EASTER SUNDAY

Jesus Christ is risen, alleluia!

As we celebrated the Mass of Easter Day we were presented with the sign of the empty tomb

Our children's liturgy group added brightly coloured flowers to complete their Easter Garden during the Mass and spoke about their Liturgy to a packed congregation at the 10am Mass

 

 

HOLY SATURDAY

All preparations ready for the Easter Vigil

 

The Sacred Drama begins with a fire...

 

... the congregation waits in the darkness ...

 

... the mystery unfolds ...

 

The Paschal Candle is  now ready for us to proceed

into the church for the rest of the Vigil

Good Friday

Good Friday began with our Children's Liturgy Group

 

praying the Station of the Cross in the morning,

while in the afternoon more than a hundred people

attended the Solemn Passion service

at three o'clock, the time when the Gospels relate

'about the ninth hour' Jesus died on the Cross.

In the evening three young people of the parish

led a smaller congregation in
the Stations of the Cross

from the Lourdes Pilgrimage handbook

The Mass of the Lord's Supper

THE MANDATUM

Preparations were made for this evening's solemn liturgy.

Twelve chairs were put at the front of the sanctuary

for the twelve people taking part in the Mandatum

or the Washing of the Feet, part of the story
of the Last Supper that we read in St John's Gospel

Our newly refurbished parish room was transformed

into the Altar of Repose.

At the end of the liturgy the Blessed Sacrament

was carried in procession and placed in the

tabernacle on the altar above.

Parishioners remained in prayer until ten o'clock

remembering the Agony in the Garden,

the time Jesus spent in prayer in the Garden of

Gethsemene before his arrest.



The Mass of Chrism

Today priests, deacons, religious and lay people from around the DIocese of Nottingham gathered in the Cathedral Church of St Barnabas for the Mass of Chrism celebrated by Bishop Malcolm McMahon OP.

During the Mass the Oils were blessed and consecrated for Sacramental use in the coming year. The Oil of the Sick, also called Infirmorum, and the Oil of Catechumens were blessed and the Oil of Chrism was consecrated.

After the Mass the clergy filled their oil stocks from the large vessels used during the ceremony and brought them back to their parishes for safe keeping.

Palm Sunday

It may be snowing outside...

...but that doesn't stop our Palm Sunday procession

getting ready for their place in the procession,

palm branches at the ready.

Afterwards the children's liturgy group meet

in the Parish Room



Habemus Papam!

On the fifth ballot at the end of the second day of the 2013 Conclave, the Cardinal-Electors chose Jose Mario Cardinal Bergoglio as the 265th successor of St Peter and the latest Bishop of Rome. Around 7.20pm Pope Francis appeared on the balcony of the Basilica of St Peter in the Vatican City to speak and give his first blessing Urbi et Orbi (To the City and to the World)

Parish Open Meeting

Twenty or so parishioners attended an open meeting at the invitation of Bishop Malcolm and organised by our Pastoral Council on Thursday 7th March at 7pm. There was a twenty minute presentation based on the information put before the priests of the diocese by Bishop Malcolm in the Cathedral Hall in Nottingham on Monday 18th February. The presentation was tailored to the circumstances of our parish in Oadby but our discussions which followed it took into account proposals from the Consultation "You are living stones" from around the City of Leicester.
During the coffee break and forty-five minute discussion period, five questions were put to us by Bishop Malcolm concerning his proposals for Oadby. We discussed the possible future link with our neighbouring parish of St Thomas More in Knighton, and felt it was a good match, although there were concerns about the dissimilarity of sizes between the two parishes. Parishoners felt it vital that we keep and indeed strengthen our identity as a parish community and enter into any link as full partners with another parish.

 We looked in detail about possible consequences of the two linked parishes having to be cared for by one priest. This would have immediate consequences for the schedule of Masses in both parishes. While it would be possible to maintain our current schedule of FIVE Masses over the weekend, it would necessitate changes to the timing of all services to ensure that the priest could travel safely between the churches and still have some time to see parishioners. We also considered ways of working together more closely within the Leicester East Deanery.
All agreed that the process could only go forward with more participation by lay people in the parish to work with the parish clergy in all areas of parish life.
Over to you now....