Farewell Father Bill

Father Bill Saunders, parish priest of Oadby from 1998 to 2007

 

After being taken ill, Father Bill was taken to Hospital in Nottingham, but the surgical team was unable to help him. He surprised the medical staff when he recovered consciousness and rallied on Thursday, being well enough to receive visitors and chat to them. On Friday, however his condition worsened and he died peacefully on Saturday morning 26th October.
 

Father Bill was seventy-four years old and had celebrated the golden jubilee of his priestly ordination on the Feast of Ss Peter and Paul, 29th June 2013.

HIs funeral arrangements are as follows: there will be a Vigil Reception with Mass at 7 pm on Tuesday 5th November in the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Brooklyn Road, Bulwell and Requiem Mass at 11.15 am on Wednesday 6th November also in Bulwell. His mortal remains will be buried in  Highwood Cemetery.

 

May he rest in peace.

Birthday celebration

After our 10am Mass this Monday parishioners and friends gathered for tea, coffee and cakes to celebrate Paule Morris' birthday. We sheltered from the autumnal rains outside in our parish room and enjoyed our time together reminiscing and sharing stories. Later in the day, Paule's children and grandchildren gathered for their own family celebration.

 



Family Bingo Night

Last night about twenty parishioners gathered for our first Family Bingo Night to raise money towards our Building Fund and to socialise in our new parish rooms. The evening was organised by Darren Brooks who was our Caller for the night. The evening was enjoyed by all who attended with cries of 'Line' and 'House' punctuating the evening. Half the proceeds were used for prizes while the sum of £75 was raised for our Building Fund.

Oadby mourns her first parish priest

News came to us that on Wednesday morning 28th August our first parish priest and founder, Father John Francis Feeley died peacefully. He was ninety-five years old and had been a priest of the Diocese of Nottingham for fifty-eight years. He was still working as parish priest of Our Lady of Victories and St Alphonsus parish in Lutterworth until the day he died.

 

 

Many parishioners in Oadby remember Fr Feeley with great affection and gratitude and will be saddened by his death. May he rest in peace and receive the reward of his earthly labours in the heavenly kingdom.

 

His funeral arrangements are as follows: there will be a Vigil Mass in Our Lady of Victories and St Alphonsus, Lutterworth at 7pm on Thursday 12th September, and the Requiem Mass on Friday 13th September in the Church of our Lady of Victories, Market Harborough at 12 noon.

Freddie comes to visit

For the next few days I have visitors; my sister has come to stay with her puppy, an Irish red setter by the name of Freddie. Some parishioners have met him on his previous visits, but he is much bigger now. As the Romans used to say... CAVE CANEM  (beware of the dog) - but seriously he's really very friendly.

HOLYDAY OF OBLIGATION

THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

THURSDAY AUGUST 15th

 

 

 

HOLY MASS TIMES

10am and 7pm

Lourdes Pilgrimage July 2013

The Oadby parish banner in Lourdes

On Monday 15th July Father Philip set off for Lourdes on the train at 6.39am, travelling via London St Pancras, to catch the 9.17am Eurostar train to Paris, Gare du Nord. Transferring by Metro to the Gare Montparnasse - Bienvenue for the 2.27pm TGV service to Lourdes. Unfortunately due to the recent flooding, the line between Pau and Lourdes is out of service so SNCF laid on coaches for the last 40km to leave us at the railway station in Lourdes at 9.20pm, just 40 minutes later than expected.

Joining the Diocesan Pilgrimage on Tuesday morning for the opening Mass at the Autel Esplanade, (still known to oldtimers like myself as the St Bernadette altar) beside the Rosary Basilica, we had our picture taken on the Basilica steps after the service.

The parish banner had been brought on one the coaches bringing young helpers from schools around the diocese, and was much admired as it was carried in procession. In the picture above with the Basilicas in the background we are just gathering to make our way to the Grotto of Massabille for our Mass on Wednesday morning, which we celebrated with the pilgrimages from Glasgow and Ampleforth.

The return journey on Saturday was accomplished in reverse order by a TGV from Pau at 11.08am, the 19.13 Eurostar from Paris and the 20.55 East Midlands Mainline service to Sheffield, stopping at Leicester at 21.02 - tired but relieved to be home safely, the parish priest got things ready for Sunday Mass.