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
It is with sadness that I must inform you that Fr Barrie Holmes, aged 88 years, died peacefully yesterday, Friday 19th November, at St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds. Only a couple of hours before his death, Barrie had been visited by two priest friends from our diocese and received the Sacrament of the Sick. Please pray for the repose of his soul and for all those who now mourn for him. Having trained at the Beda College, Rome, Fr Barrie was ordained to the priesthood on 26th March 1966. His first appointment was to St Patrick's, Sheffield (1966-68). After a year’s study in London, he was then sent to St William's, Bradford (1969-74) and Sacred Heart and St Patrick's, Sowerby Bridge (1974-1976). Upon completion of some further studies (1976-1979), he went to St Matthew's, Bradford (1979-1983), then to St Theresa's, Queensbury (1983-1987), SS John Fisher & Thomas More, Burley in Wharfedale (1987-1993) and finally to St Robert's, Harrogate in 1993. Fr Barrie retired from holding parochial office in 1999. The arrangements for the funeral of Rev Fr Barrie Holmes RIP are as follows:
COVID The message to remain cautious, be kind and help each other to stay safe is a good example of how we should act. We all have a shared responsibility towards each other and that includes keeping some of the measures in place that have helped keep people safe. Some people, particularly those who are clinically vulnerable, have good cause to be concerned about further lifting restrictions. We need to strike a balance between what we are allowed to do and what we see as responsible to do. We will continue to assess what we can reopen and adapt so that people who want to can come together again. For all in-person activities we ask you to follow requirements for everyone’s safety, such as wearing face coverings etc before attending I know that not everyone will agree with this cautious approach. I take my responsibility for everyone’s safety seriously. If we all play our part, we can look forward to being able to enjoy true freedom without such extreme caution – surely something we all want, whatever our views
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.
