Biblical
“Even our soul itself becomes more beautiful when beauty meets us, takes hold of us, and fires us with enthusiasm.” From Aesthetics
Angel of God, my Guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day (or night) be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Welcome to the Parish of St Patrick's
THE CHURCH WILL BE OPEN FOR PRIVATE PRAYER - we are open Tuesday & Friday - 10.00 - 12.00noon
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SACRED HEART AND ST. PATRICK’S (SOWERBY BRIDGE) OPENS FROM TUESDAY 23 JUNE
- Tuesday 10am – 12noon
- Friday 10am – 12noon
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By leaving a few days between opening the appropriate deep cleaning can be achieved. Under most circumstances, the amount of infectious virus on any contaminated surfaces is likely to have decreased significantly by 24 hours, and even more so by +48 hours. Keeping to social distancing and following good hygiene rules means that about 35 people can be in church at any one time. In choosing the times above for opening I’ve had to keep in mind guidance which says we should try not to coincide with the times people are arriving for and leaving school (Bolton Brow Primary School) as well as avoiding my private Mass time.
We will do all we can to keep you safe when you visit church to pray. We will review our plan of action in 3 weeks time. If you would like to discuss any of this information please contact Fr Larkin - Keep well and generous.LATEST NEWS - Reopening of Churches for Mass - HALIFAX DEANERY
The parish priests of the deanery are in regular contact and we are working together to put in place a system that will allow as many of those who wish to attend Mass in the deanery to do so. It is likely that NOT all our churches will be open for Mass, not least because we will want to use larger churches, where possible, to enable the greatest number to attend. Given the amount that has to be done, we have decided that there will be no Masses next weekend, 4/5 July but we will work towards reintroducing Mass when we can - this may take a few week. We have to starting thinking of the whole week as a Sunday. Please note that the Bishops of England and Wales will NOT be restoring the obligation to attend Sunday Mass at this stage.Resumption of Collective Worship
The Archbishops have clearly stated that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass remains suspended and they go on to say, “Please be aware that there will be a limit on the number of people who can attend Mass in our churches. We therefore need to reflect carefully on how and when we might be able to attend Mass. We cannot return immediately to our customary practices. This next step is not, in any sense, a moment when we are going ‘back to normal’. We ask every Catholic to think carefully about how and when they will return to Mass.” They add, “Given there is no Sunday obligation, we ask you to consider the possibility of attending Mass on a weekday. This will ease the pressure of numbers for Sunday celebrations and allow a gradual return to the Eucharist for more people” It is important to reaffirm that, at present, the obligation to attend Sunday Mass remains suspended.
A significant number of churches may remain closed as they are unable to meet the requirements for opening for individual prayer. Fulfilling these requirements is a precondition for any church opening after the 4th July for the celebration of Mass with a congregation. We cannot return immediately to our customary practices. This next step is not, in any sense, a moment when we are going ‘back to normal’. We ask every Catholic to think carefully about how and when they will return to Mass. Given there is no Sunday obligation, I ask you to consider the possibility of attending Mass on a weekday. We have to starting thinking of the whole week as a Sunday – from now on “Every day is like Sunday.”
If we can take this to heart, that every day is like Sunday, this will help to allow more people to return to the Eucharist.
When we return to Mass there will some differences in how the celebration takes place.
For the time being, there will be no congregational singing and Mass will be shorter than usual.
None of this detracts from the centrality of our encounter with the Risen Christ in the Eucharist.
I ask everyone to respect and follow the guidance that will be issued and the instructions in church.
For us this means that instead of our church holding about 300 people, it can only accommodate 35 (maximum 2m separation)
There is also a requirement to have some kind of booking system so that we can be safe, keep the rules and that we know when we arrive at church there will be space for us.
This will enable us to observe the government regulations which ask that we keep a record for 21 days of the names contact details of those who visit our churches; it will assist NHS Test and Trace and help with investigating local outbreaks.
As indicated above, we need to thinking of the whole week as a Sunday. By think in this new way we can increase the opportunity of Mass for all. Across the deanery, under the new regulations we can welcome back including weekday Mass ~ 400 to 500 people.
There will also be quite a number of people who will be continuing to shield in the first weeks of this resumption of public Mass and so it is important to continue Sunday devotions at home. We’re all going to have to be charitable and patient and help each other when the arrangements come out… It will be good to be together again – Remember “for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” ...
In the light of the bishop's letter we have to starting thinking of the whole week as a Sunday - In the meantime, why not set aside a time and come round to the church even for a few minutes - we are open Tuesday & Friday - 10.00 - 12.00noon. The church is nothing without you. You are the Living Stones.
- Fr Larkin will provide cover for Calderdale Royal Hospital from July 15 – 27, August 8 – 14, followed by September 9 – 11. The emergency cover runs from 9am on the day on rota to 9am the following day.
- Thank you for visiting the website (6,397 views in the last 28 days) and for the positive comments - I will keep publishing the Newsletter on a weekly basis - So please visit the website each week and click on both buttons above - Thank you.
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is part of the family of catholic schools in the Diocese of Leeds and has the example of Jesus Christ at the heart of all our endeavours. “It’s a great Primary School with lots of activities…” Sacred Heart is a highly successful Primary School. The latest OFSTED report December 2017 reports GOOD in all areas
The history of St Patrick's
Originally a small hamlet, Sowerby Bridge in Saxon times, had a little church called St Peters (at the top of the hill), which was, of course, before the Reformation, Roman Catholic. Just before this, in 1526, during the reign of Henry VIII, a new church was built on the banks of the River Calder, but ten years later, when Henry split from Rome, this church became Anglican.
