STAYING ON On Ash Wednesday I emailed The Archbishop to inform him that my 75th birthday Our Lady was on Saturday 20th. In the email I said that I was willing to continue as Parish Priest if he so wished. It took almost a week for him to reply but it was worth waiting Help of Christians for. He said: ‘I am happy for you to stay on for a while as parish priest as long as you get your lovely parishioners to do most of the work while you work through Parish Priest: Fr David Melly your health issues.’ I like the lovely parishioners bit wherever he got that from!!!! Deacons: So if anyone has any free time and feels that you can help in any way, please have Rev Jim Davies a word or better still, send an email. He also said that: ‘Retiring from active ministry Rev Tom Simms is not easy for you or your parish but I ask you to think hard about when would be a Portico Lane, Prescot, L34 2QT good time. If you stay too long your parish might get run down and you will find it Tel: 0151 426 6251 harder to adjust to a new way of life. I will rely on you to selflessly tell me if and Email: [email protected] when that time comes. Web: www.ourladysportico.co.uk BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE: IT STARTS WITH ST. HELENS Are you interested in exploring how we can alleviate fuel poverty in St. Helens? To th 3rd SUNDAY OF LENT 7 March, 2021 find out more - join this on line event on Fri 12 March from 1.30 pm -3.00 pm with (Prayer of the Church Week 3 Parish Book Page 154) our MPs Marie Rimmer and Conor McGinn. Expert speakers will explore the current problems and look at potential solutions, which will help people who now

have to choose between “eating or heating”. Additional benefits include a reduction MASSES THIS WEEK in carbon emissions and the creation of local jobs. More information available from Saturday 5.30pm Barry Leach John and Sue Murray - 01744 22125. Register now by following this link and book Sunday 10.00am Margaret Gorman your place: (Ctrl Click)https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/building-for-the-future-it- Monday 9.00.am People of the Parish starts-with-st-helens-tickets-138590081665 Tuesday 9.00am Alan Chisnall THE VENERABLE CP Wednesday 7.00pm David V G Smerdon It was with great happiness that I heard the news on 20 February 2021 that Fr Thursday 9.00am Margaret Knott (Nee Melly) Ignatius Spencer CP was declared by the as having lived a life of Friday 9.00am Holy Souls heroic virtue and may now be called ‘venerable’. To get this news so soon after the very recent declaration of Sr CP as ‘venerable’ is a remarkable grace MASSES NEXT WEEKEND to the Passionist Order and to the archdiocese. These two Victorian Catholics are as relevant to the mission of the church today as they were in their lifetimes. They show Saturday 5.30pm People of the Parish us how to reach out beyond ourselves and respond to suffering due to poverty and Sunday 10.00am John Wylie deprivation. My prayer is that the shrine at St. Anne’s, Sutton which harbours the mortal remains of three great , Blessed Dominic Barberi, Venerable Novena No novena this week Elizabeth Prout and the now Venerable Ignatius Spencer, will increase as a centre of Confessions No confessions this week devotion and prayer in the archdiocese. All three of these great disciples loved the Meditation No meditation this week poor and worked tirelessly for their bodily and spiritual wellbeing. Venerable Ignatius, who had left behind a life of privilege, devoted himself tirelessly Counters team next Sunday to visiting the poor, giving food and all his personal possessions to those in need. His No counters needed preaching and writings showed him to be a true disciple of Jesus and in his daily life PURIFICATORS NEXT WEEK he lived out the passion of our Lord in heroic fashion. His life of service is a true I will do them example to his living relatives, Prince William and Prince Harry, and is to be emulated by us all. Malcolm McMahon OP Archbishop of