate to the stewards at the door of the  Those receiving Holy Communion will be guided to come up church how many you are and they will indicate where to sit. If you row by row, approaching by the centre aisle and returning by are a parishioner who always likes to sit in the same place, please the side aisle. You are asked at this time to receive only in the be aware that at this time you may not be able to do so. hand, with arms outstretched across a prie-dieu;  The celebration of Holy Mass will be kept quite short in these As you will be aware, the obligation to attend Mass on a Sunday is early days, so as not to prolong being inside for too long; lifted for the moment, so I would like to suggest that for the time there will be no communal singing, no Mass books or hymn being we think of every Mass as a Sunday Mass. books; If you have one, you might want to bring your own We have kept the same times for Masses here at St Mary’s, with missal. We will gradually re-introduce things as the guidelines are revised. the addition this week of ______ a Tuesday evening Mass at 5.15pm APPEAL FOR VOLUNTEERS  and a Thursday evening Mass at 5.15pm, ______to give extra opportunity during the week to attend on an evening, One of the key elements in being able to open the church at this if you can’t do so at the weekend or at lunchtime during the week. time of pandemic, is the necessity to assemble a Team of Therefore, here at St Mary’s, there will be eleven Masses this Welcomers, or stewards, in order to ensure that the guidance coming week, which should give everyone the opportunity to we have received can safely be put into effect on a day to day attend Mass safely at some time during the week. If you are able basis when the church is open. to come to weekday Mass that might spread the numbers so that everyone could get to Mass once a week at some point. At least two welcomers will need to be present when a church is ______open at this time for quiet prayer and we are looking for four WHAT TO EXPECT ON COMING INTO CHURCH stewards to assist during the celebration of each Mass. ______I am very grateful to those parishioners who have so far To help you prepare for coming into church, and in order to make generously offered their help and those who have assisted this the church as safe a place as possible for all parishioners and past week. We are fortunate to have enough volunteers to open at visitors, please read below for the changes that we have put in the times advertised this week, but we still need more volunteers place. going forward. To volunteer there will be:

When you arrive, a parishioner will be at the entrance of the  A short volunteer application form to complete, as part of the church to welcome you and to point you in the right direction. diocesan Safer Recruitment process; Please:  A short list of responsibilities provided and a short  Enter the church by the left hand side door only; introduction to them with one of the current volunteers; Some basic safeguarding training provided online, on  Sanitise your hands on entry and later on exit;  the diocesan website, to help to keep oneself and others safe.  Follow the simple one-way system around the church; Each volunteer will also have to confirm that they are not excluded  In order to keep at a certain distance from others, sit only on from performing the role, as defined by current government certain benches, which are clearly marked with a green guidance. However, the Diocese has now clarified that over-70s tick. If you are from the same family/household/bubble, please can volunteer, though one must be aware that this role may put sit next to each other, where possible, to maximise the use of one at some personal risk, and must consider one’s own health and space for everyone. well-being before putting oneself forward.  Only so many people are able to be in the church at any one time; the current capacity for individuals sitting separately is If you are able to help, even for a short period of time, 43, but if there are people sitting together from the same please email me with your name and contact details and I will give household/bubble, then the capacity goes up to 100, using the you further information. Without the help of parishioners, we gallery as well. wouldn’t be able to open again at this time. So, having volunteers in place will enable us to keep the church open again; The more  If the capacity is reached for the celebration of Mass then, volunteers we have, the more that we will be able to be open for sadly, we will not be able to admit any more people at this everyone. Thank you. time. If this were to happen any time this coming week, we ______would look to having more opportunities for Mass going THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT forward during this time of pandemic. ______

 If you wish to light a candle, only approach the votive candle I would like to express my thanks for the generosity of some of our stands if there is nobody lighting a candle, and then return to parishioners who have continued to contribute financially to St your seat to enable others to come forward safely; In lighting Mary’s during this time. We all know what a difficult time it is for a candle, please only touch the candle that you are lighting many people, and we are grateful to those who have been able to and not any other candles; After lighting a candle, please continue to support us during this time. sanitise your hands at the sanitiser point provided, before returning to your seat or leaving the church; We encourage those of you who are able to do so, to continue supporting the parish financially and, if you ordinarily contribute by  Pews and kneelers will be discreetly disinfected as each visitor way of the collection at Sunday Mass, to do please think about vacates their seat; taking out a monthly Standing Order and, if you pay tax, Gift Aiding  The toilet is not in use at this current time; that donation. Thank you to many of you who have set up standing orders during this time or increased your donation. We now have  Leave the church by the opposite door to the one through 25 regular standing orders, which is great. which you entered, following the one-way system;  There will be an additional daily cleaning down of the main For more information we encourage you to visit the Donations page touch points in the church at the time of closing each day. on our parish website. Many thanks to those parishioners who have set up a standing order recently, sent a cheque in the post, All the above measures are designed to ensure the health, safety made a donation on line, or are keeping offertory envelopes at and well-being of all our parishioners and visitors, and we home until we can next gather in St Mary’s. thank you in advance for your cooperation. Thank you for your continued generosity to our parish.